December 2012 Dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Diwali prayers at Number 10
Srila Prabhupada:
This is the mission of the Krishna consciousness movement. Caitanyabhagavata confirms this as follows: One should not desire to be elevated even to a place in the heavenly planetary systems if it has no propaganda to expand the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no trace of Vaishnavas, pure devotees of the Lord, and no festivals for spreading Krishna consciousness Srimad Bhagavatam: 5.19.24
The Prime Minister David Cameron MP hosted the annual Diwali celebration at 10 Downing Street, inviting professionals, organisations and religious representatives from across the Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities, including Manor President Srutidharma das. That evening the famous residence of the Prime Minister was beautifully
decorated with divas, rangoli patterns, ornaments and a beautiful framed picture of Bhaktivedanta Manor’s deities, Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda. To start the evening’s festivities, Sruti Dharma das was invited to recite Diwali prayers to accompany the Prime Minister's lighting of the lamp.
Festival of Spirit reaches Southampton In 1912 the luxury liner RMS Titanic sailed from Southampton with most of the huge crew from the city itself. Exactly 100 years later, Southampton is still an important port, and the wider urban area has over a million inhabitants. October saw the launching of Bhaktivedanta Manor's Festival of Spirit in the town, premiered at the Old Bowls
Club. Around 80 locals got to experience lively and musical kirtan, a play and a delicious feast. Many stopped to chat afterwards, and the local Hare Krishna meeting received a membership boost. Monks from the Manor travel down every week for a few days to meet locals and hold a class at the university.
Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter
December 2012
Youth Pilgrimage to Mayapur During the holy Kaartik period, Sundar Madhava das, a resident monk at the Manor, took 14 young professionals for a pilgrimage to ISKCON Mayapur for the first time. The pilgrimage was intended to give young, working professional devotees a chance to soak in the spiritual atmosphere of the holy dham. Bhakta Bhavesh says “One year ago I’d never heard of Mayapur and now I can’t stop thinking about it. The beautiful faces of the deities and the places of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes…I’m already looking forward to the next trip!”
Independent Charity Status
Ayurvedic teachers gather from across Europe Dr Vasant Lad is probably the most well-known Ayurvedic specialist in the West and author of many books on the subject. Originally from Pune, India, he is now Director of the Ayurvedic Institute in the US . He has been running residential courses at Bhaktivedanta Manor for 6 years now and they last several days. They attract Ayurvedic teachers from six countries across Europe and are growing more popular every year.
On Saturday the 10th of November the signing of an agreement took place which gave ISKCON Soho Street Temple a separate charity status from the rest of ISKCON UK. The lease was signed by the local Governing Body Commissioner Praghosa das and the President of the Soho Temple, Jai Nitai das. Srila Prabhupada instructed that all ISKCON Temples outside of India should be registered separately wherever possible. In due course of time all the other 12 current ISKCON UK centres will do the same.
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Ayurveda, "the knowledge for long life", is a system of traditional medicine
from India and a form of alternative medicine around the world. It promotes physical health and disease prevention based on lifestyle, spiritual principles and forms of yoga.
The High Sheriff Hertfordshire
of
The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire Arabella Stuart-Smith, wished Srutidharma das a ‘Happy Diwali” outside St Albans Cathedral just before her Justice Service for the County of Hertfordshire.
Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter
December 2012
Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day This year’s Srila Prabhupada's Disappearance Day fell on 17th November. “This day is a time for reflection and rededication to his mission,” explained Dhananjaya das. “We understand from scripture that there
is no difference between the vani - the words of the spiritual master - and the vapu - the physical presence of the spiritual master.” “On his own guru’s Disappearance Day, Srila Prabhupada said that there is no
difference between the appearance and disappearance of the spiritual master,” explained Sarvamangala dasi, “Srila Prabhupada then added that it is like the rising and setting of the sun: both are beautiful.”
Biggest University Retreat ever
135 students from 20 different universities gathered at Bhaktivedanta Manor from across the country in early November, making it the biggest ever University Retreat. Interactive workshops included "When I grow up I want to be a Photoshop", "99 Problems" and "Mantra Meditation”. There was also a treasure hunt, team work with physical challenges, cow milking and cooking workshops.
