January 2010 Dedicated toHisDivineGrace A.C. BhaktivedantaSwamiPrabhupada,Founder-AcharyaoftheInternationalSocietyforKrishnaConsciousness a localproject.” the JewishandChristiancommunities on was enliveningtoworkwith members of shining,” explainedSitaRama das.“It environmental clean-upandthe sunwas “It wasagreatmorningforan Borehamwood. Christians tocleanupMaxwellParkin Liberal Synagogueaswelllocal members oftheNorthwoodandPinner from BhaktivedantaManorjoined (15th- 21stNovember),devotees As partofNationalInterfaith Week environmental project Faiths joinfor local Conversation, 3rd August 1971 conscious, thatisspiritual. material. WhenyouareKrishna when youforgetKrishna,thatis world, spiritualworldmeans is devotee.Sothismaterial be everywherewherethere are there."SoKrishnacan "I livetherewhereMydevotees tisthami narada.Krishnasays, tishanti mad-bhaktatatra Krishna consciousness. Yatra to berealizedwhenoneisin they're inVaikuntha. Thatis are inLondonorNew York, "...the devotees,althoughthey Srila Prabhupada: singing liveon Top ofthePops. first appearanceonBritishtelevision, single, andthedevoteesmadetheir chart-topping "HareKrishnaMantra" Harrison oftheBeatlesproduced 1969 wastheyearthatlateGeorge people andinternationaltouristsalike. enchant shoppers,revelers,business the HolyNamesstillcontinueto and processionsofdevoteeschanting woven intothefabricofLondonlife, West End.NowadaysISKCONis the OxfordStreetcrowdsinLondon’s heads, bothcharmedandevenstartled remarkable sightofsaffron andshaven of cymbalsanddrums,the sounds unmistakable London. The made itsmarkonthestreetsof It hasbeenfortyyearssinceISKCON November 2009. Malati dasi,endingonSunday22nd Shyamasundar das,Gurudasand devotees including Yamuna dasi, special presentationsfromsenior with aweekoffestivities. There were Radha-Krishna Templecelebrated To markthe40thanniversary, the off OxfordStreet. the Temple movedtoSohoStreet,just UK neartheBritishMuseum.In1979 Place, thefirstISKCONtemplein Prabhupada installedtheminBury in ISKCONwereLondonandSrila The firsteverRadhaKrishnadeities London whichisstillgoingstrong. vegetarian restaurantsincentral Govindas wasoneofthefirst .....continued onpage5 Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter January 2010 Tamal Krishna Goswami Memorial Bench Diwali in London When Tamal Krishna Goswami passed on in March 2002 he left behind an almost evening of thanks completed PhD thesis which he had been working on since 1998 in the serene surroundings of Clare Hall, Cambridge University. It was to commemorate him, Bhaktivedanta Manor hosted a special and the work that he did at the college and university, that a special memorial thank you evening for all those who bench was installed in the grounds of Clare Hall. organised Diwali in London (DIL) in 2009. The inauguration ceremony was attended In attendance were representatives by a number of his close from the ten Hindu organisations that friends and colleagues were involved, as well DIL Committee from the university as Members and Trustees. well as devotees. It ISKCON was the Chair of the DIL was obvious that Tamal Committee in 2009 and was also a Krishna Goswami founder member eight years ago. had had a profound impact on many around him during his stay there. In the various remembrances he was often referred to as a ‘people person’, someone who truly cared about people. Prof Julius Lipner, Professor of Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion, spoke fondly of the peanut burfis that Tamal Krishna Goswami would always bring for him and how he would love to feed him with all sorts of vegetarian culinary delights. An annual highlight in Bhaktivedanta Manor's calendar, Gita Jayanti is a celebration of Lord Krishna's timeless dialogue with Arjuna. In the run up to the event over 1800 Bhagavad Gitas were sponsored by individuals and businesses for distribution.
Several hundred people braved icy and dangerous driving conditions to participate in this year's celebration at Bhaktivedanta Manor. The recitation was led by Kripamoya das with chapter summaries provided by guest speaker Gauranga das. Over a period of 6 hours, with two short breaks, the entire Bhagavad Gita was recited. Gauranga das presented a topic based analysis of the chapters, with headings such as co-operation, commitment and selflessness.
