last updated 17th September 2007
 

Kazakhstani online petition

Kazakhstani online petition

By Radha Mohan Dasa

Please visit http://www.krishnatemple.com NOW and click the link to the new petition, or go straight to the petition webpage:

http://harekrishna.epetitions.net

Please sign it soon as you can, and please tell as many people as you can about it.

Background: Workers and police arrived on 15th June at the village near Almaty, Kazakhstan, where the embattled Hare Krishna commune is based to demolish twelve more Hare Krishna-owned homes. “The houses were literally crushed into dust. By ten o’clock it was all over,” said ISKCON spokesperson Maksim Varfolomeyev.

The temple, which the devotees have been ordered to destroy, has not been touched but the devotees fear it could be the next target. Human rights activist Yevgeny Zhovtis is outraged at the continuing destruction. “The authorities are showing that they will do what they want, despite the international outrage at the earlier demolitions of Hare Krishna-owned homes.” He believes the local administration chief “doesn’t care about the political damage to Kazakhstan’s reputation – or to its desire to chair the OSCE.”

ys Radha Mohan das

Read HERE how the original issue began in Kazakstan

Read HERE what the previous articles from November 2006 were

Iskcon Kazakstan
http://www.palaceofthesoul.com/news/index.php

PLEASE VISIT THIS PAGE
http://kazakhkrishna.com/en-main/

Kazakh
http://vedabase.net/kazakhstan/

Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:53 pm ((PDT))

We are extremely concerned about the continuing reports in the media related to the determination of Indian government especially Ministers of Shipping Mr. Balu and Ambika Soni of Cultural Ministry to the destruction of Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge) by continuing the sethusamudram project.  The project is fine, but the present route is not, as it involves destruction of the Adam's bridge (Ram Sethu).

The existence of Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge) has been proved by the satellite pictures of NASA. Details may be seen and read at: http://history.nasa.gov/SP-168/section3b.htm

Foreigners and Indians alike have described it as Rama's bridge since ancient times in their maps and travelogues. The first time someone called it Adam's Bridge was in 1804 by James Rennell, the first surveyor general of the East India Company. Even if the Government of India prefers to use the name Adam's Bridge, it simply proves that not only Hindus but Muslims and Christians too have a reverence for the bridge it is going to destroy.

The Encyclopedia Britannica describes the bridge thus, 'Adam's Bridge also called Rama's Bridge, chain of shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of India.' Read at:
http://www.britannicaindia.com/duk_det_inside.asp?art_id=28

The Ram Setu or Adam's Bridge connects India's Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka's Talaimannar. A movement has begun to safeguard it at the shores of Rameshwaram on April 18. Two former judges of the Supreme Court, Justice K T Thomas and Justice V R Krishna Iyer, none of them close to any political party, have warned the government against destroying the Ram Setu.

Ramasethu acted as 'barrier' during tsunami: ADB expert

A former Asian Development Bank expert has urged for preserving the legendary 'Rama Sethu' bridge of 'Ramayana' times now immersed under sea waters, saying it had protected the entire South and South-West of Nagapattinam when the Tsunami struck the coastlines of several countries in the Indian Ocean.

After the Tsunami struck the Indian coasts in December 2004, shoal accumulations of the Rama Sethu acted as a barrier in protecting the coastline on the South and South-West of Nagapattinam.

The devastating high tides caused by the displacement of tectonic events near Banda Aceh in Indonesia circled the entire Sri Lankan Island and partially moved to Kerala and towards the Rama bridge.

''If the bridge is breached for Sethusamudram, the waters would directly gush into the entire peninsular region beyond Dhanushkodi and the coastline in Kerala to Konkan regions in Karnataka-Goa and Maharashtra and the devastation would be incalculable,'' he said.

Even Geological Survey of India in its logo, which describes India in this line etched at the bottom of its insignia -- Aasetu Himachal, meaning India is spread between the Bridge and the Himalayas.

Millions of families of fishermen, Hindus, Muslims and Christians who eke out a living by the sea have formed a protest group under the banner Tamil Nadu Fishermen Sangh headed by Shri Kuppu Ram.

This is comparable to a recent news story from the USA which we highlighted here in HHR
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1505736.ece  where the American courts disallowed the use of sewage for artificial snow on a sacred mountain used as a place of worship and pilgrimage by the Native American people.

Why has the council rejected the alternative plans put forward by the various organisations?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the Sethusamudram project on July 2, 2005. The present route of the project essentially requires the destruction of the Ram Setu (Adam's bridge) is intentionally being adopted, while other options, closer to Dhanushkodi, which did not touch the Ram Setu were ignored?

And why is the Indian government hesitating in consulting the issue related to the safety of Ram Sethu (Adam's bridge) with the organizations want to save Ram Sethu (Adam's bridge), scientists and NASA?

We of the following signatures look forward to hearing from you or saving the world heritage Ram Sethu *Adam's bridge) ­ and, we hope, that Indian government will adopt a more responsible attitude to its own country heritage, as well as world heritage.

By Premendra Agrawal
Please sign on the petition to save Ram Sethuby visiting at:
http://newsanalysisindia.com/ramsethu.htm

September 1st, 2007

by Adikarta Dasa­this article originally appeared in Back to Godhead magazine, and is a perfect introduction to the coming weeks of parikrama talks…

Vraja Dhama is another name for Vrindavan, Lord Krishna’s eternal residence in the spiritual world and the transcendental arena for His all-attractive pastimes when He comes to earth. New Vraja Dhama is a community founded on the idea of expanding the mood of Krishna’s sacred place in India to other parts of the world. As in Vrindavan, Lord Krishna resides in New Vraja Dhama as the cause and recipient of selfless devotion.

Located approximately two-hours’ drive from Budapest, the capital of Hungary, New Vraja Dhama is a manifestation of Srila Prabhupada’s desire for self-sufficient country communities. Inspired by His Holiness Sivarama Swami, the devotees here have succeeded in capturing the mood of a genuine holy place in this remote part of the world. New Vraja Dhama’s 450 acres of prime agricultural land boast hundreds of fruit trees and acres of grapevines. Purchased in 1993, it is home to approximately 150 devotees.

While complete self-sufficiency is the goal of New Vraja Dhama, at this stage some money is still needed, and it is acquired partly through a special law in Hungary that allows people to donate one percent of their owed taxes to a religion of their choice. The donations can be given only during the first two months of the year, so at that time many devotees leave the farm to collect contributions, which seem to come easily because of the popularity of the Hare Krishna movement in Hungary.

Prabhupada’s Vision

Srila Prabhupada had many plans for elevating society to a better way of life. He said that “books are the basis” for the Hare Krishna movement, and he took much time to translate dozens of ancient India’s sacred texts. These books not only give the greatest philosophy and logic but also contain the blueprint for a way of life radically different from our present mechanized society and much more beneficial for humanity.

Three months before leaving this world, in 1977, Srila Prabhupada became keen to teach his disciples (and the world at large) how one could live off the land simply and peacefully, without dependence on artificial amenities. Even though very ill, to show how it could be done he wanted to travel to America — to Gita Nagari, a Hare Krishna community in rural Pennsylvania. Sadly, his health prevented the trip.

Although he promoted the simple life, Prabhupada was not an enemy of machines, and they are currently being used effectively to spread Krishna consciousness. Citing the example of using a thorn to remove a thorn, Prabhupada used high-tech equipment to promote simple living. Why? Because these things could speed up the propagation of Krishna consciousness, the goal of which is to teach dependence on God, not on machines.

Most people today object to the idea of returning to a simple life, saying that modern conveniences have made life so much easier, more enjoyable, and interesting. They say that going back to the land would be a step back to a less civilized and enlightened age.

One could write volumes of books debating the superiority of one way of life over the other, but the main point is that the biggest problems of life, namely birth, death, old age, and disease, are just as present today as ever. If living simpler helps solve those problems by making our minds less distracted by artificial stimulation, surely that must be better. If we have more time and our life is molded for thinking and serving Lord Krishna, we will be happier.

One major problem is that Westernized people think they are more intelligent because they have so many machines, and that only “simple” people live off the land. It’s a shame that modern man has no conception of the ideal traditional way of life in the Indian village. It hardly exists today, for reasons too numerous to present here, but the Supreme Lord Krishna Himself designed the world to be lived in that way. Tampering with His plan and trying to adjust things as we have, in the name of progress, may give the illusion of an easier life, but present-day reality hardly gives rise to optimism. In fact, the very worst problems — terrorism, atomic warfare, anthrax, airplane hijackings, and so on — can exist only in a mechanized society.

Although the New Vraja Dhama community started fairly recently and has a long way to go to be a perfect model of self-sufficiency, there’s plenty of evidence there that Srila Prabhupada’s vision of “simple living and high thinking” can become a practical solution to modern man’s problems. From my visit I saw how devotees were happy living the simple life.

