Odana Sasti darsan of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava in Mayapur, 2009

Odana Sasti is the first day of winter. Sri Sri Radha-Madhava & asta-sakhis were dressed in Manipuri outfit, made in the memory of Bhakti Swarup Damodara Goswami.

To see photos taken in 2009 click this line

Srila Prabhupada Disapearance Day, Mayapur, 2009

Devotees observing Srila Prabhupada's disapearance night in Samadhi Mandir - aroti & offering lamps:



Kolkata - Srila Prabhupada's birth place. Sankarsan Prabhu, physical family member of Srila Prabhupada, talks about importance to preserve places of Prabhupada's early life.



Poem Srila Prabhupada wrote to glorify His Spiritual Master, Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati Thakur - reading by RajendranandanaPrabhu:



Devotees assembled in Srila Prabhupada Samadhi, ISKCON Mayapur, to celebrate His Divine Grace's disapearance day. Devotees singing Samsara song - prayers to spiritual master.



Hare Krishna kirtan on Srila Prabhupada Disapearance Day in Samadhi Mandir:

Govardhan Puja in Mayapur

Divali lamps offering at Damodara aroti

There nearly 4000 devotees came with him to Mayapur, with so many people lamps offering in the temple is spectacular expirience.

Radhanatha Swami is leading Damodara prayers.

ISKCON Mayapur Goshala - cow's recovery from foot-&-mouth disease

They just have recovered from very dangerous foot-&-mouth disease. Many have died, however, many of the main milking heard cows have survived. Milk is little less now, but the cows are still offering their milk to Radha-Madhava and devotees here, hopefully they will continue to get well.

Radhapati, the old padayatra bull, have expired 3 days ago and was put in Samadhi behind Gosala. He was pulling cart with Gaura-Nitai deities in whole India Padayatra for years, then retired in Mayapur Gosala and have now gone back to Godhead.

A new little cow was born, the calf is very small and prematurely born from recovered from the disease mother. The baby cow appears to be healthy and running on her own feet now.

Srila Prabhupada's Trees

by Giriraj Swami

Srila Prabhupada had to struggle very hard to build the Juhu temple. The first struggle was to get the land, the next struggle was to get the permission to build the temple, and the last struggle was to actually build the temple and install the Deities. And we had worked very hard to get the permission, but Indian permits often include many conditions. So although they give permission, the permission is not actually valid until one fulfills the conditions.

One of the conditions was that we had to have an internal access road of a certain width. And it just so happened that right where the access road was supposed to go, there were some palm trees. Once, when Srila Prabhupada came to Juhu after being away for some time, he noticed that one or two of the trees had been cut down, and he was very concerned-I would even say upset.
He asked, "Why did you cut down the trees?" We thought we had the perfect answer: we had to build the temple, and to get the permission for the temple we had to cut the trees in the way of the road. Srila Prabhupada said, "No, you go to the municipality and tell them it's against our religion to cut down trees." So we had no choice, and we did it. And of course the municipal officers objected.

But one thing that really struck me about how concerned Srila Prabhupada was for the trees was that the next time he came back to Juhu after a world tour, practically the first thing he said was, "I was in Tehran, and I have seen they have trees in the middle of the streets. So we can also have trees in the middle of our street." So on Srila Prabhupada's order, we held our ground with the municipality, and in the end they gave us the permission to keep the tree. And even today you can see that tree, which Srila Prabhupada protected, still standing there with asphalt all around it.

So I am thinking that if Srila Prabhupada has so much concern and care - and even love, I would say - for a tree, then how much care and love he must have for us. And it's just because of Srila Prabhupada's care and mercy and protection that we are able to stand in Krsna consciousness--no matter what else is around us.

All glory to Srila Prabhupada.
Hare Krsna.

Big Kadamba trees are cut down to make way for the new temple

Yesterday Mayapur Project started to clear up grounds for the Temple of Vedic Planetarium to be built in the area presently taken by the famous Mayapur gardens, situated on the age of Rudra-dvipa (Antradvipa begins just behind Lotus building).
Big Kadamba trees are getting chopped down, nearly 100 trees have been sentenced to die for the greater good.

