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ISKCON Connection Newsletter, Issue 28, September 22, 2019
 
Prabhupada Nectar
All big, big yogis, there may be, but a person who is always absorbed in thought of Krsna within himself, he is greater than all such big, big yogis

Lectures

General Lectures


Lecture -- Gorakhpur, February 17, 1971:

Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā that yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā: "One who is always thinking of Me within himself, he is first-class yogi." Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ (BG 6.47). There is no need of speculating. Simply this easy process, thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that yoginām api sarveṣāṁ. All big, big yogis, there may be, but a person who is always absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṇa within himself, he is greater than all such big, big yogis. Greater than the greatest yogi. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā. Mad-gata means his life is so molded that he cannot stay without thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Mad-gata. He has become absorbed. That is samādhi. Mad-gatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān. Not for artificial makeshow, but śraddhāvān, with faith and love. Śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ.

But how this stage can be attained? This stage can be attained only by persons who have developed pure love of God. Just like... It is very easy to understand. If you love somebody, always you'll think of him. In this material world also, the so-called love... If a boy loves some girl or a girl loves some boy, naturally, he thinks always of him. So to think of Kṛṣṇa always means you must develop your love. That is there within yourself, everyone. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti nitya-siddha. It is eternally truth, eternally fact, that you have got your love for Kṛṣṇa within yourself. Simply you have to revive. That process is easy, very easy. The chanting. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). The glittering thing, Kṛṣṇa, or the Kṛṣṇa light. Kṛṣṇa light is within everyone. Nitya-siddha: eternally truth. But it is covered by material contamination. And by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra these nasty, dirty things will be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. This is polishing. Polishing. Just like mirror, you polish; you can see very nicely the reflection of your nice face. Similarly, if you polish your heart by chanting, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, then immediately you develop your dormant love of Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as the dormant love of Kṛṣṇa is awakened, immediately you are liberated. Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam.

 

 

 

 

ISKCON News

Courtesy of iskconnews.org

Jahnavi Harrison has Released Her Latest Album “Into the Forest (Live)”
Jahnavi Harrison has Released Her Latest Album “Into the Forest (Live)”

Jahnavi Harrison has released her latest album, “Into the Forest (Live),” which is now available to stream or purchase across popular platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and more.

In her most recent Instagram post, she told her 165K followers, “Hope it brings you joy and healing. Blast it out in the kitchen and sing along.”

Read More

Online Program: Celebrating Gopashtami – Krishna and His Cows
Online Program: Celebrating Gopashtami – Krishna and His Cows

ISKCON Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture is hosting an online event Celebrating Gopashtami: Krishna and His Cows on November 19th. Join them and expert cowherds from around the globe for a delightful Zoom meeting on November 19th, 7:30 am EST | 9:30 am BR | 12:30 pm UK | 13:30 pm CET | 18:00 pm IST | 18:30 pm Omsk RU

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“These children are given to us by Krishna”
“These children are given to us by Krishna”

An Offering to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on the occasion of his Disappearance Day on behalf of the Child Protection Office – North America.

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Comprehensive Manah-siksa Course Offered Online
Comprehensive Manah-siksa Course Offered Online

ISKCON Bhagavata Mahavidyalaya, Bhagavata College, located at ISKCON Jandelsbrunn – Simhachalam Temple in Germany, is offering an exciting online course on Manaḥ-śikṣā, presented by HG Krishna Premarupa das from November 23 to December 20, 2023.

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Bhakti House at ISKCON Orlando Brings Powerful Presence to VegFest
Bhakti House at ISKCON Orlando Brings Powerful Presence to VegFest

Bhakti House at ISKCON Orlando brought a joyful and inspiring presence to the city’s annual VegFest 2023 event held on October 28th. Devotees provided a booth filled with transcendental literature and devotional items, while kirtaneers engaged participants at the vegan-themed festival, which emphasized the mindful treatment of animals and protested animal cruelty. Given the theme, the collective consciousness of the masses was already elevated, fostering a conducive environment to cultivate Krsna-consciousness.