Temple At The Center Of Life

I was fortunate enough to visit New Vraja Dhama on the special occasion of Radhastami, the sacred birthday of Srimati Radharani, Lord Krishna’s beloved consort. There was a special atmosphere in the temple, lit by oil lamps, as devotees gathered at 4:30 A.M. for mangala-arati, the first ceremony of the day. They decorated their eyes with the forms of Sri Sri Radha-Syamasundara, the presiding deities of the community. Beholding the beautiful deities and hearing the pure chanting of the maha-mantra, I felt transported to that eternal abode of the Lord, Sri Vrindavan Dhama.

The temple is a fitting complement to the radiant beauty of the deities and acts like a powerful magnet to draw everyone into its own unique jewel-like interior. Everything about it is highly devotional. From the vibrant colors to the artwork and the intricate trim work, everything intoxicates the senses, as if one had opened the door to the spiritual world. I could see why devotees seemed so enthusiastic about going to the temple.

I was amazed by the cleanliness of the temple. Every day I saw several devotees, both male and female, happily washing windows, polishing floors, and dusting ceilings and walls. They must have known well that they were simultaneously cleaning their own hearts. On seeing such a spotless home for the Lord, my mind felt refreshed.

In the ideal self-sufficient way of life, Lord Krishna Himself in His deity form is the center of the community. Even in modern India, deities like Radha-Govinda in Jaipur and Lord Jagannatha in Puri are still devotedly worshiped daily by thousands of devotees. Similarly, in New Vraja Dhama the deities are obviously served with great love and devotion. Seriously following the principles of sadhana-bhakti, the scientific process of scheduled devotional activities, the devotees seem highly committed to their spiritual development, which is centered on the temple. Maybe this accounts for the enthusiastic, carefree mood. Knowing that so many devotees would be there chanting and dancing, I looked forward to the morning prayers with great eagerness.

The devotees at New Vraja Dhama happily welcome many guests to the community, and receiving guests is an important part of their lives. Last year, more than twenty thousand guests visited. Guests seem impressed by what they see — the guest lodge, the Vrindavan-style lakes and bathing places, the pottery, the art studio, the bakery, the restaurant, the gift shop, the gorgeous temple room. In exchange for their endeavor to visit New Vraja Dhama, their senses are rewarded with a variety of devotional treats: bhajanas, philosophy, Oriya dance, books, and of course prasadam. Seeing the guests pleasantly intoxicated by Krishna’s special bliss, the devotees themselves naturally become happy as they explain the meaning of the paintings or the position of Srila Prabhupada.

Cow Protection And Ox Power

Just as in the original Vraja Dhama, where Lord Krishna, as the son of Nanda Maharaja, the king of the cowherd men, takes care of many cows, the devotees here also care for and protect this most valuable of creatures. According to Ayurveda, the ancient medical system of the Vedas, given by the Lord in His form of Dhanvantari, cow’s milk is the most beneficial food. Lord Krishna Himself especially loves food offerings prepared with milk products. From ghee (clarified butter), butter, yogurt, buttermilk, and of course milk itself, so many tasty and healthy preparations can be made. Even in our degraded Kali-yuga, the present Age of Quarrel, the cow’s by products are still very popular. Whether it’s milk on their cereals, cream in their coffee, ice-cream, yogurt, or luxury leather seats in their cars, most people still benefit from mother cow. Sadly, father bull, the symbol of religion, is cruelly slaughtered, because ox power is one of those so-called primitive practices that has been replaced by the tractor.

Here, though, both the cows and oxen are valued as essential to the community. The oxen look satisfied using their strong bodies to plow the land or pull cartloads of wood, and the cows produce milk products for the offerings to the deities. By their service these animals make spiritual progress and live out their natural lives, unlike their kin whose nondevotee owners slaughter them when they are no longer profitable.

The Natural Life

Life without electricity, at least here, doesn’t seem to present a problem. Although there are a few solar panels to power computers and other machines for spreading Krishna consciousness, life seems a lot more peaceful without electricity. Most of the cooking and heating is done with wood from the devotees’ own land. Dried cow dung, renowned as the best cooking fuel, is used in the deity kitchen. The temple, the deities’ sanctum, and the houses all use attractive glazed-tile furnaces for heating. Even water for bathing is heated with wood in unusual but efficient water heaters. Some of the water comes from the local village, but many of the twenty or so houses have their own hand-operated wells beside them. Washing is done by hand using hot water from the wood stoves.

Setting up all the aspects of the ideal Vedic village may take many generations. Because pleasure is the motivating principle for all living beings, the way of life needs to be so satisfying that people won’t want to give it up — and won’t miss cinemas, TV, and so on. Practiced properly, the natural way of life is far superior to the unnatural urban alternative. Every day is something of a festival. With lots of chanting and dancing, a high standard of deity worship, captivating explanations of the scriptures, regular dramas with colorful costumes and touching portrayals of Krishna’s pastimes, dances, musical events, marriages, fire sacrifices, and huge celebrations on special days like Janmastami (Krishna’s birthday), life can be like the spiritual world. Of course, there is also plenty to do to survive, but everything is enhanced by the mood of devotion.

Srila Prabhupada used to quote the British poet William Cowper as saying, “God made the country, and man made the town.” Life in the city means economic development and artificial necessities. Working for money to buy these things requires the mode of passion. Country life means living in the mode of goodness, appreciating the beauty of nature, the running stream, the peacefulness of God’s creation.

While devotees find cities good for distributing books and interesting people in Krishna consciousness, for the majority of married devotees, the rural way of life is much cheaper, healthier, more peaceful, more conducive to raising children, and more in line with the ideal social structure presented by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. Known as the varnasrama system, it depends on four classes of men to make a complete society whose interdependence is essential and mutually beneficial. The head of society is the brahmanas, who guide; the arms are the ksatriyas, who protect; the stomach is the vaisyas, who trade, farm, and protect cows; and the legs are the sudras, who provide labor and other services. Unlike the modern-day corrupt caste system of India, in varnasrama anyone, regardless of birth, can achieve the highest position if qualified. No class is better than the others, because each is essential. Without cow protection, this way of life does not work, because farming will need tractors, which require money, and the whole scheme collapses.

So far, New Vraja Dhama has only a few children, because the residents are young. But they have built a large building where youth will receive an education based more on service to God than on preparing to fit into a chaotic society. The plan is for future generations to be able to provide for themselves by staying and using their natural talents, whether in pottery, farming, painting, teaching, protecting others, or running a restaurant.

Above: The gurukula, which has been painted since this photo was taken

Because we live in such an artificial environment today and eat unnaturally, many children, at least in America, are prescribed tranquilizers to calm them down. Here the children have plenty of space to run around and lots of home-grown foods to nourish their growing bodies.

The main purpose of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is to teach people that we are all eternal servants of Lord Krishna and that to love Him is real satisfaction for the soul. Cities are good for spreading that message. But to completely transform people’s lives — saving them from a world where they’re forced to warm the globe, eat pesticides, drive to work at breakneck speed, or work in a factory or a nuclear-power plant — New Vraja Dhama is the right kind of place. It can shelter people from the bad influences of this age and let them associate with like-minded people. They can live peacefully, in harmony with Krishna, and at the end of this life go back to the eternal Vrindavan in the spiritual world.

Toward Self-Sufficiency
Here are some of the things being done at New Vraja Dhama in the quest for self-sufficiency:
Temple constructed using rammed-earth walls and other traditional techniques
Temple lit by traditional oil lamps or by lamps that burn oil pressed from locally grown rape seeds
Very little use of electricity
Most electricity generated by solar panels
Heating by super-efficient wood-burning stoves, using wood sustainably harvested from a fifty-acre forest plot
Home-grown fruits and vegetables (600 fruit trees)
Home-grown and ground wheat
Honey from bee-keeping
Oxen used for farming and transport
Cows giving milk for an endless variety of milk products

Visit: http://www.krisna-volgy.hu/english

Adikarta Dasa joined ISKCON in 1974. He lives with his wife and two of his five children in Prabhupada Village, an aspiring self-sufficient community in North Carolina. He lectures on Krishna consciousness at colleges, distributes Prabhupada’s books, grows a few fruits and vegetables, and milks the cows now and again.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007 (Mumbai)

As Mumbai celebrates Gokulashtami and human pyramids form and fall in the heart of Mumbai, the breathtaking acrobatics are beamed live across the nation from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

In fact, there is minute-by-minute coverage of the celebrations, just like reality television, with the camera not leaving a single moment out. And the same is the chaos is set to occur even during Ganeshotsav.

At the centre of media frenzy stands the bemused God - looking on benignly. He too seems to have got used to his ''breaking news'' status.

However, focused coverage is not just about Krishna or Ganesh, and neither is it about Mumbai.

Whether it's Diwali, Eid, Christmas or Navroze, national news channels and newspapers jump in with an elaborate coverage.

So the real question that arises is whether all this is just mindless media coverage or is there something more to it.