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Sivarama Swami awarded the Gold Cross His Holiness Sivarama Swami, ‘natural living and high thinking’ and a prominent spiritual leader in are engaged in organic farming and ISKCON, received the Gold Cross traditional crafts. award of the Hungarian Republic During the last 16 years, Krishna- from Dr. Karoly Manherz, State valley has become a prime destination Secretary for Higher Education and for domestic and international Research. This was in appreciation tourism. 30,000 visitors come of his charitable, humanitarian and annually to see the ecologic self- value creating work. sustaining community which runs on The function, which took place at the spiritual principles. Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest, was also attended by Zoltan Balogh, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights, and His Excellency Ranjit Rae, the Indian Ambassador. The Temple, community and organic farm of Krishna-valley began in 1994 and Sivarama Swami is the founder and leader. The devotees of the ecovillage follow the principle of
Krishna Consciousness Societies protect them in the future. There was a (‘KC Socs’) are run by members of cooking demonstration on how to prepare the ISKCON Pandava Sena (IPS) a quick and cheap vegetarian student youth group at 20 universities across meal, followed by the extraordinary the country. With weekly interactive experience of milking and feeding the discussions on diverse topics, students Manor cows! experience dynamic presentations, The attendees were treated to a drama topical debates and the singing and called Under The Influence performed by chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, IPS, followed by a workshop discussing all rounded off with a mini-feast of the play’s theme of the three modes of sanctified vegetarian food (prashad). material nature led by Jai Nitai das. At the Inspire retreat last November, The day concluded with a mantra students from Cambridge, UCL, Kings, meditation session, followed by a kirtan City, QMUL, Leicester, Portsmouth, (devotional song), which eventually Southampton and Brunel were warmly erupted into a dance just as the sunlight welcomed at the Manor and taken on was fading – the perfect way to end a a rollercoaster of fun activity. Bhuta spiritually surcharged day! Bhavana das discussed world issues the younger generation will inherit and Get Involved! www.krishnasoc.com how spirituality will inspire, guide and [email protected].
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George the Vaishnava The annual George Harrison Evening on 29th November was particularly noteworthy because Shyamasundar das and Gurudas were present. Shyamasundar das was the first devotee to meet George Harrison in London, and the last to say goodbye the day before he passed away in 2001. He was able to speak about George as a friend, not only from 1969 but right throughout the years that he knew him. George Harrison’s devotional songwriting is noteworthy. In 1969 Srila Prabhupada asked him to write songs about Krishna and the feelings of a devotee. Some of his songs did not appear on Beatles’ albums, but others did. Here Comes the Sun was written to express George’s feelings of coming to Krishna consciousness. A careful reading of the words to George’s songs will highlight many Vaishnava ideas and sentiments, and for this reason he can be considered a modern Vaishnava poet and songwriter.
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.....continued from page 1 The main event was a cultural evening at the renowned Troxy Theatre in London on Saturday 21st November. The event celebrated ISKCON’s arrival in London and its achievements in the fields of art, culture, spiritual education, Vedic philosophy, vegetarian cuisine and ecology. The atmosphere in the large and classy venue of the Troxy theatre was vibrant, as 1700 devotees, and VIPs from the worlds of politics, business and entertainment attended. The evening included a three course meal. The stage programme included performances by The Radha Krishna Temple Band, the Subhadra dancers, the new Krishna Avanti School, the children’s Krishna Club and last, but by no means least, the band Kindred Spirits which included ISKCON school graduates from the US and Britain. Ranchor Prime’s long-awaited book There was also a video retrospective from ISKCON Cinema is now published and available at the producer Yadhubara das, showing clips of Srila Prabhupada in Manor. When the Sun Shines tells the London, the original installation of the deities and an interview with story of how the young Hare Krishna George Harrison. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was when devotees came to Britain in the 1960’s. Syamasundar, Malati, Gurudas and Yamuna sang the Hare Krishna It is a touching and personal account mantra to the tune that is featured in the original Radha Krishna of spiritual adventure, when visions Temple Album. Many devotees were in tears and everyone stood of uplifting the world fired an entire with arms raised. generation. “As the Member of Parliament for the Cities of London and “I can’t remember when I saw my first Westminster it was a pleasure to take part in the celebrations chanting, dancing Hare Krishnas. They marking the 40th Anniversary of ISKCON in London,” said Mark were simply there…like the pied pipers Field MP, key note speaker at the Gala Dinner. “The chanting of the alternative worlds, drawing us processions of the orange-garbed devotees in Oxford Street have away from what we thought we knew. become a welcome and indeed exotic part of the city's multi-cultural Ranchor Prime tells how those who landscape. The help that members of the Hare Krishna movement danced and thought and developed have given to the homeless has been much appreciated and I hope made this country a different and better that they will continue their good work for many years to come." place.” Martin Palmer Director, International Consultancy of Religion, Education and Culture
