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ISKCON Connection Newsletter, Issue 28, September 22, 2019
 
Prabhupada Nectar
Material entanglement is no problem; if Krishna was not so powerful that He can easily undo our material entanglement then there would be no need to follow the path of Krishna Consciousness

690208 - Letter to Mr. Jim Doody written from Los Angeles

February 08, 1969

Dear Mr. Jim Doody,

Please accept my blessings. I am very glad to read your letter of February 3, 1969, nd I am also glad to learn of your very sincere desire to serve Krishna. Surely He will save you. Material entanglement is no problem; if Krishna was not so powerful that He can easily undo our material entanglement then there would be no need to follow the path of Krishna Consciousness. Krishna has given His instruction in the Bhagavad-gita that one should simply surrender unto Him, and immediately He takes charge of solving all of the problems of life. So if you decide to surrender unto Krishna, and if you are sincere of purpose, there is no problem of your life. Material entanglement is not a new thing for you. Everyone who is in this material world has got material problems. Who hasn't got the problem of birth? Who hasn't got the problem of death? Who hasn't got the problem of old age? And who hasn't got the problem of disease? Nobody can escape these problems, so everyone in this material world is entangled. The difference is only of varieties of types of entanglement.

I am very glad that you are desiring to be willing servitor of Krishna, and Krishna will surely accept you, provided you always remain serious in this determination. Therefore, I will advise you to keep company with my disciples in London. They are all very sincere boys and girls, and as much as is possible for you, you should help them with their activities. You also should continue to help them with Sankirtana Party in London. I am looking forward to going there as soon as there is a temple obtained. I think that because you are an English boy, you can help them very much in this connection. As soon as we get a nice place there, and they call me, I will be pleased to go and meet you and all of the sincere souls who are anxious to be engaged in this great Krishna Consciousness movement.

Please rest assured that in this movement there is no question of imperfectness. This is a solid, genuine movement for the total spiritual rejuvenation of the human society. I am requesting in this letter through you that every honest and sincere boy or girl must immediately join with us in this movement. If one is actually serious to understand the problems of life, he will surely find the right answers in this movement. Please read carefully our book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and you will find yourself getting enlightenment to the fullest extent. There is no doubt of this.

Please inform Gurudasa that in Los Angeles temple, Visnujana, Tamala Krishna, Silavati, and her son, Birbhadra played a puppet show yesterday on the occasion of my Spiritual Master's Advent Day. The subject of demonstration was the story of Prahlada. It was so very nice and perfect that everyone enjoyed to the fullest extent, and everyone joined in chanting Hare Krishna. I hope that some time in the future they will be able to demonstrate many such spiritual themes for puppet shows, and people will be greatly benefited.

Please convey my blessings to the others there. I was so glad to talk with them the other day on the telephone. I enjoyed hearing their voices, and I was happy that they were also very much pleased to hear me. I will be glad to hear if Mr. George Harrison attended the love feast ceremony yesterday as I was informed he would. Please continue to try and understand the essence of this Krishna Consciousness movement, and try to convince others also of its importance.

Your ever well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

 

 

 

 

ISKCON News

Courtesy of iskconnews.org

Building Bridges at St. Alban’s Cathedral
Building Bridges at St. Alban’s Cathedral

Recently, a vibrant interfaith program took place at St. Alban’s Cathedral, bringing together individuals from various religious backgrounds to share their faiths to foster understanding, and work towards a stronger, more harmonious community. 

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Indian Embassy Invites Diaspora Youth to Explore India Through its KIP Initiative
Indian Embassy Invites Diaspora Youth to Explore India Through its KIP Initiative

Since many of our ISKCON congregational members are of South Asian Indian descent and may be interested in participating in this program described below, we are publishing this story. We recognize it’s not relevant or open to many of our readers. However, because a sizable number may be interested in this opportunity to visit India (with many expenses paid for by the Indian government), we share this as a “public service announcement.” ISKCON News does not recommend or endorse this program, but we provide this information about it as a service to our readers.

