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Sri Sri Radha RasabiharijiTEMPLEMONTHLY

Founder - acharya of the international society for krishna consciousness

March, 2012 newsletter of iskcon - juhu,Mumbai Vol. 2 Issue 3

Dedicated to his divine grace a.c. bhaktivedanta swami srila prabhupada

“When we are children, innocent, we have no bad

habits, but as we grow and associate with bad company, we also acquire all these bad habits. To give up all these

bad habits means we have to associate with sadhus or devotees, saintly persons.

Then we can give it up. This is called anartha-nivritti,

means giving up all unwanted bad habits.”

Srila Prabhupada(Mexico, 11 Feb 1975)

From the publisher’s desk:February was the month when leaders of ISKCON got together at Mayapur, ISKCON’s international headquarters, for their annual managerial meetings. A special highlight of this year’s meeting was the launch of the ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS). Along with other international leaders, members of ISKCON Juhu management participated in the ILS where they were introduced to strategic planning, training programs and several managerial resources within ISKCON to help in their respective services. The month of March holds special significance for us as we eagerly await Gaura Purnima, the appearance day of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Lord Krishna, who appeared as His own worshiper. He emphasized and propagated the chanting of the Holy Names : Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. We invite you to participate in the daylong festivities at the temple and receive the Lord’s mercy! Hare Krishna.

•Gaura Purnima- Appearance day of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu - 08 March - Fating till moonrise. Shobha Yatra from temple at 06:00 a.m.; Guru Puja at 07:30 a.m.; Shringar Darshan at 08:00 a.m.; Lecture at 08:15 a.m.; Abhishek ceremony at 06:00 p.m. followed by Gaura Arati and Prasada for all.Mar 2012

Upcoming Events

Sanskrit Word of the Month:Bhakti-yoga : - the system of cultivation of bhakti, or pure devotional service, which is untinged by sense gratification or philosophical speculation.

Nityananda Tryodasi : Appearance Day of Lord Nityananda celebratedT h e m o s t a u s p i c i o u s appearance day of  Lord Nityananda was celebrated at the temple on 05 February. The festivities started early in the morning with the Shobha Yatra of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. The cool, crisp morning air was pierced by the warmth of Harinam when hundreds of devotees and congregation m e m b e r s d a n c e d a n d chanted the holy names on the Juhu beach. The flower bedecked palanquin and the w o n d e r f u l p r o c e s s i o n attracted many en route, who stopped in their steps to have a darshan of Their Lordships a n d r e c e i ve b l e s s i n g s . The  Shobha Yatra  culminated at the temple with the most ecstatic kirtan. This was followed by a special lecture class on t h e g l o r i e s o f L o r d N i t y a n a n d a a n d a

special  abhishek  ceremony. The bathing of the Lord with sacred substances (abhishek) amid the chants of Brahma Samhita  seemed like a magical event, transporting one to a different plane. All those present to participate and witness this most auspicious ceremony

felt tremendously fortunate and blessed. The half day fasting period ended with a feast for all.

  Lord Nityananda is a man i f e s t a t i on o f Lord Balaram in this age of Kali-y u ga . In Tre t a - yu ga , he manifested as Sri Laxman in Ram-lila.  Lord Nityananda, the original spiritual master and the eternal associate of Lord Caitanya (who is non-different from Lord Krishna) appeared on the auspicious thirteenth day of the bright fortnight of the month of  Maga  around the year 1474 in  Ekacakra,  a small vi l lage in present West Bengal. As a child, Nitai (as Nityananda Prabhu was called), loved to enact the pastimes of Sri Krishna or

Lord Rama. He did this so authoritatively and with such rapture, that the entire village of Ekacakra would be immersed in the love of Godhead. Vaishnava  acaryas  emphatically state that people who try to understand Lord Caitanya without getting the mercy of Lord Nityananda will never succeed and one must pray very sincerely to Lord Nityananda to be delivered in service of Sri Radha Krishna. Thus, on the auspicious appearance day of the most merciful Lord Nityananda, the original spiritual master, thousands gathered to pray at His lotus feet for His special mercy, to be able to perform devotional service and experience spiritual bliss. 

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Appearance day celebration of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati ThakuraSrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura was the spiritual master

o f A . C . Bhaktivedanta S w a m i P r a b h u p a d a . He appeared on 0 6 Fe b r u a r y 1 8 7 4 , a s a n answer to the

desperate prayers of his father, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, to Lord Jagannath to send one who could help him in preaching the message of Lord Chaitanya. The birth and preaching activities of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura were predicted in the  Padma Purana  long ago, thus explaining his extraordinary personality and the secret of his divine birth. A lifelong celibate and a powerful t e a c h e r o f b h a k t i , S r i l a Bhak t i s iddhanta Sara swat i Thakura is rightly called the simha guru, for he preached boldly and fearlessly. He was also a pioneer of