''I don't think it's mindless at all. I think what is mindless are the soap operas and those stupid shows. What I am saying is real people, real situations without a script is very fascinating. It's almost like voyeurism. Like you have a peeping tom, you're peeping at a festival and seeing people's reactions,'' said Alyque Padamsee, Adman.

Further, he believes that these celebrations go beyond religion in the narrow sense of the word.

''It is a celebration of the human spirit. Gokulashtami, when you break the handi, and the money comes pouring down. It's wonderful. I love that moment. The boys precariously forming the human pyramid and the string holding the chaati swaying, how exciting. It's better than any basketball game,'' said Alyque Padamsee.

It is perhaps this attraction among the viewership that results in greater media interest.

As a result, not just national festivals, mass coverage is also extended to local celebrations like the Jagannath Yatra, Nariyal Purnima or the Chhat Puja.

Even miracles and superstitions don't get left out. A recent example of this is the frenzy over Mahim Creek water, which people believed had miraculously turned sweet.

''There is some measure of drama in almost all rituals and in all celebrations there is a measure of natural drama because this natural drama, because all rituals are created as a public thing. So then you know so when the priest raises his hand or when the sadhu clinks his bells or when public singing breaks out or when there is dancing in the streets the camera is seduced.''

''We are all seduced by it, by this spectacle of colour, by this entertainment. So then what happens is that the presence of the camera changes a faith moment into an entertainment moment,'' said Jerry Pinto, Writer.

Media creating popularity

In some ways though this phenomenon isn't new or surprising, as the media always looks for events that tap into popular sentiments.

But now critics say that it is as if the snake is swallowing its tail, as the media is fuelling the popularity of festivals, and therefore making a case for blanket coverage.

''I personally think if you don't mind my saying so media takes a very soft approach, a very easy way out. You know all celebrations are very big events, can be visually exciting like Gokulashtami. It has some adventure in it. But these are soft events.''

''I think media is overdoing covering of all religious festivals irrespective of which religion is doing or what state it is and this is covered by the so-called 24-hour news channels. They are continuously covering it to the point of getting sick of them,'' said Kumar Ketkar, Editor, Loksatta.

Nevertheless, televised religion bringing the Gods to India's drawing rooms is a reality of the nation today and with India being a religious country and the way the wind seems to be blowing, it is something that this trend is here to stay.

''This is a religious country, a deeply religious country. While certain things like playing a religious festival and all may get tiresome for the viewer, I can see why it's happening. This is the obvious outcome of think global and act local.''

''Of course you will shoot Janmashtami all day because you can sell that footage all over the world, people making human pyramids that are 30 metres tall, knocking over pots of dahi in emulation of a great tradition of Krishna stealing curds in Brindavan.''

''Man it's hot. And at the same time it is what people want to see. They want to see themselves. They want to see how they celebrate. Television validates all of this,'' said Jerry Pinto, Writer.

                                      http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070025007&ch=9/4/2007%2011:34:00%20PM

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rapped the Centre for the delay in notifying the Food Safety and Standards Act and making it mandatory for soft drink companies to display the contents of their products on bottles for the information of consumers.

A Bench, comprising Justices C.K. Thakker and Dalveer Bhandari, was hearing a petition filed by the Centre for Public Litigation, alleging that soft drinks sold in the country contained highly toxic, acidic and addictive ingredients dangerous for human consumption in the present form.
Bill passed by Parliament
 

Appearing for the petitioner, counsel Prashant Bhushan submitted that the Food Safety and Standards Bill had been passed by Parliament and given Presidential assent also, but the government was not notifying it for implementation. He alleged that the government was deliberately dragging its feet under pressure from the soft drinks majors.

Senior counsel Harish Salve and K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the soft drinks majors, alleged that a political battle was being launched against the cola companies by vested interests.

When the Bench wanted to know from Additional Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran why the government was not implementing the Act, he said the expert committee was expected to submit its report in October, and sought adjournment.

The Bench sought to know whether or not the chemicals used in these drinks were injurious to health and why the government was not admitting it. It asked why the entire exercise was being conducted by the government in secrecy, and said it was deliberately wasting time in holding meetings with the high-power committee.

The Bench adjourned the hearing to November after it was pointed out that the expert committee would submit its report by then.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Full story HERE http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/UK/UK_churches_ban_yoga_group/articleshow/2328249.cms

LONDON, UK, September 1, 2007: Two local churches have banned a group from conducting yoga classes because the ancient practice is allegedly "un-Christian." The yoga class for children was to be run by Louise Woodstock at the Silver Street Baptist Church and St James' Church of England in Taunton, Somerset. But church ministers this week banned it and branded yoga as a "sham" and "un-Christian."

Woodstock, who was turned away from the churches on Thursday, said: "I couldn't believe it when they suddenly said I couldn't have the hall any more because yoga is against their Christian ethos. It's crazy because we're talking about kids pretending to be animals and doing exercise routines to rhymes." "The churches are being narrow-minded. I explained to the church that my yoga is a completely non-religious activity. There is no dogma involved. "

Reverend Simon Farrar of the Baptist Church withdrew his consent for using the hall for a children's activity group after discovering it was for yoga. St James's church also barred her for the same reason. Rev. Farrar said: "Clearly, yoga impinges on the spiritual life of people in a way which we as Christians don't believe is the same as our ethos."

Rev Tim Jones, the vicar of St James' church, told The Telegraph: "The philosophy of yoga cannot be separated from the practice of it, and any teacher of yoga must subscribe to the philosophy. As Christians, we believe that this philosophy is false and not something we wish to encourage."

courtesy of Hinduism Today  http://www.hinduismtoday.com

WORLD HOLY NAME DAY

Annual World Holy Name Day - September 17th

See the article by HH Janananda Goswami

Please note that September the 17th 2007 has been earmarked as "World Holy
Name Day" throughout at least ISKCON. It's the day Prabhupada arrived in
Boston according to the western calendar. This year it's a Monday so it
might be more practical to observe it on the preceding Saturday or Sunday.
Try to bring all devotees together to perform sankirtan day and night on the
street, in temples at public programmes, on TV and radio in homes - wherever
possible give your locality as much exposure to the Holy Names as possible.
(Text PAMHO:13991780) --------------------------------------

Dear Devotees
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

As you may be aware at this years Mayapura festival the GBC made the following resolution regarding World Holy Name Day in ISKCON Annual World Holy Name Day Therefore it is resolved, That World Holy Name Day is made an annual program for all ISKCON centers. Different countries or continents can modify the name to suit their needs.

The observance of World Holy Name Day is to be held in connection with Srila Prabhupada's arrival in the USA (Sept. 17, 1965) to coincide
with, and commemorate, his delivering the gift of the holy name to the world.

A Global Coordination Team for World Holy Name Day shall be appointed consisting of His Holiness Lokanath Swami, His Grace Janananda Das, and His Grace Ekalavya Das.

The chanting of the holy name is the yuga dharma, "The vision of ISKCON is to bring the holy name to every town and village and this program is helpful in fulfilling this vision." Quote from purposes of ISKCON. Every year, there would be massive harinama sankirtan festivals held across the planet, generating a tremendous amount of media interest and coverage.

Every year, devotees around the world would share their ideas on spreading and glorifying the holy name. There would be an increased focus in ISKCON on the chanting of the holy names.

I request you to please take this seriously and dedicate at least one day to this event. The 17th happens to be a Monday and thus for many is not suitable. So please choose a date and day as near as possible and observe in full force. I would be happy if you could let me know the date you have chosen.

We are trying to encourage the devotees to hold 24 hour kirtan on that day and also spend as much time as possible on street sankirtan.
I t would be nice if Temples in the same area would observe on the same day.

Thank you
Your servant
Janananda Gosvami

(Please check with your local community to be part of this monumental event)
http://iskcondesiretree.com/Audio/ISKCONWorldwide/HisHolinessLokanathSwami/WorldHolyNameDay/tabid/551/Default.aspx

Free World Holy Name Day Posters!
http://www.dandavats.com/?p=4136

By Eklavya Dasa

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, the ambassador of the holy name.

These are the new ISKCON World Holy Name Day Posters designed by the World Holy Name Day International team deputed by the GBC.

You can download and print these FREE high resolution versions at A3 size.

Monday, September 17, 2007 (Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival in the USA) World Holy Name Day Poster (Global)

Please visit this link for the posters.

Saturday, September 22, 2007 World Holy Name Day Poster (For North America and others who prefer this day)

Please Note: The posters are now in A3 size. In case devotees want to print on A4 size, they can do so easily. If devotees want, they can open the jpg file in Photoshop and type the time & place, before they print for themselves.

Potential events include:

. Massive Harinama sankirtan parties on the streets

. Twenty four hour kirtans in the temples

. Public Festivals and Stage Programs

. Seminars, lectures, dramas, and skits glorifying the holy name.

. Interfaith gatherings to glorify the holy name.

