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Sri Vyasa Puja 2017
Hare Krsna,
Offerings to Srila Prabhupada written by devotees within the African continent can now be viewed online by following this link: Vyasa Puja Book 2017
Let us always keep the instructions of His Divine Grace at the forefront of our spiritual lives. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
The Astounding Bhagavad Gita
The “Astounding Bhagavad-Gītā”
South African visit by His Grace Madhusevita Dāsa (BBT Trustee, GBC, Initiating Guru)
The highly esteemed Madhusevita Dāsa (Italy) has embarked on publishing the world’s largest format sacred text, the Bhagavad-Gītā as it is. As a dedication to our beloved Śrīla Prabhupāda, a team of the most qualified experts are currently working on the artistic rendering, engineering, graphics and maintenance of the “astounding” 2.8m x 2.00m Bhagavad-Gītā!
Madhusevita Dāsa will be visiting South Africa from 26 February 2017 – 9 March 2017 providing us all with an opportunity to engage in this offering to Śrīla Prabhupāda. Once published, this book will be a landmark in the history of Vaisnavism in general and of ISKCON in particular.
Visit www.astoundingbhagavadgita.com for more infomation.
World Enlightenment Day
Dear highly esteemed devotees,
Please accept my heartfelt obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Saturday, December 17 is World Enlightenment Day (WED). Historically, on this day, all over the world, devotees go out to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. Everyone is invited to do his or her level best on this day. Each person’s effort is important, however humble it may seem at the time; because, a lot of devotees each doing a little, is powerful. Each individual contribution adds up fast.
Prepare ahead of time by getting your BBT books ready to distribute on this day. Leaders can inform their communities and make facility so that everyone can go out in their local areas for this event.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.2.37, Srila Prabhupada writes:
The word kriyasu, meaning “by manual labor” or “by work,” is important in this verse. One should engage in practical service to the Lord. In our Krsna consciousness movement, all our activities are concentrated upon distributing Krsna literature. This is very important. One may approach any person and induce him to read Krsna literature so that in the future he also may become a devotee. Such activities are recommended in this verse.
Kriyasu yas tvac-carnaravindayoh.
Such activities will always remind the devotees of the Lord’s lotus feet. By fully concentrating on distributing books for Krsna, one is fully absorbed in Krsna. This is samadhi.
Those who go out to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books not only feel directly connected to Krsna and the great Acaryas, but, while doing so, they also bestow the greatest benefit upon the people they meet.
Presently, the people in the world are confused and worried about the future. They are distinctly feeling the “pinprick” that Srila Prabhupada speaks of in his preface to Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srila Prabhupada’s books not only offer such people real solace; they also show them practically how to help themselves and others.
As this year is the 50 th anniversary of the founding of ISKCON, this year’s Srila Prabhupada book distribution marathon and World Enlightenment Day are also particularly important.
Please participate and bring as many devotees along with you as possible!
Thank you very much!
Your servant,
Vaisesika Dasa
National Sankirtan Festival Report
Submitted by Vibhu Caitanya Das
Dear Devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to the Sankirtan Mission of Lord Caitanya.
I am pleased to announce that the first National Sankirtan Festival, held on Saturday, 11 June at the Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple was a success.Over 200 Devotees attended the festival, which was facilitated by His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu.
Vaisesika Prabhu transformed the way we approach book distribution and our personal devotional practice. I am sharing all the resources we have gathered from his presentation for your use and also to share with your communities. I encourage you all to read his book “Our Family Business” and use the Monthly Sankirtan Festival to help every devotee achieve their 50 book quota for ISKCON 50th Anniversary.
I trust this finds you well.
Your servant,
Vibhu Caitanya Das
Please find the links to the audio recording of the seminar:
Please find the links to the power point presentations (PDF files) of the seminar:
Below is a synopsis, done by Rukmini Devi Dasi, of what was covered at the seminar:
Vyasa Puja Offerings 2016
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Book Distribution – HG Vaisesika Prabhu
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National Sankirtana Festival
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Jayadvaita Maharaja – Acceptance Speech
The following is the acceptance talk that Jayadvaita Maharaja wrote for Vanity Karma being awarded the 2016 Benjamin Franklin Gold Award, by the Independent Book Publishers Association…
“I am grateful that my book has received this distinguished award. But I can’t claim the credit for it. The credit belongs not to me but to the sages whose wisdom the book brings together in dialogue.
The biblical book of Ecclesiastes asks in the clearest terms what the point of our life is and for what it is that we work so hard, day after day, in our lives under the sun.
And the Bhagavad-gita, the jewel of India’s ancient texts of wisdom, examines these questions with the understanding that each of us, though struggling in a world of birth and death, is a spiritual spark of consciousness, immortal and imperishable.
From the Gita we learn how our karma — what we do in our lives, and what comes back to us as a result — can be not for vanity — for nothing — but for the perfection of spiritual realization. And we learn how, under the sun, such realization gives meaning to our lives.
The Gita’s divine speaker, Sri Krishna, says, “This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.”
So I owe the credit for this book, Vanity Karma, to the sages who have given us the wisdom of Ecclesiastes and the wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita, and most especially to my spiritual teacher, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Acknowledging where the credit rightfully belongs, I gratefully accept this award.”
African Authors Project
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