Fifty years ago, a 70-year-old monk travelled from India to the United States in the hope of starting a spiritual revolution.
His name was Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and on July 13, 1966 he incorporated the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), formalising what is widely known as the Hare Krishna movement.
ISKCON now runs 602 temples, 54 schools and 65 farming communities across the globe.
This month, the New Govardhana Hare Krishna community at Eungella, near Murwillumbah in northern New South Wales, hosted about 1,000 visitors to mark the 50th anniversary of ISKCON.
New Govardhana president Ajita Dasa said the milestone proved the Hare Krishnas belonged to a serious religious institution.
«It means the establishment has gone through what most religious organisations have gone through,» he said.
In 1965, a 69 year-old spiritual teacher from India arrives in the West and settles among the hippies of New York’s Lower East Side. From a tiny storefront, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami starts a revolution of consciousness influencing tens of thousands in the US and worldwide. But what happens to his spiritual movement, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), after their charismatic leader’s passing? Will it survive? Will it change? Can an ancient Eastern religious tradition be relevant in the modern 21st century?
A documentary by Karuna Productions. (www.karunaproductions.com)
Ten days into the auspicious month of Kartika we visited Chandra Sarovar, one of the many lakes surrounding Govardhana Hill. It is situated on the long, outer parikrama-marg of Govardhana Hill that extends for over 40 kilometers. It was the pilgrimage route most often taken by Srila Sanatana Goswami 500 years ago. There are many pastimes that take place at Chandra Sarovar, including Krsna’s springtime Rasa Lila dance with the gopis. It was there that the gopis sang their famous Gopi Gita, expressing their deep feelings of separation from the Lord. At Chandra Sarovar one can also take darsan of the samadhi of the famous Vaisnava saint, Sur das.
During Kartika our parikrama party visited Jaipur, deep in the desert of Rajasthan, where we took darshan of Radha Govinda, the worshipable deities of Srila Rupa Goswami. Each morning thousands of citizens run to the temple for arotika and sing praises of the deities for hours. Many return to the temple in the evening as well. Radha Govinda are literally the center of people’s lives in Jaipur. The devotion of the citizens towards the deities is contagious! We also visited the historic deities of Radha Gopinath, Radha Damodar and Radha Vinode. On our final day, we went to Amer Fort on the outskirts of the city. There we had an enthusiastic kirtan for all to see! We look forward to one day again visiting the famous, City Of Victory!
Europe has to be the most beautiful place in the world! From the countless medieval cities, to the jaw dropping landscapes of the Alps, Europe has it all! Ive spent the last few years traveling Europe and I want to show you my favorite places! This video was months in the making and im so excited to finally share it with you! Where is your favorite place in Europe?
Dear devotees: Todays class [ December 8, 2020 ] is entitled, «Shabari Recieves Lord Ramas Mercy.» Well begin with a detailed description of the famous «Pearl» pastimes in Vrindavan and conclude with the touching story of Shabari, an outcaste woman who served her guru with great devotion and later received darshan of Lord Ramacandra on the forest. 3:30 p.m. India time on my YouTube channel.