Beutiful pictures of the offerings to Sri Radha Kunda on the day of its appearance.
Sri Govardhan, Vraja Mandal, India.
Source: Facebook
Sri Govardhan, Vraja Mandal, India.
Hare Krishna school achieves top marks in NAPLAN
ABC North Cast NSW, Australia:14 September, 2015
Hare Krishna school, Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula, has gone from failing several NAPLAN categories to performing above the national average in all of them.
Hare Krishna devotees established the Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula school in 1980 at Eungella on the outskirts of Murwillumbah in northern New South Wales, Australia.
The school began with a handful of students but has grown to more than 70.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula hasn't performed well in National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing since the test's introduction in 2008, failing several categories up until three years ago.
However, the introduction of new teaching programs has resulted in students outperforming others across the nation in this year's tests.
Students performed above the national average in all categories in the compulsory literacy and numeracy exams.
The school also performed above the average achieved by other Australian independent schools, with an 84 per cent increase in average score growth.
Principal Victor Machevsky said Hare Krishna community attitudes to education had slowly changed since the school was established.
"Throughout the developing history of the school, the devotees have seen the need for children to continue developing the values of the Hare Krishna movement, but at the same time to become competent and confident members of broader society," he said.
"That's where we are at the moment, bringing in research-based approaches to literacy and numeracy learning."
Hare Krishna school, Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula, has gone from failing several NAPLAN categories to performing above the national average in all of them.
 |
| Premarvati is the kindergarten teacher at Hare Krishna school Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula: "As a teacher, I do not use NAPLAN to measure the child's success. I'm very happy that they're doing well in NAPLAN now though. In past years, we've been a very small school so we've only had a few kids who sit for the test. There are some kids who always do well, and there are some kids not in the core program who have struggled. With the new program we've introduced, we're seeing results and it's very pleasing." (ABC North Coast: Samantha Turnbull) |
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| Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula principal Victor Machevsky: "The school has participated in NAPLAN tests over the years and we were somewhat struggling with our performance. For the past three years we've been working on the quality of instructional practices and, in particular, on explicit direct instruction where we unpack the skills of reading into very small, understandable chunks. This year, we're seeing the results of those few years of hard work by the teachers. The school has performed above the national average in all the areas of literacy and numeracy." (ABC North Coast: Samantha Turnbull) |
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| Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula Year 3/4 teacher Keli Dorman: "I love teaching here because it's a spiritually based school as well, so we're able to integrate our philosophy into a lot of our learning areas. So, for example, a lot of writing tasks we might do might be focused on some of our spiritual stories. Also, it's such a small school that we're able to give a lot of individual attention to our students that you maybe can't get so much in a really large school. We have a shared vision and I think that's what makes it so good here." (ABC North Coast: Samantha Turnbull) |
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| Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula student Vrinda, nine: "It's very fun here and you get to learn a lot of things. I like the teachers, I like my friends, I mostly like everything about it. I'm really good at maths and science. When I grow up I want to be a singer." (ABC North Coast: Samantha Turnbull) |
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| Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula student Nayana, nine: "Our school is surrounded by mountains, trees and cows. I like that we're all Hare Krishna devotees. My favourite activities are maths and English. Mum got me an e-reader for my birthday and I've been reading a lot on that - Magic Marks the Spot, Harry Potter, Tiger's Curse. I want to be an author because writing stories is fun." (ABC North Coast: Samantha Turnbull) |
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| Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula student Danakeli, eight: "I love our assemblies because we can chant and sing Krishna's names. I also really love ballet. I want to be a ballerina when I grow up." (ABC North Coast: Samantha Turnbull) |
The school began with a handful of students but has grown to more than 70.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula hasn't performed well in National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing since the test's introduction in 2008, failing several categories up until three years ago.
However, the introduction of new teaching programs has resulted in students outperforming others across the nation in this year's tests.
Students performed above the national average in all categories in the compulsory literacy and numeracy exams.
The school also performed above the average achieved by other Australian independent schools, with an 84 per cent increase in average score growth.
Principal Victor Machevsky said Hare Krishna community attitudes to education had slowly changed since the school was established.
"Throughout the developing history of the school, the devotees have seen the need for children to continue developing the values of the Hare Krishna movement, but at the same time to become competent and confident members of broader society," he said.
"That's where we are at the moment, bringing in research-based approaches to literacy and numeracy learning."
Mayapur and Kolkata temple Deities
Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math, Sep 10, 2015
All Glories to Sri Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Saraswat Sampradaya (lineage). All Glories to my beloved Grand Spiritual Master His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur PRABHUPADA & my beloved Spiritual Master His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj.
Yours in the Service of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Mission.
B.B.Bodhayan.
Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math (President)
www.sggm.in
www.gopinathmath.wordpress.com
www.gopinathmath.org
www.gopinathmath.com.ua
All Glories to Sri Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Saraswat Sampradaya (lineage). All Glories to my beloved Grand Spiritual Master His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur PRABHUPADA & my beloved Spiritual Master His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj.
Yours in the Service of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Mission.
B.B.Bodhayan.
Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math (President)
www.sggm.in
www.gopinathmath.wordpress.com
www.gopinathmath.org
www.gopinathmath.com.ua
New Gurukula Set to Open Near Sochi, Russia by 2017
ISKCON News, Sept. 11, 2015
Construction is set to begin on a new dayschool gurukula near Sochi, Southern Russia sometime this spring, with plans to open in September 2017. With no other gurukulas currently in operation in Russia, it may be under high demand as the only one of its kind.
The gurukula is planned in Baranovka, a small village 15 kilometers from Sochi City Center, which devotees have dubbed “Balaramovka.”
The devotee community there, started by the late leader of ISKCON’s Sastric Advisory Council Purnachandra Goswami in 2009, consists of about fifty devotees. Meanwhile the nearby Sochi ISKCON community is about 200-strong with many children.
The gurukula will be built on a recently donated half-acre plot 100 meters from the Baranovka ISKCON temple. A small house has already been constructed on the property for Amala Rasa Das, who will move with his wife Svetlana and their two children from Ukraine this October to develop the gurukula project and serve as its director.
The gurukula, named after Purnachandra Goswami, will be housed in a 7,500-square-foot, two-storey building with four classrooms, a large kindergarten room, an altar room for Gaura Nitai that will accommodate 150 children and parents, a kitchen, and a break room for teachers.
