BenLoka's stay at the Bhaktivedanta Manor Temple
Famous Youtube Comedian, BenLoka recounts his 3 month stay, in the Bhakta Program, at the Hare Krishna temple in England, the Bhaktivedanta Manor.
Ratha Yatra in Klang, Malaysia
This December, devotees in Klang, Malaysia, celebrated their Ratha Yatra festival, one of twenty across the country.Preparation for the traditional cart festival honoring Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra begins months in advance, with Klang’s small congregation saturating the town with promotional pamphlets. The resulting support from townspeople, especially the shops in Little India, funds the event almost entirely.
“We worried that such a small congregation could pull off such a big festival,” says community member Jeyanthy Pillai. “Only one key person with a couple of helpers handled each major department. But with their enthusiasm and determination, they made it happen.”
The unpredictable tropical weather was also a concern, with heavy rain falling in Kuala Lumpur 45 minutes away. But amazingly, Klang remained dry and balmy on the day of the procession.
Vyasa Puja Mahotsav Invitation
With due respect we like to inform you that the Vyasa Puja ceremony of Jagad Guru 108 Sri Srila Bhati Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada is going to be celebrated at the Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, Radha Niwas, Mathura Road, Vrindavan, State:- Uttar Pradesh, India, of his dear disciple Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goshwami Maharaj, Vrindavan on 14th February, 2009 with the approval and co-operation of Vraja Saraswata Goudiya Vaishnava Sangha.
http://www.vina.cc
http://www.vina.cc
HOLY COW: The Hare Krishna contribution to Vegetarianism and Animal Rights
Steven J. Rosen Interviewed by Claudette Vaughan
We heard him speak passionately on the often neglected subject of a veggie diet through the Canadian animal advocacy radio show Animal Voices. The greatest success story over the past 25 years for the Hare Krishna’s has been their ‘Food For Life’ program. It has served hot, nutritious vegetarian meals throughout America, Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe. Lately there’s been some controversy though. Here Steve Rosen speaks to us about his book ‘Holy Cow: The Hare Krishna Contribution to Vegetarianism and Animal Rights’ and their ‘Food for Life’ program in India.
http://www.abolitionist-online.com
Through the Eyes of a Child
Prahlad & the Krishna Kids (1986) - "Through the Eyes of a Child".
A musical hit in Australia and a number of countries, 'Prahlad and the Krishna Kids' were all devotees at ISKCON New Govardhan. This LP was bought via Ebay in 2005. Hare Krishna!
All of the following files are .mp3. To download, right-click on the file and "Save (File) As....." to your hard drive.
(01) Through The Eyes Of A Child
(02) We Want To See The 21st Century
(03) Its Up To You
(04) Life Can Be Better
(05) In Every Town And Village
(09) My Generation
(10) Listen To The Children
All 10 song files zipped (37.3MB) download
Executive producer Gauragopala dasa ACBSP
Produced by Havi and Mark Oputs EMI Sydney and Springbrook Queenland May 1986
Our first religion is to produce food to feed everyone
-Conversation, Atlanta, March 1, 1975
http://www.dandavats.com
VOICE Newsletter November issue
Hare Krishna! VOICE Newsletter November issue brings to you VOICE venturing into the Coporate World with Srila Prabhupada’s message.
Highlights of the November VOICE News letter–
· Srila Prabhupad Uvaca- “If you want to please me…”
· Tech Mahindra break through…
· Sreshtha for the month - HG Mukunda Ananda pr
· Systematic training programs at ISKCON Pune.
· Shantipur dham VOICE experiences unique Nishtha camp
· Quiz for November. Win Exciting mail gifts on answering the quiz correctly.
PDF version
Highlights of the November VOICE News letter–
· Srila Prabhupad Uvaca- “If you want to please me…”
· Tech Mahindra break through…
· Sreshtha for the month - HG Mukunda Ananda pr
· Systematic training programs at ISKCON Pune.
· Shantipur dham VOICE experiences unique Nishtha camp
· Quiz for November. Win Exciting mail gifts on answering the quiz correctly.
PDF version
Surfin' Swamis: Catching Waves, And Spirituality, In India
NEW DELHI -- Swami Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha paddles hard and drops into a 6-foot wave off the coast of Mangalore in South India.As the 61-year-old surfer cuts left and races down the face of the wave spiralling toward the wastewater treatment plant up the beach, half a dozen local fishermen look on with bemused fascination at the aging white dude, who also goes by his given name of Jack Hebner.
