January 2010 - Hare Krishna Temple1994 and Sivarama Swami is the founder and leader. The devotees of the ecovillage follow the principle of ‘natural living and high thinking’ and

Janu

ary

2010

Dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Srila Prabhupada:

"...the devotees, although they are in London or New York, they're in Vaikuntha. That is to be realized when one is in Krishna consciousness. Yatra tishanti mad-bhakta tatra tisthami narada. Krishna says, "I live there where My devotees are there." So Krishna can be everywhere where there is devotee. So this material world, spiritual world means when you forget Krishna, that is material. When you are Krishna conscious, that is spiritual.

Conversation, 3rd August 1971

Faiths join for local environmental projectAs part of National Interfaith Week (15th- 21st November), devotees from Bhaktivedanta Manor joined members of the Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue as well as local Christians to clean up Maxwell Park in Borehamwood. “It was a great morning for an environmental clean-up and the sun was shining,” explained Sita Rama das. “It was enlivening to work with members of the Jewish and Christian communities on a local project.”

It has been forty years since ISKCON made its mark on the streets of London. The unmistakable sounds of cymbals and drums, and the remarkable sight of saffron and shaven heads, both charmed and even startled the Oxford Street crowds in London’s West End. Nowadays ISKCON is woven in to the fabric of London life, and processions of devotees chanting the Holy Names still continue to enchant shoppers, revelers, business people and international tourists alike.1969 was the year that the late George Harrison of the Beatles produced the chart-topping "Hare Krishna Mantra" single, and the devotees made their first appearance on British television, singing live on Top of the Pops.

Govindas was one of the first vegetarian restaurants in central London which is still going strong. The first ever Radha Krishna deities in ISKCON were in London and Srila Prabhupada installed them in Bury Place, the first ISKCON temple in the UK near the British Museum. In 1979 the Temple moved to Soho Street, just off Oxford Street.To mark the 40th anniversary, the Radha-Krishna Temple celebrated with a week of festivities. There were special presentations from senior devotees including Yamuna dasi, Shyamasundar das, Gurudas and Malati dasi, ending on Sunday 22nd November 2009.

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Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter January 2010

Tamal Krishna Goswami Memorial BenchWhen Tamal Krishna Goswami passed on in March 2002 he left behind an almost 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, and the work that he did at the college and university, that a special memorial bench was installed in the grounds of Clare Hall.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by a number of his close friends and colleagues from the university as well as devotees. It was obvious that Tamal Krishna Goswami 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.

Diwali in London evening of thanksBhaktivedanta Manor hosted a special thank you evening for all those who organised Diwali in London (DIL) in 2009. In attendance were representatives from the ten Hindu organisations that were involved, as well DIL Committee Members and Trustees. ISKCON was the Chair of the DIL Committee in 2009 and was also a founder member eight years ago.

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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.

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.

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His Holiness Sivarama Swami, a prominent spiritual leader in ISKCON, received the Gold Cross award of the Hungarian Republic from Dr. Karoly Manherz, State Secretary for Higher Education and Research. This was in appreciation of his charitable, humanitarian and value creating work.The function, which took place at the 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

‘natural living and high thinking’ and are engaged in organic farming and traditional crafts.During the last 16 years, Krishna-valley has become a prime destination for domestic and international tourism. 30,000 visitors come annually to see the ecologic self-sustaining community which runs on spiritual principles.

Krishna Consciousness Societies (‘KC Socs’) are run by members of the ISKCON Pandava Sena (IPS) youth group at 20 universities across the country. With weekly interactive discussions on diverse topics, students experience dynamic presentations, topical debates and the singing and chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, all rounded off with a mini-feast of sanctified vegetarian food (prashad).At the Inspire retreat last November, students from Cambridge, UCL, Kings, City, QMUL, Leicester, Portsmouth, Southampton and Brunel were warmly welcomed at the Manor and taken on a rollercoaster of fun activity. Bhuta Bhavana das discussed world issues the younger generation will inherit and how spirituality will inspire, guide and

protect them in the future. There was a cooking demonstration on how to prepare a quick and cheap vegetarian student meal, followed by the extraordinary experience of milking and feeding the Manor cows!The attendees were treated to a drama called Under The Influence performed by IPS, followed by a workshop discussing the play’s theme of the three modes of material nature led by Jai Nitai das.The day concluded with a mantra meditation session, followed by a kirtan (devotional song), which eventually erupted into a dance just as the sunlight was fading – the perfect way to end a spiritually surcharged day!Get Involved! www.krishnasoc.com [email protected].