sorts, adjusting the traditions of Gaudiya Vaishnavism to conform with the technological and social conditions of the twentieth century. In fact, he was the first spiritual teacher in this line to allow his renounced preachers to wear Western clothes and travel in modern conveyances rather than on foot. Throughout the 1930s, he expanded and increased his missionary work and succeeded in reestablishing Gaudiya Vaishnavism as the leading force in Indian spiritual life. He considered the printing press  the most effective means of spreading Krishna Consciousness throughout the world and was himself the author of many i m p o r t a n t t r a n s l a t i o n s , commentaries, and philosophical essays. Keeping with this outlook, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura personally instructed Srila Prabhupada to preach to the English speaking people in the West and publish books. Srila Prabhupada made this his life’s mission and spread the glories of Lord Krishna all over the world.On his auspicious appearance day the devotees and congregation got together to offer him pushpanjali

and beg his mercy to help them be as fearless and bold in spreading the glories of Lord Krishna.

Deity Darshan- Get Daily Darshan of Their Lordships at Your Fingertips

We have a special treat for all who are unable to come regularly for darshan of Their Lordships to the temple!Visit www.iskconmumbai.com for daily Deity darshan and also to register yourself to receive an update about daily darshan to your email inbox daily

Chant: HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

&Be Happy!

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Vaisnava Calendar: March, 2012

04 Sunday• Fasting for Amalaki - vrata

Ekadasi

05 Monday• Break fast - 06:54 am - 10:51 am• Srila Madhavendra Puri

disappearance

08 Thursday• Sri Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu

appearance - fasting till moonrise

09 Friday• Festival of Jagannath Misra

15 Thursday• Sri Srivasa Pandita appearance

18 Sunday• Fasting for Papamocani ekadasi

19 Monday• Break fast - 06:44 am - 10:45 am• Srila Govind Ghosh

disappearance

28 Wednesday• Srila Ramanujcarya appearance

From the office of ISKCON Communications (Sri Sri Radha Rasabihariji Temple ) For feedback write to us at: SSRRmonthly@gmail.com

ISKCON Juhu,Hare Krishna Land,

Juhu, Mumbai- 400049For more news & live darshan log on

to:www.iskconmumbai.com

Members of ISKCON Youth Forum Visit Dehu

Address:

Watch Srimad Bhagvatam Lecture LIVE on

www.iskconmumbai.com 8am - 9am Daily

(Click on Live Darshan)

News at a Glance:

A Trip to Remember!

Lord Varaha is the third incarnation of Lord Vishnu who appeared as thus to save Mother Earth.Once, the demon Hiranyaksa, younger brother of Hiranyakasipu caused the earth to fall into the waters of devastation at the bottom of the universe. Seeing this, Lord Vishnu decided to come and save the earth. He chose an unlikely form: He decided to come as a boar  (Lord Varaha) since the pig is used to root about in muddy and dirty places to find things. Further, He also chose an unusual way of appearing: He appeared as a tiny boar from Lord Brahma’s nostril. He grew bigger, until He filled the sky of the universe with His glorious powerful form, and roared till all the demigods and sages were terrified and filled with wonder.Lord Brahma said, “I wonder who this is. I suspect it is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because He appeared in such a wonderful way.” Lord Varaha went straight to the ocean at the bottom of the universe, and plunged into the water, where He located the earth planet and lifted it on His tusks. He set the earth planet on the surface of the water, where it floated. Moreover, in His incarnation as Varahadev, Lord Vishnu married Earth (Prithvi devi).Meanwhile, Hiranyaksa had been searching for a worthy opponent, thinking himself a great fighter, and when he learned that Lord Varaha had come, he enthusiastically came to attack Him. A great fight with clubs and other weapons ensued lasting for a thousand years which Lord Varaha finally won by killing the demon. The incarnation of the Lord as Varahadev symbolizes the resurrection of the earth from a deluge and establishment of a new cosmic cycle.

Sri Krishna & You : Lord Varahadeva - The Boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu

On one of their recent trips, the members of ISKCON Youth Forum (IYF) visited the holy place of Dehu, which is the native place of Saint Tukaram in Maharashtra State. IYF members left for Dehu in a special bus that was well designed to double up as a

lecture and kirtan room. While in Dehu, the devotees visited Tukaram’s personal residence, a local temple, the sacred river Indrayani, a cave where Tukaram used to sit daily to sing beautiful abhangs (devotional poems) and the place from where Tukaram Maharaj left to leave for the spiritual world. The special highlight of their trip was the adventurous trek to the place where Lord Vitthal along with Rukmini Devi gave darshan in person to Tukaram Maharaj.The IYF boys revived the mood of Tukaram Maharaj by performing harinam (congregational

chanting) in the streets of Dehu and distributing spiritual literature. They also engaged in ecstatic kirtans, enlightening discourses, spontaneous skits and sumptuous prasada that kept everyone in good spirits. The devotees returned to Mumbai feeling spiritually recharged.