Apple-pressing Day
In early November there was a chance for people with apple trees to bring their apples to the Manor’s New Gokul farm. A team of volunteers from the Market Harborough Transition Town Group, equipped with an apple shredder, apple press and pasteuriser turned as many apples as they could get their hands on that day into a lovely juice. “I am hoping this will become an annual event for our farm calendar,” explained Manager Syamasundar das.
“Religious Freedom” at the House of Lords Gauri das and Radha Mohan das represented ISKCON at a conference held at the House of Lords entitled “Religious Freedom and Religious Equality in the 21st Century”. It was Chaired by the presenter of the BBC’s “Around the World in 80 Faiths” Revd Peter Owen-Jones and attended by 25 different faiths, senior government representatives, barristers, legal experts and academics to discuss a formal commitment to religious equality for all faiths, without discrimination. Page 3
Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter
Govardhana Puja, Go-Puja and Annakuta
Govardhana Puja, Go-Puja and Annakuta are all connected with the story of Lord Krishna lifting Govardhana Hill to protect the inhabitants of Vrindavan. On this day a hill of sweets is made from food prepared by the devotees, which is then offered to the Deities, and subsequently distributed to everyone. This is known as the “Annakuta” ceremony. Cows are honoured as part of the festivities as well.
December 2012
Diwali at Westminster
During this year’s Diwali at Westminster function at the House of Commons, Leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband MP was pleased to meet Bhaktivedanta Manor representative Devaki dasi. Later, Head of Manor Communications Vinay Tanna rounded off proceedings with the recital of poems glorifying Lord Rama.
Labour Party Headquarters
Srutidharma das and Gauri das were personally invited to be the official priests at the new Labour Party Headquarters’ Diwali celebrations. After they recited mantras to mark the beginning of the evening, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer , Mr Ed Balls MP lit the ceremonial Diwali lamp. The invitations were organised by Claire Ward, former MP for Watford and friend of the Manor.
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Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter
December 2012
Diwali at Bhaktivedanta Manor Secretaries of State join the celebrations Thousands came together at Bhaktivedanta Manor to celebrate Diwali the Festival of Lights on Sunday 18th November. This year’s celebrations were attended by a number of senior Members of Parliament including the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government the Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP. During his visit Eric Pickles MP not only met with the Manor’s Senior Management, key Trustees and ISKCON’s GBC for UK and Ireland Praghosa das, but the festival was the selected backdrop for meetings with the wider Hindu community: Jitu Patel (BAPS Swaminarayan), Arjun Vekaria (Hindu Forum of Britain), and Vikas Pota and Arup Ganguly of Seva Day were pleased that the Manor expressed such hospitality. "I am happy to be here at Bhaktivedanta Manor and I am very impressed with the devotion and the service of all the volunteers of this community,” said Eric Pickles MP. “They are putting so much back into society in a selfless manner and I am particularly impressed by the helping of the most vulnerable and needy. “This is my first time at here and I have been overwhelmed by the hospitality received, and I am inspired by the community working together for the good of all". On the main stage. festival pilgrims were treated to a traditional Odissi dance and the premier of the Bhaktivedanta Player’s exciting musical performance of ‘Sita in Ashoka Groves’. Another unique feature this year was that the Mail Today, a paper printed in Delhi and available world-wide, dedicated a page to ISKCON. “Diwali at Bhaktivedanta Manor is always a fun day out for the whole family,” explained the Manor President Srutidharma Das. “Unfortunately this year we were unable to have the traditional fireworks due to waterlogging in the parking fields, but we look forward to having them next year.”
The Holiest of Months
This year’s Kartik festival started on the 30th October and ran till 28th of November. The Puranas extol this holy month as the topmost in the calendar. Lord Krishna’s mercy is very easily accessible during this time and to demonstrate their sincerity devotees accept different austerities such as fasting, cutting down on non-essential activities and offering charity.