The gurukula will open with facilities for kindergarten (3 to 7 years old in Russia), as well as 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades. Later, it will introduce the remaining grades up to age 17.
Using examples from already existing gurukulas around the world, the day will begin at 6:30am with mangala arati, guru puja and a short Bhagavatam class, before launching into the regular government-required academic program. Extra curricular activities will include music classes on mridanga and harmonium, sports, martial arts, dancing, sewing, painting and more.
Because of the obstacles to becoming a licensed school in Russia, the gurukula will be classified as a homeschool program, and students will take their exams at a local government school.
At least 15 students are expected to enroll when the gurukula first opens in 2017, and at least 50 from all over Russia once it opens for all grades up to 17 years old.
“Already, many devotees have heard of our plans and are calling us to ask about enrolling their children,” says project manager Nadezhda Drobzheva.
Enrollment will be strict – parents will be required to follow the four regulative principles of Krishna consciousness, chant sixteen rounds of japa a day, and have a regular bhakti practice at home.
But managers say it’s all so that children get the full benefits of the spiritual environment the gurukula is trying to create; an environment that protects them from the harmful effects of the typical Russian government school, where, according to Nadezhda, they would learn bad habits like smoking and drinking from as young as ten.
“This gurukula was Purnachandra Goswami’s dream – he felt that taking care of our children is perhaps the most important thing in Krishna consciousness,” she says. “Because they are our future.”
Construction is set to begin on a new dayschool gurukula near Sochi, Southern Russia sometime this spring, with plans to open in September 2017. With no other gurukulas currently in operation in Russia, it may be under high demand as the only one of its kind.
The gurukula is planned in Baranovka, a small village 15 kilometers from Sochi City Center, which devotees have dubbed “Balaramovka.”
The devotee community there, started by the late leader of ISKCON’s Sastric Advisory Council Purnachandra Goswami in 2009, consists of about fifty devotees. Meanwhile the nearby Sochi ISKCON community is about 200-strong with many children.
The gurukula will be built on a recently donated half-acre plot 100 meters from the Baranovka ISKCON temple. A small house has already been constructed on the property for Amala Rasa Das, who will move with his wife Svetlana and their two children from Ukraine this October to develop the gurukula project and serve as its director.
The gurukula, named after Purnachandra Goswami, will be housed in a 7,500-square-foot, two-storey building with four classrooms, a large kindergarten room, an altar room for Gaura Nitai that will accommodate 150 children and parents, a kitchen, and a break room for teachers.
The gurukula will open with facilities for kindergarten (3 to 7 years old in Russia), as well as 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades. Later, it will introduce the remaining grades up to age 17.
Using examples from already existing gurukulas around the world, the day will begin at 6:30am with mangala arati, guru puja and a short Bhagavatam class, before launching into the regular government-required academic program. Extra curricular activities will include music classes on mridanga and harmonium, sports, martial arts, dancing, sewing, painting and more.
Because of the obstacles to becoming a licensed school in Russia, the gurukula will be classified as a homeschool program, and students will take their exams at a local government school.
At least 15 students are expected to enroll when the gurukula first opens in 2017, and at least 50 from all over Russia once it opens for all grades up to 17 years old.
“Already, many devotees have heard of our plans and are calling us to ask about enrolling their children,” says project manager Nadezhda Drobzheva.
Enrollment will be strict – parents will be required to follow the four regulative principles of Krishna consciousness, chant sixteen rounds of japa a day, and have a regular bhakti practice at home.
But managers say it’s all so that children get the full benefits of the spiritual environment the gurukula is trying to create; an environment that protects them from the harmful effects of the typical Russian government school, where, according to Nadezhda, they would learn bad habits like smoking and drinking from as young as ten.
“This gurukula was Purnachandra Goswami’s dream – he felt that taking care of our children is perhaps the most important thing in Krishna consciousness,” she says. “Because they are our future.”
The Manifestation of the Deity
Gaudiya Darshan, 15 September 2015
When Śrī Śrī Gāndharvā-Govindasundar manifested in Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, Śrīla Guru Mahārāj composed this verse for the invitation to the festival:
chid-dhāma-sevāmaya-dṛṣṭi-yoge
sevā-vibhāvaiś cha sadā samṛddham
śrī-nāma-rūpaiś cha guṇair vilāsair
bhakte chidānanda-ghanaṁ tanoti
(Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj)
The Lord’s Name, the Lord’s Form, the Lord’s Qualities, and the Lord’s Pastimes are all transcendental, and transcendental existence can manifest itself at any time in any direction. We know that the Lord’s Name is the transcendental vibration form of the Lord, and this form of the Lord manifests in the clean heart of a devotee and then dances on their tongue. Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur said in his song,
kṛṣṇa-nāma dhare kata bala
viṣaya-vāsanānale mora chitta sadā jvale
ravi-tapta maru-bhūmi-sama
karṇa-randhra patha diyā hṛdi mājhe praveśiyā
variṣaya sudhā anupama
hṛdaya ha-ite bale jihvāra agrete chale
śabda-rūpe nāche anukṣaṇa
(Śaraṇāgati: Śrī Nāma-māhātmya, 1–2)
[“How much power does Kṛṣṇa’s Name possess? My heart constantly burns in the fire of mundane desire like a desert scorched by the blazing sun. The Name enters the core of my heart through the gateway of my ears and showers incomparable nectar. Forcibly, the Name then moves from my heart to the tip of my tongue and continuously dances there in the form of sound.”]
Similarly, the Lord’s Name, Form, Qualities, and Pastimes all very mercifully appear in the form of the Deity; everything that exists in the Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa is present with the Deity, and when the Deity manifests Himself, He gives His devotees chid-ānanda-ghanaṁ: eternal concentrated transcendental ecstasy. This is the description given by Śrīla Guru Mahārāj in his sanskrit composition. Why does the Deity manifest? To give the most concentrated form of transcendental ecstasy to the devotees.
The Lord’s Pastimes are revealed to the devotees in the form of Deity. In this way, Kṛṣṇa’s gives the gift of Himself to this mundane world. This is the vision of the Gauḍīya sampradāya. Śrīpād Mādhavendra Purī saw the forms of Gopāl and Gopīnāth with this vision, and wherever He went, Śrīman Mahāprabhu always saw with this vision and showed it others. That the Lord manifests Himself in the form of the Deity to give joy to the hearts of the devotees means that the Deity comes to take our service and that service is what gives us joy. In other words, through our service to the Deity, we will feel joy that is transcendental. All joy of this type is nitya-līlā; it is part of the Lord’s eternal Pastimes.