. Special chanting events for groups within ISKCON like youth, women, and children.

. This world holy name day event is an opportunity to glorify Srila Prabhupada, who is delivering the world by giving the gift of the holy name.

. Don’t forget prasadam!

This year September 17 falls on Monday. Centers can also have events and festivals on the weekends before or after WHN Day in order to maximize participation. The North American devotees have decided to hold their main celebration on Saturday Sept. 22nd this year, and we have made a special poster to accommodate them.

If you choose to celebrate WHN Day on additional days, we encourage you to also do something to observe World Holy Name Day on September 17, as this is the date that Srila Prabhupada arrived in the USA. Even encouraging the Bhagavatam Class speaker to address the subject of the holy name and Srila Prabhupada’s contributions to spreading the holy name would be helpful for promoting a cohesive unified global consciousness.

We want to take this opportunity, each year, to glorify Srila Prabhupada as the divinely empowered ambassador of the holy name.

Please send us reports of both your preparations and your successful WHN Day festivities. We need to make a report to the GBC and devotee community and would love to include your written reports, photos, audio and even video files. Send us your ideas, planning and strategies so that we can share them with others. Any other words of inspiration you can provide would also be greatly appreciated.

Hare Krishna!

Your servants in the service of the holy name and Srila Prabhupada,

Global World Holy Name Day Co-ordination team:

H.H. Lokanath Swami: Lokanath.swami@pamho.net

H.H. Janananda Goswami: Janananda.goswami@pamho.net

H.G. Eklavya Prabhu: Ekalavya.lok@pamho.net

For inquires regarding WHN Day in North America please contact:

North America World Holy Name Day Co-ordination team:

H.G. Ballabhadra Bhattacharya Prabhu (Atlanta): btillman108@yahoo.com

H.G. Bhadra Prabhu (Alachua): bhadradas@gmail.com

P. S. Here is the 2006 GBC resolution:

310. Annual World Holy Name Day

Therefore it is resolved:

That World Holy Name Day is made an annual program for all ISKCON centers. Different countries or continents may modify the name to suit their needs.

The observance of World Holy Name Day is to be held in connection with the anniversary observances of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USA on Sept.
17, 1965, to coincide with, and commemorate, his delivering the gift of the holy name to the world.

The Global Coordination Team for World Holy Name Day shall be Lokanath Swami, Janananda Das, and Ekalavya Das.

For 2007 - 2008, a budget of Rs. 22,000/- is granted for promotion and other expenses.

Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada and his guru, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, were two of the greatest spiritual revolutionaries of modern times. Srila Sarasvati’s movement thrived after World War I in an environment of British political dominance. Just before the war, the British had transferred their capitol from Calcutta to Delhi, nearer to the old Mogul seat of power, and in the process, they constructed new and grand government buildings from the red sandstone used by the Moguls for their palaces and mosques. After tolerating more than a century of British domination many Indians had become deeply concerned with the growing effect of Western materialistic culture on their spiritual culture.  Both Hindus and Moslems wanted to push out the British.  In spite of the fact that the Moguls had occasionally persecuted Hindus and destroyed large temples, India’s spiritual leaders were increasingly concerned about the destructive influence of Western materialistic culture as a greater threat than the previous two hundred year rule of the Moguls. By 1922, Gandhi had become a hero among disaffected Indian youth.  In Bengal (Eastern India), many had become aroused by the British massacre of one thousand unarmed Indians in the Punjab three years earlier. In this climate of unrest, Prabhupada met his guru, Srila Sarasvati Thakura. In their first meeting, Prabhupada respectfully argued with his future spiritual master about the best way to overcome the destructive Western culture.  Prabhupada’s guru was a brilliant scholar and had the title, Saraswati, which is the name of the goddess of knowledge.  Srila Saraswati convinced Prabhupada that India needed to spread its indigenous spirituality in revolt of materialistic culture.  For the next fourteen years, Prabhupada learned from Srila Sarasvati how to counteract corrupt and apathetic Indian religious leaders who hadcompromised ancient spirituality in the face of Western culture.  Prabhupada gained the wisdom required to infiltrate and defeat Western materialistic culture as well as reestablish the spiritual culture of India.

Srila Saraswati, desiring to penetrate the heart of demonic Western culture, had sent some of his senior swamis to England in the mid-1930s.  Their success was limited, and the swamis could not sustain local interest and financial support.  Still, this was a bold move in the midst of the worldwide economic depression. During this time, Prabhupada continued to struggle in India, enduring the departure of his beloved Srila Saraswati Thakura and the resulting impotence of his once grand India-wide mission.  As India achieved independence from the British and their allies, the old Indian aristocracy, it also gradually abandoned its spiritual culture.  An independent India was reluctantly on the road to foreign-influenced materialistic culture.  Meanwhile, Srila Saraswati’s once revolutionary organization, now fractured into smaller groups, blended into the new socio-religious society, loosing most traces of Srila Sarasvati’s bold revolution.

In the 1950s, Prabhupada had retired and was living a deeply spiritual life in India’s most important place of pilgrimage, Krishna’s birthplace.  Concerned about the ineffectiveness of his guru’s movement, he strongly desired to reenergize the mission.  Thus, he decided to do so by entering the heart of the materialistic culture.  In 1965, after laboriously writing, editing, typing, and publishing three volumes of the Bhagavat Purana, he moved from Krishna’s birthplace to New York City, and brought two or three large trunks of the books with him. The Bhagvat, even loftier and more important than the popular Bhagavad Gita, was rare, if not impossible to find in English.  In his preface, Prabhupada wrote that the Bhagavat Purana is meant to bring about a spiritual revolution in a misdirected civilization and that one is sure to become a God-realized soul by going through its first nine parts.

In the short year that followed, Prabhupada met many disaffected young people in New York who were eager to become spiritual revolutionaries.  Some were angry, some frustrated, some irresponsible.  Yet many of these followers, disgusted with the status quo of materialistic American society and its bigoted and watered-down religions, were intelligent and resourceful. In this environment, Prabhupada began his Hare Krishna explosion.  He wrote, “The temple is a place not for eating and sleeping, but as a base from which we send out our soldiers to fight with maya.  Fight with maya means to drop thousand and millions of books into the lap of the conditioned souls. Just like during war time the bombs are raining from the sky like anything.”[1] Thus, he wisely orchestrated a war whose weapon of mass destruction was the powerful sword of knowledge.  At the same time, his movement was non-violent. He required his followers to be vegetarian, and when he learned that two men, not his followers, had blown up a slaughterhouse, he said that his purpose was not to bomb, but educate.  He commented that the same mentality is involved in blowing up a slaughterhouse as in meat eating itself.

Nevertheless, he boldly trained his disciples to become gurus who do not compromise on basic principles.  He explained that a guru must not fail to enforce the spiritual principles for the sake of gain or even false compassion.  He described the process of bhakti yoga, or devotional service, as so valuable and powerful that it transforms a person from a demon into a god.  Without principles, without standards, such a transformation cannot occur. In this way, Prabhupada’s revolution takes individual demons from the greater demonic society, transforms them into gods, demigods, and sends them back into society to provide a positive, yet provocative, influence. One of his great book distributors writes: “During Srila Prabhupada’s college days, he was actually a student with Subhas Chandra Bose, India’s mysterious but famous freedom fighter, who was to become the leader of the Indian National Army (Resistance Force who fought the British).  I could not help but think of Prabhupada as a greater revolutionary than Bose.  Although Bose was a freedom fighter who performed great works of liberation, Srila Prabhupada was destined to lead a spiritual revolution, giving real freedom from the cruel grip of birth and death.”[2]

One might wonder at the message that provoked such impassioned youthful participation. Indeed, Prabhupada often spoke in strong terms.  He told his disciples, “As soon as you have some attachment for anything material, it will kick you upon the face, deteriorate, and disappoint you.”[3] His lectures were often graphic.  He compared socially responsible people (karmis) to asses, that is, hard-working, yet stupid donkeys.  He explained that like the donkey, the materially responsible person is often satisfied with a hurried meal and troublesome sex life.  In spite of such a situation, the person is blissfully ignorant. He emphasized that people maintain their gilded cages, entrapped in them by maya, illusion.  He said, “Maya kicks on my face and forces me to do something.  Such is the power of maya.” In spite of his advanced age, he wasso spirited that he encouraged his young, inexperienced disciples to oppose the materialistic leaders:   He instructed, “Write vigorous articles to kick on the face of these rascals; all of you. You all write very strongly, vehemently.  Even [if] it is a little offensive, still these rascals should be taught a good lesson.  Yes.  They're misleading.”[4]

In this manner, Prabhupada conducted his assertive revolution that involved speaking, writing, advertising, and educating.  In the face of criticism, he was never defensive. He pushed his loyal, dedicated disciples to accomplish definitive goals.  He taught that his was a revolution of consciousness, yet he asked his followers to be accountable for their service to Krishna.  He required them to count the number of Hare Krishna mantras they recited daily.  He instructed them to be responsible for the hours they spent in active service, study, sleep, and consumption.  He asked disciples to offer a percentage of their income:  for single devotees this was 100%, and for married 50%. With such a dedicated, austere army of followers, he proceeded to influence the world.  During the first few years of his movement, he sent young followers in their twenties and with scant training to Europe, Australia, and Asia. Not all were immediately successful. Most endured hardships, poverty, opposition, and apathy. Soon Prabhupada orchestrated a new wave of centers in Central and South America, Africa and India.  His ardent followers sometimes got malaria, typhoid, hepatitis, and cholera.  Occasionally they were beaten and harassed.