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ISKCON Invited to President of Finland’s Meeting with Religious Leaders
ISKCON Invited to President of Finland’s Meeting with Religious Leaders

On November 19, 2024, Guruttama Dasa, one of the managers of ISKCON Finland, attended an important meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, hosted by the President of Finland, Mr. Alexander Stubb. The gathering brought together religious leaders from different faiths in Finland.

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The North American Leadership Conference: An Inspired Step Forward
The North American Leadership Conference: An Inspired Step Forward

ISKCON’s North American Leadership Conference was held October 4-6th at New Vrindaban, West Virginia, gathering over 120 leaders from across the continent. Sankirtana Dasa, a long-time resident of NV, reflects on its relationship to Srila Prabhupada’s mood and mission, his experience and realizations attending some of the sessions, and insights from interviews with leaders over the multi-day gathering. He also includes participant feedback on the conference and the host community.

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Kirtan for Everyone: Premanjali Dasi Aims to Spread Devotional Joy
Kirtan for Everyone: Premanjali Dasi Aims to Spread Devotional Joy

Kirtan, the sacred practice of chanting and singing the names of The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, is a profound tool for meditation and self-expression. For Premanjali Dasi, kirtan is not only a complete devotional activity but also a transformative experience she aims to make accessible to all. 

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Bhaktivedanta Manor President Invited to Interfaith Gathering with UK Prime Minister
Bhaktivedanta Manor President Invited to Interfaith Gathering with UK Prime Minister

Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the UK, invited faith leaders from different traditions to join him for breakfast on Thursday, November 14th.

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2024 Zone 1 Leadership Conference: Inspiring Growth and Connection Across ISKCON
2024 Zone 1 Leadership Conference: Inspiring Growth and Connection Across ISKCON

The 2024 Zone 1 Leadership Conference, held from November 8th to 10th in Edmonton, Alberta, brought together over 60 leaders from more than 25 ISKCON centers across Canada and six northern U.S. states. Under the theme “Think Big, Do Big, Act Small,” the conference focused on a shared vision for ISKCON’s growth and mission, guided by Srila Prabhupada’s principles and the spirit of Krishna Consciousness.

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Where Fun Meets Devotion: Winter Krsna Kidz Camp and Youth Retreat at ISKCON Detroit
Where Fun Meets Devotion: Winter Krsna Kidz Camp and Youth Retreat at ISKCON Detroit

The 16th Annual Winter Krsna Kidz Camp and Youth Retreat will be held at ISKCON Detroit – The Devasadhan Mandir from November 28th to 30th. This events aim to engage children and the youth in a fun and meaningful way that connects them to their Vedic culture. Kids, ages four to thirteen, will enjoy three days of fun – everything from amazing arts and crafts to special theatrical performances, fun games, and other exciting activities.

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Jvala Nrsimhotsava Festival of Lights Video Overview
Jvala Nrsimhotsava Festival of Lights Video Overview

On October 31, the auspicious day of Dipawali, the TOVP celebrated the Jvala Nrsimhotsava Festival of Lights for Lord Nrsimhadeva, marking the completion of Phase 2 of the Nrsimha Wing construction. Thousands of devotees from all over the world were present for this historic event, marking another milestone in the TOVP progress.

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Dandavats

Courtesy of dandavats.com

Slokas Why memorize them?
Slokas Why memorize them?

By Tarini Radha Devi Dasi

When we try to memorize a Shloka, it keeps reverberating in our minds, leaving no room for the devil. First it is a challenge to memorize it and when that is done, it becomes a pleasure to just keep repeating it. A mother, memorized verses and songs as she cooked, while another learnt from a sheet stuck on the tiles of the wall as she washed the utensils. And there was another devotee that would stick up the Shloka on the front part of his motor bike and learn ...

