It is with great pleasure that we extend to you our heartfelt
invitation to this year's Ratha Yatra Festival in Ludhiana (Punjab) on Sunday the 15th December, 2013.
Keeping
in line the tradition of celebrating colorful festivals, Lord Jagannath
Rathyatra has become one of the prominent additions, since last decade.
Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra Maharani give full mercy without
any discrimination to all the devotees, residents and visitors.
This
festival is celebrated by devotees pulling the cart of Lord Jagannath
from Kurushetra back to Vrindavan. In the last decade this Rathyatra has
attracted residents from all sectors of the community to join hands
together in the worship of the Lord through wonderful Harinaam
Sankirtan.
Details:
Program Starts at Sri Durga Mata Mandir Near Jagraon Bridge and
Gymkhana Ground at 1:00p.m, then to Fountain Chowk, Rani Jhansi Road,
Ghumar
Mandi Chowk, Mai Nand Kaur Gurudwara, Aarti Chowk and finishing at Nav
Durga
Mandir Sarabha Nagar. After the Rathayatra is complete there will be
full Maha Prasadam at the
Temple for all sponsors, committee members, devotees and invited guests.
Next day, on 16th of December
2013 (Monday) there will be HARE KRSNA UTSAV at Kothari Resort,
Ferozepur Road, Ludhiana at 4:00PM.
Yours in the Service of Lord Krishna,
Rajsuya dasa , Temple President
ISKCON Ludhiana
Mobile # 093169-70600 www.iskconludhiana.com
Nov
21, 2013 — HYDERABAD, INDIA (SUN) — Author claims to have proven Jana
Gana Mana, India's national anthem written in Sanskritized Bengali by
the poet Rabindranath Tagore (Nobel Prize Winner) was meant for Krishna.
Nihar
Singh, a writer from Hyderabad, has shown that Rabindranath Tagore
wrote Jana Gana Mana, India's national anthem, for Lord Krishna. While
the song is popular because of its use, these questions about its origin
remain: What were Tagore's intentions when he composed this song? Whom
did he actually write it for? After looking deeper into what had
transpired at the time the song was written, and after analyzing the
lyrics line by line, Nihar has established that Tagore wrote Jana Gana
Mana for Lord Krishna; around the time of King George 5th's visit to
India. This fact is not so widely known by the general public.
Nihar
says that Tagore's greatness and his vision for India can be gauged
from just two of his poems. In "Where the mind is without fear" he says
that Tagore lays the conditions in which "India should awake" which were
the last lines of the abovementioned poem. But in Jana Gana Mana, he
says that Tagore literally describes the real ruler of Bharat, the
unifying element of all the cultures of India, namely Lord Krishna.
Nihar says that Tagore wanted the people of India back then to know for
themselves that the real ruler of India was not King George 5th but
someone who was reflected in the different cultures of India and who was
their ultimate controller.
In
Stanza 1 Line 2 of Jana Gana Mana, Tagore states that the name of the
ruler of India must resound in the provinces of "Punjab, Sind,
Gujaratha, Maratha, Dravida, Utkala Banga...". Nihar states that upon
reflection it is Lord Krishna's names that resound in these provinces as
names of the people of India. Nihar proves what Tagore was hinting at,
with a few examples. He says that a person may be called as "Venkat" in
Andhra Pradesh and as "Harbhajan" in Punjab. He adds that these are
names of people belonging to two totally different cultures; however
both these names simply refer to two different incarnations of Krishna
namely Venkat and Hari respectively.
Nihar
adds that in the above Stanza 1 Line 2 of Jana Gana Mana, Tagore was
referring to people with God's names from all the religions of India. He
says that names of god in Islam like "Rahim" which means "The Most
Merciful" which describe the attributes of God are also to be included.
He adds that it is in Sikhism where we come to know that it is "Ram" who
has exhibited the qualities of being "Rahim" or being "the most
merciful" while he was on this planet hence the Sikh hymn "Ram Rahim".
Similarly he says that Lord Vishnu is known as "Jehovah", the four armed
God in Judaism and Christianity. Nihar says that Tagore was referring
to the one god, even if he was called by different names in the
different religions and cultures of India, whose names were the names of
all the diverse but united Indian people.
In
Stanza 3 Line 2 of Jana Gana Mana, Tagore refers to the ruler of India
as "an Eternal Charioteer". Nihar says that Tagore could only be
referring to Lord Krishna as he was a charioteer to Arjuna, when he gave
Arjuna the discourse of the Bhagawad Gita. In Stanza 3 Line 3 of Jana
Gana Mana, Tagore refers to the conch shell of the ruler of India. Nihar
states that while Lord Krishna used a conch shell called the
Pancajanya, King George 5th was neither a charioteer nor did he use a
conch shell during a war. Nihar offers these references by Tagore as
proof that Tagore was referring to Lord Krishna as the ultimate ruler of
India.