By the mid-1970s, he asked his followers to go to the Middle East, East Europe, Russia, and China.  Those places had authoritarian governments and closed societies.  However, he pushed his Western disciples not merely to adopt a new behavior, mentality, or consciousness.  He pushed them to action, sacrifice, and austerity. For a decade, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna sent hundreds of followers to Prabhupada, who simultaneously established a break-neck pace for himself.  Although approaching eighty, he traveled without stop, lecturing, marshalling, and writing.  His daily schedule was highly regulated and grueling.  He enjoyed that austerity, yet Dr. Srivastava, a Krishna devotee who had once met Prabhupada, observed, “I think he worked himself to death.” In an affluent society, people are easily lulled into apathy about spiritual life.  Prabhupada provoked, prodded, pushed, and sometimes tricked his followers into action. As soon as he managed to get a disciple to take responsibility, he would not let him or her stop; he continually raised his expectations, increasing accountability. At the same time, he inspired his followersby his own dedication and austerity.

He trained the gurus and leaders of his worldwide movement to provoke their followers and dependants to take great action.  He was confident that Krishna would supply each sincere follower with intelligence so that he or she might serve with his or her own personal genius. In that way, Prabhupada’s legacy was the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), an organization of cooperating, selfless geniuses. Those who look carefully can find problems with ISKCON; however, no other Indian spiritual organization is as widespread and effective. Moreover, the leadership and structural basis of ISKCON promise to keep it strong for a very long time. At the same time, the lessons of early ISKCON taught that by using a dedicated force of cooperating geniuses a small number could enlighten the world, lifting the burden of ignorance.  In order to direct such strike forces, tactics and plans of attack were essential.  In addition to operational tactics, Prabhupada’s overall strategies in his war on maya underwrote the effectiveness and inspiration of his broadly disbursed forces. His strategies were dharmic, based on the principles and duties established by his predecessor gurus. Thus, he established ISKCON based on spiritual dharma (parodharma). Aside from ISKCON, his most important strategy was widespread book distribution. Book distribution formed the core of his revolutionary activity. Without book distribution, ISKCON blends into the socio-religious environment, and becomes old and toothless. With renewed and bold book distribution, ISKCON retains its status as the seed of the spiritual revolution that Srila Sarasvati designed and Srila Prabhupada implemented.

Rhythmic recitation of Sanskrit prayers and the ceremonial smashing of camphor-laden coconuts ­ a ritualistic metaphor for the chasing away of negative energy ­ inaugurated a festival dedicated to the congregational chanting of Hare Krishna at New Vrindaban, ISKCON’s rural community and retreat center in West Virginia, on Saturday, August 18. The festival, billed as New Vrindaban’s First Annual 24-hour Kirtan Festival, was organized by Gopal Dasa, a second-generation devotee and veteran of the famous Krishna Balarama Kirtan Mandali in Vrindavana, India. Hundreds of devotees and guests poured in to New Vrindavan from all over the United States, and in a few instances from around the world, to be part of the historic gathering.

“The holy name just goes so deep when you give Him the chance to,” opined festival participant Amul Sutaria, a college student from New Jersey. “We all came together to make a sacrifice for the weekend, to forget everything in the past and future and just focus on the holy name. Usually we don’t make so much sacrifice, but this weekend you could see people just go to sleep for like 2 or 3 hours and then get right back into the kirtan.”

The chanting began at 9:00 am on Saturday morning and continued, without interruption, until well after 10:00 am the next day. Various kirtan leaders took different shifts to head off the singing, relieving one another and offering an opportunity to catch up on some rest or, more often, join in the audience and follow along. Parties included the New York Kirtan Party, led by Ananta Govinda Dasa; the Washington D.C. Kirtan Party led by Gauravani Buchwald; and the Alachua Kirtan Party, led by Visvambara Sheth.
For many, the festival’s star attraction was special guest Madhava Dasa. Madhava has recently been gaining recognition as one of ISKCON’s most accomplished young kirtan singers, and has been flown in to lead the chanting at Hare Krishna festivals in Europe, the former Soviet Union, and India.

Notably, he was among the renowned chanters invited to lead kirtans during the installation of the massive Pancha Tattva deities in Mayaupur, India in 2004. At the New Vrindaban festival, Madhava led the chanting during several key shifts, drawing large crowds and enthusiastic responses.

Although the festival was not advertised as a “youth event,” the majority of those who took part in the kirtan were part of ISKCON’s second-generation. Festival organizers, while encouraged by the youth presence, felt that more needed to be done to communicate that the festival was meant for everyone ­ regardless of age, gender, or background.

“Devotees need to understand that this isn’t an exclsuive ‘kuli [devotee youth] thing’ or whatever,” said New York kirtan leader Ananta Govinda Dasa. “It was never meant to be that. This is for everyone who wants to experience kirtan.”

The Saturday evening kirtan, led by Madhava and supported by a host of mridanga drummers, flute players, and even an electric bass, saw the most participants; the expansive temple room was packed with more than two hundred devotees and weekend guests. The kirtan continued out of the temple building and on procession out to the nearby man-made lake, where a swan boat took deities of Radha Krishna for a moonlit outing.

Long after the faint of heart turned in to their beds, the more adventurous kirtaniyas continued the chanting at Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold, a memorial to Srila Prabhupada and one of New Vrindaban’s most popular attractions. Chanting parties from Washington, D.C. and New York shared the “graveyard shift” and members of the Pandava Sena, an international ISKCON youth group, filled the early morning slot.

Madhava led the final kirtan, with a growing crowd chanting the slow and heartfelt melody as 9:00 am came and passed. By the time he brought the kirtan to its moving climax, the devotees responded with cheers, applause, and ­ in more than a few cases ­ tears of joy.

“By the end of the weekend, people I didn’t really know when we started out had become like old friends to me,” Amul said. “It was like we were all united for one goal: to try our hardest to purely chant the holy names.”

The 24 Hour Kirtan Festival coincided with a meeting of the Spiritual Strategic Planning Team (SSPT), a think tank composed of some of ISKCON North America’s most active leaders and preachers. Although the SSPT members spent most of the weekend in meetings and team-building exercises, they also scheduled time to take part in the kirtan as a group, and several SSPT leaders divided their time (and hearts) between the meetings and the chanting.

For one young chanter, who asked to remain anonymous, the fact that the meetings were scheduled at the same time as the kirtan was not an encouraging sign.

“It just shows how they [the SSPT members] are totally out of touch,” he said. “They’re having all these meetings about how to spread Krishna consciousness, but the answer is staring them right in the face. Why don’t they just come here and chant?”

His friend, standing close by, disagreed. “I don’t think that that’s fair. You need both,” he said. “Without those meetings, we wouldn’t have an ISKCON to chant in. But without kirtan, there’d be nothing to have meetings about.”

Thu, 30/08/2007 - 3:01pm — ekendra

By Deva Gaura Hari Dasa

When Srila Prabhupada sat down in Tompkins Square Park, New York in 1966, pulled out a small pair of hand cymbals, and began singing kirtana, nobody in the small crowd that gathered had heard this chanting before. It was a sublime, yet strange experience, as the listeners heard the exotic Sanskrit mantras for the first time.

Fast forward to the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, and the most likely place that you would expect to hear kirtana was on the sidewalks of the world’s big cities, where ISKCON centres would regularly pour forth devotees onto the streets to dance and chant in ecstasy, fulfilling the prediction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu spoken some 500 years earlier, that the holy names of Krishna would be chanted in every town and village of the world.

Now, as we head further into the new millennium, an interesting phenomenon is taking place, and it seems as though that most ancient of religious practices ­ kirtana ­ is rapidly becoming the next big thing.

In yoga studios across the globe, rooms that had been presided over by silent concentration as practitioners focussed on the postures of hatha-yoga, with the occasional hush tones of ‘om’, are now resounding with the sound of Hare Krishna kirtana, and professional kirtaneers such as Krishna das and Jai Uttal are playing to packed houses in yoga centers across the globe.

