HAPPY BIRTHDAY SRILA PRABHUPADA!

THANK YOU!

Today is the Appearance Day of Lord Balarama.

(Picture courtesy of harekrsna.com)

PICTURE OF THE WEEK (from iskconnews.org):

Anuttama Dasa, Minister of ISKCON Communications, joined Catholic dignitaries from the Vatican at the first Hindu-Catholic dialogue in the United States.
It was held in the Washington, D.C. area from May 19-24.

JOURNAL:

When we have the occasion to be present at the place of worship of other religionists at the time of their worship, we should stay there in a respectful mood, contemplating thus: 'Here is being worshipped my adorable highest entity, God in a different form than that of mine. Due to my practice of a different kind, I cannot thoroughly comprehend this system of theirs. But seeing it, I am feeling a greater attachment for my own system. I bow down with prostration before His emblem as I see here and I offer my prayer to my Lord who has adopted this different emblem that he may increase my love towards Him . . .

-Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur

PICTURE OF THE WEEK (from sdgonline.org):

For the Ukrainian devotees

Hare Krishna!

Disappearance Day of Srila Prabhupada

PICTURE OF THE WEEK (from harekrsna.com):

October 18th marks the start of the period of Damodara, 

the fourth month of Caturmasya.

All Glories Srila Prabhupada!

Aug 28, 2013 — CANADA (SUN) — On the auspicious occasion of Srila Prabhupada's Vyasapuja. In 1896, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada made his appearance in Calcutta, Bengal. He was given the name Abhay Carana by his Vaisnava father, Gour Mohan De, whose principle desire for his son's spiritual future was for him to become a pure devotee of Lord Sri Krsna, the ultimate goal of Vaisnavism.

Srila Prabhupada exhibited all the telltale symptoms of a nitya-siddha shaktavesa avatara. Such divine Personalities are sent/chosen by The Supreme Personality of Godhead to advent in a body so as to fulfill the mission of the Lord, namely, to impart the Absolute truth to the ignorant, forgetful embodied beings in human form. Abhay Carana's ultimate destiny and mission would remain unmanifest to the unenlightened until the last few years of his life. Twenty-five years after his disappearance there are still many who are confused over His true exalted spiritual identity, even amongst those who consider themselves to be His followers.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK (from Krishna.com):

Appearance Day of 

 His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Opening of the George Harrison Memorial Garden

After the recent private opening of the George Harrison memorial Garden by Olivia Harrison (the wife of the of the late Beatle) and British TV presenters Monty Don and Peter Owen Jones, the garden is now open to the public at the grand Krishna festival held at Bhaktivedanta Manor.

During the festival of Janmashtami at Bhaktivedanta Manor, which is expected to attract over 60,000 people on Wednesday 28th August and Sunday 21st September, the devotees will be celebrating 40 years since the mansion house and estate was donated by the George Harrison. ( http://news.iskcon.org )

JOURNAL:

I added six new "memories" videos to the Srila Prabhupada and George Harrison page today. The interview includes stories about how Bhaktividanta Manor came to be and George's last visit.

I also added one new audio track to the Audio Offerings page in which Srila Prabhupada talks about how he met his Spiritual Master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, and his life before he started ISKCON.

Today is Guru Purnima

All Glories to His Divine Grace

A.C. Bhaktividanta Swami Prabhupada

PICTURE OF THE WEEK (from iskconportland.com):

Today is the anniversary of

Sri Sri Nitai Sacinandana's Appearance Day

here in the Portland, Oregon area

HARI BOL!

Today is Gita Jayanti!

The temple in Los Angeles is hosting a "Chanting of the entire Bhagavad Gita" starting at noon today.
Here is the link to their web site:

www.lalive.us

HARE KRISHNA!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK (from lalive.info):

What: Ratha Yatra
When: July 21, 2012
Where: Waterfront Park in downtown Portland, Oregon

PICTURE OF THE WEEK (from the Sampradaya Sun):

WHAT: "The Festival of the Chariots"
WHERE: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
WHEN: Sunday, July 22, 2012

Krsna's Eco Farm in Scotland

Lesmahagow, a quiet village founded by monks in the 12th Century is again home to monks but of a different order. In 1987 Hare Krishna monks moved into a humble property in Lesmahagow not far from Glasgow. With the motto ‘simple living, high thinking', they began to develop an ambitious program and turned the site into a state-of-the-art Eco Farm.

Many politicians, environmentalists, devotees from Bhaktivedanta Manor and Hindus community representatives attended the event. They saw demonstrations of various sustainable technologies including Solar Thermal Panels, Air source Heat Pumps, Wind Turbines, and Biomass Energy Centre. The site also includes a walled garden where the monks grow vegetables and fruits, as well as greenhouses for cultivating ceremonial flowers and a play garden for children.

Scots born Prabhupada Prana das, head of the centre said, In our temple we try to live simply and in harmony with nature. The technology can be used to reduce your carbon footprint, and that's part of our philosophy. We are committed to helping people find peace, through meditation and taking care of the earth—and it's all here at the Eco Farm.

It has been a rewarding day, added Prana about the official opening ceremony, We had traditional Indian dance and cuisine blended with Scots bagpipes and banter. The level of interest in our environmental technologies and the presence of the various dignitaries has been inspiring.

I was extremely proud to be the guest of honour at the opening of the Krishna Eco-Farm, said Michael McCann MP. The monks live in the Lesmahagow community in the heart of my constituency in peace and harmony not only with nature but with the local community. The work that they have done on this Eco-Farm has many lessons for us not least of which is that with proper planning, renewable energy sources can make a valuable contribution to our communities.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. It certainly won't be my last because after the trials and tribulations of my work in the House of Commons and the constituency office visiting the Eco-Farm and meeting the wonderful people there was a great opportunity to stop, take a breath and enjoy an alternative style of life. Michael concluded.

(condensed from an original article by Radha Mohan das; Sampradaya Sun)

PICTURE OF THE WEEK (from iskconportland.com):

The Rose Festival weekend marks the arrival of Sri Sri Nitai Sacinandana at ISKCON Hillsboro. There is an anniversary festival at the temple, and devotees participate in Hari Nam Sankirtan in the Grand Floral Walk.
(Photo 4-22-12)

JOURNAL:

Recently, the ISKCON center for Portland, Oregon (located west of the city, in Hillsboro, Oregon), revamped their web site.

http://www.iskconportland.com/newsite/SSNS/index.html

This is my home town and these are the presiding deities. We also have a Preaching Center on the east side of Portland proper. So, we have centers in both the east and the west.

The Queen visits the Krishna Avanti School

The Queen and Prince Philip enjoyed an eclectic mix of music and dance during their Diamond Jubilee tour of Krishna Avanti School on Thursday 29th March.

Inside the main hall which contains the deities of Krishna Balaram, Krishna Avanti School children sang Sri Krishna Caitanya, a Vaishnava song written by Narottam Das Thakur, followed by the Hare Krishna mantra. The Queen particularly appreciated the devotional music. Then the Queen unveiled a beautiful tapestry which depicted Caitanya Mahaprabhu dancing in Jarikhanda forest with the animals, a gift from the School to Buckingham Palace.

The children also recited a verse from the Siksastaka which included a translation, explaining that “in order to have peace and prosperity in society we need to imbibe three qualities: humility, tolerance and respect for all others”. Srutidharma das explained that the Krishna Avanti School is based on these values, and the Queen responded “Isn’t that wonderful!”

(Thanks to bhaktivedantamanor.co.uk for this article)