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Diwali Celebrations Create Meaningful Connections and Spark Creative Service
Diwali Celebrations Create Meaningful Connections and Spark Creative Service

Diwali celebrations have been happening worldwide, and for ISKCON devotees, these festivities can often create strong connections with their local communities and even inspire creative service opportunities. We looked at four examples, from Bloomington to Brooklyn and Utah to the UK.

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Bhaktimarga Swami Given Lifetime Achievement Award by Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce
Bhaktimarga Swami Given Lifetime Achievement Award by Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce

On November 4th, His Holiness Bhaktimarga Swami was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce (CHCC). The Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce is the first registered not-for-profit organization in Canada dedicated to the unification of Canadian Hindus and their economic interests. The CHCC wanted to bestow honour on him and ISKCON with this award and ceremony.

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Devotee Teen Offers Reflections on “Safe Families, Strong Communities” Campaign Themes
Devotee Teen Offers Reflections on “Safe Families, Strong Communities” Campaign Themes

Inspired by the announcement of the upcoming “Safe Families, Strong Communities” campaign from ISKCON’s Vaishnavi Ministry, 15-year-old devotee Ila H. shares her reflection “From the Eyes of Our Youth.”

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HH Niranjana Swami Offers Latest Report on Ukraine
HH Niranjana Swami Offers Latest Report on Ukraine

In October, HH Niranjana Swami shared his “Third Report from Ukraine” with North American leaders.  Along with Zonal Supervisor Acyuta Priya Das, they detailed a broad range of topics on the current state of the community and ongoing service in the country.

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Devotee Presentation at TED’s Countdown Summit Now Available Online
Devotee Presentation at TED’s Countdown Summit Now Available Online

In July, ISKCON News reported that Krishna devotee Gopal Patel (Gopal Lila Das) was invited to speak at TED’s Countdown Summit, the invite-only gathering held in Detroit, Michigan, on July 11-14th.  The event welcomed the world’s top leaders in technology, science, business, government, philanthropy, and faith to explore solutions to the growing problem of climate change.

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Dandavats

Courtesy of dandavats.com

Steadiness
Steadiness

By Sivarama Swami

Suddha-bhakti-cintamani deals with the subject of steadiness from several different perspectives. What does real steadiness mean? nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya: “nasta-prayesu,” when almost all the inauspicious things in the heart, which are of so many variations, when they are more or less eradicated then there is steadiness. And this “more or less,” Srila Prabhupada said “75%,” so when 75% of impurities in the heart are eradicated, then...

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Krishna’s Sympathy
Krishna’s Sympathy

By Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami

What makes Bg. 2.40 so encouraging is that Krishna recognizes our difficulty. He both prescribes a gradual path and presents us with information about the tremendous benefit that can accrue to us if we simply endeavor to practice devotion. Srila Prabhupada has stated that if someone would just read one page from his books or taste even a morsel of prasadam, he could be liberated. Similarly, even a little devotion can protect you from falling down into a lower species of life. Such devotion never suffers loss or diminution. Srila Prabhupada writes: Any work b...

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Loving relationships with devotees
Loving relationships with devotees

By Varshana Swami

This was just unacceptable that Srila Prabhupada could not show his love by not handing out cookies in gurupuja. So Radhanath Swami very quickly took the Deities’ plates with the offerings from mangala arati and tried to offer these to Srila Prabhupada as mahaprasadam. But the secretary said, “No you can’t offer this to Srila Prabhupada.” Then Maharaja snuck around the other side where there was a more lenient servant and placed the tray there. Then Srila Prabhupada, like a little child, he had very small silver spoons, began distributing prasadam to the devotees as...

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Rainmakers, Big and Small
Rainmakers, Big and Small

By Suresvara Dasa

"Scientists say that water is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen," writes Srila Prabhupada, the founder and spiritual guide of the Hare Krsna movement, "but when they see a vast ocean they are puzzled about where such a quantity of hydrogen and oxygen could have come from. They think that everything evolved from chemicals. But where did the chemicals come from? We actually see that chemicals are produced from living entities. For example, a lemon tree produces many tons of citric acid. The ci...