Sivarama Swami awarded the Gold Cross

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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.

George the Vaishnava

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Ranchor Prime’s long-awaited book is now published and available at the Manor. When the Sun Shines tells the story of how the young Hare Krishna devotees came to Britain in the 1960’s. It is a touching and personal account of spiritual adventure, when visions of uplifting the world fired an entire generation.“I can’t remember when I saw my first chanting, dancing Hare Krishnas. They were simply there…like the pied pipers of the alternative worlds, drawing us away from what we thought we knew. Ranchor Prime tells how those who danced and thought and developed made this country a different and better place.”

Martin PalmerDirector, International Consultancy of Religion, Education and Culture

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. There was also a video retrospective from ISKCON Cinema producer Yadhubara das, showing clips of Srila Prabhupada in London, the original installation of the deities and an interview with George Harrison. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was when Syamasundar, Malati, Gurudas and Yamuna sang the Hare Krishna mantra to the tune that is featured in the original Radha Krishna Temple Album. Many devotees were in tears and everyone stood with arms raised. “As the Member of Parliament for the Cities of London and Westminster it was a pleasure to take part in the celebrations marking the 40th Anniversary of ISKCON in London,” said Mark Field MP, key note speaker at the Gala Dinner. “The chanting processions of the orange-garbed devotees in Oxford Street have become a welcome and indeed exotic part of the city's multi-cultural landscape. The help that members of the Hare Krishna movement have given to the homeless has been much appreciated and I hope that they will continue their good work for many years to come."

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D y i n g t o b e b o r nby Krishna Dharma das

If we have to take birth again in this world there are some places we might prefer over others. Ireland, for example, would be a good choice. In that fine land abortion is mostly illegal, giving you a fair chance of emerging from the womb in one piece. But not everyone is happy about that.

Recently three women went to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge Ireland’s 150 year old abortion laws. All three had been obliged to travel to England to terminate their unwanted pregnancies, an odyssey which they claim “stigmatized and humiliated” them. It is set to become a landmark case and some big hitters in the ‘pro-choice’ camp have rallied to their side, including the British Pregnancy Advisory Board (BPAS), whose spokesperson Patricia Lohr said, "There is never any moral justification for the law to place a barrier between women and medical care.”

“Medical care” is of course is how the case is being presented; that without abortions many Irish women are risking their health and even their lives. The Irish

government contests these claims,

s a y i n g t h a t

where life and limb are at risk, abortions are allowed, but their main argument centres on the risk to the

lives and limbs of unborn babies when abortion is freely permitted. In countries where abortion on demand is legal, social considerations far outweigh medical reasons. Mostly it is about undesired pregnancies where contraception has failed or love has gone sour. According to the Guttmacher Institute, the top three reasons for abortion are consistently cited as negative impact on the mother’s life, financial instability and relationship issues.

Women today want to choose whether or not the child they conceived can take birth, and huge numbers are choosing termination. Most estimates put the figure at around 50 million abortions performed each year worldwide. A figure that has steadily increased over the years and looks set to increase still more if Strasbourg sides with the ladies from Ireland.

Vedic teachings would of course go with the Irish government on this one. They say that the first duty of good government is to protect the weak and vulnerable. States which fail in this duty will be “destroyed to the root” according to the Mahabharata, a prominent Vedic text.

On an individual level it is also said that foeticide brings terrible karmic conseq-

uences. We get what we give and in our next birth we will

find ourselves on the other end of the

abor t ion i s t ’s razor sharp c u r e t t e . Life is sacred and

we cannot whimsically kill others, e s p e c i a l l y

those entirely dependent upon us, because they

are “negatively impacting” on our lives.

Abortion is an attempt to ensure our own happiness without any care for the cost to others. It is born out of faithlessness.

Every religion proscribes such killing and prescribes sanctified marriage. Have sex within marriage and take care of the children is the message of all faiths. Instead we want free sex, and when we find there is going to be an unwanted price we want to somehow rub it out.

