Sri Sri Radha Govinda Community Newsletteriskconnyc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ISKCON... · 2 Celebrating Diwali at the Brooklyn Borough Hall On October the 22nd, 2019 a grand

CommunityNewsletter

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)Founder Acarya His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

ISKCON New York CitySri Sri Radha Govinda

0004 November 2019

Tapping intothe storehouse

of love ofGod

"How can we show our mercyto everyone? There aremillions and millions of poorpeople, so how can we showthem all mercy? Are we ableto supply clothing and food toall the needy persons of thewolrd? That is not possible.How, then, can we bemerciful to every living entity?By giving them Krsnaconsciousness. That is howPrahlada Maharaj is showinghis class friends real mercy...If you want to show anymercy to living entities, thenenlighten them in Krsnaconsciousness, as PrahladMaharaj did."

--Trancendental teachings ofPrahlad Maharaj

Contents

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This is the official community newsletter ofISKCON New York City, Sri Sri Radha Govinda Temple

Become a contributor!email [email protected]

Be sure to follow us on social media

Diwali at Brooklyn Borough Hall...........................................2Govardhan Puja...................................................................2Srila Prabhupada's Disappearance Day................................3Srila Prabhupada New York November 1965.......................3Tulsi and Saligram wedding.................................................4Thanksgiving dinner..............................................................4HG Vaisesika gives his blessings.........................................5Monthly Sankirtan Festival...................................................6Halloween Harinam!............................................................8Sri Vrindavana Dham...........................................................8HG Malati devi dasi visits....................................................8Sunday Japa Club................................................................9What's cookin' ?....................................................................10Spanish Bhagavad Gita Classes..........................................10New Beginnings...................................................................11Devotee of The Month...........................................................12Alachua Holy Name Festival.................................................1250th celebration at Apollo Hammersmith..............................12

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Celebrating Diwali atthe Brooklyn BoroughHall

On October the 22nd, 2019 agrand Diwali celebration washeld at Brooklyn BoroughHall, which was co-organizedby ISKCON NYC; Sadhana;Coalition of ProgressiveHindus; and the NYCCommission on HumanRights. Hosted by theBrooklyn, Borough President,the event featured speechesby local dignitaries and faithleaders, prayers by Hindupriests, and bhajans/kirtansby youth of ISKCON andUnited Madrassi Association. Councilman Brad Lander, Commissioner Bitta Mostofi, Activist

Ravi Raghbir, were some of the speakers.More than 150 guests, including officials from many local andstate government agencies participated in the event.A sumptuous vegetarian meal was prepared by ISKCON anddistributed freely to all participants.

Our community came together to offer their hearts and culinary talents to our beloved Giriraj!A record number of preparations were made, including doughnuts from the doughnut plant, acake made by Sunita and so many other delicious delights. Our Govardhan Hill was expertlymade by Jaya Radhe devi dasi and her team; Antaryami das, Manjulali dasi and Bhaktin Yanadecorated the hill, whilst Premedhana das and Ganesh created the base, and surround.

A new dress skillfully madeand sponsored by AntarangaMataji, was presented to ourdeities. This festivalcelebrates the diversity ofKrsna and His devotees, andthe symbiotic nature ofGovardhan that brings allGod's children together underone roof, and what better waythan to celebrate than with amountain of maha prasadam!

Govardhan Puja

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The day that followsGovardhan Puja is always aday of mixed emotions, aswe simultaneously celebrateand commemorate the lifeof Srila Prabhupada. It is aday where by lookingtowards the past we canbecome surcharged to pushthis movement into thefuture; by hearing theofferings and accounts ofthe senior devotees,what inspired them and touched their hearts, we become evermoretouched by Srila Prabhupada's magnanimous mercy and feel theheartfelt desire to spread Krishna Consciousness. A day that bringseveryone together, this year was no less.Parvati mataji, a sweet devotee who we had not seen for someyears, lovingly sponsored and made an outfit for the deities.

Srila Prabhupada'sdisappearance day

After a brief stay inPennsylvania SrilaPrabhupada arrived in NewYork for a short while sharingliving quarters with Dr Misrahe then stayed at 100 WestSeventy-second Street 8th,This place had no washroomor kitchen facility so each dayhe would travel to Dr Misra'syoga studio to wash and cook.

Srila Prabhupada in New York November 1965

At this time, November 8th,Srila Prabhupada began towrite correspondence to hisGodbrother Tirtha Maharaj,asking for financial assistanceto purchase a building in thearea. Srila Prabhupada feltthat his preaching would be farmore effective if there was a

building to base it from, aplace to meet. Even though DrMisra and Srila Prabhupadaboth came from differentschools of thought, the twowere kind to one another andgot along amicably, Dr Misraparticulary enjoyed and lovedSrila Prabhupada's cooking.However, of course, staying inthe company of Dr Misra, aMayavadi philospher, and hisstudents was less than idealfor Srila Prabhupada, as hewas not able to preach themessage of KrishnaConsciousness effectively.After some weeks SrilaPrabhupada received newsfrom his Godbrother, andfound it unfavorable, therewas no offer of support.However on November 23rdSrila Prabhupada wrote himback,“It is not very encouraging.Still, I am not a man to be todisappointed.”