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How To Satisfy Krishna
How To Satisfy Krishna

By Mahavishnu Goswami

Our house must be converted into a temple. We may not be able to go temple daily. But our house must be a temple. Otherwise as human being we are missing the point. We have regulated our food habits by Srila Prabhupada's mercy. Never touch eggs, fish, meat. When the animal is dead - how can it give any strength or energy for you ? Dead body is dead body - rotten and full of poisons. How can it nourish us? Our grains are alive. Rice, wheat grains have millions of l...

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Truth in a Nutshell
Truth in a Nutshell

By Satyaraja Dasa

Four special verses in the Bhagavad-gita and four in the Srimad-Bhagavatam lay out the fundamental teachings of Krishna consciousness. My mom always keeps peanuts around the house. Crack the shells open, and you find two peanuts inside. So much goodness in one little package: beneficial nutrients, plant proteins, fats, fiber, and plenty of vitamins, minerals, and bioactives. As I looked at the broken shells in front of me one day, my mind was drawn to four special verses of the Srimad-Bhagavatam ...

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Kartik Yatra - 2023
Kartik Yatra - 2023


18 November 2023 -- Day 1

Lord Chaitanya's Mood of Entering Jagannath Puri
HH Radhanath Swami


 Watch Now

 

 

 


TOVP News

Courtesy of tovp.org

Give To Nrsimha Brick Campaign Winding Up
Give To Nrsimha Brick Campaign Winding Up

The TOVP Fundraising Department would like to let all devotees know that we will soon be winding up the Nrsimha Brick Campaign. During the historic Grand Opening of the Nrsimhadeva Wing at the 2024 Gaura Purnima Festival, from February 29 – March 2, all the Nrsimha Bricks with engraved donor names will be placed under the Lord’s altar to remain for hundreds of years.

 Read More

Kartik and the TOVP 2023
Kartik and the TOVP 2023

We would like to wish you a happy Kartik month full of divine service to Lord Damodar, and hope you and your family are well and in blissful Krishna conscious spirits. This time of the year is always greeted with great anticipation and excitement by devotees eager to chant the Damodarastakam and remember the pastimes of the Lord with Mother Yashoda.

 Read More

TOVP Nrsimhadeva Wing Opening Dates Moved Forward
TOVP Nrsimhadeva Wing Opening Dates Moved Forward

The TOVP Management Team announces a change to the completion and opening dates of the Nrsimhadeva Wing in the TOVP. Originally scheduled for this October, the dates have been moved forward to February 29 – March 2 during the 2024 Gaura Purnima Festival.

 Read More

TOVP & VEDIC SCIENCE CHANNEL PRESENT -- UFO's and Krishna Consciousness (L.A. 12/5/92)
TOVP & VEDIC SCIENCE CHANNEL PRESENT -- UFO's and Krishna Consciousness (L.A. 12/5/92)

A survey of the 400,000 human species portrayed in the Vedas reveals unexpected parallels to "alien forms" detailed in supposed close encounter reports. In light of his own in-depth study of UFO phenomena, Sadaputa Dasa (Richard L. Thompson) suggests this may be more than coincidence.

 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, Bhaktivedanta Theological Seminary, Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education, Bhaktivedanta College Europe

Events: events.iskcon.org,

News: iskconnews.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.)
krishnadays.com, 

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

November 20, 2023 (Monday)
Gopastami, Gosthastami
Sri Dhananjaya Pandita — Disappearance
Sri Gadadhara Dasa Gosvami — Disappearance
Sri Srinivasa Acarya — Disappearance

November 21, 2023 (Tuesday)
Jagaddhatri Puja

November 23, 2023 (Thursday)
(Fasting till noon, with feast tomorrow)
Fasting for Utthana Ekadasi
First day of Bhisma Pancaka
Srila Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji — Disappearance

November 24, 2023 (Friday)
Break fast 05:56 – 09:33 (Local Mayapur Time)

November 26, 2023 (Sunday)
Last day of the fourth Caturmasya month [PURNIMA SYSTEM]
Sri Bhugarbha Gosvami — Disappearance
Sri Kasisvara Pandita — Disappearance

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

Email: office@iskconconnection.org

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