JaNa GaNa MaNa
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people...
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, the Maratha country,
in the Dravida country, Utkala and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
It mingles in the rhapsodies of the pure waters of Yamuna and the Ganges.
They chant only thy name.
They seek only thy auspicious blessings.
They sing only the glory of thy victory.
The salvation of all people waits in thy hands,
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people...
Victory to thee, Victory to thee,
Victory, Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!
Nov
12, 2013 — USA (SUN) — Translation of article by Anuj Agrawal in Dainik
Bhaskar, India's leading Hindi Daily, from November 3, 2013.
The largest temple in the world
Although constructed only one third it is visible from 10 Km.
This is no stadium being
constructed. 130 Km. from Kolkata. More than 500 skilled people are
giving shape this building. This is the biggest temple in the world.
When fully constructed, it will be higher than a 30-storey building.
Currently, Cambodia's Ankorwat centuries old world famous are considered
the biggest temple in world in terms of size. They are spread in a
compound of 820,000 square meter. In height Lord Ranganath's Temple at
Srirangam, Tamil Nadu tops the list, whose main dome's height is around
250 feet. Turkey's Istanbul's 1500 years old Hazia Sofia was once a
church, which was later converted to a mosque. But due to Islamic
reforms about 100 years ago, Mutafa Kamal Pasha converted it into a
museum. It is also about 200 feet high. Mayapur's Chandrodaya Temple
will be taller that these. That means it will the biggest place of
worship of any religion in the whole world. This will be completed by
2020.
The pinnacle of our faith: Chandrodaya
The temple will be 300 feet high.
It will be spread in 425,000 square meter.
Total cost is Rupees 5 billion.
Will be ready by 2020.
Will have annually 2 million visitors.
When fully constructed, temple will
have height equal to a 30-storey building Work is progressing since 2.5
years in International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)'s
famous compound. 500 skilled people are working. Every activity is being
filmed. Mayapur is an old settlement on banks of Ganges in Nadia
District of Bengal. It is the birth place of Caitanya Mahaprabhu
(1486-1534) Who is considered an incarnation of Krsna. It is the
headquarter of ISKCON and sacred place of pilgrimage of Vaisnavas, whose
founder Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada envisioned the temple in 1975.
He said, "Just like people from all over the world come to India to see
Taj Mahal, similarly they should see glimpse of India's Religions,
Civilization and Culture. Prabhupada expressed his desire to Alfred
Ford, who is the great grandson of Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor
Company. Ford Donated Rs. 2.5 billion.
The total cost of construction
is Rs. 5 bn out of which 2.5bn has been donated by Alfred Ford only. He
is the great grandson of famous American Industrialist Henry Ford.
Alfred converted to Hinduism 37 years ago. He got in touch with Swami
Prabhupada in 1974. He became his disciple after their fast meeting in
America. New name – Ambarisa Das. He came to India along with
Prabhupada. His wife in Bengali Hindu, Sharmila. The 63 yr old chairman
of Mayapur Project Ambarisa, these days stays at Mayapur only. He says,
"This the dream of my spiritual master and to see it being fulfilled I'm
roaming since last 3 yrs. This will be the world's biggest center of
Vedic Culture. This is the goal of my life.
Same amount from rest of the world
ISKCON is raising funds for
covering balance 50% cost. People from world over are contributing to
cost of Rs. 7000 per square feet. Till now more than 6000 people have
contributed. ISKCON's network is in 85 countries and has more than 1000
temples.
This is the model of the temple:
1.There will be gorgeous temples of Lord Krsna and Narsighadeva.
2.Large kirtan hall, where 10000 devotees will perform kirtan.
3.300 seater capacity world class planetarium theatre, which will show the glimpse of universe as per Gita's philosophy.
Nov 10, 2013 — DEHRADUN, UTTARAKHAND (PTI) —
Amid chants of Vedic hymns and light snowfall, the portals of Kedarnath
and Yamunotri, the two major chardham pilgrimage centres in Garhwal
Himalayas, were closed to visitors on Tuesday for Winter, during which
they become snowbound and inaccessible.
While
the portals of Kedarnath, which bore the brunt of the June calamity in
Uttarakhand, were closed after an elaborate six hour ritual at 8 a.m.,
those of Yamunotri, located at a height of 10,804 feet, were shut at
1:15 p.m. in the presence of the temple committee and senior
administrative officials.
