a story of dairy farming - hare krishna · pdf filethe bhakti sastri course, which studies key...

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

Srila Prabhupada:

Vedic education means taking care of the soul. Presently the soul is encaged, embodied, entangled in material affairs. The soul is suffering, and it is to our benefit to rescue him from these material clutches. This is real education… the soul does not belong to the material world. This means that the soul is above material action and reaction. In the material world even iron and stone can be melted, but the laws of material nature do not apply to the spirit soul.

Teaching of Lord Kapila 13.28 purport

Diwali Celebrated at 10 Downing StPrime Minister Gordon Brown celebrated Diwali by lighting the ceremonial lamp at 10 Downing Street amid chanting of Vedic prayers for world peace, thus becoming the first British Prime Minister to personally host the occasion.

In keeping with the spirit of Diwali, all the celebrants were presented at the end with the delicacies which had formed a part of the Annakut.

During the event Vinay Tanna, Bhaktivedanta Manor’s Head of Communications, presented Gordon Brown with a copy of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is.

Ranchor Prime and rock star Chrissie Hynde were joined by manor oxen at the launch of a new book on dairy farming. Written by Ranchor das, and containing 32 pages of colour photos, the book has received national media attention since its launch at the Southbank Centre in London.Cows and the Earth looks at the implications of cattle exploitation in terms of carbon emissions, food scarcity, water shortages and animal suffering, and proposes a radical rethink of the relationship between humans and the non-human world. Ranchor has worked with environmental issues for twenty years. In 1992 he published Hinduism and Ecology, still the standard text on the subject.

A Story of Dairy Farming

Oxen Sukadeva and Sahadeva join Syamasundara das, Chrissie Hynde and Ranchor das for the launch

Cows and the Earth is the first in a series of publications from Fitzrovia Press. The book is available at Bhaktivedanta Manor as a paperback, and the hardback edition is available in high street bookshops. The book is also available to order through local bookshops.For more information visit: http://www.fitzroviapress.com

Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter November 2009

Between 1980-1984 the magnificent Croome Court was owned by ISKCON and, at the invitation of the National Trust, devotees chanted as part of the Court’s official opening to the public.

“I was honoured to be representing that period in Croome Court’s history,” explained Sri Pati das who has fond memories of that time.

“It was an expansive time of ISKCON and even though we did not stay there long, many of the activities that started there have proved important in the long term.

“For example, the introductory training programs, publishing ventures, a television studio and a school. Local villagers remembered we had a lama and an ox cart. and others recalled playing with the devotee children.”

Manor School Bonding with local schoolsManor School children performed the Ramayan to an audience of over 250 at local Fairfield Junior School in Radlett. They also explained the meaning of Diwali which was enjoyed by both students and staff. Children’s Govardhana Puja

The children of the Manor School and Pre-school along with their parents had a special Govardhan Puja festival. The children made a traditional image of Krishna in the shape of a stone from Mount Govardhana (called Giriraj) . Then they cooked, made decorations including rangoli and leaf garlands, and performed dance and drama. Over fifty one food preparations were made which were carefully crafted by the children.Respecting other faiths

Years 4 and 5 Manor School children learned about the Islamic faith as part of their Religious Education studies. Their guest spoke about the beliefs and practices of true Muslims and answered students' questions. Students were impressed by how strictly she was following her fast during Ramadan and by the fact that she is a vegetarian.

A life dedicated to their Lordships' serviceOn the first Ekadasi (fasting day) of the sacred month of Kartik, senior devotee Siddharupa dasi passed away with the Lord’s name on her lips. She came to ISKCON in 1972 and after the deities were installed at Bhaktivedanta Manor, she cooked for them for 24 years.Siddharupa dasi was very dear to many devotees in the community.“Her whole life was for Krishna,” explained her daughter Chudamani dasi, “She always wanted to serve, even when she was sick she was cooking and worshiping her deity at home”.