Those who cannot conceive of the Deity, however, must at least honour the scriptural evidence about the Deity. Otherwise, they will go to hell.
archchye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhir
viṣṇor vā vaiṣṇavānāṁ kali-mala-mathane pāda-tīrthe ‘mbu-buddhiḥ
śrī-viṣṇor nāmni mantre sakala-kaluṣa-he śabde-sāmānya buddhir
viṣṇau sarveśvareśe tad-itara-sama-dhīr yasya vā nārakī saḥ
(Padma-purāṇa)
If someone cannot feel the transcendental nature of the Deity, that is not so much of an offence, but if they will not follow to the scriptural injunctions for honouring the Deity, then they must go to hell. Those who worship the Deity do not worship anything material, and the form of the Deity Himself is not material. We must believe this whether we can see it or not. The scriptures instruct us: “You must be conscious about this. You cannot recognise the difference between gold and imitation, but gold is always gold, and you must give honour to that.” From Śrīla Rupa Goswāmī Prabhu in Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Jīva Goswāmī Prabhu in Bhakti-sandarbha, and in many other places, we receive this warning: “Don’t forget that you are in the presence of Kṛṣṇa. When you are in front of the Deity, you are in front of Kṛṣṇa Himself, and you must give proper honour to Him.”
Śrīman Mahāprabhu went to the Jagannāth Temple every day to see the form of Lord Jagannāth and always glorified Their Lordships Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Jagannāth. In this way, He set an example for us. When He would stand in front of Jagannāth, He would see Jagannāth as Kṛṣṇa playing flute and attracting the gopīs.
dekhena jagannātha haya muralī-vadana
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta: Antya-līlā, 16.85)
Śrīman Mahāprabhu always saw Jagannāth as Kṛṣṇa in this mood. Everything depends on the mood (bhāva) of the devotee.
We must honour the scriptural injunctions about the Deity. For that reason, we are holding a formal devotional function to install the Deity, but the vital point is that the Deity automatically manifests whenever any pure devotee of the Lord pays obeisance. Prabhupād Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur established the service of the Deity in his Temples in this way for his devotees, but some formal installation function is also necessary for the junior, neophyte devotees.
When we offer worship, we follow the processes that are written in the scriptures. But if you put anything in front of a higher devotee, they will immediately think it to be Kṛṣṇa’s prasādam; they will think that Kṛṣṇa has taken it and now it has come to them. This is the feeling of higher standard devotees. We are all very neophyte, junior, and unqualified. We have only soft faith (komala śraddhā), and to make our faith strong, we are holding this function according to the directives of the scriptures.
We are so fortunate that Kṛṣṇa has given us the opportunity to join this festival for the manifestation of the Deity. So, we will honour it properly. Through saṅkīrtan, everything will be fulfilled, and the hearts of the devotees will be filled with joy.
Source
Spoken 18 May 1996.
Reference
archye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhir
viṣṇor vā vaiṣṇavānāṁ kali-mala-mathane pāda-tīrthe ’mbu-buddhiḥ
śrī-viṣṇor-nāmni-mantre sakala-kaluṣa-he śabda-sāmānya-buddhir
viṣṇau sarveśvareśe tad-itara-sama-dhīr yasya vā nārakī saḥ
(Padma-purāṇa)
“Those who consider the Deity of Viṣṇu to be stone, Śrī Guru to be a man, a Vaiṣṇava to be a member of a particular caste, the wash from the feet of Viṣṇu or the Vaiṣṇava, which destroys the contamination of Kali, to be water, the Name of Viṣṇu and mantras for worshipping Him, which destroy all contamination, to be ordinary words, or Viṣṇu the Lord of all lords to be equal to others are destined for hell.”
Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj explains why the Lord appears in His Deity form.
When Śrī Śrī Gāndharvā-Govindasundar manifested in Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, Śrīla Guru Mahārāj composed this verse for the invitation to the festival:
chid-dhāma-sevāmaya-dṛṣṭi-yoge
sevā-vibhāvaiś cha sadā samṛddham
śrī-nāma-rūpaiś cha guṇair vilāsair
bhakte chidānanda-ghanaṁ tanoti
(Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj)
The Lord’s Name, the Lord’s Form, the Lord’s Qualities, and the Lord’s Pastimes are all transcendental, and transcendental existence can manifest itself at any time in any direction. We know that the Lord’s Name is the transcendental vibration form of the Lord, and this form of the Lord manifests in the clean heart of a devotee and then dances on their tongue. Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur said in his song,
kṛṣṇa-nāma dhare kata bala
viṣaya-vāsanānale mora chitta sadā jvale
ravi-tapta maru-bhūmi-sama
karṇa-randhra patha diyā hṛdi mājhe praveśiyā
variṣaya sudhā anupama
hṛdaya ha-ite bale jihvāra agrete chale
śabda-rūpe nāche anukṣaṇa
(Śaraṇāgati: Śrī Nāma-māhātmya, 1–2)
[“How much power does Kṛṣṇa’s Name possess? My heart constantly burns in the fire of mundane desire like a desert scorched by the blazing sun. The Name enters the core of my heart through the gateway of my ears and showers incomparable nectar. Forcibly, the Name then moves from my heart to the tip of my tongue and continuously dances there in the form of sound.”]
Similarly, the Lord’s Name, Form, Qualities, and Pastimes all very mercifully appear in the form of the Deity; everything that exists in the Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa is present with the Deity, and when the Deity manifests Himself, He gives His devotees chid-ānanda-ghanaṁ: eternal concentrated transcendental ecstasy. This is the description given by Śrīla Guru Mahārāj in his sanskrit composition. Why does the Deity manifest? To give the most concentrated form of transcendental ecstasy to the devotees.
The Lord’s Pastimes are revealed to the devotees in the form of Deity. In this way, Kṛṣṇa’s gives the gift of Himself to this mundane world. This is the vision of the Gauḍīya sampradāya. Śrīpād Mādhavendra Purī saw the forms of Gopāl and Gopīnāth with this vision, and wherever He went, Śrīman Mahāprabhu always saw with this vision and showed it others. That the Lord manifests Himself in the form of the Deity to give joy to the hearts of the devotees means that the Deity comes to take our service and that service is what gives us joy. In other words, through our service to the Deity, we will feel joy that is transcendental. All joy of this type is nitya-līlā; it is part of the Lord’s eternal Pastimes.
