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By Madhava Smullen

With different countries around the world at different stages of COVID-19 precautions, ISKCON Mayapur has introduced its own safety measures for visitors, community devotees, and stranded foreign devotees.

ISKCON’s headquarters in West Bengal, India has announced that starting from March 19th, temple darshan times for visitors will be restricted to 10:00am to 1:00pm and 5:00pm to 7:30pm.  Arrangements will be made so that the visitor line will enter the Mayapur campus, tak

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When I visited the Yukon, not so terribly long ago, I received a small gift—a key chain.  Attached to this key chain is that iconic image of backpacking prospectors, struggling up a steep snowbank by way of a rope.  This represents the famous Yukon Gold Rush that took place at the turn of the 20th century.
 
I'm intrigued with that historical time, not with the lusting for gold, but for the fact that folks were adventurous and willing to take risks starting a new life in the great north.  For m
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Remedy for Coronavirus by Giriraj dasa

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All around there is only one hot news- coronavirus. The situation seems to be getting serious in many countries with an increased sense of fear and misery all across the world as there seems to be no remedy for coronavirus. Let us try to see things from the eyes of Guru, Sadhu and Sastra and understand why such epidemics come our way what is the remedy for coronavirus and other such epidemics.

Cause of coronavirus or other epidemics

Animal killing

By practice, one should avoid eating in such a

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The history of the establishment of the great temple in Puri, and the hypocrisy of temple priests as opposed to sincere devotional worship in pure love of God. Written by the Thakur in English, 1871.

There is not a Hindu who has not heard the name of this temple. The old and the young, the male and the female, the Rajah and the ryot, and the weak and the stout, all visit this temple out of a religious curiosity. Three hundred and one miles south-west of the Vice-Regal palace at Calcutta, stands

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With the event of this pandemic calamity and Iskcon temples forced to close down it may be the time for devotees to think and find ways about how to maintain their Krishna consciousness and how to continue their preaching. Broadcasting regularly online and having other programs like japa together can surely be of great help to keep connected and share Krishna consciousness.

Video: Click here

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=83796

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Over 500 people, including congregation members and the local community at large, are expected to attend the April 4th Foundation Stone Ceremony for ISKCON of New Jersey’s grand new temple in Parsippanny. The ceremony is set to launch construction on a project that took over a decade of hard work, and will ultimately cost a total of $7 to $8 million.

Parsippany Mayor Michael Sorriano will attend the event, and will ceremonially open a curtain to reveal the foundation stone and officially ina

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      sri visnuduta ucuh
yuyam vai dharma-rajasya
  yadi nirdesa-karinah
bruta dharmasya nas tattvam
  yac cadharmasya laksanam

 “The blessed messengers of Lord Visnu, the Visnudutas, said: If you are actually servants of Yamaraja, you must explain to us the meaning of religious principles and the symptoms of irreligion.” (SB 6.1.3) The Yamadutas had challenged, “Who are you, interfering in our business? We have come to arrest him.” So, the counterchallenge was, “You said, ‘We are servants of D

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Panic Mode by Bhaktimarga Swami

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I noticed something peculiar about some of the shoppers as I walked with Corrado to our favourite chanting park, Bellevue Square.  I spotted several people carrying toilet paper.  I believe that some folks are caught up in what some call "panic buying".  What ignited this recent practice is the awareness of the coronavirus.  People are acting in a panic mode.

Of course, it is important and intelligent to take precautions.  I just wish that the panic button on birth, death, old age and disease
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Announcement from Krishna Balaram Mandir’s Temple President:

Everyone is familiar with the Coronavirus. They say in the news that India is now at stage 2 and stage 3 means it becomes widespread because many people are actually carrying the virus but it is dormant and not acting. We had to take hard decision, its a difficult and coordinated decision, and we are closing the Temple today at 01:00 PM for two weeks. It will be open for resident devotees only. There will be many questions and concern

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Sunday is that day of the week for spending hours with community.  It started off for me at the ISKCON Brampton Centre with everyone singing in unison, and also as far as possible, physically moving together, as in dance.