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Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter
December 2012
Winning Life's Battles The first question often asked about the Bhagavad-gita is why was it spoken on a battlefield? Despite a common view that religion is a major cause of war, in most people’s minds the two should remain separate. Religion or spirituality should result in peace not conflict. If one’s spiritual practises bring about the bloodthirsty desire to eliminate the followers of some other faith then they must surely be suspect. That would surely seem to make sense. Nevertheless the Gita did arise from a war, the great Battle of Kurukshetra. Not only that, but its final message to Arjuna—a mighty warrior who had suddenly veered towards pacifism—was to give up his “petty weakness of heart” and sally forth to slay his enemies in battle. How then is it a religious text? Perhaps we should begin by defining religion. Dictionaries usually describe it as a system of belief in some supernatural power. That is where the conflicts tend to arise. My beliefs may well be different to yours, and human nature is such that we identify with these to the point where we create divisions based upon them. Hence we have many religious communities going under different names—Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc. In most people’s minds this is what is meant by religion, all these various designations. The Gita however gives a broader definition. In Sanskrit, the language of the Gita, the word for religion is dharma. This translates more accurately as the essential nature of a thing. In the case of a person this nature is to serve. We are always serving someone or something, Page 6
be it our boss, family members, country, or maybe just our dog. We cannot avoid service. Even if we have no one to serve we will still serve our own mind and senses, which constantly demand satisfaction in one way or another. We cannot sit peacefully for very long before one bodily demand or another impinges upon us and we have to act to satisfy it. Vedic wisdom tells us that this service propensity is actually meant for God. This is real religion, the dharma of the soul. No doubt the adherents of all the above named faiths and most others will concur with this, despite their external differences. Whatever our practises the ultimate aim must be to know and love God, to unite with him and serve him eternally. When we serve anything other than God we are never satisfied; we constantly search for the lasting fulfilment that no amount of sensual pleasure or material relationships can provide. As Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee.” This is the message propounded by the Gita. It speaks of all beings as eternal parts of God having an unbreakable loving relationship with him. Arjuna’s dilemma as a warrior who was not inclined to fight was only the external context for a far deeper message than just getting him to take up his weapons. That message is encapsulated in the Gita’s key verse in the ninth chapter, where Krishna says, “Always think of me, offer me your respects, worship me and become my devotee. Surely then will you come to me.” This is the essence of all religion and it was what Arjuna had forgotten. He was thinking he had so many other duties which had
all begun to seem onerous, conflicting and ultimately impossible. He got to the point where he did not know which way to turn or what to do. Krishna’s response was simple; just do what I want and you will be peaceful and happy. As it happened at that time Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight. After all, sometimes fighting and violence are required when there are disturbing elements in society. We need the forces of law and order, which was Arjuna’s duty, but that’s not the real point. The ultimate message of the Gita is not about fighting or any other specific kind of work. It is about surrendering to God, acting only for his pleasure, recognising that this is truly in our own and everyone else’s best interests. When Arjuna understood this point his dilemma was over and he became peaceful. “My illusion is gone,” he told Krishna. “I am now free of duality and prepared to do whatever you ask.” And as Krishna asked him to fight that very fighting became a pure spiritual activity that led Arjuna to the highest point of self-realisation. All of us are like Arjuna in so many ways. We stand on the battlefield of life faced with all kinds of challenges which often seem overwhelming. Sometimes we too don’t know which way to turn but the message of the Gita is also there for us. “Turn to me,” says Krishna. “I will always protect you and in the end bring you back to me.” That is the fight facing us all, turning from illusion towards Krishna, but with his help we like Arjuna will surely emerge victorious. Krishna Dharma das
Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter
December 2012
ya
Laxmipri
Senagetaway 2013 is here!
This annual summer retreat is a great way of getting to know all about Krsna Consciousness in the space of 10 days! It truly is a lifetime experience and is for youth aged 15-30.
Age: 19 Student y London it s r e iv n City U
Pandava Sena summer trip to Radhadesh in Belgium. One of the girls Omika Mali from New Jersey said: “You made us a part of your family, a family that we knew we
How did you find out about Psena? I heard about Pandava Sena many times through friends, and finally decided to attend an event. My first one was the Harrow Jammins’.