Though India has 4,500 miles of coastline and gets 20-foot waves during the monsoon season, fear of the ocean and beaches that double as toilets have prevented surfing from catching on. But Hebner and his followers -- who call themselves "the Surfin' Swamis" -- are seeking to change all that with India's first surf ashram, or religious community.
"Surfing isn't just about getting in the water and catching a few waves," Hebner says. "It's about something much deeper than that. It's about a spiritual experience."
Hebner -- a Hindu monk from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, who doesn't drink or smoke and took a vow of celibacy 30 years ago -- isn't exactly what you picture when you think of a surfer.
But it's that weird combination that in 1991 brought Jack to India's southwestern coast, where he's working to start a surfing community that reveres the ocean, helps the poor and wakes up every morning at 4:30 a.m. to chant "Hare Rama, Hare Krishna."
Hebner has been a devotee of the Hindu god Krishna since the early 1970s, when he became a disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the controversial Hare Krishna movement in America.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
4,000 Participate in Penang, Malaysia's Ratha Yatra
ABOUT 4,000 devotees took part in the annual Ratha Yatra (Chariot Festival) organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Penang, Malaysia recently.
The procession, which included two main chariots bearing the deities of Lord Jaganath (Lord of the Universe), Goddess Subadhra Devi and Lord Balarama, and a smaller chariot of Nitai Gauranga, left the Wisma Nattukottai in New Lane at 5.15pm.
The procession ended at the Penang Chinese Town Hall in Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling about 8.30pm.
Organising chairman Ramananda Dasa said the festival originates from India’s Orissa state where the celebrations are held over five days.
http://news.iskcon.com
ISKCON Member Teaches Bhagavad-gita to British Parliament
ISKCON devotee Kripamoya Dasa made history this December 12 when he spoke at the British Houses of Parliament wearing Vaishnava robes and sacred tilak markings.His speech at the House of Commons launched Caring for Hindu Patients, a guide to assist health care professionals in caring for the religious and cultural needs of their patients. The book was conceived and compiled by ISKCON member Dr. Divyesh Thakrar, and contains editorial contributions from ISKCON priest Rasamandala Das and other devotees.
As the book launch fell on Gita-Jayanti, the day when Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna five thousand years ago, Kripamoya took the opportunity to discuss the holy book’s message. Member of Parliament Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Health, and a distinguished audience of doctors and other professionals listened attentively.
http://news.iskcon.com
ISKCON Taiwan and Buddhist chanting hare krishna together
Unsectarian unity between religious faiths. Aug 3, 2008, ISKCON Taiwan Bhakti Yoga Cultural Center and Taiwan Bhuddist organization Hua Yen World chant Hare Krishna together.
Have You Witnessed a Prasadam Miracle?
Have you seen an encounter with prasadam transform someone's life - - including your own?
For the past 35 years I've been cooking prasadam in ISKCON kitchens, including the well-known Kalachandji's Restaurant in Dallas, Texas started in 1982, and now in Gainesville, Florida, home of the huge daily Krishna Lunch program at the University of Florida serving 5,000 plates a week. After seeing prasadam touch so many lives, I have resolved to compile a book entitled The Glories of Krishna Prasadam to disseminate such prasadam pastimes along with other important related topics
http://www.chakra.org/
For the past 35 years I've been cooking prasadam in ISKCON kitchens, including the well-known Kalachandji's Restaurant in Dallas, Texas started in 1982, and now in Gainesville, Florida, home of the huge daily Krishna Lunch program at the University of Florida serving 5,000 plates a week. After seeing prasadam touch so many lives, I have resolved to compile a book entitled The Glories of Krishna Prasadam to disseminate such prasadam pastimes along with other important related topics
http://www.chakra.org/
Rock Lyrics That Sing Praises to God
George Harrison – “My Sweet Lord”
With poignant sincerity, Harrison sang the lyrics, “I really want to know you/Really want to go with you/Really want to show you, Lord/That it won’t take long, my Lord.” Deeply spiritual, Harrison subtly wove “hallelujahs” and Hare Krishna chants throughout the pious lyrics. He also underscored his worship of a divine entity with the repetition of the lyrics, “my sweet Lord” throughout the entire song. Harrison is now with the God he so dearly loved, and that makes the lyrics all the more meaningful.http://www.melodika.net/
Hare Krishna kirtan
You want Kirtan? So do we. And more than that we want you to have our Kirtan. So here’s a list of every single Kirtan MP3 that we have
uploaded over the months. Simply select from the menu and download away.
uploaded over the months. Simply select from the menu and download away.
