Radhagopinath Newsletter March 2013

Free for Distribution
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS
Sri Sri Radha Gopinath
NEWSLETTER
March 2013
Vol 4 - Issue 1
Dedicated to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acharya of International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Dedicated to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhactivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acharya of International Society for Krishna Consciousness
THE MOST MERCIFUL INCARNATION
FROM THE DESK OF
FOUNDER ACHARYA
Krishna is the original sun. Therefore wherever
Krishna is present, there cannot be any ignorance
or illusion. Darkness is compared with
ignorance, illusion, sleeping, laziness, intoxication, madness; these are all darkness. One who is
in the quality of darkness, these things will be
visible in his person: too much sleepy, lazy,
ignorant. Just opposite, the opposite of knowledge. So these are called darkness. So if actually
one is in Krishna consciousness, these qualities
will be not visible in his person. This is a test of
progressing in Krishna consciousness.
Krishna-surya-sama; maya haya andhakara
yahan Krishna, tahan nahi mayara adhikara
Yahan Krishna - wherever Krishna is there.
Krishna is absolute. He can be present in His
various potencies. He can be present by His name
only. Just like we chant Hare Krishna. He is
present, because His name is not different from
Him. That is the absolute sense. In relative
sense... Suppose somebody is calling me in my
apartment, "Swamiji." Swamiji is here. The
response cannot be. Just like in telephone. Yesterday Raymond was calling us by phone from three
thousand miles away. As soon as we took the
phone, we could immediately hear him. If by
material ways we can be in touch so swiftly, just
see how much spiritual potency Krishna has.
Although He's not present before us, He can be
present in so many ways. He can be present by
His name. Otherwise, all these great acharyas,
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, would not have
bothered themselves simply by chanting Hare
Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare
Hare. There is actually presence of Krishna. If
you take any material thing... Suppose a very nice
thing, a rose flower. "Rose flower, rose flower,
rose flower" —how long you can chant "rose
flower"? Say thrice, four times, ten times, twenty
times. Any more, you'll become disgusted. This is
the test. But Hare Krishna you can chant twentyfour hours, you'll not feel tired. That is the test of
absolute and relative.
Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Newsletter - Mar 2013 - Vol 4 / Issue 1
Lord Chaitanya is known as the “chhanna avatar or
Hidden avatar”. Although he is God himself he
appears as his own devotee and teaches us how to
serve him. Just like a teacher teaches the students,
how to read, how to systematically learn to write
the letters of alphabets correctly. It may seem that
the teacher is going through all the lessons, but in
reality the teacher already knows everything, he is
just doing that to set an example for others.
The Lord advented Himself on the Phalguni
Purnima evening of 1407 Shakabda era and it was
by the will of the Lord, that there was a lunar eclipse
on that evening. It is the custom of the Hindus to
take bath in the Ganges or any other sacred river
during the hours of eclipse and chant Vedic
mantras for purification. When Lord Chaitanya was
born during the lunar eclipse, the whole of India
was roaring with holy sound of Shri Hari or the
Hare Krishna mantra.
Krishna already has spoken Bhagavad-Gita, and
everything that is required to be known for spiritual
advancement is present within Bhagavad –gita,
compiled by Shrila Vyasa, just at the beginning of
the age of Kali. This wealth of information and
knowledge is lost to us because we are so busy
enjoying ourselves surrounded by all the worldly
pleasures.
But Krishna is merciful. He sees in the age of Kali
that the vast majority of population cannot understand and cannot conceive of his gift. Therefore the
Lord appears in the role of a devotee to teach us by
practicing bhakti—the real gift of Bhagavad-gita
himself. That is Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Why does he descend to the world?
“paritrānāya sādhūnām vināśāya ca duskrtām
dharma samsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge
yuge”
As mentioned in the Gita(4.7), The Lord promises
that he will come again and again in every age to
deliver the pious, to annihilate the miscreants, and
to re-establish the principles of religion.
“Kaler dosa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guna
kīrtanād eva krishnasya mukta-sangah param
vrajet”.
The Age of Kali is an ocean of faults but not like the
Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean. But this is a
vast ocean which is an ocean full of faults and
nothing but faults, except one benediction.
What is that benediction? That anyone can attain
the supreme perfection of liberation simply by
chanting the holy name –
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
The most important verse that mentions - in the
age of Kali there is no other way of attaining
spiritual perfection except through the chanting
the names of Lord Hari :
Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha.
