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The Conch Newsletter krishnafarm.com 1966 2016 The Conch www.conch.org.au “Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna blew their celestial conches to rally and enthuse the devotees.” August 2015 August Newsletter New Govardhana Community Dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Jaya Jagannatha The Chariot is Comng ISKCON’s 50th Fast Approaching Clean the Temple XXX Clean Your Heart xxx Jhulan Yatra Get into the Swing of Things The Red Suitcase Don’t Leave Home Without One Garudaji Flies In Srila Prabhupada Uvaca + Goshalla Goss + Snapshots + Upcoming Events were tinged red from the rays of His Jhulan Yatra kaustubha jewel. He was followed By Ambika devi dasi by Srimati Radharani. They took Their seat. All eyes sparkled with During the monsoon season in blissful love. beautiful Vrindavana, Krishna and His loving gopis performed the The manjaris gracefully pushed the swing festival pastimes, which we swing. celebrate annually. Joy-filled gopis sang melodious songs The decorated swing hung from four and played vinas with the finest haricandana trees, whose upper artistic skill. While the gopis threw branches formed a natural, pleasing fistfuls of coloured powder in the air, green overhead canopy. the devatas, anguished at obstruction of their vision of Krishna, showered Dressed gorgeously for Krishna’s flowers to remove the powder. pleasure, many gopis approached the central arena, each one carrying The gopis offered their various various festival ingredients in her offerings, while the peacocks madly hands. They brought flasks filled with cried out and the birds called happily. fragrant ointments such as aguru, Krishna smiled brilliantly at all His musk, camphor and sandalwood. devotees, attracting the hearts of They had flower pollen sachets them all. www.facebook.com Photo: in their waist-belts. They carried ISKCON Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace syringes filled with flower essences. The founder/acharya of our ISKCON A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada movement requested the devotees Radha and Krishna entered the to celebrate this swing festival, which Srila Prabhupada Uvaca bower of jewelled trees, looking is filled with sweetness. It gives an splendid. The trees, creepers, opportunity for one and all to come “So we have to practice this peacocks, deer, gopis and residents and take part in an ecstatic pastime of Krishna consciousness. Here, of heaven who were watching, Radha and Krishna. This year, Jhulan in this material world, we have experienced great rapture. Yatra begins on Wednesday 26 August to work. Without work, you cannot maintain even your Krishna, shining attractively with a and ends on Sunday 30 August. family, your body. That is not reddish turban and peacock feathers, Please watch for notices for times and possible. Sarira-yatrapi te na fine clothes, flute and elegant ear- come and take part. prasiddhyed akarmana. Krishna rings, mounted the attractive seat of Taken from Ananda Vrindavan Campu says (to) Arjuna that without the swing which was illuminated by translated by Bhanu Swami and karma you cannot maintain jewelled lamps. His pearl necklaces Subhag Swami. even your body. So you have to work. Sarira-yatrapi te na prasiddhyed akarmana. And this material world means you have to maintain by working. And spiritual world means na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. There is nothing to work, as Krishna has nothing to work. He is simply enjoying What is called? Swing. So Krishna is enjoying, and Krishna’s associates are enjoying. They have nothing to work. That is spiritual world. Cintamani prakara sadmasu kalpa vrksa: that is a different world. There is no material body. Therefore there is no need of the material body. That is a different world. But in this material world we have to work. Trt’ya-karma-samj. “Radha and Krishna may be swung in this way, but you may avoid swinging Lord Jagannatha like that.” (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, 5 January 1973. Image: www.bingimages.com Image: Letter to Jagdish dasa) Sri Sri Radha Krishna with the gopis during the swing festival. TH Seminars, courses and lectures will Iskcon 50 be held on the content of the library, Anniversary: thus publicising the value of the UK Leads the Way knowledge collected. The library contains all of Srila By Mukunda Goswami Prabhupada’s books as well as the It looks like the UK devotees are way works of many of his disciples. There ahead – in the West anyway – of are copies of all the Puranas and celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Upanisads; the works of Ramanuja ISKCON. and other Vaishnava acharyas. A celebration to mark the launch The most significant acquisition to of a year of events and festivities date is the personal collection of Sri Kirtana for ISKCON 50th Anniversary at Sundarananda Vidyavinoda, one of to commemorate 50 years of the Bhaktivedanta Manor. Hare Krishna movement worldwide Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s leading literary was hosted on