While the Vedic scriptures recommend that the serious practitioner should exclusively hear the Holy Name vibrated by one who is a pure devotee of Lord Krishna, the Nama-Acharya Srila Haridas Thakur has explained that if one chants the Holy Name to refer to something other than the Lord, but without any obvious offense to the Name ­ as in the case of Ajamila who chanted the name or Narayana, even though he was using it to represent his son ­ one will experience the second stage of chanting, technically known as nama-abhasa or the clearing stage of chanting. This stage is characterized as giving an experience of liberation from the material pangs, thus giving a feeling of relief and bliss to the practitioner.

In a Time magazine article on the explosion of kirtana, those who attended the chanting reported that they felt relief from their stress, and a feeling of well being and peace from the external influences of their lives, just as Srila Haridas Thakur has described.

It is interesting to note, however, that these practitioners did not describe an awakening of devotion to the Supreme Lord Krishna, the actual object of many of the prayers that they are singing.

Srila Haridas has explained that to reach the third stage of chanting, suddha-nama, or pure chanting, the practitioner has to become completely freed from the ten offenses to the holy name (put link here to ten offenses page on iskcon.com), and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has also explained that to achieve pure devotion for the Lord, one must first receive the seed of devotion from a pure devotee, or his representative.

Once a person has received this seed of devotion, they must become a gardener, carefully culitivating this seed of devotion, by watering it with the hearing and chanting of kirtana until it grows big and strong, and eventually bears the fruits of love of Godhead.

Thus the devotees of ISKCON continue to have a unique role to play in the evolution of ‘kirtana consciousness’ in the Western world. While the popular kirtaneers draw crowds with their polished musical kirtana presentations, devotees who have received the seed of devotion, in disciplic succession from Lord Caitanya, the predecessor acharyas, Srila Prabhupada, and the current spiritual masters, have the special ability to pass on this seed of devotion to sincere seekers of the real bhakti-rasa that is contained in the holy names of the Lord, when chanted in kirtana by His loving devotees.

ekendra's blog

by Kavicandra Swami, ISKCON Guru

I have a very interesting story of how Rupa Manjari devi dasi became a practicing Vaishnava. She graduated from her university with a degree in political science in spite of the fact that she had a serious drug problem. However, at one point, she had an accident that caused her to reflect seriously about her live, give up drugs, and renew her faith in God.

When I met her, although drug free, she was not living according to social norms--what we would have called a hippy in the 1970s. I asked her why she had chosen to major in political science since I found it incongruent with her lifestyle. She explained that she had wanted to serve humanity, but become became discouraged when faced with the daunting task of doing so. Therefore, she moved to the mountains, and tried to live a natural life. In order to maintain herself, she would go to the cities, and sing and dance in the streets to get donations. After a while, she felt that she was being selfish and started praying to God to help her to find meaning in life.As soon as she began praying, she met a harinama festival party and joined it. Now she is very serious about spiritual life, and uses her skills in singing and dancing for the service of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana movement. In addition, she married the leader of the harinama festival party.

The amazing thing about this story is that it goes back to before she was born. In the early 1970’s her parents were studying in London and often witnessed the harinama sankirtan parties. When she was a small child, her father would take a cooking pot and spoon, and chant Hare Krishna to entertain his daughter. So, of course, with such a wonderful introduction to the maha-mantra, she joined the sankirtana movement as soon as she met the devotees. Her mother recently told her father, “look what you have done, you were singing Hare Krishna to her and now your daughter is a Hare Krishna.” Actually, her mother has become supportive of her daughter's involvement, and once when her parents visited Rupa Manjari’s home, her mother went to the altar and started ringing the bell--reminiscent of her husband's chanting long ago.

CC Madhya 7.83

Upon seeing the chanting and dancing of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Nityananda predicted that later there would be dancing and chanting in every village.

Purport

This prediction of Sri Nityananda Prabhu’s is applicable not only in India but also all over the world. That is now happening by His grace. The members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness are now travelling from one village to another in the Western countries and are even carrying the Deity with them. These devotees distribute various literatures all over the world. We hope that these devotees who are preaching the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will very seriously follow strictly in His footsteps. If they follow the rules and regulations and chant sixteen rounds daily, their endeavor to preach the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will certainly be successful.

CC Madhya 7.98

Whoever heard Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu chant “Hari! Hari!” also chanted the holy name of Lord Hari and Krsna. In this way they all followed the Lord, very eager to see Him

CC Madhya 7.101

Each of these empowered persons would return to his own village, always chanting the holy name of Krsna and sometimes laughing, crying and dancing. Such an empowered person would request everyone and anyone — whomever he saw — to chant the holy name of Krsna. In this way all the villagers would also become devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Purport

In order to become an empowered preacher, one must be favored by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu or His devotee, the spiritual master. One must also request everyone to chant the maha-mantra. In this way, such a person can convert others to Vaisnavism, showing them how to become pure devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

He sent the following from Ascot, England, October 1, 1969

Krishna Consciousness: The Sankirtana Movement

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is a bona fide religious society strictly following the principles described in the Vedic scriptures and practiced in India for thousands of years. Our basic beliefs are as follows:

1.  The Absolute Truth is contained in all the great scriptures of the world, the Bible, Koran, Torah, etc. However, the oldest known revealed Scriptures in existence are the Vedic literatures, most notably Bhagavad-gita, which is the literal record of God's actual words.

2. God, or Krishna, is eternal, all-knowing, omnipresent, all-powerful and all-attractive, the seed-giving father of man and all living entities. He is the sustaining energy of all life, nature and the cosmic situation.

3.  Man is actually not his body, but is eternal spirit soul, part and parcel of God, and therefore eternal.

4.  That all men are brothers can be practiced only when we realize God as our common father.

5.  All our actions should be performed as a sacrifice to the Supreme Lord: "... all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me." (Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 9.27)

6.  The food that sustains us should always be offered to the Lord before eating. In this way He becomes the offering, and such eating purifies us.

7.  We can, by sincere cultivation of bona fide spiritual science, attain to the state of pure, unending blissful consciousness, free from anxiety, in this very lifetime.

8.  The recommended means to attain the mature stage of love of God in the present Age of Kali, or quarrel, is to chant the holy name of the Lord. The easiest method for most people is to chant the Hare Krishna mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Our basic mission is to propagate the sankirtana movement (chanting of the holy names of God) all around the world, as was recommended by the incarnation of the Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. People in this age are very reluctant to understand God consciousness because of their unfortunate condition of life. They work hard day and night simply for sense gratification. But the transcendental vibration of sankirtana will knock at the door of their hearts for spiritual awakening. Therefore, they should be given the sankirtana opportunity.

It is not recommended that a Krishna conscious devotee go into seclusion to chant and thereby gain salvation alone. Our duty and religious obligation is to go into the streets where the people in general can hear the chanting and see the dancing. This practical process has already saved many in America and Europe from the immoral practices of the age, and those saved have now dedicated their lives to the service of Krishna.

It is hoped that the government authorities will cooperate with sankirtana parties by enabling us to perform sankirtana on the streets. To do this it is necessary that we be able to chant the names of Krishna, dance, play the mridanga drum, request donations, sell our society's journal, and on occasion, sit down with the mridanga drum. As devotees of Lord Krishna, it is our duty to teach the people how to love God and worship Him in their daily lives. Such is the aim and destination of human life.

[signed] A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami -- ISKCON Founder-Acarya

English is famous for borrowing words from other languages. Today: a list of words English borrowed from the Hindi language (mostly during the time of the British rule of India).

Download audio http://www.abc.net.au/newsradio/audio/mp3/20060708wordwatch.mp3
(duration: 1:28; filesize: 1:01)

India has given us: great cricketers, great curries, and lots of words!

“Jungle” is a good place to start. The Indian sub-continent has plenty of jungle, and that’s were the word came from (back in 1776). “Shampoo” comes from Hindi word that originally meant “a massage”. “Punch” ­ the party drink composed of lots of flavours ­ is thought to come from the Hindi word for “five” (suggesting there were originally five ingredients). In fact, the list of Hindi words now found in English includes “bungalow”, “veranda”, “thug”, “pundit” ­ and when you call your little rowing boat a “dinghy” you’re using a Hindi word. If you cook with clarified butter and call it “ghee” you using another Hindi word. And that’s just the start of the list.

KOLKATA: Indian justice is often delivered at a glacial pace but a 173-year-old decision over who owns thousands of hectares of land and buildings north of Kolkata has broken records.

In the late 18th century a British governor-general ruled that the property should remain in the custody of Raja Naba Krishna Deb, a Bengali royal of the Sovabazar court.

After Deb and his son died, family members began selling the land. This was challenged. The case went to court in 1833, and 22 years later the judge ordered a committee of family members to lodge 10,000 rupees (now worth about $352,000) and the interest used to maintain the property. That compromise has now been challenged by 2000 family members. The petition, moved by a descendent of the raj, has been listed for hearing.