Those who cannot conceive of the Deity, however, must at least honour the scriptural evidence about the Deity. Otherwise, they will go to hell.
archchye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhir
viṣṇor vā vaiṣṇavānāṁ kali-mala-mathane pāda-tīrthe ‘mbu-buddhiḥ
śrī-viṣṇor nāmni mantre sakala-kaluṣa-he śabde-sāmānya buddhir
viṣṇau sarveśvareśe tad-itara-sama-dhīr yasya vā nārakī saḥ
(Padma-purāṇa)
If someone cannot feel the transcendental nature of the Deity, that is not so much of an offence, but if they will not follow to the scriptural injunctions for honouring the Deity, then they must go to hell. Those who worship the Deity do not worship anything material, and the form of the Deity Himself is not material. We must believe this whether we can see it or not. The scriptures instruct us: “You must be conscious about this. You cannot recognise the difference between gold and imitation, but gold is always gold, and you must give honour to that.” From Śrīla Rupa Goswāmī Prabhu in Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Jīva Goswāmī Prabhu in Bhakti-sandarbha, and in many other places, we receive this warning: “Don’t forget that you are in the presence of Kṛṣṇa. When you are in front of the Deity, you are in front of Kṛṣṇa Himself, and you must give proper honour to Him.”
Śrīman Mahāprabhu went to the Jagannāth Temple every day to see the form of Lord Jagannāth and always glorified Their Lordships Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Jagannāth. In this way, He set an example for us. When He would stand in front of Jagannāth, He would see Jagannāth as Kṛṣṇa playing flute and attracting the gopīs.
dekhena jagannātha haya muralī-vadana
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta: Antya-līlā, 16.85)
Śrīman Mahāprabhu always saw Jagannāth as Kṛṣṇa in this mood. Everything depends on the mood (bhāva) of the devotee.
We must honour the scriptural injunctions about the Deity. For that reason, we are holding a formal devotional function to install the Deity, but the vital point is that the Deity automatically manifests whenever any pure devotee of the Lord pays obeisance. Prabhupād Śrīla Saraswatī Ṭhākur established the service of the Deity in his Temples in this way for his devotees, but some formal installation function is also necessary for the junior, neophyte devotees.
When we offer worship, we follow the processes that are written in the scriptures. But if you put anything in front of a higher devotee, they will immediately think it to be Kṛṣṇa’s prasādam; they will think that Kṛṣṇa has taken it and now it has come to them. This is the feeling of higher standard devotees. We are all very neophyte, junior, and unqualified. We have only soft faith (komala śraddhā), and to make our faith strong, we are holding this function according to the directives of the scriptures.
We are so fortunate that Kṛṣṇa has given us the opportunity to join this festival for the manifestation of the Deity. So, we will honour it properly. Through saṅkīrtan, everything will be fulfilled, and the hearts of the devotees will be filled with joy.
Source
Spoken 18 May 1996.
Reference
archye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhir
viṣṇor vā vaiṣṇavānāṁ kali-mala-mathane pāda-tīrthe ’mbu-buddhiḥ
śrī-viṣṇor-nāmni-mantre sakala-kaluṣa-he śabda-sāmānya-buddhir
viṣṇau sarveśvareśe tad-itara-sama-dhīr yasya vā nārakī saḥ
(Padma-purāṇa)
“Those who consider the Deity of Viṣṇu to be stone, Śrī Guru to be a man, a Vaiṣṇava to be a member of a particular caste, the wash from the feet of Viṣṇu or the Vaiṣṇava, which destroys the contamination of Kali, to be water, the Name of Viṣṇu and mantras for worshipping Him, which destroy all contamination, to be ordinary words, or Viṣṇu the Lord of all lords to be equal to others are destined for hell.”
Dharshan: Sri Sri Radha Syamasundar
16 th September, 2015
Sri Vrindavan Dham, India
Todays darshan of Sri Sri Radha Syamasundar Ji
Follow on Facebook: Radha Shyamsundar
Sri Vrindavan Dham, India
Todays darshan of Sri Sri Radha Syamasundar Ji
Follow on Facebook: Radha Shyamsundar
Brahmananda Prabhu, first devotee in Brazil
VINA, September 11, 2015
Brahmananda Das prabhu, disciple of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, tells the story of how did he got to be the first Krishna devotee to arrive and preach Krishna Consciousness in Brazil, and some other places.
Brahmananda Das prabhu, disciple of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, tells the story of how did he got to be the first Krishna devotee to arrive and preach Krishna Consciousness in Brazil, and some other places.
Reasoning and the Crooked Flow of Lila
Harmonist, August 17, 2015
God works wonders. God’s ways are filled with miracles. We, should be prepared for that. We should be prepared that all the knowledge of this world, all our experience, will prove to be wrong. So it is said, jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva: Be clear of your past experiences, what you have drawn from the world of the senses, empiric knowledge (pratyaksa-jnana). Your tendency will always be to try to push your way into the transcendental world on the strength of mundane knowledge. But this verse is saying, “You fallen people, your capital is the experience of this world, of the senses. But it won’t do, it won’t have any value in that higher plane. What is found there is a new thing, so approach that world with an open mind; understand that everything is possible with the infinite. All your expectations, your past experience, has no value. Why don’t you give up trying to dodge this point?”
The transcendental world is something quite new to us. It is very difficult to get out of this superstition of so-called “truth” here. But still it is necessary that we accept that anything and everything is possible with God. He is the master of impossibilities. Possibility and impossibility are found only in our dictionary, yet even Napoleon wanted to remove the word “impossible.” He said, “‘Impossible’ is a word in a fool’s dictionary.”
How are we to understand that the original guru of our sampradaya becomes bewildered?1 It is “impossible.” We must suspend our “knowledge” (jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva). We may take it that Krishna is playing hide and seek, perhaps, with Brahma, our gurudeva. It is like a game of hide and seek. Sometimes Krishna is defeating others and sometimes he is defeated.