I spoke from Chapter 2.46 of the Gita where there is mention of Sri Chaitanya (in the purport) displaying ecstasies.  The greatest contribution of this great monk, who walked plenty, was leaving Himself in the form of kirtan—the sacred name.  It is the practice of sharing sac
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Visitor Restriction:
1. Starting from 19 March 2020 the darshan time in the temple for visitors will be restricted to 10:00am to 1:00pm and 5:00pm to 7:30pm. The line will be arranged in such a way that they will enter the campus, have darshan and exit the campus.
2. The other than the designated route, all other parts of the campus will be off limit for pilgrims.
3. All pilgrims and visitors will be thermal scanned at entry point to the campus. They will also be subject to compulsory disinfecti

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A day in the life of Shri Krishna is filled with numerous activities: tending cows, playing pranks on the women of the village, feasting on sumptuous food with the cowherd boys and vanquishing an ill-fated demon whose misfortune brings him wandering into Krishna’s abode. Considering all this, one might ask why Krishna would choose to lose sleep over dancing with a group of mere milkmaids.

The Adi Purana narrates a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna. The Supreme Lord, Shri Krishna, describe

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Some of our devotees wanted to go out to distribute books door-to-door yesterday, Saturday.

I asked them to be extremely careful, by:

Staying at least 6 feet away from people when speaking to them. Sanitizing their hands after *every* interaction. Being vigilant to not touch their faces at at any time.

This group of distributors reported that, uncharacteristically, 95% of people opened their doors to speak with them. Most of them took books very enthusiastically, saying: “While we have to sta

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By Natalia Popenko

A group photo of the European ISKCON Youth Leaders' meeting in Spain

On the last weekend of February in New Vraja Mandala ISKCON temple in Spain the first European ISKCON Youth Leaders meeting was organized. 35 ISKCON devotees from 25 European countries gathered for three days to overview the existing and future possibilities to help young devotees to develop their full potential, and opportunities within the existing Erasmus+ framework. 

The main speakers presented their

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By Madhava Smullen
 

Students at the ISKCON of New Jersey Sunday School after performing 'The Churning of the Milk Ocean' drama based on Srimad Bhagavatam.

ISKCON Sunday School educators, administrators, and youth leaders from all over North America are set to gather for a Sunday School and Youth Education Conference at ISKCON Baltimore from May 29th to 31st, to develop a common vision and share best practices. 

According to the NA Child Protection Office, at least 1,200 children in North Am

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I was happy to be part of the wedding reception for Damodhara, Gujarati born practitioner of bhakti yoga.  He resides in Sudbury, the place where I lived when I met Krishna monks who changed my life.  I spoke a few words to the crowd, addressing my joy at his partnership, before the toast and the cake cutting.

I really support marriage and the prospect for a one-shot deal.  I expressed my wish they'll have twelve kids.  People roared laughing.

The reception was held right in Govinda's Dinning
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There is so much fear, and perhaps rightfully so, about COVID-19 virus.

If we subscribe to the philosophy that Krishna’s plan is always for our welfare, then the COVID-19 virus is here to help us.

To reset.
To remember.
What is truly important.
What is the purpose of life.
By reconnecting with family, community, and, God.
Reducing travel so that the environment, the air, lungs all get a break.

Huge regions of China are seeing blue skies and clouds for the first time in decades because the ugra

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If we had a rand for every time we felt discouraged and aimless in our spheres of livelihood, we would probably be well-off by now and ready to take early retirement. Srila Prabhupada explains that everyone has a prescribed duty according to the four social dispositions; namely the priestly, warriors, merchants, and labourers. Those who properly perform their prescribed duties as an offering to God “live peacefully and are not disturbed by material conditions.” Thus they achieve the highest per

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In May of 2006, a young man who had been born into a family of devotees, who had gone to and been abused at different ISKCON gurukulas in the 70’s and 80’s, committed suicide. A huge outpouring of emotion surged through the Vaishnava community, especially on the internet. On the Chakra website, in addressing abuse in ISKCON, someone wrote:

“How can somebody take disksha from Prabhupada, chant for many years, study the shastra for many years, and end up abusing their power like this? How can som

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"Srimad Bhagavatam  explains  that  the  material  world  is  a  place  of  constant  danger: padam  padam  yad  vipadam  na  tesam …  the  place  where  there  is  danger  at  every  step. We are  constantly  confronted  with  a  myriad  of  challenges  in  this  world  and  it  only  worsens  as  Kali-yuga  progresses.  The  devotee’s  only  shelter  is  the  lotus  feet  of  the  Lord.  The  more  we  take  shelter  of the  Lord’s  lotus  feet  the  more  we  become  freed  from  the  effec

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