At this time he only had a fewmore weeks on his visa andplanned to return home, backto India, however, despite this,and despite the growing coldweather of the West, SrilaPrabhupada was determinedto carry out the order of hisSpiritual Master, and toestablish the preaching ofKrsna Consciousness in theWestern world. He continuedwritting letters asking forassistance in his mission,hoping that the devotees ofKrsna could somehow cometogether in support ofspreading KrsnaConsciousness around theworld.Less than one year later, SrilaPrabhupada incorporatedISKCON, to contemplate howthis could be achieved, by anelderly man with noassistance from colleagues,is impossible.

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Tulsi and Saligramwedding

The full moon marks the endof Kartik month, andcelebrates the marriage ofTulsi devi and Saligram.A stunning new dress (alsosee front cover) was madeand sponsored by Antarangadevi dasi.As this month of increasedmercy drew to a closedevotees recharged anddeepened themselves,gearing up for the next month,the month of giving out themercy!

A delicious feast on November 28th, Thanksgiving, wasbeautifully prepared; brown basmati with beans; mashedpotatoes; stir-fried brussel-sprouts; macaroni cheese; samosa;fried paneer slices; salad; sweet potato; pakoras; cranberrychutney; and rasgulla.Members of the community sat side by side with regulars fromGovinda's, enjoying each others company and good food.

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Thanksgiving dinner

MonthlySankirtanFestival

Pow! A Hare Krishnaexplosion!

In a combined effort thevarious devotees of New Yorkcame together, November23rd, to kick start this yearsChristmas Marathon. And thismonth HG Ramesvara Prabhujoined us leading aninspirational class, followed bytips and lessons by Divyangidevi dasi. Every month has anew flavour, and this timeseveral diciples of HHKadamba Kanana Swamicame from Europe to join us,

HG Vaisesika Prabhu gives his heartfelt blessings

"You have contiuned to build the Monthly Sankirtan Festival andnow more and more books are going out...May all of you be empowered to do more and more books, tomeet the nicest people and to pour the most mercy into theirhearts possible." click above to watch it all.

as well as the wonderfulBhaktin Emily, from closer tohome Tulsa, who sanguplifting Harinam Sankirtanthroughout. Devotees wentout to local areas andsubways warming the heartsof all they met. 5

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That same day two youngdevotees went out with theirfather, acompanying theHarinam Yuga Dharmaashram in the New Yorksubways, to join in the mercyof Lord Caitanya!Meanwhile the BengaliNamahatta held a beautiful

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event, complete with gorgeousdecorations, MahagopiRadhika devi dasi's stunningdeities, distribution of BengaliSrimad Bhagavatam, asumptuous feast and a talk byour Temple PresidentHansarupa Prabhu.At the end of the day a grandtotal of65 maha6 big20 medium16 smalltotalling 107 books!

New York Christmasbook marathon begins!Its the most wonderful time ofthe year! The opportunity isonce again upon us to join inthe fun and be a part of thefamily business!Our goals:1008 Maha and big books1508 Medium and smallbooksThere are so many ways toparticipate from going out withour book distribution team; tosponsoring books; to bakingprasadam cookies fordistribution; cooking feasts forthe team; and coveringservices to allow otherdevotees to go out.There are just so many waysto involve!For more information see thefront desk.

"A very sincere lady, Isabella,said that Bhagavad Gitachanged her life and washappy to take more books andgive an extra donation"

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Devotees, around the world have a reputation for identifyingpopular events and bringing Lord Caitanya's Sankirtan along forthe party, and Halloween is no exception!Halloween has its roots in an ancient culture long since timeforgotten, a festival which celebrated the light of Summersubmitting to the darkness of Winter, reincarnation and rebirth.In today's modern culture it is festival widely enjoyed by thosewho wish to take a step a way from the day to day, become asuperhero, or to divulge in some demoniac nature, and nobetter time for the devotees to spread the Harinam yugadharma! Enlightening all who are looking for what lies beyondthe confines of day to day reality.The Harinam party started at Canal Street and 6th Avenue andwent down 6th Avenue, endding around Washington Park areaand the Northern Part of Greenwich Village.

Halloween Harinam!

Kartik is a month that hasmany of us looking towardsSri Vrindavan Dham, the landof Sri Krsna.October saw our TemplePresident give SrimadBhagavatam class at ourISKCON Vrindavan KrsnaBalaram Temple.

Whilst later in Kartik monthHH Radhanath Swami,HH Jayadvaita Swami, andHG Vaisesika prabhugathered for association andBhagavatam katha atGovardhan Palace.Sri Vrindavan dham is a placewe can recharge and connectwith Srila Prabhupada'smission, meditating on thesteps that he took, travellingfrom Vrindavan to New Yorkwith very little, all those yearsago, and now just look atwhere we are today, amazing.