When Krishna and Balarama are playing with their friends in the jungle, they generally play in two groups. Krishna is in one group and Balarama is in another. Krishna is considered to be less strong than Balarama. Balarama was the strongest person there, and the next strongest was Sridama, so Sridama used to play on the side of Krishna. Whenever Balarama was defeated, he would become enraged. Krishna would diplomatically help his own team, and when Balarama saw that his own team was disloyal due to Krishna’s tricks, he would turn to his younger brother Krishna and say, “I shall punish you!” But Krishna would say, “No, you cannot punish me; Mother Yasoda has entrusted me in your care. You can’t mistreat me.”
One day, Balarama slapped Krishna, but Krishna went to Mother Yasoda and told on him. Balarama was very disturbed and said, “I slap you once, and you complain to your mother that I do not love you? Krishna, how could you do this?” At last Krishna was perplexed and accepted his defeat.
So Krishna lila moves in a crooked way (aher iva gatih premna…). This fundamental point, the foundation of our understanding about Krishna lila has been given by Rupa Goswami in this verse. He says, “Don’t be eager to find reason everywhere in the pastimes of divinity. They are naturally crooked. In Krishna lila we shall find that although no party is defective, still, one will find fault with another and begin a quarrel. No defect can be found there. But still, for the necessity of lila, false defects are found, and some quarrel begins. This is the meaning of lila, pastimes: what we find here by necessity, flows there automatically. We can’t try to apply our reason or our standard of measurement to the movements of the infinite. And whatever gain we have made by connecting with that flow of lila will be lost in our attempts to measure it; that will be the only consequence of our analysis. So we should try to have a taste of lila with a submissive attitude. Sometimes reason, logic, and analysis are necessary, but only to preach to the people in general. Only for the purpose of preaching to people addicted to reason do we have to take the help of reason. But when devotion becomes automatic, anuraga, then both reason and scripture are left in the subterranean position. There is no place for scriptural arguments there. To a certain extent, reason is necessary for our development up to vaidhi-bhakti, the elementary stages of devotion. But above that, it has no use.
———
Sridhara Maharaja is here reffering to the Brahma-vimohan lila, wherein Brahma, in some ways the original founder of the Gaudiya sampradaya, becomes bewildered about Krishna’s position.
By Srila B. R. Sridhara Deva Goswami
The transcendental world is something quite new to us. It is very difficult to get out of this superstition of so-called “truth” here. But still it is necessary that we accept that anything and everything is possible with God. He is the master of impossibilities. Possibility and impossibility are found only in our dictionary, yet even Napoleon wanted to remove the word “impossible.” He said, “‘Impossible’ is a word in a fool’s dictionary.”
How are we to understand that the original guru of our sampradaya becomes bewildered?1 It is “impossible.” We must suspend our “knowledge” (jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva). We may take it that Krishna is playing hide and seek, perhaps, with Brahma, our gurudeva. It is like a game of hide and seek. Sometimes Krishna is defeating others and sometimes he is defeated.
When Krishna and Balarama are playing with their friends in the jungle, they generally play in two groups. Krishna is in one group and Balarama is in another. Krishna is considered to be less strong than Balarama. Balarama was the strongest person there, and the next strongest was Sridama, so Sridama used to play on the side of Krishna. Whenever Balarama was defeated, he would become enraged. Krishna would diplomatically help his own team, and when Balarama saw that his own team was disloyal due to Krishna’s tricks, he would turn to his younger brother Krishna and say, “I shall punish you!” But Krishna would say, “No, you cannot punish me; Mother Yasoda has entrusted me in your care. You can’t mistreat me.”
One day, Balarama slapped Krishna, but Krishna went to Mother Yasoda and told on him. Balarama was very disturbed and said, “I slap you once, and you complain to your mother that I do not love you? Krishna, how could you do this?” At last Krishna was perplexed and accepted his defeat.
So Krishna lila moves in a crooked way (aher iva gatih premna…). This fundamental point, the foundation of our understanding about Krishna lila has been given by Rupa Goswami in this verse. He says, “Don’t be eager to find reason everywhere in the pastimes of divinity. They are naturally crooked. In Krishna lila we shall find that although no party is defective, still, one will find fault with another and begin a quarrel. No defect can be found there. But still, for the necessity of lila, false defects are found, and some quarrel begins. This is the meaning of lila, pastimes: what we find here by necessity, flows there automatically. We can’t try to apply our reason or our standard of measurement to the movements of the infinite. And whatever gain we have made by connecting with that flow of lila will be lost in our attempts to measure it; that will be the only consequence of our analysis. So we should try to have a taste of lila with a submissive attitude. Sometimes reason, logic, and analysis are necessary, but only to preach to the people in general. Only for the purpose of preaching to people addicted to reason do we have to take the help of reason. But when devotion becomes automatic, anuraga, then both reason and scripture are left in the subterranean position. There is no place for scriptural arguments there. To a certain extent, reason is necessary for our development up to vaidhi-bhakti, the elementary stages of devotion. But above that, it has no use.
———
Sridhara Maharaja is here reffering to the Brahma-vimohan lila, wherein Brahma, in some ways the original founder of the Gaudiya sampradaya, becomes bewildered about Krishna’s position.
Sri Krishna Janmastami, ISKCON Mauritius Island
Photos of the amazing Sri Krishna Janmastami Festival at ISKCON Mauritius (African Island), Sri Krsna Balaram Mandir.
Report by Sripad Deena Bandhu das
Photos by Arjun Bhattacharyya
Report by Sripad Deena Bandhu das
Photos by Arjun Bhattacharyya
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| Sripad Deena Bandhu das bathing the Lord |
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| Sripad Arjuna prabhu das, the first Franco-Mauritius initiated of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami |
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| The class by Sripad Deena Bandhu prabhu in hindi was broadcasted by the Hindu Channel of Mauritius |
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| Sripad Deena Bandhu prabhu with the one Minister of Mauritius Government |
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| Extatic kirtan! |
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| Sripad Deena Bandhu prabhu with the Minister of Enviroment from Mauritius |
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| Bathing Sri Govardhan Maharaj |
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| More than 15 000 appeared to pay respects to Lord Krishna at Sri Janmastami |
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| Dance presentation! |
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| The beutiful Sri Krsna Balaram Mandir at Mauritius Island, Africa |
Janmastami night at Krishna Balaram Mandir, Mauritius, 15,000 people came for the amazing darshan of Sri Sri Krishna...