Welcoming back the Court’s glory days

The joy of studying the ‘Song of God’The Bhakti Sastri course, which studies key scriptures, has begun its fourth year running at the Manor. The course starts every September and takes place on Sunday mornings over a 13 month period.“It is a very exciting and moving experience to be able to study and share the timeless words of Lord Sri Krishna,” explained teacher Jiva Doya das, referring to the Bhagavad-gita. “The books we study are so profound. For me as a teacher it is a very relish able experience to see how the students’ knowledge and faith in the books grows. And with their faith increasing, their ability to put the philosophy into practice also increases. That is the real goal of the course – not to just study the books but to live them.”

Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter November 2009 D u s s h e r a The Burn ing o f Ravana

Dusshera marks the triumph of Lord Rama over the demoniac king Ravana and the rescue of his wife Sita. Dusshera literally means the tenth day. It marks the end of the nine day period of Ashwin also known as Navratri.Kamal das and team worked tirelessly to produce one of the most fearsome looking Ravana's ever. The ten heads represent the undesirable qualities in our hearts such as lust, anger, greed and envy. After an excellent performance of the Ramayan in the field, the huge effigy was lit.As it burned, devotees prayed to Lord Rama in order that their bad qualities would be burnt away in the fire of devotion. The level of enthusiasm and energy amongst the spectators at that very moment was incredible to observe.

On Sunday 4th October over 30,000 revellers descended on Trafalgar Square for the London Diwali festival. This year’s Diwali in London Committee was chaired by Bhaktivedanta Manor Patrons’ Council member Sanjay Gadhvi. The opening ceremony was conducted by the Deputy Mayor for London, Mr Richard Barnes, Sanjay Gadhvi and India’s well-known yoga instructor Swami Ramdev. Speaking on behalf of ISKCON, Rameshwar das urged the bustling crowd to “chant and be happy!”In the August newsletter we reported how the congregational

chanting of Hare Krishna reverberated in Trafalgar Square as devotees blissfully celebrated the Rathayatra festival there. As a finale to the Diwali festival, Jayadeva das and his choir took to the main stage and had the whole of the Square chanting

along to the Hare Krishna mantra. Lord Nelson was blessed yet again! 1,200 prasadam sweets were distributed and ISKCON’s Radha Krishna Temple ran a book store.

left: Swami Ramdev, Deputy Mayor Richard Barnes and Patron Council member Sanjay Gadhvi conduct the opening ceremony; right: Jayadeva das and choir lead kirtan

Chanting returns to the Square


Diwali Harinama procession in Brent

Once again Bhaktivedanta Manor brought a unique touch of energy and colour to the Diwali parade on Ealing Road in the London borough of Brent. As in previous years, devotees led the huge procession which attracted an estimated 10,000 people, with a bullock-cart, a float depicting Lord Rama’s forest dwelling, lively kirtan and splendid costumes.

“It was nice to see so many different communities coming together for such a vibrant and happy festival,” said Bhakta Kamal, chief organiser behind the Manor’s contribution.

For the eighth year running the Hindu Forum of Britain hosted Diwali at the House of Commons. All parliamentary parties were invited to meet leaders from the community, religious, commercial, artistic and academic sectors.

During his address, referring to the ISKCON temple in Soho Street, Mark Field MP declared “As Member of Parliament for Westminster, I am proud to say that there is an exquisitely beautiful temple in my constituency. It also has the best vegetarian restaurant in the country!”

John Bercow MP, the Speaker of the House of Commons, was delighted to meet Sruti Dharma das and Bhasker Rughani during his first attendance of Diwali at the Commons (pictured above).