What did you like about the events? I like that there is devotee association, and it doesn’t mean they are full time devotees, but ‘normal people’ who have jobs and a family, who are all very well accomplished which I find really inspiring. The theme of next year’s trip is ‘The Kirtan Experience’ where special guests BB Govinda Swami and HG Gaura Gopal Prabhu will be facilitating spiritual seminars and mind blowing kirtan! The price for the 10 day retreat in Italy costs only £375 which includes travel, accommodation, food, all the activities, and a once in a lifetime experience! All ages of youth gain a life changing and unforgettable experience. They get involved with the temple services while living on the compound to really get a feel for temple life. This experience is made for everyone to come and travel together to a completely different country, with hundreds of like-minded people to experience something deeper about adding spirituality to their lives.
never had. I love the people that I met. Thank you for inspiring and loving us, even though we were new. The association we received so was so blissful. Doing service together unites people so deeply. You showed me that Srila Prabhupada gave me a family even on the other side of the world. You all made me realise the ecstasy of the Holy Name.”
What do you do in Psena? I am a part of the Harrow Jammin Deity team and help set the alter up, as well as take part in Pandava Sena productions!
Many people from all walks of life have had a very enjoyable time and make lifelong friends. It definitely is something different to a typical summer holiday and everyone takes away something special from this trip every single time; whether it’s their first or tenth trip, it’s always been a new fun and exciting journey.
For more info contact This year’s retreat gained attraction for America, where two Meera: 07514806222 young girls came on their first ever Page 7
Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter
December 2012
Winter Book Marathon Every December the entire ISKCON world focuses its attention on Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental book distribution. Srila Prabhupada was convinced that if these books were printed and widely distributed, then his mission would be a success. Thus, he was incredibly eager to hear the figures of how many books were being distributed. He said it gave him life. He commented that when a new book was printed he felt as though he had conquered an empire. Last year’s Prabhupada Winter Book Marathon at Bhaktivedanta Manor was
Hertsmere Interfaith
Last year 35,843 books we distributed– this year the target is 40,000! Last year 273 devotees went out distributing books – this year the target is 351! There are many different ways to get involved and if you would like to know more, contact Sutapa das: sutapa@ krishnatemple.com
School
Children of the Manor School participated in an interfaith event held at Allum Hall in Elstree which was coordinated by the Hertsmere Forum of Faiths. Various faith schools in the Hertsmere area performed items to illustrate their beliefs and there was food and displays as well. The Manor School children very confidently performed a drama entitled, "The Day the Body Parts went on Strike" followed by a devotional song. The prasadam at the display table was a clear hit, but the gopi-dots and face painting, which attracted long queues of children, was the clear winner! Bhaktivedanta Manor Dharam Marg · Hilfield Lane Aldenham · Herts (for sat-nav only, please use postcode WD25 8DT) 01923 851000 www. krishnatemple.com Please send your news, photos and comments to: Radha Mohan das newsletter@krishnatemple.com Page 8
the most successful for nearly 15 years:
History made in East London The first ever Ratha Yatra in East London took place on 7th November. Starting outside Redbridge Town Hall, Ilford, the procession culminated with festivities in Valentine’s Park.
Hazelwood School A visit from Hazelwood School in Enfield to the Manor School led to a lovely interaction between the children. In exchange the Manor School children were invited to Hazelwood in observance of Diwali and had an opportunity to perform “The Ramayana”. The performance ended with the harmonious singing of the Hare Krishna maha mantra accompanied by classical instruments. After a tour of Hazelwood School the children were invited on stage to answer questions about their faith, school life and beliefs.
December 2012 Sun 23rd Gita Jayanti celebration at manor Mon 24th Moksada Ekadasi Tues 25th Christmas Day
January 2013 Tues 1st Disapp of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakur (fast till noon) Tues 8th Saphala Ekadasi Mon 14th Makara Sankranti Disapp of Srila Jiva Goswami Tues 22nd Putrada Ekadasi Thur 31st App of Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA, KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE, HARE RAMA HARE RAMA, RAMA RAMA HARE HARE © 2012, All articles & photographs copyright of Bhaktivedanta Manor