Posted by Braj Darshan on Monday, September 7, 2015
Propagating Krishna Consciousness
INDIAN EXPRESS
By Narayana Vishwanath, 24th August 2015
CHENNAI: On the eve of Janmashtami festival, which is being celebrated with grandeur in Chennai, I met the ever smiling Bhanu Swamiji, a Japanese, who was attracted by the faith and spirituality shown by the devotees of Hare Krishna Movement in Japan, and is currently a commissioner of the Indian governing body of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
Can you tell me the genesis of this organisation?
This spiritual institution was founded by Swami Prabhupada, also the founder of Bhakthivedanta Institute, to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society and to educate all people in the technique of spiritual life, in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve “real unity and peace” in the world, simultaneously propagating a consciousness of Krishna, as it is revealed in the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatham.
What was the need for such an institution to revive god consciousness?
When various philosophers were propounding different philosophies about god, the Indian youth were lured by the glamour and freewheeling lifestyle of Westerners. They abandoned their ancient Vedic traditions, blindly following the West, and the future was bleak, hence the institution to revive people in ‘God consciousness’.
Are you trying to convert people to Krishna conscious belief?
Emphatically, I say no. The science and academic division of ISKCON recognised that scientists and scholars were primarily responsible for propagating ‘materialism’ in this world and if they join the movement, the resultant ‘metamorphism’ would be enlightening.
Our mission is a ‘non sectarian and monotheistic movement’, to promote the well being of society, teaching the science of Krishna consciousness according to Bhagavad Gita as the jewel of “India’s spiritual wisdom” spoken by lord Krishna.
I am an Advaiti, We believe in singular concept of god and I are one and the same. How can this be reconciled?
Vedic scriptures reveal that spiritual life begins, when one inquires, into the nature of absolute truth, the supreme god. We also recognise that the supreme god has unlimited names, such as Rama, Buddha, Vishnu, Jehovah, Allah etc.
The ultimate goal is to develop loving relationship with the supreme god.
Can you enlighten me on the efficacy of congregational chanting of mahamantra - hare Krishna hare Rama?
This form of worship has been propounded, by Sri Chaitanya, as accepted by the Vedas, as the most effective means of “Self Purification” in this age. The Vedas describe the “Mantra” as a prayer to the lord - ‘please lord engage me in your service’.
What is the impact of your mission?
Many may not know, Swami Prabhupada introduced the Vedic system of primary and secondary education in the West by founding the ‘Gurukula’ schools in Dallas, Texas and other places at a time when colleges did not give adequate recognition to spiritualism. However, Swami Prabhupada’s most significant contribution is his books, which are highly respected by scholars, for their authority, depth and clarity and used as text books in numerous college courses.Krishna consciousness is so important that it can’t wait as no political system can help humanity, which is the verdict of Vedic scriptures. It is certainly remarkable to note that ISKCON has grown in scores of countries, with more than 300 centres and hundreds of farm commodities.
By Narayana Vishwanath, 24th August 2015
CHENNAI: On the eve of Janmashtami festival, which is being celebrated with grandeur in Chennai, I met the ever smiling Bhanu Swamiji, a Japanese, who was attracted by the faith and spirituality shown by the devotees of Hare Krishna Movement in Japan, and is currently a commissioner of the Indian governing body of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
Can you tell me the genesis of this organisation?
This spiritual institution was founded by Swami Prabhupada, also the founder of Bhakthivedanta Institute, to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society and to educate all people in the technique of spiritual life, in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve “real unity and peace” in the world, simultaneously propagating a consciousness of Krishna, as it is revealed in the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatham.
What was the need for such an institution to revive god consciousness?
When various philosophers were propounding different philosophies about god, the Indian youth were lured by the glamour and freewheeling lifestyle of Westerners. They abandoned their ancient Vedic traditions, blindly following the West, and the future was bleak, hence the institution to revive people in ‘God consciousness’.
Are you trying to convert people to Krishna conscious belief?
Emphatically, I say no. The science and academic division of ISKCON recognised that scientists and scholars were primarily responsible for propagating ‘materialism’ in this world and if they join the movement, the resultant ‘metamorphism’ would be enlightening.
Our mission is a ‘non sectarian and monotheistic movement’, to promote the well being of society, teaching the science of Krishna consciousness according to Bhagavad Gita as the jewel of “India’s spiritual wisdom” spoken by lord Krishna.
I am an Advaiti, We believe in singular concept of god and I are one and the same. How can this be reconciled?
Vedic scriptures reveal that spiritual life begins, when one inquires, into the nature of absolute truth, the supreme god. We also recognise that the supreme god has unlimited names, such as Rama, Buddha, Vishnu, Jehovah, Allah etc.
The ultimate goal is to develop loving relationship with the supreme god.
Can you enlighten me on the efficacy of congregational chanting of mahamantra - hare Krishna hare Rama?
This form of worship has been propounded, by Sri Chaitanya, as accepted by the Vedas, as the most effective means of “Self Purification” in this age. The Vedas describe the “Mantra” as a prayer to the lord - ‘please lord engage me in your service’.
What is the impact of your mission?
Many may not know, Swami Prabhupada introduced the Vedic system of primary and secondary education in the West by founding the ‘Gurukula’ schools in Dallas, Texas and other places at a time when colleges did not give adequate recognition to spiritualism. However, Swami Prabhupada’s most significant contribution is his books, which are highly respected by scholars, for their authority, depth and clarity and used as text books in numerous college courses.Krishna consciousness is so important that it can’t wait as no political system can help humanity, which is the verdict of Vedic scriptures. It is certainly remarkable to note that ISKCON has grown in scores of countries, with more than 300 centres and hundreds of farm commodities.
Gaudiya Mission invites for Janmastami Celebration
Invitation for Janmastami Mahaostav, at Shri Shri Radha Krishna Mandir (Bandra), Sri Gaudiya Math Mumbai, India, 5th and 6th September!
Beatles, MJ, Shakespeare and the Gita
Press Trust of India, New Delhi, August 10, 2015
What connects The Beatles, Michael Jackson, William Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling and J K Rowling? The message that the Bhagavad Gita seeks to send out finds its echo in their works.
Author Roopa Pai embarks on a spirited, one-of-a-kind retelling of the epic conversation between Pandava prince Arjuna and his mentor and friend Krishna and tries to bust several myths about the Bhagavad Gita in "The Gita For Children," a thought-provoking book for young adults published by Hachette India.