Diwali in Parliament

&

Mark Field MP with Bhasker Rughaniand Alpesh Patel


The weekend of Diwali is one of the busiest times of year for Bhaktivedanta Manor and this year was certainly no exception. A record number of nearly 30,000 guests came to Bhaktivedanta Manor to take darshan of Lord Rama.Age-old culture of India teaches us to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity with the light of knowledge. Diwali and the Hindu New Year are enthusiastically enjoyed by people of every religion. Its magical and radiant touch creates an atmosphere of joy and festivity. Celebrations included a magnificent range of pure vegetarian preparations offered to Lord Krishna during the annakuta festival. Govardhan Puja was performed on the day, and the cows were worshipped in a special ceremony. Through these festivities, devotees sought to re-create in a small way the corresponding events over 5,000 years ago in Vrindavan.As the day turned to night, excitement continued to mount as visitors enjoyed a very special display of hundreds of lanterns released by various community leaders and festival participants into the sky. An impressive firework display rounded off the evening.

“I was greatly honoured to be allowed to help release one of the Chinese lanterns with a message of peace that we can all subscribe to, no matter what our religion and I greatly enjoyed watching the firework display which was truly spectacular.”

Lewis Osbourne (Radlett United Synagogue)&


There are almost 2.5 million people unemployed in the UK. Those at least are the official figures. Over 7% of the workforce. It’s become a job in itself just looking for a job. Even the most qualified find it hard with one in ten graduates still failing to find a job a full year after graduating.Economists and politicians will point to a host of possible causes, but Srila Prabhupada suggested that one main reason for labour not working might be our ‘labour saving’ technologies. “You have created a machine that can do the work of fifty men and now those fifty men are unemployed. Is this progress?”Well, that’s how most of us see it. I guess it depends upon your paradigm. If you believe life to be about bodily enjoyment then you will likely view work as a bit of a problem. You want to free up time to relax and do things you enjoy, which is not usually work. Then there is the all important profit motive. Machines tend to be cheaper than men. And so it is that a great welter of machinery has come into being, along with an equally huge mass of idle persons.But has it made us happier? This is surely the critical question. For those in the dole queues the answer is not likely to be yes, but it is not only the direct misery of the workless that is problematic; there is also the question of how to support them. It certainly doesn’t make for easy economics. Still more social issues arise from the old idiom that an ‘idle mind is the devil’s playground’. With increasing numbers of unengaged and bored young persons hanging around on our streets, trouble is sure to follow. The Vedic paradigm works on the assumption that human life has a higher spiritual purpose; that we are meant for self realisation. Actual happiness comes from inner contact with the spiritual, rather than from external sense pleasure. With such a paradigm there is far less need to advance technology in order to increase material comfort. Those who are happy within are less concerned with their worldly situation. Srila Prabhupada called this ‘simple living and high thinking.’The simple life of Vedic society means one closer to the land; an agrarian lifestyle

where people grow their own food within local economies. We can easily produce all we require in this way. The basic requirements of the body are analysed as eating, sleeping, mating and security, and these can be had without excessive work. Prabhupada would often point out that the animals have no industry and technology but still they obtain all the same necessities as us simply by nature’s arrangement.But we have moved right away from this kind of simple agrarian life. Local economies are being swallowed in the engulfing tide of globalisation. Great corporations and conglomerates are producing all our necessities, as well as countless not so necessaries, and all we can do is try to get a job with them to get the money to buy that stuff. We find ourselves at their mercy in so many ways, dependent on fragile infrastructures and supply chains, along with volatile market forces controlled by cash hungry investors.All this so called progress over the centuries has been driven by a desire to improve our material sense pleasure. It has been the march of ‘civilisation’ which Prabhupada dismissed as “sophisticated animal life”. Virtually all human endeavour now is about advancing material facilities. The idea that life is meant for self and God realisation is all but gone, along with the experience of spiritual happiness, far superior to any