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California Dreaming: The State Highway 54 Mastodon Blues
California Dreaming: The State Highway 54 Mastodon Blues

By Drutakarma das

In 1992 and 1993, paleontologists of the San Diego Natural History Museum were monitoring the construction on State Highway 54 in San Diego County. In the road excavations they found some interesting fossils that raise the possibility that humans have existed in North America for far longer than most archeologists now think possible.

...

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Reflecting on the meaning of “nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya”
Reflecting on the meaning of “nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya”

By Sitalatma Das

Part of our ISKCON folklore is a story of early devotees wondering who were those māyāvādīs Śrīla Prabhupāda always rallied against - because no one knew any particular māyāvādī at the time, and then it hit them - they (we) are the māyāvādīs! Not by our professed ideology but by our attitudes and by the quality of our relationships, which were often very impersonal in nature. A lot of Bhāgavatam classes were spent on uncovering impersonalism in our lives afterwards. Otherwise a question arises - why would Śrīla Prabhupāda travel to the western countries to fight māyāvād...

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Always Remain Srila Prabhupada’s Dog
Always Remain Srila Prabhupada’s Dog

By Giriraj Swami

Almost every morning in Bombay Srila Prabhupada used to walk on Juhu Beach. One morning I was feeling especially wretched and miserable. Although so many other devotees were present, Srila Prabhupada began to speak as if he were addressing me personally. He quoted a Sanskrit verse and said there are two words—a-natha and sa-natha. Natha means “master,” so a-natha means “without master” and sa-natha means “with master.” The whole goal of life is to become sa-natha, “with master.”

...

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Krishna Consciousness and Mental Health
Krishna Consciousness and Mental Health

By Dr Rupali Chadha.

Over the years I have been approached by many a devotee in distress. Though I grew up in ISKCON and have been slowly cultivating my own Krishna consciousness, I am very much a neophyte. I was blessed by Krishna’s will in that I became a physician. I went forward to specialize in general and forensic psychiatric medicine. It is for this reason, I am often approached by devotees when their emotional life becomes overwhelming. Often they are told to chant better rounds or seek shelter of Krishna. Well, perhaps Krishna guides them in their heart to talk to someone like me. One of my ...

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Naive Literalism
Naive Literalism

By Visakha Dasi

In each of its twelve cantos, Srimad-Bhagavatam, the "flawless ripened fruit of all Vedic scriptures," tells of miracles and mysticism, of the esoteric and extraterrestrial. We hear a cow, bull, elephant, monkey, and bird speaking deep philosophy. We learn of the four-headed creator who sits atop a lotus flower, of a magnificent aerial mansion, and of a five-year-old who pushes down half the earth with his toe and makes demigods suffocate. We learn of people giving birth...

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Belief in Reincarnation and Some Unresolved Questions in Catholic Eschatology
Belief in Reincarnation and Some Unresolved Questions in Catholic Eschatology

By Bradley Malkovsky

There are two strong arguments advanced by reincarnationists against the teaching of one earthly life. The first argument regards reincarnation as a more reasonable expression of divine mercy and love than the disproportionate and unfair infliction of eternal punishment by God upon a human being for a single morally corrupt lifetime. The second argument finds reincarnation to be necessary for the continued exercise of creaturely freedom required for true moral and spiritual maturation. Catholic teaching, by contrast, asserts that a single earthly life followed by purg...

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Face to Face with Frustration
Face to Face with Frustration

By Murari Gupta Dasa

"Please cancel my tickets," I said to my friend on the phone. "I won't be able to go." I hung up the phone and sank down onto my bed, my head in my hands. My friend had arranged my tickets for the trip to Jagannatha Puri and Mayapur I had been so eagerly looking forward to, and now I had to cancel. The past few weeks in my life had been very turbulent, so when my friends proposed a spiritual retreat to these two holy places so dear to the followers of Sri Chaitany...

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Practicing Krishna Consciousness at Home
Practicing Krishna Consciousness at Home

By Padmapani das

"You can chant anyway, anywhere. Whether you are in the college, whether you’re on the street, whether you are sleeping, lying, or whatever, you can chant. Because God has given you this tongue and you can chant. "Don’t think that Krishna is for the Indian or for the Hindus. No. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. This Krishna is for everyone. For the human being, for the animals -- everyone. So if you think that Krishna is belonging to some particular country or religion, then you can chant...