She infuses her retelling of, what she calls, India's blockbuster bestseller "Book With Answers" with wit and humour and even uses analogies of The Beatles, Jackson, Kipling, Shakespeare and Rowling among others.
According to Pai, two of the most beloved singer- songwriters of the 20th century Paul McCartney and Jackson had their own unique ways of conveying the message that the Gita does - everyone's the same on the inside.
"In his song 'Ebony and Ivory,' McCartney wondered poignantly why people who are different colours on the outside, cannot seem to live in friendship with one another, when the black and white keys on his piano keyboard do so with such perfect harmony, producing beautiful music together," she says.
"A generation later, in his similarly titled song 'Black or White', Jackson urged his listeners to understand that it wasn't colour or race that made people different from one another, but what they were like in their hearts and minds. Once you understood that, he said, anyone could become your brother (or sister) - it really wouldn't matter if they were black or white," the author says.
Even Shakespeare apparently agreed with Krishna that we have little control over the script of our lives, she argues. In "As You Like It", he said: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players."
Then the author draws an analogy with Rudyard Kipling's "If" to stress on Gita's philosophy.
What connects The Beatles, Michael Jackson, William Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling and J K Rowling? The message that the Bhagavad Gita seeks to send out finds its echo in their works.
Author Roopa Pai embarks on a spirited, one-of-a-kind retelling of the epic conversation between Pandava prince Arjuna and his mentor and friend Krishna and tries to bust several myths about the Bhagavad Gita in "The Gita For Children," a thought-provoking book for young adults published by Hachette India.
She infuses her retelling of, what she calls, India's blockbuster bestseller "Book With Answers" with wit and humour and even uses analogies of The Beatles, Jackson, Kipling, Shakespeare and Rowling among others.According to Pai, two of the most beloved singer- songwriters of the 20th century Paul McCartney and Jackson had their own unique ways of conveying the message that the Gita does - everyone's the same on the inside.
"In his song 'Ebony and Ivory,' McCartney wondered poignantly why people who are different colours on the outside, cannot seem to live in friendship with one another, when the black and white keys on his piano keyboard do so with such perfect harmony, producing beautiful music together," she says.
"A generation later, in his similarly titled song 'Black or White', Jackson urged his listeners to understand that it wasn't colour or race that made people different from one another, but what they were like in their hearts and minds. Once you understood that, he said, anyone could become your brother (or sister) - it really wouldn't matter if they were black or white," the author says.
Even Shakespeare apparently agreed with Krishna that we have little control over the script of our lives, she argues. In "As You Like It", he said: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players."
Then the author draws an analogy with Rudyard Kipling's "If" to stress on Gita's philosophy.
Devotees from 106 countries practice yoga to mark ISKCON 50th anniversary
Zee News, August 13, 2015
Kolkata: Over a hundred devotees on Thursday participated in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness' (ISKCON) celebrations to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
Devotees from 106 countries practised bhakti yoga together at the Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra here, creating a record for "Most Nationalities in a yoga lesson" with the Guinness World Records, while another 105 devotees sang Bengali choir to set the record, ISKCON vice-president V N Das claimed.
"Inspired by the fact that in June India created a world record in New Delhi for most number of people participating in a yoga lesson, we today decided to make yoga more popular around the world by creating another record for the Guinness World Records. And today we are happy to say that we have successfully done it," Das told PTI.
The three-day celebrations, which started here today would be observed across the globe along with the 'Journey to West' of its founder Acharya A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Shrila Prabhupada.
West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi and other distinguished personalities from different fields were present at ISKCON's cultural programmes, as part of its celebrations held at the Netaji Indoor stadium here today.
It was from this city that Prabhupada left India on his historic journey to the West at the age of 69 on August 13, 1965 to preach the message of God Krishna to the world.
In 2016, events would be launched around the world to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Prabhupada's founding of the ISKCON, in New York City, on July, 13, 1966.
Kolkata: Over a hundred devotees on Thursday participated in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness' (ISKCON) celebrations to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
Devotees from 106 countries practised bhakti yoga together at the Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra here, creating a record for "Most Nationalities in a yoga lesson" with the Guinness World Records, while another 105 devotees sang Bengali choir to set the record, ISKCON vice-president V N Das claimed.
"Inspired by the fact that in June India created a world record in New Delhi for most number of people participating in a yoga lesson, we today decided to make yoga more popular around the world by creating another record for the Guinness World Records. And today we are happy to say that we have successfully done it," Das told PTI.
The three-day celebrations, which started here today would be observed across the globe along with the 'Journey to West' of its founder Acharya A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Shrila Prabhupada.
West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi and other distinguished personalities from different fields were present at ISKCON's cultural programmes, as part of its celebrations held at the Netaji Indoor stadium here today.
It was from this city that Prabhupada left India on his historic journey to the West at the age of 69 on August 13, 1965 to preach the message of God Krishna to the world.
In 2016, events would be launched around the world to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Prabhupada's founding of the ISKCON, in New York City, on July, 13, 1966.
When people danced to 'Hare Rama, Hare Krishna' in Beijing
Hindustan Times, Beijing: Aug 02, 2015
The “prasadam” were fresh grapes, cookies and tiny condiments in wrappers. The devotees were mostly young Chinese.
And, it was a rare interactive session held by senior members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Beijing on the Bhagvad Gita combined with insights into yoga on Saturday afternoon. On sale outside the auditorium was a new version of the Gita in Chinese.
Copies of the "Bu Jian Fan Ge" in Chinese or “Bhagvad Song” sold rapidly from the counter as visitors picked up their copies for the price of an entry ticket at 200 yuan (Rs 2000).
In the auditorium, musicians from India played the mridangam, flute and harmonium as trained singers sang “bhajans” and the well-known tune of “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna” associated with devotees of Krishna.
It was at the end of the programme when literally the entire room full of people removed their chairs, made space at the centre and danced to the chant for nearly 45 minutes.
“The talk (on the Gita) was not about religion. It was more about connecting people. Use Yoga and the teachings of the Gita to connect people,” Chang Ann, a Chinese yoga teacher and one of the organiser of Saturday’s event, told HT.
“We cannot talk openly about religion here,” Chang added.
On stage, 68-year-old Swami Kavicandra from the US talked about what the Gita said about happiness and how transient it was. At the end of his simultaneously-translated talk, the stage was thrown open for a few questions, with the queries to the Swamis on life, loneliness and marriage.