Kedar
Valley resonated with the chanting of Vedic hymns in the wee hours as
the doors of the famed Himalayan shrine were closed ceremoniously.
Chief
priest of Kedarnath Temple, Bagesh Ling performed the special prayers
in the presence of nearly 150 persons, including devotees and officials
who braved icy winds and a light snowfall to witness the closure
ceremony, said Kedarnath-Badrinath Temple committee CEO B B Singh.
About
one quintal of ashes brought from Nashik by Mahamandaleshwar Swami
Samvidanand were applied to the Shiv Linga in the sanctum sanctorum of
the temple during the elaborate Samadhi Puja, the ritual which preceded
its closure for peak winter months, Singh said.
Later,
a replica of the idol of Lord Shiva was carried on a palanquin known as
'Utsav Doli' to nearby Ukhimath town for its winter sojourn.
The
portals of Gangotri were closed yesterday while those of Badrinath
shrine are scheduled to be closed on November 18th, bringing down the
curtains on the annual Chardham pilgrimage. The Chardham route was
marred this year by the June 16-17th flashfloods in Uttarakhand, which
led to a prolonged suspension of pilgrimage for over three months.
The first-ever Congressional Diwali celebration on Capitol
Hill on Tuesday evening was a spectacular event by any measure, with
the House of Representatives Rayburn Building lobby overflowing with
over 500 members of the Indian American community, scores of United
States lawmakers, administration officials and well-wishers ranging from
leading American business and industry and policy wonks and think tank
heads from some of Washington’s premier institutions. Aziz Haniffa
reports. One had to
be there to marvel at the parade of lawmakers, including the Indian
American community’s own, Dr Amerish ‘Ami’ Bera and administration
officials.
They were led by the newly minted Assistant Secretary
of State for South Asian Affairs, Nisha Desai Biswal, Maryland House
Majority Leader Kumar Barve, being garlanded with fresh jasmine flowers,
stamped with a tilak on their forehead and then making their way to
light the diyas caparisoned with more flowers of all hues and colors.
And
this parade continued even as the rock-star priest -- ever since he
officiated in the White House Diwali celebration attended by President
Barack Obama three years ago -- Narayanachar Lakshminarasihma Digalakote
of the SriSivaVishnuTemple, which co-hosted the celebrated with the
Congressional Caucus on Indian and Indian Americans, recited shlokas.
Nov 06, 2013 — JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN (SUN) —
It is with great pleasure that we extend to you our heartfelt
invitation to this year's Ratha Yatra Festival in Jaipur (Rajasthan) on
Wednesday the 20th November 2013.
Keeping
in line the tradition of celebrating colorful festivals, Lord Jagannath
Rathayatra has become one of the prominent additions, since last
decade. Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra Maharani give full mercy
without any discrimination to all the devotees residents and visitors.
This
festival is celebrated by devotees pulling the cart of Lord Jagannath
from Kurukshetra back to Vrindavan. In the last decade this Rathyatra
has attracted residents from all sectors of the community to join hands
together in the worship of the Lord through wonderful Harinaam
Sankirtan.
Details:
Program Starts at Madhyam Marg, Mansarover Stadium at 2:00p.m,
then to Swarn Path, Kiran Path, Rajat Path, Hira Path, B.T Road, Patel
Marg, Meera Marg, Vijay Path, Thadi Market and finishing at SFS Chourah.
After
the Rathayatra is complete there will be full Maha Prasadam at the
Temple for all sponsors, committee members, devotees and invited guests.
Yours in the Service of Lord Krishna,
Pancaratna das
Temple President, ISKCON Jaipur
Please Contact: Gokularanjan Gopal das, M.No :- 09214577040
Tel No - 0141 - 2781860,2782765
Official Statement and Resolution Regarding Mahanidhi Swami–Released by the Governing Body Commission of ISKCON October 28, 2013
At its recent meetings in Mumbai, India, the Governing Body
Commission (GBC) of ISKCON passed a resolution regarding Mahanidhi
Swami. That resolution is found below followed by a brief excerpt of the
GBC Executive Committee’s letter to Mahanidhi Swami’s disciples and
followers.
It is Resolved that:
Mahanidhi Swami has stated that he has resigned from ISKCON,
therefore he is suspended as initiating guru and sannyasi within ISKCON.
We would like Mahanidhi Swami to return to ISKCON. Should he choose to
do so, he should approach the GBC Executive Committee, and assisted by
the Sannyasa Ministry, agree upon a complete program for his
rectification and reinstatement.
The letter to Mahanidhi Swami’s followers contains the following:
We want to offer our appreciation for your courage and humility in
approaching the GBC Executive Committee with your concerns regarding
Mahanidhi Swami’s problematic behavior.