Saturday 20 June at programs like this to help pass disciples. The collection comprises Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK. on who Prabhupada was and the more than 2,000 works in Sanskrit, sacrifices he made from generation Bengali and English. It includes hand- The celebrations featured to generation.” written works of Srila Bhaktivinoda presentations by Sivarama Swami, Thakur and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta. Praghosa dasa, Kripamoya dasa and Praghosa dasa, ISKCON Governing Devaki devi, kirtana by Chakrini Body Commissioner for the UK, The BRC building which is situated in devi dasi and shared memories said: “It is a great privilege to be a prime locality in Kolkata boasts a and offerings by Srila Prabhupada’s launching ISKCON 50 in the UK. With climate controlled library, dedicated disciples and senior devotees. this early event we want to inspire servers with automatic backup, everyone’s hearts and prepare digitised and hard copy library their minds for the great year of contents, meeting hall, broadband celebrations ahead.” internet and website for downloading library contents and special rare The event concluded with Chakrini books section. devi dasi singing an impressive rendition of the poem that Srila Housed in the same building, the Prabhupada wrote on the ship Gita Bhavan Guest House has seven Jaladuta. air-conditioned rooms for library members, scholars and students. All rooms have wired broadband and WIFI. Future plans will include a restaurant. Bhaktivedanta Says, Hari Sauri prabhu, “In the Photos supplied by Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK Manor, Bhaktivedanta supplied by Photos Sivarama Swami recounts the beginnings Research Centre future, we hope to build the BRC into of ISKCON. the most comprehensive source for (continued) Gaudiya Vaishnava literature on the Sivarama Swami spoke about planet.” the series of events leading up By Mandakini devi dasi In a letter to Acutynanda dasa in to Prabhupada’s departure, and The Bhaktivedanta Research 1972, Srila Prabhupada had this to say Kripamoya dasa correlated the events Centre (BRC) is dedicated to about preserving Gaudiya literature, with the history of this in India at gathering, preserving, digitising and “Treat this matter very seriously and the time. disseminating information sources thoroughly, and take all precautions on Gaudiya Vaishnava culture In addition, there was an update on to protect this wonderful boon of and philosophy, as well as Vedic the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium literature forever. (TOVP) project from Praghosa Cosmology. These items are very, very priceless dasa. Devaki dasi, the UK’s National The BRC specifically focuses on rare and are a great treasure house of Coordinator for the 50th anniversary and obscure works from 1486 AD to Vaishnava lore, so be very careful in celebrations, spoke about the plans the present time. for next year. the matter and take all precautions to The aim is to locate old manuscripts guard them.” Speaking at the event, Sivarama in libraries and maths in Bengal, Swami said: “Talking about Bangladesh, Vrindavana, Orissa and CORRECTION Prabhupada and hearing about Jaipur. These will be translated to Prabhupada is ecstatic and it’s English and other languages. On page 2 of the July 2015 issue blissful. It is something we should do of the Conch, it was written that all the time. Besides preserving hard copies in Brahmananda Prabhu was the second the library, they will be digitised initiated devotee in the West. It is “You cannot over-emphasize the and made available to scholars and a fact he was one of the earliest importance of people understanding students worldwide through initiated disciples in the West, but he Prabhupada. It is going to take the internet. was not the second initiated devotee. remembrances and glorify such a The Red New saintly soul. Suitcase Govardhana Kurma visited the farm two years By Jyestha devi Honours Kurma ago and was much appreciated for dasi his inspirational classes. Everyone Rupa Prabhu felt encouraged by his association Early last year, in and in particular the cow herders, By Mandakini devi dasi the Melbourne with whom he shared his valuable Temple ashram, A memorial was held for His Grace insight and experiences in the cow one of the girls Kurma Rupa dasa at New Govardhana protection program. borrowed a red suitcase, belonging on Saturday, 4 July 2015. to Chaitanya Lila devi dasi, to go to New Zealand on a retreat. She The event was well attended with liked New Zealand so much that she devotees enthusiastic to share their decided to stay there. Chaitanya Lila’s red suitcase was brought back six months later when another devotee came to visit. Around this time I decided to go to the Holy Name Retreat at New Govardhana conducted by His www.careforcows.org Photos: Holiness Sacinandana Swami in Kurma Rupa worked tirelessly for Care for September 2014. I borrowed the red Cows in Vrindavana. suitcase from my friend Chaitanya For many years Kurma has adopted Lila.
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