“More than 8000 copies of the new Gita have been sold in China till now. Earlier, scholars translated it. But it was just a translation. They did not have “Bhakti”. We need to transfer knowledge from one language to the other,” Gaudiya, a follower of the Bhakti movement saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, from south China said.
On a muggy Saturday afternoon in Beijing among a few hundred Chinese, that “bhakti” was quite apparent.
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| People dancing to the Hare Rama Hare Krishna chant during the ISKCON session in Beijing |
The “prasadam” were fresh grapes, cookies and tiny condiments in wrappers. The devotees were mostly young Chinese.
And, it was a rare interactive session held by senior members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Beijing on the Bhagvad Gita combined with insights into yoga on Saturday afternoon. On sale outside the auditorium was a new version of the Gita in Chinese.
Copies of the "Bu Jian Fan Ge" in Chinese or “Bhagvad Song” sold rapidly from the counter as visitors picked up their copies for the price of an entry ticket at 200 yuan (Rs 2000).
In the auditorium, musicians from India played the mridangam, flute and harmonium as trained singers sang “bhajans” and the well-known tune of “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna” associated with devotees of Krishna.
It was at the end of the programme when literally the entire room full of people removed their chairs, made space at the centre and danced to the chant for nearly 45 minutes.
“The talk (on the Gita) was not about religion. It was more about connecting people. Use Yoga and the teachings of the Gita to connect people,” Chang Ann, a Chinese yoga teacher and one of the organiser of Saturday’s event, told HT.
“We cannot talk openly about religion here,” Chang added.
On stage, 68-year-old Swami Kavicandra from the US talked about what the Gita said about happiness and how transient it was. At the end of his simultaneously-translated talk, the stage was thrown open for a few questions, with the queries to the Swamis on life, loneliness and marriage.
“More than 8000 copies of the new Gita have been sold in China till now. Earlier, scholars translated it. But it was just a translation. They did not have “Bhakti”. We need to transfer knowledge from one language to the other,” Gaudiya, a follower of the Bhakti movement saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, from south China said.
On a muggy Saturday afternoon in Beijing among a few hundred Chinese, that “bhakti” was quite apparent.
Gita tree to be rid of bad 'karma'
The Times of India, Aug 3, 2015
CHANDIGARH: The legendary banyan tree at Jyotisar near Kurukshetra, under which Lord Krishna is believed to have delivered the message of Bhagavad Gita, is all set to get a new lease of life by August 21. Following orders from the National Green Tribunal, the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) has submitted that it would implement all measures suggested by the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, to save the tree from possible harm.
Following the assurance, the NGT had asked the district administration to deconcretize the tree without any laxity within 30 days. The NGT passed these orders after a plan to revive the tree was submitted before the tribunal by chief executive officer of the KDB on July 21. The board submitted that a committee was appointed to take over the management of Tirath Jyotisar in 2012 following directions from the Punjab and Haryana high court and also appointed additional deputy commissioner as its nodal officer.
The committee consulted the scientists of FRI, Dehradun, for preservation of the holy tree after which the experts visited the site on August 16, 2012, and suggested several measures to save the tree from decaying. It includes pruning of dead branches, removal of concrete and marble flooring around the tree, taking away all signboards, bells, chains and clamps nailed to the tree.
The board had also submitted before the tribunal that the work to revive the tree, located near the Shiva Temple of Jyotisar Tirath, would be undertaken and completed as per the suggestions of FRI within 30 days.
After this, the NGT disposed of the petition filed on the issue by renowned environmentalist and advocate M C Mehta through his NGO Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action.
Pleading that the tree is dying a slow death, the petitioner had submitted that the marble and concrete paving around the tree was harming its growth. Fancy lights and lamps were also nailed to the old tree and big bells were tied to it. The 'holy threads' tied by pilgrims had covered most of the lower branches, the petitioner had said. Lakhs of tourists visit Kurukshetra every year due to its mythological importance.
>>> Drilling holes around the tree for making openings for aeration and water percolation
>>> Periodical irrigation
>>> Removal of electric cables attached to the tree
>>> Removal of chains, bells, clamps, signboards
>>> Pruning of dead branches, apply choubatia paste (mixture of copper carbonate, lead oxide and linseed oil)
>>> Removal of the net covering the tree's canopy
CHANDIGARH: The legendary banyan tree at Jyotisar near Kurukshetra, under which Lord Krishna is believed to have delivered the message of Bhagavad Gita, is all set to get a new lease of life by August 21. Following orders from the National Green Tribunal, the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) has submitted that it would implement all measures suggested by the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, to save the tree from possible harm.
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| The legendary banyan tree at Jyotisar near Kurukshetra |
The committee consulted the scientists of FRI, Dehradun, for preservation of the holy tree after which the experts visited the site on August 16, 2012, and suggested several measures to save the tree from decaying. It includes pruning of dead branches, removal of concrete and marble flooring around the tree, taking away all signboards, bells, chains and clamps nailed to the tree.
The board had also submitted before the tribunal that the work to revive the tree, located near the Shiva Temple of Jyotisar Tirath, would be undertaken and completed as per the suggestions of FRI within 30 days.
After this, the NGT disposed of the petition filed on the issue by renowned environmentalist and advocate M C Mehta through his NGO Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action.
Pleading that the tree is dying a slow death, the petitioner had submitted that the marble and concrete paving around the tree was harming its growth. Fancy lights and lamps were also nailed to the old tree and big bells were tied to it. The 'holy threads' tied by pilgrims had covered most of the lower branches, the petitioner had said. Lakhs of tourists visit Kurukshetra every year due to its mythological importance.
Steps to save tree
>>> Removal of the marble stones and concrete paving around the tree to expose the soil and facilitate aeration and water percolation>>> Drilling holes around the tree for making openings for aeration and water percolation
>>> Periodical irrigation
>>> Removal of electric cables attached to the tree
>>> Removal of chains, bells, clamps, signboards
>>> Pruning of dead branches, apply choubatia paste (mixture of copper carbonate, lead oxide and linseed oil)
>>> Removal of the net covering the tree's canopy
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard visits preschool students in O'ahu, Hawaii
Today in Windward Oʻahu, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) met with constituents and conducted site visits from Waimānalo to Kāneʻohe. She started off the morning at Benjamin Parker Elementary, where she visited with preschool students and read them a book during story time, met with their teachers, and spent time with leaders from the Honolulu Community Action Plan Head Start program.
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