- 001 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (1854)
- Acyuta Gopi dasi - Radhe Govinda (1045)
- Akincana Krishna das - Hare Krishna (1026)
- Visvambhar das - Hare Krishna (846)
- 002 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (767)
- Acyuta Gopi - Hare Krishna (688)
- Gaura Vani - Hare Krishna (670)
- Radhanath Swami First Kirtan (600)
- 003 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (581)
- Radhanath Swami Nrsimha Prayers (507)
Recently Added Downloads
- 550 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (16th Dec 2008)
- 549 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (16th Dec 2008)
- 548 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (16th Dec 2008)
- 547 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (16th Dec 2008)
- 546 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (16th Dec 2008)
- 545 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (16th Dec 2008)
- 544 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (16th Dec 2008)
- 543 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (16th Dec 2008)
- 542 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (16th Dec 2008)
- 541 Aindra das - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (16th Dec 2008)
Chant 4 Change: Inaugural Kirtan Festival
Washington, DC - Jan 19th, 2009, 7pm - 11:30pm (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!!!)
Celebrate the Inauguration of Barack Obama on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with sacred activist Shiva Rea, world-renowned kirtan/chant artists Jai Uttal, Dave Stringer, Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits and 400 other conscious revolutionaries. Join us for a full night of chant, dance, expression and teaching within sight of the White House and the Washington Monument. This is the place to be on the night before the Inauguration. Millions are converging on the nation’s capital to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event. Be here now at the heart of the movement! Breathe! Chant! Move! Dance! We will lift our hearts and voices to empower ourselves, our new leaders, our city, our country and our world in this revolutionary gathering of sacred sound and movement.
Space for this event is limited. Tickets will sell out quickly. Purchase now at: www.Chant4Change.com
Celebrate the Inauguration of Barack Obama on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with sacred activist Shiva Rea, world-renowned kirtan/chant artists Jai Uttal, Dave Stringer, Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits and 400 other conscious revolutionaries. Join us for a full night of chant, dance, expression and teaching within sight of the White House and the Washington Monument. This is the place to be on the night before the Inauguration. Millions are converging on the nation’s capital to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event. Be here now at the heart of the movement! Breathe! Chant! Move! Dance! We will lift our hearts and voices to empower ourselves, our new leaders, our city, our country and our world in this revolutionary gathering of sacred sound and movement.
Space for this event is limited. Tickets will sell out quickly. Purchase now at: www.Chant4Change.com
Reality cannot be manufactured
The human being is finite, his intellect is finite, his mental capacity is finite; anything determined by the intellect and mental capacity of a human being is also finite. The human being cannot determine the ultimate reality by his finite intellect – that determination will be an intellectually concocted thing that is not Reality. Reality cannot be manufactured in the factory of the finite intellect of the human being. Reality is always existing. We are not to produce it; we are to find the way, the method of how to see the that Truth.
Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sreecgmath
Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sreecgmath
Worldwide, Krishna Conscious Artwork at Art 4 Krishna.
Art4Krishna.com is a community of various independent Krishna Conscious artists from around the world. There are a number of different artists, and each one represents a unique style and talent from a variety of locations. For a full list of artists, click here. If you are a Krishna Conscious artist and you would like to sell your artwork, click here.
http://www.art4krishna.com/
http://www.art4krishna.com/
Free Audiobook
In honor of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, whose disappearance
observance is this month, Sadhusanga is offering Brahma-samhita as a free download until the end of December.
This audiobook recording includes selected purports by Srila
Bhaktisddhanta Sarasvati, who based his comments on the purports of
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who followed those of Srila Jiva Gosvami.
http://www.dandavats.com
ISKCON to Promote "Jai Sri Krishna" Show on New TV Station
MUMBAI, INDIA (IT) — Colors to advertise new TV channel and the show Jai Sri Krishna in both McDonalds and ISKCON temples.
Colors, the new entrant in the Hindi general entertainment GEC) space, has a launch marketing and promotion budget of Rs 350-450 million, sources in the industry say. The plan includes a high profile coverage in top 90 cities and towns, spread across the Hindi speaking markets.
“I can't comment on how much we are spending, but it is the biggest marketing campaign ever in Indian television industry,” avers Colors marketing head Rameet Arora.
The channel from the Viacom18 stable has so far placed its campaign across 1300 hoardings in the country. It has booked 65,000 spots on television while 15 million SMS have been send across all telecom operators. Special tie-ups have also been done with McDonald's and Future Group for Pantaloons and its Big Bazaar chain.