Reuters

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/169000.php/Lord-Krishna-devotees-enjoy-Vrindavans-swings

VRINDAVAN, INDIA, August 27, 2007: The month-long festival honoring Lord Krishna and Radha commenced during the month of Shravan in the City of Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh. On September 4th, Lord Krishna's birthday, festivities will reach new heights of devotion with many temples featuring decorated swings. The news release elaborates, "Visitors from different parts of the country and foreign tourists are also flocking to the city located 15 kilometers from Mathura. Small Deities of Krishna and Radha have been placed on swings heavily decorated with flowers and expensive jewelry. Devotees offer prayers and pull swings to display their affection Lord Krishna. Chants of Jai Radhe Jai Krishna' (Hail Radha, Hail Krishna) invoking devotion for the deity reverberate in all temples here. "

Ritesh, a devotee, says, "The swing gives the essence of different aspects of the Krishna's life. I see the swing every year but every year, I get a different feeling, it's really divine."

Jaish Khandelwal, a priest, adds, "We are trying to take out the tradition that has remained restricted within temples, to the people outside, by making them aware of our customs. We will take cue from old timers who have witnessed the festival celebrated in its original fervour. We want the new generation to be aware of it."

http://news.bbc.co.uk

BIHAR, INDIA, September 7, 2007: A senior official in India's Bihar state faces suspension for wearing the Hindu red mark or tilak on his forehead at work. Lakshman Mishra, deputy director of the agriculture department, is accused of breaching a new government dress code. He says he has worn the mark, or tilak, on his forehead at work for 30 years, and it is his religious right to do so. His colleagues support him - nearly all of them arrived at work on Friday wearing red marks in protest, and unions are threatening mass action.

Mr Mishra's troubles began in August when new guidelines were issued on what state government officials could wear at the office. Bureaucrats have been advised to stay away from bright colors, T-shirts and denims. They should stick to sober colors, preferably khadi. For women, the government has prescribed sari with a blouse of "adequate" length or salwar-kameez.

His department head, C.K. Anil, warned Mr. Mishra that he considered his tilak to be in breach of the code. When he refused to remove it, Mr. Anil recommended him for suspension. Mr. Anil is a young, no-nonsense civil service high-flier who has already reprimanded staff in another department for spitting out betel leaf they had been chewing at work. He is currently not taking calls from the media.

Many people in northern India wear the red holy mark on their foreheads and it is a common sight in government offices. Mr. Mishra says he has no intention of giving up the practice. "I've been sporting the red holy dot on my forehead for the last 30 years of my career," he told the BBC. "It has religious sentiment for me."

Barring some senior officials, all the employees of the state agriculture department went to work on Friday with tilaks on their foreheads in protest at his treatment. They laid siege to Mr. Anil's office and demanded he withdraw his recommendation that Mr. Mishra be suspended. "The officer's move has hurt our religious sentiments and, as our protest against his order, we've come to the office today adorning our foreheads with the red dot. Let him suspend all of us now," said union leader Baidyanath Yadav. Several other state government unions are also angry and are threatening mass protests if his suspension order is not revoked with immediate effect.

Even state Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh agrees, saying, "No one should be suspended for wearing a holy tilak as it's a matter of personal choice".

courtesy of Hinduism Today  http://www.hinduismtoday.com

Read the FULL story HERE http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6984065.stm

Hindus upset over ban on holy dot
By Amarnath Tewary
BBC News, Bihar

Mr Mishra has worn the tilak throughout his career

A senior official in India's Bihar state faces suspension for wearing the Hindu red mark on his forehead at work.

Lakshman Mishra, deputy director of the agriculture department, is accused of breaching a new government dress code.

He says he has worn the mark, or tilak, on his forehead at work for 30 years and it is his religious right to do so.

His colleagues support him - nearly all of them arrived at work on Friday wearing red marks in protest, and unions are threatening mass action.

Suicide threat

Mr Mishra's troubles began in August when new guidelines were issued on what state government officials could wear at the office.
 No one should be suspended for wearing a holy tilak as it's a matter of personal choice
Bihar Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh

His department head, CK Anil, warned Mr Mishra that he considered his tilak to be in breach of the code.

When he refused to remove it, Mr Anil recommended him for suspension.

Mr Anil is a young, no-nonsense civil service high-flier who has already reprimanded staff in another department for spitting out betel leaf they had been chewing at work.

He is currently not taking calls from the media.

Many people in northern India wear the red holy mark on their foreheads and it is a common sight in government offices.

Mr Mishra says he has no intention of giving up the practice.

"I've been sporting the red holy dot on my forehead for the last 30 years of my career," he told the BBC.

"It has religious sentiment for me and if somebody goes on harassing me on this pretext I'll have no option but to commit suicide."

Anger

Barring some senior officials, all the employees of the state agriculture department went to work on Friday with tilaks on their foreheads in protest at his treatment.
 
Civil servants came out in protest on Friday

They laid siege to Mr Anil's office and demanded he withdraw his recommendation that Mr Mishra be suspended.

"The officer's move has hurt our religious sentiments and as our protest against his order we've come to the office today adorning our foreheads with the red dot. Let him suspend all of us now," said union leader Baidyanath Yadav.

Several other state government unions are also angry and are threatening mass protests if his suspension order is not revoked with immediate effect.

Even state Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh agrees, saying "no one should be suspended for wearing a holy tilak as it's a matter of personal choice".

09/13/2007 3:00 PM, Yahoo! Music

Madonna and Britney Spears have been targeted as the spreaders of "Satanic culture."
 The aggressive comments were launched by spokesman and senior leader of Palestinian terror group the Popular Resistance Committees, a group based in the Gaza Strip and responsible for the increase in shootings and bombings in the region.
  Muhammad Abdel-Al is quoted in new book Schmoozing With Terrorists: From Hollywood To the Holy Land Jihadists Reveal Their Global Plans--To A Jew! attacks the two pop stars, labelling them "prostitutes."
 Abdel-Al rants, "If I meet these whores I will have the honor--I repeat, I will have the honor--to be the first one to cut the heads off Madonna and Britney Spears if they will keep spreading their Satanic culture against Islam."
  He continued, "If these two prostitutes keep doing what they are doing, we of course will punish them."
 The comments have been made just as Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie prepare to celebrate the Jewish New Year with 2,000 Kabbalah followers in Israel.

courtesy of http://www.nme.com/

Image: Mayapur.com
Devotee cleans the ceiling in the altar room at Gambhira Temple in Jagannatha Puri, India

His Holiness Gyanachandra Goswami , Mahanta [Chief Preist] of Sri Sri Radha-Radhakanta Mutt at Gambhira, Puri dham visited ISKCON Mayapur during Janmashtami festival. He participated in the Janmastami festival and also in Srila Prabhupada Vyasa Puja. He was very appreciative of ISKCON devotees hard work to fulfill the mission of Srila Prabhupada.

He received a garland at the early morning Mangla Arati ceremony with all the devotees welcoming them by chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra. This was his first visit to Mayapur. He expressed his happiness for being invited for this festival and thanked us for the opportunity to perform abhiseka to Srila Prabhupada on his appearance day. He was accompanied by another two Mahantas, who will eventually be his successors. Gambhira is an important holy place for Gaudiya Vaishnavas where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed for eighteen years and personally worshipped the Sri Sri Radha-Radhakanta deities at Kasi Mishra’s house. Recently, the leadershipe there was kind enough to allow ISKCON devotees to perform service to Gambhira temple by supporting the Gambhira renovation project.

http://www.washingtonpost.com

For the full story http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/26/AR2007082601112.html?hpid=topnews

KOCHI, INDIA, August 27, 2007: Down a narrow, stone-paved road in a quarter known here as "Jew Town", a woman with salt-and-pepper hair was sewing glittery beads onto the rim of a Jewish prayer cap. It was just after 3 p.m. and Sarah Cohen, wearing a house dress and flip-flops, sat in the sunny doorway of her shop, waiting for the visitors from around the world to come in for a visit.

Cohen lives right near the Pardesi Synagogue, which was built in 1568 when Jewish spice traders set up businesses in this small outpost of the Jewish world on the South Indian Malabar coast. The synagogue sparkles with colorful Indian chandeliers and green and red glass candleholders that swing from the ceiling beams. The floor is an intricate pattern of blue and white floor tiles imported from a Jewish community in China in the 15th century.

As visitors wandered by on their way to the synagogue, one of the oldest in the world, they looked curiously at th e little Jewish woman speaking in Malayalam, the language of the southern state of Kerala.

Cohen explained that she is a part of a dying tradition here, which will likely no longer exist in 10 years, since most of the Jews who used to live here emigrated to Israel, during its creation in 1948. Now, there are believed to be only 13 elderly Indian-born Jews -- from seven families -- still living in Kochi, a sun-dappled city thick with coconut trees.

"We couldn't bring ourselves to leave. We are Indians, too. Why should we leave the only place we have known as home?" Cohen said with a gentle wobble of her head, an Indian gesture sometimes used for emphasis. "Besides, I like this place. And I like the people."