worldly joy. But only when we discover this spiritual pleasure can we reverse the materialistic trend that appears headed for disaster.And it surely does seem that disaster looms. Unemployment is just one of many looming social problems. Family breakdown, addiction, mental health and poverty are all major areas of concern now. There is a growing crisis on our streets. The chairman of the Centre for Social Justice, Iain Duncan-Smith said, “We are working in communities without hope. It is not that they have even known hope and had it taken away. Rather, the people in the communities you work with are quite literally without hope: they are hopeless.”Prabhupada once said that in modern society we first of all put ourselves into anxiety and then we struggle to get out of it. “That is your heroism”, he said. In a properly functioning Vedic society everyone works according to their nature, doing what they enjoy and can do well. There is no jostling for promotion and ever increasing salaries. People are satisfied due to their spiritual practise. A house built upon rock rather than sand, as Jesus Christ advised a long time ago.It is a simple formula. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, “Worship me and work for my pleasure. Thus you will be happy in this life and the next.” It is time we put it to the test.

P R O G R E S S I V E R E G R E S S I O N by Krishna Dharma das


Sanjay GohilAge: 17Studying: Studying A-levels

What did you find appealing about KC?

About 11 months ago I heard about East London Jammin. It sounded interesting and different and so I decided to check what it’s all about. I found the talks and the association to be very appealing and inspiring. I’ve been going to IPS events ever since.

What made you start attending IPS events?

�� appealed to me as well as the association of the devotees. To add to that, I found that the philosophy of KC made sense and I could notice the changes in me as I took up the process.

What services are you currently involved in?I am part of the East London Jammin team ��well as just helping out here and there.

Interesting fact about yourselfI used to get involved in a lot of art competitions when I was in school and once achieved the ‘Artist of the Year’ award in my high school. I also managed to get myself on TV through my participation in various different skits at school.

Being a ‘fresher’ at university is an unforgettable experience. It is a time to step out into a new world, a chance to grow educationally, socially and emotionally, form opinions and principles and see the world with new eyes. ‘Freshers fayres’ aim to epitomise this mood; from tai chi to toga parties – there’s room for everyone! Taking this spirit to heart, the ISKCON Pandava Sena (IPS) Krishna Consciousness Society (KC Soc) team have been having fun and offering students the chance to experience ’a life less ordinary’ the ‘Krishna’ way! The 2009-2010 project kicked-off in late August with a exciting workshop at Bhaktivedanta Manor for everyone who wished to be a part of a university KC Socs. Presenters, society presidents and volunteers all got together (over 50 of them!!) to plan the revolution…as well as to have some of the yummy pizza lunch!Next up: Freshers!! Armed with eye-catching banners, mantra kits, delicious cakes, matching T-shirts, pamphlets, books, incense sticks, face- �� appearance by His Grace Pankajangiri Prabhu in Birmingham!) the university spiritual warriors cooked up a real storm. A number of enthusiastic university students formed ‘The A-Team’ and attended most of the London based university ‘freshers’. Their presence caused a real stir… raised pulses and enthused everyone involved including those they came into contact with.In what has been one of our best starts ever, we have held our own alongside (and made friends with) hundreds of cultural, political, religious and social groups in 20 universities nationwide. With hundreds of paid members, thousands of contacts - each university has made between 100and 300 student contacts and now have an average

attendance rate of 25 students per session. There are WEEKLY: Yoga classes,

interactive workshops, debates, vegetarian cooking lessons and mantra meditation classes to name but a few of the activities that KC Socs are actively conducting in a campus NEAR YOU!Every Wednesday, there is ‘Oasis in the City’ at our London Radha Krishna temple, a session organised for students to come together and dive into a sacred space. More than 30 students �� "�� #��Guide’ – the evening included an interactive self development workshop, soul stirring kirtan (spiritual music) and delicious prasadam ��$%University affords a chance like no other to shape minds, build character and transform the heart. Being a part of a university KC Soc is a chance to give people Krishna, the source of all that is beautiful in a personal, creative and dynamic way. It is a chance to watch someone’s life change in front of your eyes. Whether you are into rigorous philosophical debate, discussion about the deeper aspects of life, or even if you want to chill out with people that think about life, this is the place to be! Coupled with a friendly bunch of hosts and presenters, KC Socs gives you access to the ancient teachings of spiritual India and allow you to understand how they relate to contemporary life.So please join us for a year which is not to be missed. Check us out on www.krishnasoc.com or email Sandipan Krsna Dasa at [email protected]. See you soon!A university near YOU: Aston, Birmingham, Brunel, Cambridge, Cardiff, City, Coventry, DMU, Hertfordshire, Imperial, Kings, Leicester, LSE, Portsmouth, QMUL, SOAS, Southampton, Swansea, UCL, Warwick…with more planned.