“We have made our presence everywhere - be it television, radio, out-of-home media, print, websites, mobile and movie theatres,” says Arora.
news.iskcon.com
Colors, the new entrant in the Hindi general entertainment GEC) space, has a launch marketing and promotion budget of Rs 350-450 million, sources in the industry say. The plan includes a high profile coverage in top 90 cities and towns, spread across the Hindi speaking markets.
“I can't comment on how much we are spending, but it is the biggest marketing campaign ever in Indian television industry,” avers Colors marketing head Rameet Arora.
The channel from the Viacom18 stable has so far placed its campaign across 1300 hoardings in the country. It has booked 65,000 spots on television while 15 million SMS have been send across all telecom operators. Special tie-ups have also been done with McDonald's and Future Group for Pantaloons and its Big Bazaar chain.
“We have made our presence everywhere - be it television, radio, out-of-home media, print, websites, mobile and movie theatres,” says Arora.
news.iskcon.com
My Hare Krishna Family
A compelling story of the reconciliation of a white South Africaner family and their Hare Krishna sister/daughter after she married a black devotee from Ghana.
Working Villages International
By Madhava Gosh dasa
Astottara sata dasa is Alexander Petroff (Asto), who was raised at the ISKCON Gita Nagari Farm in Port Royal, PA. After studying economic development at Hampshire College, Smith College, and Mount Holyoke College, he worked as an intern at the Namalu Ox Hire and Ox Training Center in Uganda. Furthermore, as an intern at Tillers International in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he trained others how to work with horses and oxen.
In college, Asto wrote an 80-page thesis called Village Of Hope: A Model for Self-Sufficient Village Development In Africa. In that paper, he took the ideas of Srila Prabhupada, Gandhi, and E.F. Schumacher, and formulated a step-by-step economic plan for transitioning an economy from the current capitalist model, to a varnasrama model based on the grain-based currency and ox power model suggested by Srila Prabhupada.
environmentkrishna
The Wisdom of Srila Prabhupada
At Vedic Books we were delighted to have a short visit from Mukunda
Charan Das a traveling monk and disciple in the beautiful Vaishnana
tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Mukunda has a blog of his own here: http://mukundacharan.wordpress.com/
It is aptly entitled “At the Lotus Feet of the Giver of Liberation”
Srla Prabhupada was a living saint in a great lineage of Vaishnavism
teaching Vedic wisdom at it’s very source. The very essence of this
teaching is surrendering of all ones actions to the Supreme Lord and
the chanting of God’s name. In this case it is the Mahamantra Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Try this just for a few days and you will notice a deepened peace and
connection as the mantra will purify the heart and mind and align it
with Sri Krishna. The best part of the visit were the magnificent
Kirtans we experienced on the roof under the stars as they danced along with us. You can experience a taste of the Kirtan’s right here:
Charan Das a traveling monk and disciple in the beautiful Vaishnana
tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Mukunda has a blog of his own here: http://mukundacharan.wordpress.com/
It is aptly entitled “At the Lotus Feet of the Giver of Liberation”
Srla Prabhupada was a living saint in a great lineage of Vaishnavism
teaching Vedic wisdom at it’s very source. The very essence of this
teaching is surrendering of all ones actions to the Supreme Lord and
the chanting of God’s name. In this case it is the Mahamantra Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Try this just for a few days and you will notice a deepened peace and
connection as the mantra will purify the heart and mind and align it
with Sri Krishna. The best part of the visit were the magnificent
Kirtans we experienced on the roof under the stars as they danced along with us. You can experience a taste of the Kirtan’s right here:
Mukunda’s Sharings [mp3] Divine Chanting of the Mahamantra [mp3]
Organized Religion
Sri Krsna manifest His eternal birth the pure cognitive essence of the serving soul who is located above all mundane limitations, King Kamsa is the typical aggressive empiricist, ever on the lookout for the appearance of the truth for the purpose of suppressing Him before He has time to develop. This is no exaggeration of the real connotation of the consistent empiric position. The materialist has a natural repugnance for the transcendent. He is disposed to link that faith in the incomprehensible is the parent of dogmatism and hypocrisy in the guise of religion. He is also equally under the delusion that there is no real dividing line between the material and the spiritual, he is strengthened in his delusion by the interpretation of scriptures by persons who are like-minded with himself. This includes all the lexicographic interpreters.
krishna.com
Cooking for God
"Dear Kurma I was at the temple the other day and the samosas were amazing. What goes into them to make them taste so amazing? Could it be the bhakti, or love and all the ingredients?