HG Malati devi dasivisits NYC

In the second week ofNovember HG Malati devi dasistayed with us for a few days,residing in the ladies ashram.During this time we were giftedwith her association andpresence throughout thetemple programs.

Malati’s warm and practicalpresence mixed with storiesof His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta SwamiPrabhupada and the earlydays in ISKCON provided aspiritual, motherly atmosphereand a sense of familialrelationships amongstdevotees.We encourage all seniordevotees to visit and giveassociation, thereby passingonto the next generation,devotional traditions;understandings and skills.

Jai Sri VrindavanaDham!

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radhagovindagifts_nyc

Sunday Japa Club

Many of us have heard thatSrila Prabhupada would oftenuse the example from Aesop'sFables of the father of manychildren with the bundle ofsticks. “When the father askedhis children to break thebundle of sticks wrapped inthe a bag, none of them coulddo it. But, when they removedthe sticks from the bag, andtried one by one, the stickswere easily broken. So this isstrength in unity. If we arebunched up, we can never bebroken, but when divided, thenwe can become broken veryeasily.” Srila Prabhupada

letter to Kirtananda MaharajBombay October 18th 1973.The Sunday Japa club wasformed in this spirit, offering aspace for practioners youngand old to deepen theirpractice.

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What's cookin' atRadha Govinda?

Bhagavad Gita;Clases en español

New York City has an extraordinarily diverese population. It is one of the few cities in the countryin which four different racial/ethnic groups each make up at least 10 percent of the population.Around 26 percent of the cities residents are Hispanic, and this is reflected within the membersof our community. Many of our Spanish speaking devotees speak varrying levels of English, sothere was a need to facilitate their needs for both philosophical and cultural exchange. The firstclass, lead by Citta Hari das, was a great success with members coming together from acrossthe community. “As we move forward, we plan to add more classes in different languages.”Says Bhakta Blake, one of our resident event organizers.

Srila Prabhupada would oftensay that ours is a kitchenreligion, and he himself was anexpert cook. A Vaishnavashould be skilled in manythings and cooking is definitelyup there as one of thetopmost, for what other servicecan at once make so manydevotees and guests a like atonce so happy and share good

association with one another?Sukanti Gaurangi has beenwith us for just three months,and already she has showngreat talents and ability inmany things, includinglaunching our first cookeryclasses! Participants camealong for an evening ofculinary exploration andtuition, learning how to cookwith devotion and finally offerthe dish to the Lord.

And that's not all, asoughdough bread makingworkshop took place offeringcommunity members thechance to learn a new skill, aswell as provide goodwholesome bread prasadamfor all!Delicious!

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BE A PART OF GITAJAYANTI!

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New beginnings...

THE COMMUNITYNEWSLETTER OF ISKCONNEW YORK CITY

DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATION:Hansarupa das

CONTRIBUTORS:Caitanyanda das, Citta Haridas, Bhakta Blake, Jaya Radhedevi dasi, Bhaktin Yana,Divyangi devi dasi, SukantiGaurangi devi dasi, BhaktinBrooke, Aditya devi dasi.

Do you have a story you wouldlike to see in our nextnewsletter?email: [email protected]

Devotee of the month

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One year ago two very special devotees embarked on the hugetask initiating the big clear up, sorting through and getting rid ofseveral years of debris.Mahaprabhu das and Naam Sankirtan das, served back in 55thStreet, and amongst many services, cleaning and maintenancewas one, at that time their Bhakta leader was Hansarupa das,so when the two heard that Hansarupa prabhu was TemplePresident the pair excitedly rushed to the temple to help.Their initial help created a domino effect and many subsequentothers felt inspired to join in, a maha cleaning day wasannounced, and many devotees came from all over.We thank them for their inspirational efforts!

For the team behind Festival of the Holy Name, it’s suchservice that has transformed their lives.“A lot of us already had friendships, but doing this servicetogether made them even stronger,” says Govinda. “And it saysa lot that although it’s exhausting work, everyone on the teamkeeps wanting to do it, even after ten years.”Festival participants of all backgrounds also feel inspired by thefestival. “Every year, we get feedback that it’s a lot of people’shighlight of the entire year,” Govinda says. “Many gurukulis andother devotees, old and young, have found their bliss in comingtogether with their family, their community, their tribe, andchanting together. Even the kids talk about it constantly – it’s abig deal for them. So the festival has been spirituallytransformational for many.”Govinda hopes Festival of the Holy Name’s success will inspireothers around the world to make similar efforts.“Find a team, and find something you can do together thatserves your community,” he says.

Festival of the Holy Name Alachua to Hold TenDays of Kirtan for Tenth Anniversary

Krishna Spectacular inLondon Attracts 3,000PeopleOn November 24th, the UKISKCON devotees celebratedtheir 50th Anniversary ingrandeur at the famous ApolloTheater in downtown London.The show brought togetherperforming arts from East andWest, theatrical acrobatics,live music and sacred song,immersive mantra choirexperience, award-winningdance and incredible 3Dvisuals.