Jammin is a fortnightly youth event organised and facilitated by IPS

jamminjamminjammin jamminjamminjammin

jammin

06/11 - East - Me, myself and Facebook07/11 - Crawley - How big is your but?13/11 - Harrow - The ugly truth20/11 - East - Flash forward – what would you if you knew your future04/12 - East - Now I see it, now I don’t05/12 - Crawley - Sex, drugs and soul18/12 - East - Christmas bash

Forthcoming Jammins:

For more details see wwww.psena.comSubject to change

�� KC SOCS:


Calendar DatesNovember 2009

Sun 1st Disapp of Sri Bhugarba Goswami &Sri Kasisvara Pandit

Mon 2nd Sri Krishna RasayatraKartik ends

Thur 12th Utpanna EkadasiSat 14th Disapp of Sri Saranaga ThakuraSat 28th Moksada Ekadasi

December 2009Sat 5th Disapp of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta

Saraswati ThakuraSat 12th Saphala EkadasiSat 19th Disapp of Srila Jiva GoswamiMon 28th Putrada Ekadasi

© 2009, All articles & photographs copyright of Bhaktivedanta Manor

Bhaktivedanta ManorDharam Marg · Hilfield Lane

Aldenham · HertsWD25 8EZ

(for sat-nav only, please use postcode WD25 8DT)

01923 851000

www.krishnatemple.comPlease send your news, photos

and comments to Radha Mohan das at:

[email protected]

Forty devotees gathered in the historical town of Windsor to hold the first ever Rathayatra chariot festival there. Many passers-by stopped to marvel at the beauty of the mini-Ratha cart, along with the accompanying chanting and dancing. Prasadam (sanctified vegetarian food),

books and mantra meditation kits were also well received by the locals. At the end of the day, the devotees were treated to a feast prepared by the local congregational group. The Windsor festival is one in a series of events held in and around the London area.

Weekend Warriors make history in Windsor

Hare Krishna Driving School

Notting Hill CarnivalDevotees gathered from across London to add a spiritual ingredient to the famous Notting Hill Carnival, the largest festival of its kind in Europe. An estimated one million revellers participated in the event!

Krishna Balaram das launches a bold new operation - the Hare Krishna Driving School!

On 28th September, Sri Sri Krishna-Balaram were welcomed to the Krishna Avanti Primary School in an installation ceremony conducted by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami and Pankajangari das. The centre courtyard features a beautiful temple made from carved white

Makrana marble. It acts as a spiritual heart-beat for the School. Along with learning the National Curriculum the children attend religious ceremonies and prepare, cook and sanctify some of their food.On the 10th of October, Open Day guests learned that the new building is equipped with a range of environmentally friendly technologies, and eco-values will permeate school life.Water is warmed by pumping it 70 meters below ground level, achieving 70% savings in heating bills. Each classroom has a small garden that children will look after.

The school also has adventure playgrounds, an amphitheatre, and a football pitch made of astroturf. The first term at the new premises began on 8th September 2009. The school is a Voluntary-Aided project launched by the I-Foundation in conjunction with the DCSF and Harrow Council. ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor is the official Faith Partner.

h b i i i h k bl i i l

Consecration of the Deities at Krishna-Avanti Primary School

a story of dairy farming - hare krishna · pdf filethe bhakti sastri course, which studies key...

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