Lord Chaitanya often quoted this verse. In fact, he
told the sanyasis in Varanasi that his Guru taught
him this verse and told him never ever to forget
that this is the most important verse. So Lord
Chaitanya made a garland of the Holy Name and
Krishna Prema to garland the world. Advaita
Acharya and the vaishnavas were actually avatars of
the Lord who were sent to prepare for the coming
of the Lord. They saw the miserable condition of
the people of Kali not only at their times but they
could see in to the future. Therefore Advaita
prabhu seeing the condition understood only if
Krishna in his original form personally comes
himself, he can give these people the actual understanding of the ultimate perfection of love. Only if
Krishna appears can the name of the Lord be
spread all over in the age of kali.
In order to achieve the destination of the spiritual
world, we have to completely purify our lives by a
lifelong effort of sadhana, by purifying our minds
and our hearts of all sinful activities, all sinful
attractions, by hearing the glories of the Lord, by
serving the devotees of the Lord, by chanting the
Holy Names of the Lord.
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A GLIMPSE ABOUT SRI SRI RADHA GOPINATH MANDIR
Lord Chaitanya saidWhoever you see whoever
Krishna upadesh”
“yaaare dekha tare kahe
you meet tell them about Shri Krishna !
Taking this instruction to be his life and soul,
Shrila Prabhupada travelled around the globe and
established many temples, which are like oasis in
the world for people to come and get rejuvenated
by participating in the numerous projects,
festivals and sevas at every ISKCON temple. In
this issue we bring to you the many varied
activities at our very own, Shri Shri Radha
Gopinath temple.
Every day - a festive spirit
A temple is a place where the Supreme Lord is
worshipped with love and devotion, and where
His devotees are served with respect and care.
This mood creates a festive spirit at Shri Shri
Radha Gopinath Mandir every day. Each day
there is gorgeous darshan of Their Lordships,
enlivening kirtan and knowledge sharing talks
from the sacred texts of Srimad Bhagvatam and
Bhagavad Gita. Throughout the year various
festivals like Krishna Janmastami, Rama Navami,
Narasimha Chaturdasi, etc. heighten spiritual
experience to ever newer levels.
Sunday Feast and Weekly Satsang Programs
The Sunday Festival at Shri Shri Radha Gopinath
Mandir attracts over couple thousand people
every week. Starting with arathi at 12:30 pm the
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programs leads to an enlightening discourse till 2:30
pm. This is followed by a lively question/answer
session and jubilant kirtan. For the congregation
devotees who are busy with their profession
throughout the week, this is a refreshing and
enlivening experience. The program ends with a
delectable free lunch prasadam that offers a
transcendental experience for one and all. Entire
lunch prasdam is prepared in our ISO 22000
certified kitchen.
Weekly Satsang programs are held at various
locations of Mumbai, reaching out to many more
sincere seekers of spirituality.
Journey of Self Discovery
In six sessions of two hours each, you will discover
answers to the basic questions of life: What is real
happiness? Who am I? Does God exist? One God or
many Gods? Why bad things happen to good
people? Practical application of Bhagavad-Gita in
our day-to-day life. The discovery of answers to
each of these questions promises to fill your lives
with a deeper purpose and inner contentment. For
details contact: +91 96194 80644.
ISKCON Youth Services (IYS)
Dedicated to serve the youth community of
Mumbai, IYS provides a nourishing package to
manage one's lifestyle in a way that the body and
soul are both in good shape. It helps the youth to
develop a positive attitude for assuming important
leadership roles in society. Mission Statement: “To
actually plug into the essence of life and experience
the sublime pleasure of life is what human society is
meant for. IYS gives spiritual integrity, dignity,
direction, and real joy to the lives of the youth of
India”. Monthly youth festivals are held for boys and
girls under the banner of ‘Prerana’ & ‘Chetana’
respectively. These festivals focus on the contemporary relevant issues, analyze them in depth and
derive practical solutions based on Vedic wisdom.
For more details contact: +022-23665500.
Gopal's Fun School (GFS)
GFS is a weekly program to train small children in
character building, personality development, ethical
and spiritual values, mantra meditation, storytelling, devotional music and Sanskrit Shloka recitation. Junior group: 4-9 yrs, Senior group: 10-14 yrs.