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Stimulation for Ecstatic Love
Stimulation for Ecstatic Love

HH Indradyumna Swami

Part 101 - Krsna, The Ruffian

 

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TOVP News

Courtesy of tovp.org

The TOVP Story 1971-2024 – From Kutir to Mandir
The TOVP Story 1971-2024 – From Kutir to Mandir

The new TOVP flipbook, The TOVP Story 1971-2024 – From Kutir to Mandir is available for free online to read, download and share.

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TOVP Presents: Gopastami Festival
TOVP Presents: Gopastami Festival

Gopastami Festival at Sri Dhama Mayapur On this day Lord Sri Krishna became a qualified cowherd. Before this day, he was a keeper of the calves.

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TOVP Urgent Call To Action: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Legacy Museum is Looking for Prabhupada Tadiya to Open in February, 2025
TOVP Urgent Call To Action: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Legacy Museum is Looking for Prabhupada Tadiya to Open in February, 2025

The TOVP A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Legacy Museum is now scheduled to open it’s first 1000 sq. ft. section in February, 2025 in what is now the current residence of Srila Prabhupada’s TOVP murti. The next phase will expand to 6000 sq. ft., and finally be completed at a huge 21,000 sq. ft..

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TOVP & Vedic Science Channel Present
TOVP & Vedic Science Channel Present

A seminar with Dr. Richard L. Thompson (Sadaputa Dasa)

San Diego Seminar #1 - The Bizarre and Far Out

From the sociohistoric perspective, the epistemological status of main-stream contemporary science appears oddly similar to that of most ancient scriptures: knowledge is acquired in a descending process from authorities, and tested against experience. Sadaputa Dasa (Dr. Richard L. Thompson) wonders, however, if the artificial limits imposed by empiricism have restricted access to some of the most interesting and meaningful areas of human experience, namely, "paranormal" phenomenon. He then poses this question, "Can Vedic wisdom help us to remove these unnecessary restrictions so that we may gain insight into this important side of nature?"

Listen Now

 

 

 

 

Srila Prabhupada: 
founderacharya.com, vanipedia.org

The official ISKCON website: iskcon.org,

Find your nearest temple: centres.iskcon.org

ISKCON leadership: gbc.iskcon.org

Education such ar Bhakti-shastri, Bhaktivaibhava etc: Mayapur Institute, Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education, Bhaktivedanta College Europe

News: news.iskcon.org, dandavats.com,

BBT books: bbt.org, krishna.com, vanisource.org, vedabase.com, bbtmedia.com

World Sankirtan Newsletter: wsnl.net/wsnhome.htm

Temple of Vedic Planetarium: tovp.org

Deity Worship and courses: deityworship.com, Mayapur Academy 

Inspiration & Sadhana: 
mayapur.tv, iskcondesiretree.com

Vaishnava Calendars: 
ISKCON GBC Vaishnava Calendar Comitee, GCAL (Gaurabda Calendar, a program for calculation of the calendar for vaisnavas, according Gaudiya-Vaisnava tradition.)

These dates and timings are for Sri Mayapur Dhama. Find timings for your location at the Vaishnava Calendar links.

November 26, 2024 (Tuesday)
Sri Narahari Sarakara Thakura — Disappearance

November 27, 2024 (Wednesday)
Fasting for Utpanna Ekadasi
Sri Kaliya Krsnadasa — Disappearance
Vyanjuli Mahadvadasi

November 28, 2024 (Thursday)
Break fast 05:59 – 06:26 (Local Mayapur Time)

November 29, 2024 (Friday)
Sri Saranga Thakura — Disappearance

Address: ISKCON GBC Office
P.O. Sri Mayapur, Nadia, WB 741313, India

Email: office@iskconconnection.org

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