Jews flourished in India for centuries -- since biblical times, some scholars say. The country also gave safe haven to Jews during World War II. For more of this story, click URL above.

courtesy of Hinduism Today  http://www.hinduismtoday.com

September 12, 2007 14:07 IST

In the midst of a political controversy over the Sethusamudram project, the Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that there was no historical evidence to establish the existence of Lord Ram or the other characters in Ramayana.
In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the Archaeological Survey of India rejected the claim of the existence of the Ram Sethu bridge in the area where the project was under construction.
 
The multi-crore rupee project proposes to provide a shorter sea route from Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka.
 
Referring to the Ramayana, the affidavit said there is no "historical record" to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the character, or the occurrences of the events, depicted therein.
 
ASI in its affidavit filed through ASI Director (monuments) C Dorjee stated, "The petitioners while seeking relief have primarily relied upon the contents of the Valimiki Ramayana, the Ram Charit Manas by Tulsidas and mythological texts, which formed an important part of ancient Indian literature, but which cannot be said to be historical records to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters or the occurrence of the event, depicted therein."
 
Whereas it is submitted that the ASI is aware of and duly respects the deep religious import bestowed upon these texts by the Hindu community across the globe, it is also submitted that the study of human history, which is the primary object of the ASI, like other sciences and fields of study, must be carried out in a scientific manner using available technological aids, and its findings must be based on tangible material evidence."
 
Earlier, Marine and Water Resources Group, Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, which had conducted the study had said, "The Adam's bridge/Ram Sethu is believed to be constructed by Lord Ram to cross over to Sri Lanka."
The period of Ramayana is considered as Tretha Yug (more than 17,00,000 years ago). The study, however, concluded that the Adam's bridge is not man made in nature.
 
The views expressed by the government and ASI are also same.
It may be noted here that the petitioner has sought declaration from the court that the formation known as Ram Sethu/Adam's bridge is a protected and ancient monument and it should not be demolished while constructing Sethusamudram which is going to connect Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka in order to save navigation time for the ships.
 
The apex court is going to hear the petition on September 14.
Hindus believe that Ram Sethu was built by Lord Ram with the help of Hanuman's [Images] Vanar Sena to free his wife Sita from the captivity of 'demon king' Ravana.
Wednesday's affidavit filed jointly by Central government, ASI, and other government agencies virtually puts a question mark against authenticity of the epic called Ramayana and even questions whether the incidents mentioned in it including the battle between Lord Ram and Ravana ever took place.
The apex court had earlier directed the government not to damage 35-km-long Ram Sethu.
 
The Centre and state of Tamil Nadu are hell bent on removing Ram Sethu as they have refused to take any of six alternative routes suggested for Sethusamudram.

Indian Government Withdraws Affidavit Disputing Lord Rama Existence
http://in.rediff.com/news/2007/sep/13sethu.htm
 
DELHI, INDIA, September 13, 2007: The Central government on Thursday decided to withdraw the offending remarks on Lord Ram's existence in its affidavit before the Supreme Court on the Sethu Samudram Shipping Canal Project. In its affidavit, the Archeological Society of India said there were no "historical records" to prove the existence of Lord Ram or the Ram Sethu (bridge). Instead, it will file a supplementary affidavit on the case on Friday.
 
The move comes following reports that United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi had pulled up the Union Law Minister H. R. Bharadwaj over the remarks and asked him to clarify the government's position over the existence of Lord Ram. Talking to media persons on Thursday, Bhardwaj said the government did not intend to question the existence of Lord Ram, who is an article of faith for millions of Hindus in India. "I was told by Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium that Sonia Gandhi was very upset about the error. Orders have been issued to file an additional affidavit in the Supreme Court tomorrow and delete the controversial paragraphs," Bhardwaj said.
 
The minister also admitted that Leader of the Opposition L. K. Advani had drawn his attention to the controversial paragraphs and lodged his protest.

United We Stand - American Hindu Association
http://www.americanhindu.net

Vedic World Heritage links:

See our pages supporting these views HERE:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/VWH.html (Vedik World Heritage)
Western Indologists been exposed page:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/WesternIndologists-page.htm
How British Misguided the World on Vedic History
http://www.hknet.org.nz/MotiveBritishRajMissionaries.html

Producing 2.2lb of beef generates as much greenhouse gas as driving a car non-stop for three hours, it was claimed yesterday.

Japanese scientists used a range of data to calculate the environmental impact of a single purchase of beef.

Taking into account all the processes involved, they said, four average sized steaks generated greenhouse gases with a warming potential equivalent to 80.25lb of carbon dioxide.

This also consumed 169 megajoules of energy.

That means that 2.2lb of beef is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions which have the same effect as the carbon dioxide released by an ordinary car travelling at 50 miles per hour for 155 miles, a journey lasting three hours. The amount of energy consumed would light a 100-watt bulb for 20 days.

Most of the greenhouse gas emissions are in the form of methane released from the animals' digestive systems, New Scientist magazine reported.

But more than two thirds of the energy used goes towards producing and transporting cattle feed, said the study, which was led by Akifumi Ogino from the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Tsukuba, Japan.

Su Taylor, the press officer for the Vegetarian Society, told New Scientist: "Everybody is trying to come up with different ways to reduce carbon footprints, but one of the easiest things you can do is to stop eating meat."

See our World Vegetarian Day Newsletters 2004 - 2005 - World Vege Day

See similar articles at Vegetarianism & beyond:
http://turn.to/Vegetarianism

Some herons standing in a bog saw a swan happening by.  They had never seen a swan before, and their curiosity was aroused.  "Why are your eyes, beak and feet so red?" one of the herons asked the swan.  "Because I'm a swan."  "Well, where do you come from?"  "From the Mana-sarovara Lake."  "And how are things over there?"  "The lake water is as clear as crystal and tastes like nectar.  From it grows a garden of golden lotuses.  All around are islands studded with jewels where beautiful trees, plants, fruits and flowers grow."  The heron then asked, "But are there big snails here?"  "No," the swan answered.  Smirking, the herons exchanged glances.  Their spokesman told the swan with haughty finality, "If it has no snails, it can hardly be called a lake.  From what you say it is not a suitable place for connoisseurs like us.  Thank you, swan, for all you've told us, but don't expect us to follow you back home!"

MORAL:  Prabhupada has come to transform herons and crow-like men into swans.  The spiritual home of the paramahamsas is revealed in books like Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita.  In order to enter that realm, we have to become like swans and lose our taste for snails.

See similar inspirational snippets HERE:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/parables.htm

The phaomnneil pweor of the hmuan mnid: Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig!
Mybae the I can sotp slpel ckchenig?

http://www.gaura-gambhira.com/

Written by HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami

Dear Maharaj/ Prabujis/ Matajis,

It is my great pleasure to inform all the devotees of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that a great service opportunity has been offered by the temple authorities of Gambhira, in Puri dham, where Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spent the final years of His manifested pastimes on this earthly planet. Kasi Mishra's house, also known as Gambhira, and the Radha Kanta math, were both under the care of the Orissa government due to 20 years of litigation. Finally, this litigation problem has been resolved and the management of the institution has been returned to the temple mahanta.

The temple has sustained much damage over the years due to lack of proper maintenance. The whole place is very dirty and the roofs and walls are falling down. The temple roof is also cracking. Additionally, the temple has a lack of proper income for the maintenance of the devotees and for deity puja—and, of course, the more the Gambhira is allowed to deteriorate, the fewer visitors it will have.

At this crucial point, the mahanta of Gambhira has requested ISKCON to extend kind assistence to him in order to protect and maintain this most holy place. Devotees from all over the world come to offer their prayers and obeisances at Gambhira. This is one of the most important places for the followers of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and must be maintained nicely.

Thus, this is a golden opportunity for devotees to render service to this most sacred cause. I request all devotees to kindly donate towards this purpose. There are many things to be fixed at the place. For the time being we have prepared a rough budget, for whatever the most urgent needs are, just to bring the situation up to  survival position. Later on, we will let you know about further opportunities for service in the development of the Gambhira.

For further information contact

Bhakti Purusottama Swami

Phone: ++ 91 9434506434

E mail: bps@pamho.net

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Changing the face of the Earth - http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1390/index.html
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Vegetarianism & Beyond - http://turn.to/Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism in the major Religions - All manner of religions
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Myth of the Aryan invasion by Dr. David Frawley: - http://www.hknet.org.nz/Aryan-invasion-mythDF.html

The Peace Formula - (By HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) http://www.hknet.org.nz/PeaceFormula.html

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 The Peace Formula
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World Vegetarian Day October 1st yearly &
World Vegetarian Awareness Month of October yearly
...please visit our links and see what you can do to help

World Smoke Free Day
31st May Every Year 

http://www.be-free.org/b-media/market-bfree03/cinema.php

yeah kick the butt
...and remember from 10th December 2004 no more smoking in public places in New Zealand by law