Bal Utsav: A variety, fun filled, bi-monthly program
of the children, by the children, for everyone.
Through the medium of puzzles, skits, verses,
stories, and prasadam the children are trained to
develop a co-operative spirit and imbibe leadership
skills. Inspired by this congregation devotees have
started weekly kids program at their residences. We
also have Value Education Programs which are a
medium to inculcate noble values and discipline in
everyday life.
Parenting seminars help parent’s to unlock their
potential, communicate and connect better to their
children; thus be their child’s best friend and guide.
Classes are also conducted for musical instruments
like Flute, Sitar, Mridanga, Tabla and Harmonium.
For more details contact: +022-23665594/95.
Personal Care and Guidance
Spiritual journey – needing an internal transformation becomes easier in a loving and caring atmosphere. Each aspirant is uniquely situated and facing
challenges that need to be individually dealt with
while applying the same spiritual principles. By
setting up the counselor and mentor system, Shri
Shri Radha Gopinath Mandir helps spiritual
aspirants to get this much needed care and guidance
on how best to advance in spiritual life in a swift yet
sustainable way while still executing all the responsibilities on social and professional side.
Sri Sri
Radha Gopinath
Newsletter
- Vol14 / Issue 1
Sri Sri Radha
Gopinath
Newsletter
- Mar 2013- Jan
- Vol2013
4 / Issue
Rath Yatras
Similar to world famous 'Ratha Yatra' parade
through the streets of Jagannatha Puri in Orissa,
Their Lordships Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra
are taken on a procession through the various
streets of downtown Mumbai. Thousands of people
attend and get a chance to pull the Lord’s chariot –
begging the Lord to enter their own hearts to
purify, enlighten them to the true platform of love
and devotion. A big pandal is set up to serve all the
visiting guests. Devotees loudly chant and dance in
kirtan making the celebration more joyous and
ecstatic. Once the procession reaches the pandal,
there are darshans, arathis, spiritual discourses,
cultural events, diorama presentations, book
counters (giving us authentic access to vedic
scriptures) and prasadam distribution.
Govindas Restaurant
One of the most popular food joints in South
Mumbai, Govinda's Restaurant in the temple
complex offers a variety of cuisines from authentic
Italian pizzas baked in brick ovens to Punjabi
specials. The restaurant is well-known for
delicious South Indian dosas, Mexican sizzlers,
'chaat' and natural, chemical free ice-creams.
Media & Online Services
High quality audio and video of various kirtans,
bhajans, lectures/hari-kathas, dramas, visit to holy
dhams etc and beautiful deity pictures taken at
various festive occasions are made available for
everyone. Invaluable blessings for those who
missed and for those who wish recollect and more
deeply meditate on them.
Following online services are offered:
1) www.radhagopinath.com - temple website of
Shri Shri Radha Gopinath Mandir
2) www.facebook.com/iskcon.chowpatty - the
facebook page of Shri Shri Radha Gopinath
Mandir
JOIN IN THE FESTIVITIES
3) www.ecovillage.org.in/ - farm community
(Govardhan Eco Village) website of Shri Shri
Radha Gopinath Mandir
4) www.radhagopinathstore.com - photos, CDs &
DVDs that can be ordered anywhere from
India
5) www.deitydarshan.com - for online daily
darshan of deities
6) www.iskcondesiretree.net – a store house of
spiritual content with more than 50,000 free
downloads audio, video, images, games &
variety of kid's content. Clubbed with social
networking, this site allows to share blogs,
videos, photos, audio with online devotee
community
Social & Eco Front
Shri Shri Radha Gopinath inspires and runs many
successful projects on social and eco fronts. These
will be covered in more detail in future editions of
our news letter.
Presiding deities of ISKCON NVCC, Pune
PUSHYA ABHISHEK
‒ 26th Jan
TtheheVedicfirst calendar
day of the spring season according to
(also known as VasantaPan-
chami), His Holiness Radhanath Swami led
thousands of guests, including many foreign
guests, to a flower festival at the temple, in
Mumbai. Krishnadas the famous bhajan singer
and also known as yoga's "rock star" was part of
the celebrations. The festival began in the morning
with hundreds of the temple’s devotees plucking
flower petals from over a ton of a wide variety of
flowers bought from all over India. Then in the
evening His Holiness Radhanath Swami addressed
the guests on the special significance of the festival
of bathing the deities with flowers. The flowers
were then collected from Their Lordships feet and
showered in abundance on the audience. This was
amidst ecstatic kirtan. It was a truly an out of the
world experience for all who attended.
Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Newsletter - Mar 2013 - Vol 4 / Issue 1
Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Newsletter - Mar 2013 - Vol 4 / Issue 1
Grand Opening of ISKCON NVCC, Pune
ISKCON PUNE opened its doors to one and all
for the inauguration of its new temple. The New
Vedic Cultural Center (NVCC) spread across 6
acres of land. It houses a spectacular Shri Shri
Radha Vrindavanchandra temple and a South
Indian style Balaji temple.
President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee was the
special guest of honor invited to inaugurate the
same. He praised Shrila Prabhupada’s vision to
propagate spiritual knowledge to society to
achieve real unity and peace. He said, “Centres
such as these are invaluable assets for developing
India’s social infrastructure – just as the education
that they impart helps break the vicious cycle of
poverty and underdevelopment. The spiritual
awareness such centres propagate are the
‒ 24th Feb
life-sustaining nourishment for our souls.” Other
delegates attending the inaugural event included
K. Sankaranarayanan - Governor of Maharashtra,
HarshavardhanPatil - Minister for Cooperation
and Parliamentary Affair (Govt. of Maharashtra),
VaishalBankar-Mayor of Pune and noted film
actress HemaMalini. Senior ISKCON leaders His
Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami and His
Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja hosted the
president and all the delegates on behalf of
ISKCON Pune
.
Several national and local political leaders,
business persons, community spokespersons,
academics and celebrities and thousands of
congregation members and families took part in
the festivities.
Page 01
Page 03
Upcoming festivals
Take part in our festivals and events to drink the nectar of feasting, chanting and dancing in bliss! It could change your life!
Gaur Poornima festival
Sri Ram Navami Chandan Festival
27th - 28th March
20th April
13th May Onwards
Please Note: Temple Hall shall remain closed from 1st of April 2013 for 3-4 weeks as the wooden floor would be re-done.
Darshans shall be through Gopalji Hall or the rear doors at the end of the hall.
In service of the Lord
Full day Sevas (Daily)
•
Nitya Seva
` 32,000 /-
(full day's service to deities and prasad for residents & volunteers)
•
Bhagavat Seva
` 16,000 /-
Prasad Sevas (Daily)
•
Lunch Prasad
` 8,000/-
•
Dinner Prasad
` 5,000/-
•
Breakfast Prasad
` 3,000/-
(full day's service to deities)
•
Prithi Bhog Seva
` 16,000/-
( full day's prasad for residents & volunteers)
Deity Sevas (Daily)
•
Flowers
` 5,000/-
•
Raj Bhog
` 3,000/-
•
Balya/Mangal/Puja/Sandhya Bhog
` 2,000/-
•
Vaikalika Bhog
` 1,000/-
•
Fruits
` 1,000/-
Festival Sevas (on festival days)
•
Deity Day Dress
` 4,00,000/-
•
Deity Night Dress
` 2,00,000/-
•
Deity Jewelry
` 1,00,000/-
•
Prasad
` 1,00,000/-
•
Flowers and Fruits
` 50,000/-
•
Maha Abhishek
` 50,000/-
(Gaura Purnima, Radhastami)
•
Abhishek
` 35,000/-
(other festivals)
For more details please contact: PARTH Seva Dept. Tel: 022-23665646/47,+91- 8879631447 | Email: rg.seva@gmail.com
MAHENG/2010/34766
Edited and Published by : Krishnan M Iyer, Building No. 4, Flat No. 5,
LNHO Compound, K. M. Munshi Marg, Chowpatty, Mumbai, 400007
Printed by him at : Steadfast printers, A/12-47, Chittaranjannagar,
Rajawadi, Vidyavihar (East), Mumbai, 400077, India
For : International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple, 7 K. M. Munshi Marg, Girgaum,
Chowpatty, Mumbai – 7. Phone: (022) 2366 5500, Fax:(022) 23665555.
SRI SRI RADHA GOPINATH MANDIR
The world within its fold
Founder Acharya: His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Visit us at : www.radhagopinath.com, www.deitydarshan.com
Send comments and letters : parth.seva@gmail.com
Photos printed with permission from BBT.
Page 04
Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Newsletter - Mar 2013 - Vol 4 / Issue 1