We know that it was difficult and painful for you to come forward. We
also know that you did so only after multiple, genuine efforts to
assist your diksha guru by speaking with him directly.
We respect the sincerity of your efforts to help him, and we respect
that you approached the GBC in a sincere mood of doing what was best for
both Mahanidhi Swami and ISKCONi
We encourage you–especially at this time–to take shelter of Srila
Prabhupada and his instructions, as he is the preeminent siksha guru for
all ISKCON devotees.
We also encourage you to take shelter of other senior devotees in
ISKCON. As long as you continue to take guidance of Srila Prabhupada and
his sincere followers and remain strict in your spiritual practices,
you will be safe and secure under Lord Krishna’s protection.
The GBC Executive Committee also wishes to request the devotees of
ISKCON to offer their prayers for Mahanidhi Swami. We also request all
ISKCON devotees to extend their full support, friendship and
understanding to the disciples and followers of Mahanidhi Swami, who
themselves are remaining as faithful followers of Srila Prabhupada and
his ISKCON society.
Your servants,
The GBC Executive Committee
Tamohara das, Chair
Anuttama das
Praghosa das
http://www.dandavats.com/?p=12022
Oct 30, 2013 — INDIA (SUN) — Vidyabhusana Project Update.
I am glad to announce the discovery of the manuscript of the Pada-kaustubha, a treatise on Sanskrit grammar composed by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana. According to the Gaudiya Vaisnava Abhidhana,
this text was seen by Haridas Baba in the library of one of the
Goswamis of the Radha-Ramana temple in Vrindavan more than 60 years ago.
Later on, that collection was either sold or given away, and since then
the whereabouts of the Pada-kaustubha was unknown. One important
feature of this manuscript is that Srila Vidyabhusana tells us the name
of his grammar teacher, Shiva-Rama, "by whose mercy I was given access
to the nectarean ocean of Panini's grammar."
During
the last year, I travelled around twelve states in India, visited
dozens of public and private libraries and collected a huge amount of
digital copies of manuscripts, books and reference materials. As usual, I
received cooperation from many parties, except the Gaudiyas. Recently,
I was allowed to copy many manuscripts in an ancient library of the
Nimbarka sampradaya, while in Govardhana I was refused entry to three
Gaudiya libraries.
Despite
my best efforts, I have been criticized and harassed in several ways. I
have had people tell me that I am not doing anything special, as the
manuscripts are in libraries and anyone going there can find them. Well,
if it is that simple, we may wonder why nobody has done anything about
it until now. I have also received messages from people demanding copies
of the manuscripts, claiming that I have no right to keep them, or as a
last recourse, offering me money in exchange. There are also others
trying to pass as potential donors and supporters while actually just
making up stories to see if somehow they can get hold of a copy. There
was even a Gaudiya Math Swami who wrote to me insinuating that I am
exploiting Baladeva Vidyabhusana for my own selfish ends.
Notwithstanding
such 'encouragement', this last discovery gives me the impetus to go
ahead and search for many other lost manuscripts, although there is
hardly any hint about their possible location. Important manuscripts
have been found in as remote places as Udupi, Madras and Germany, so
this may be a lifetime dedication. There are many collections still to
be catalogued, and there are good chances that in the next years we may
come across many other Gaudiya texts. I personally met the director of
the National Mission for Manuscripts, Prof. Dipti Tripathi, who
appreciated our activities and promised to assist us in whatever they
can. Despite innumerable difficulties and little support, in two years
since the Vidyabhusana Project was launched, we were rewarded with the
following successes:
1) Discovery of five unpublished manuscripts: Tattva-dipika, Brahma-sutra-karika-bhasya, Sabda-sudha, Laghu-siddhanta-kaustubha and Pada-kaustubha.
2) Acquisition of digital copies of more than 15,000 pages in manuscripts.
3) Publication of two critical editions with English translation: Chandah-kaustubha and Siddhanta-darpana.
4) Digitization of nearly all printed editions of Srila Vidyabhusana's works.
In the next year we hope to be able
to start uploading the PDF files of all printed editions, which will be
freely available for download. We also plan to soon publish the English
translation of the Tattva-dipika and the Brahma-sutra-karika-bhasya along with the original text.
There are still many places to
visit, many people to meet and a lot of work to do, therefore I humbly
request those who appreciate the importance of this project to kindly
contribute so that it may progress. For further details about it and for
samples of the manuscripts, please visit www.VidyabhusanaProject.blogspot.in.
On the same page I am also posting a diary to share a bit of what I am experiencing.