My reply:
"Hello Melissa, yes, you are right. The ingredients have to be just right for any recipe to taste good; but you are correct in your conclusion that if the food (in this case those temple samosas) is prepared with Bhakti (love), then it will have an extra-special flavour that cannot be ascribed to any of the physical ingredients.
The consciousness of the cook permeates the food he/she prepares. By way of example: many can recall the delight of eating Mother's or Grandmother's cooking, which always tasted special. If they cooked with devotion or love for their family, it was the love that made things taste just that much more flavoursome.
kurma blog
On Purity & Pollution
In London, on July 26,1973, Srila Prabhupada gave a class on Bhagavad-gita. In the class, Prabhupada gives a very clear argument against animal killing:
"So we should not think like that, that animals or trees or birds and beasts, they are other than ourself. They are our brothers. Because the seed-giving father is Krsna, and the mother is material nature. So we have got the same father and same mother. So if we have got the same father and mother, they are all our brothers.
"So unless one is advanced in spiritual consciousness, how he can think of universal brotherhood? This is nonsense. There is no possibility. The so-called universal brotherhood is possible when he is Krsna conscious, when one knows that Krsna is the common father of everyone. The father will not tolerate. Suppose father has got ten sons. Out of them one or two sons are useless. So those who are very capable sons, if they say to the father, "My dear father, these two sons of yours, they are useless. So let us cut their throat and eat." So father will say, "Yes, you do that"? No. Father will never say. The father will say, "Let them be useless, but let them live at my cost. Why...? You have no right to infringe on their rights." This is common sense.
jauvana
"So we should not think like that, that animals or trees or birds and beasts, they are other than ourself. They are our brothers. Because the seed-giving father is Krsna, and the mother is material nature. So we have got the same father and same mother. So if we have got the same father and mother, they are all our brothers.
"So unless one is advanced in spiritual consciousness, how he can think of universal brotherhood? This is nonsense. There is no possibility. The so-called universal brotherhood is possible when he is Krsna conscious, when one knows that Krsna is the common father of everyone. The father will not tolerate. Suppose father has got ten sons. Out of them one or two sons are useless. So those who are very capable sons, if they say to the father, "My dear father, these two sons of yours, they are useless. So let us cut their throat and eat." So father will say, "Yes, you do that"? No. Father will never say. The father will say, "Let them be useless, but let them live at my cost. Why...? You have no right to infringe on their rights." This is common sense.
jauvana
Food For All
Every autumn the Food For All team travel around the sacred land of Vraja in Northern India, distributing books, pencils and bananas to thousands of children. Each evening the crew arrive in a new village on a bull cart which becomes transformed into a mobile cinema, showing traditional Indian movies based on the ancient histories, as well as short awareness-raising documentaries about animal and environmental protection.Food for All
For love of Krsna
Sekhar Phadnis writes about an interesting museum on Hindu God Krishna in Kurukshetra, meant to spread his message from Bhagwad Gita.
The scriptures proclaim Lord Krishna as the world teacher in the Sanskrit shloka: Krishnam Vande Jagatgurum. Apart from this, the Krishna cult has given birth to regional guises of Krishna such as Jagannath cult in Orissa, Dakorji in Gujarat, Srinathji of the Pustimargis of Nathadvara, Balaji or Venketesvar of Tirupati, and the Guruvayur of Kerala. On Krishna Jayanti day, it is interesting to go on a visit to the only museum devoted to Krishna — the Krishna museum at Kurukshetra in Haryana.
One devout bhakta of Lord Krishna, Gulzari Lal Nanda (who was twice the Prime Minister of India) conceived the idea of establishing a museum in Kurukshetra in 1987. For here, Lord Krishna delivered the message of Shrimadbhagwadgita and the Krishna Museum set up in this historical town serves as a platform to present and preserve the ideals of Lord Krishna.
Initially, the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) had set up the Krishna museum in a small manner in a hall, which is now christened as the lecture hall. The museum was shifted to the present building in 1991 and in its present form was inaugurated on July 28, 1991, by the then President of India, Shri R Venkatraman and in 1995, a new block was added to it. During this period (1987-2008), the museum has accomplished some extraordinary landmarks such as the establishment of the two blocks of museum building having six different galleries.