Page 5 Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter January 2010 Dying to be born by Krishna Dharma das If we have to take birth again in this lives and limbs of unborn babies when Every religion proscribes such killing world there are some places we might abortion is freely permitted. In countries and prescribes sanctified marriage. Have prefer over others. Ireland, for example, where abortion on demand is legal, social sex within marriage and take care of would be a good choice. In that fine land considerations far outweigh medical the children is the message of all faiths. abortion is mostly illegal, giving you a reasons. Mostly it is about undesired Instead we want free sex, and when we fair chance of emerging from the womb pregnancies where contraception has find there is going to be an unwanted in one piece. But not everyone is happy failed or love has gone sour. According price we want to somehow rub it out. about that. to the Guttmacher Institute, the top three reasons for abortion are consistently The Vedas tell us that life is present from Recently three women went to the cited as negative impact on the mother’s the moment of conception and the child European Court of Human Rights to life, financial instability and relationship in the womb certainly has rights, which challenge Ireland’s 150 year old abortion issues. it cannot defend. As Ronald Reagan said, laws. All three had been obliged to travel “Abortion is advocated only by those who to England to terminate their unwanted Women today want to choose whether have themselves been born.” The mother pregnancies, an odyssey which they claim or not the child they conceived can take may fear that her life opportunities are “stigmatized and humiliated” them. It is birth, and huge numbers are choosing threatened by the impending birth, but set to become a landmark case and some termination. Most estimates put the figure what about the baby? He also desires big hitters in the ‘pro-choice’ camp have at around 50 million abortions performed happiness, but he faces a horrific fate, rallied to their side, including the British each year worldwide. A figure that has perhaps simply to enable his mother to Pregnancy Advisory Board (BPAS), steadily increased over the years and looks further her career. whose spokesperson Patricia Lohr said, set to increase still more if Strasbourg "There is never any moral justification for sides with the ladies from Ireland. Killing human beings is usually the law to place a barrier between women considered murder and even abortionists and medical care.” Vedic teachings would of course go with will admit that unborn babies are humans. the Irish government on this one. They Dr. Arnold Halpern, former director of a “Medical care” is of course is how the say that the first duty of good government Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in the case is being presented; that without is to protect the weak and vulnerable. US, said, "There is no difference between abortions many Irish women are risking States which fail in this duty will be a first trimester, a second trimester, a third their health and even their lives. The Irish “destroyed to the root” according to the trimester abortion or infanticide. It's all government contests Mahabharata,Mahabharata, a prominent VVedic text. the same human being in different stages tthesehese cclaims,laims, of development." sayings aying OnOn an iindividualndividual llevelevel iitt isis also said that tthath at foeticidefoeticide bringsbrings terribleterrible kakarmic conseq- Life is given by God and only he has the uences. We getget what we give and in right to take it. No one has any power ourour nenextxt birthb we will to breathe life into a dead object, nor findfind oourselves on has anyone the power to resist death ththee otheroth end of the when their time comes. Krishna is in abortionist’sab control. Anxiety and suffering come when razor sharp we forget this truth, when we imagine curette. ourselves to be in control and we ignore Life is divine direction. We then make whatever sacred and adjustments we imagine will bring we cannot about our happiness, such as killing our whimsicallyw unwanted children. The result will be killk others, nothing but suffering—in this case 50 especiallye million terrible deaths each year, endless tthoseho entirely depression and trauma, and then comes ddependentepen upon the karma. us, becauseb they areare “negatively Let us hope then that in Strasbourg good iimpacting”mpacting” oon our lives. sense prevails and this grand scale moral and legal anomaly is not endorsed in the where life and limb are Abortion is an attempt to ensure our own name of human rights. at risk, abortions are allowed, but their happiness without any care for the cost main argument centres on the risk to the to others. It is born out of faithlessness.
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Shalini Popat
Age: 17 Studying: Studying A-levels New Harrow Jammin Coordinator What made you start attending IPS events? Jaanki Govindia O% * speaks to recently * $ P appointed Harrow ' ! O * Jammin coordinator $ * <