The Vedas tell us that life is present from the moment of conception and the child in the womb certainly has rights, which it cannot defend. As Ronald Reagan said, “Abortion is advocated only by those who have themselves been born.” The mother may fear that her life opportunities are threatened by the impending birth, but what about the baby? He also desires happiness, but he faces a horrific fate, perhaps simply to enable his mother to further her career.

Killing human beings is usually considered murder and even abortionists will admit that unborn babies are humans. Dr. Arnold Halpern, former director of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in the US, said, "There is no difference between a first trimester, a second trimester, a third trimester abortion or infanticide. It's all the same human being in different stages of development."

Life is given by God and only he has the right to take it. No one has any power to breathe life into a dead object, nor has anyone the power to resist death when their time comes. Krishna is in control. Anxiety and suffering come when we forget this truth, when we imagine ourselves to be in control and we ignore divine direction. We then make whatever adjustments we imagine will bring about our happiness, such as killing our unwanted children. The result will be nothing but suffering—in this case 50 million terrible deaths each year, endless depression and trauma, and then comes the karma.

Let us hope then that in Strasbourg good sense prevails and this grand scale moral and legal anomaly is not endorsed in the name of human rights.

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Calendar Dates

January 2010

Mon 4 App of Srila Gopala Bhatta GoswamiTue 5 Disapp of Srila Jayadeva GoswamiSun 10 Sat-tila EkadasiThu 14 Makara SankrantiWed 20 Vasant Pancami App of Srila Raghunatha das Goswami, Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi & Srimati Visnupriya devi Disapp of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti ThakuraFri 22 App of Sri Advaita AcaryaSun 24 Disapp of Sri MadhvacaryaMon 25 Disapp of Sri RamanujacaryaTue 26 Bhaimi Ekadasi - fasting till noon for VarahadevaWed 27 App of Lord VarahadevaThu 28 App of Sri Nityananda Prabhu (fasting till noon)Sat 30 App Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura

February 2010

Wed 3 App of Srila Bhaktissidhanta Sarasvati Thakura (fasting till noon)Tue 9 Vijaya EkadasiWed 10 Disapp of Sri Isvara PuriFri 12 Maha Siva Ratri

© 2010, All articles & photographs copyright of Bhaktivedanta Manor

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www.krishnatemple.comPlease send your news, photos

and comments to Radha Mohan das at:

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Youth full of festive spirit

Manor school graduates (Gurukulis) and other youth entered into the festive spirit by performing a hilarious spoof of the pantomime Cinderella.

Chinnajeeyar SwamiChinna Jeeyar Swami, the head of the Tenkalai division of the Sri Vaishnava sampradaya based in south India, visited Bhaktivedanta Manor during his British tour.

Watford Interfaith Pilgrimage

Radha Mohan das joined members of the Watford Interfaith Association, local faith representatives and the Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill on a pilgrimage across the multicultural town of Watford. The journey included a Synagogue, a Church of England and Catholic Church, a Mosque and a Gurudwara.

Parakeets flock to ManorA small flock of Parakeets has been flying around the trees of Bhaktivedanta Manor and feasting on the winter berries. The tropical birds, which are most commonly found in Africa and Asia, seem to have taken up roost in England. The RSPB estimates almost 5,000 Ringnecked Parakeets are now present in the south east of England.Mystery surrounds how the avian immigrants, the UK’s only naturalised parrots, found themselves here. All kinds of visitors are most welcome to Bhaktivedanta Manor and these beautiful birds are certainly no exception!

A team of volunteers from a variety of backgrounds was assembled to help ISKCON Food for Life director Parasuram das chop vegetables at the Manor. The operation was a key part of an affiliation of campaigners, charities and supporters co-operating to serve lunch to 5,000 members of the public in central London to highlight the problem of food waste, and the many practical ways to solve it.

All the food handed out on the day was made from fresh and nutritious ingredients that otherwise would have been wasted.

The event was organised by food waste campaigner Tristram Stuart, and supporters of

the event included the Mayor of London, the Bishop of London, journalist and campaigner Rosie Boycott, and celebrity chef Thomasina Miers.

The devotees sang Hare Krishna all the way through the serving, despite the heavy snow. Other charities at the event included Save the Children, Action Aid, Crisis, and FairShare.

Feeding of 5000 to highlight food waste

Documents

January 2010 - Hare Krishna Temple1994 and Sivarama Swami is the founder and leader. The devotees of the ecovillage follow the principle of ‘natural living and high thinking’ and