Deccan Herald
The scriptures proclaim Lord Krishna as the world teacher in the Sanskrit shloka: Krishnam Vande Jagatgurum. Apart from this, the Krishna cult has given birth to regional guises of Krishna such as Jagannath cult in Orissa, Dakorji in Gujarat, Srinathji of the Pustimargis of Nathadvara, Balaji or Venketesvar of Tirupati, and the Guruvayur of Kerala. On Krishna Jayanti day, it is interesting to go on a visit to the only museum devoted to Krishna — the Krishna museum at Kurukshetra in Haryana.
One devout bhakta of Lord Krishna, Gulzari Lal Nanda (who was twice the Prime Minister of India) conceived the idea of establishing a museum in Kurukshetra in 1987. For here, Lord Krishna delivered the message of Shrimadbhagwadgita and the Krishna Museum set up in this historical town serves as a platform to present and preserve the ideals of Lord Krishna.
Initially, the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) had set up the Krishna museum in a small manner in a hall, which is now christened as the lecture hall. The museum was shifted to the present building in 1991 and in its present form was inaugurated on July 28, 1991, by the then President of India, Shri R Venkatraman and in 1995, a new block was added to it. During this period (1987-2008), the museum has accomplished some extraordinary landmarks such as the establishment of the two blocks of museum building having six different galleries.
Deccan Herald
Clean Vrindavan Project to Promote Spiritual Tourism
VRINDAVAN: Noted for its numerous temples, the holy land of Vrindavan in Mathura district, where Lord Krishna spent his childhood, has seen a huge increase in pilgrims and tourists in recent years.
However, over-flowing drains, strewn garbage and crowded, littered streets is what greets the thousands of pilgrims who visit this historic place every year. Locals rue that Vrindavan's religious and historical relevance is slowly being taken over by urbanisation and congestion.
In an attempt to revive Vrindavan's lost glory, Times Foundation has joined hands with local bodies to create a system level change in this historic town. The Clean Vrindavan project has been started in association with ISKCON (Vrindavan and Mumbai) and NGO — Friends of Vrindavan — as a social intiative to promote spiritual tourism at large. Times Foundation is supporting the initative to clean the town with a long term vision of improving sanitation, hygiene and living conditions here.
iskcon news
However, over-flowing drains, strewn garbage and crowded, littered streets is what greets the thousands of pilgrims who visit this historic place every year. Locals rue that Vrindavan's religious and historical relevance is slowly being taken over by urbanisation and congestion.
In an attempt to revive Vrindavan's lost glory, Times Foundation has joined hands with local bodies to create a system level change in this historic town. The Clean Vrindavan project has been started in association with ISKCON (Vrindavan and Mumbai) and NGO — Friends of Vrindavan — as a social intiative to promote spiritual tourism at large. Times Foundation is supporting the initative to clean the town with a long term vision of improving sanitation, hygiene and living conditions here.
iskcon news
Chant Hare Krishna, Be Happy
On most days, he is a pharmacist at a CVS in Columbus. Other days, he is Narottama Das, a devotee of Hare Krishna, who finds peace in West Virginia at the Palace of Gold.
Once a religion whose members gave their life to the movement, the Hare Krishnas today welcome the most devoted people and the casual follower. In the 1970s, many of the members lived in communes. Now many, like Bhowmik, have careers and live outside the movement but are still devoted to their religion.
The West Virginia temple, called New Vrindaban, is a place to focus on Krishna and leave the outside world behind.
"We're all trying to become more conscious -- conscious of Krishna," said Bhowmik, 32. " 'Always remember Krishna and never forget him' is what we're all working toward."
Devotees are initiated and study under a guru. Other people are followers of the religion but do not take vows or go through initiation.
Like many of the devotees, Bhowmik grew up in a Hindu family but was later introduced to the Hare Krishna movement, which is a branch of Hinduism more formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. While in college, Bhowmik visited a Hare Krishna temple in Dallas and was fascinated by the chanting. He made up his mind to live a more serious lifestyle as a devotee.
iskcon news
A Learning Curve: Educational Options for ISKCON Children
When it comes to education, ISKCON has learned a lot.
In the sixties and seventies, when our society was but a tottering
toddler itself, we had young children with an undeniable need: to be educated. Not even considering outside schools as an option, we began
to teach them ourselves without first educating teachers.
The result was catastrophic. Child abuse on many different levels destroyed our childrens' lives and shattered parent and teacher morale. ISKCON schools around the world began to close down, and the traditional Gurukula boarding school system collapsed like a pack of dominoes.
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