Earthquake in Mayapur

by Samba Das

On Monday 21st September, Mayapur was swayed by an earthquake that was centered just inside the border of Bhutan, where it registered as 6.1 on the richter scale.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8267067.stm
I was sitting for a few minutes and at exactly 2.30 pm I felt the whole building swaying gently. The chimes above my head began to ring, and I saw the water in a 12 liter bottle on the concrete floor moving from side to side.
It was the first time I ever actually felt an earthquake. I had experienced one once in Los Angeles, but it was only for a split second, and I heard it rather than felt it.
Very few devotees in Mayapur even noticed it. If you were moving about you could not tell. My neighbor Madan Mohan (originally from Canada) confirmed that he also felt it while sitting at his computer.
It would be interesting to know what time exactly it struck in Bhutan. There apparently it was only for a moment, but in Mayapur it appeared to last for about 30 seconds, albeit just a gentle swaying.

Your servant
Samba das

Radhastami in Mayapur, 2009

Here is a video of mangala-aroti after Radhastami:

Srila Prabhupada's Appearance Day celebration in Mayapur, August 2009

Srila Prabhupada's Appearance Day was celebrated in Mayapur by devotees offering their glorifications to His Divine Grace, followed by abhisekha, puspanjaly, Gurupuja, kirtan and prasad.
Devotees read their offerings from community Vyasa Puja Book offered to Srila Prabhupada. Hari Sauri Prabhu was MC of the program, Padmalochan Das presented Vyasa Puja book, which is hand-made by community devotees, Suchitendriya Das was translating to Bengali.

This year we offered 12-th Vyasa Puja Book of this kind for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada:



Vyasa Puja book offering - acknowledgments of devotees participating in making this large hand-made book for Srila Prabhupada:



Offering by Padmalochan Das:



Jananivasa Prabhu reading his offering to Srila Prabhupada:



Umapati Swami reads his offering to Srila Prabhupada:



Hrimati Mataji reads her offering to SrilaPrabhupada:



In the evening devotes offered lamps to Srila Prabhupada:



Children's program was orginised by Ragatmika Mataji and took place day before Janmastami in the SB class room on the second floor of Pancha-tattva temple extention blding.
Children held the full Vyasa Puja celebration with reading offerings, abhisek, puspanjaly, Gurupuja, kirtan and prasad.

Janmastami in ISKCON Mayapur temple, August 2009

Janmastami day darsan:



Mangala aroti next morning after Janmastami night, shot inside the altar:

Balarama Appearance Day in Mayapur, August 2009

Abhisekha in the temple:



breaking honey pot pastime on Lord Balarama's Appearance Day:

Jhulan yatra in Mayapur, 2009

Devotees are busy making Vyasa Puja book

Mayapur devotees are busy making community Vyasa Puja book for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada.
Vasa Puja offerings from Mayapur residents will be presented in a hand-made book, made by hands of community devotees.

pictures of work in progress:

Free calls within ISKCON Mayapur compound

Mayapur telephone exchange has adjusted the system of calling on Government land line phones within ISKCON Mayapur compound. Now we have to dial "9" before dialling the number we want to call. If you calling to a land-line phone within ISKCON compound you don't get charged for the call.

Offerings for Srila Prabhupada Vyasa Puja book

Dear Mayapur devotees,
Hare Krishna!
Please accept my humble obeisancies.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Please write your offering to Srila Prabhupada for His Vyasa Puja this year and send it to us for inclusion in the Community Vyasa Puja book.
Devotees are already working on making the book, please send your offerings before 4-th of August 2009.
Those who are presently in Mayapur, please print your offering or write it neatly by hand on one side of A-4 paper. You can submit the offerings to New Devotee office in the Long bld or give to us directly.

Thank you, Hare Krishna.

your servants,
Padmalochan Das & Vrindavan Lila Dasi

Jagannatha snana yatra celebration in Mayapur, June 2009

Lord of Universe, Jagannatha, along with His brother Balarama and sister Subhadra are bathed by devotees 2 weeks before Ratha-yatra parade. On this ocasion not only priests, but lituraly EVERYONE is allowed to bathe and touch the Lord. It is once a year ocasion.
Snana yatra - bathing of Lord Jagannatha. The story is that the deity is bathed (on this ocasion everyone is allowed to come and bathe, touch the deity, normally only priests can do it).
Then Lord "catches cold" after so much bathing and goes to bed for 2 weks, when He is given a special medicine to get better, it made of mixed curd, cream, candy and butter with cinamon.
After He gets better we will have even a bigger festival, Ratha-yatra, Lord Jagannatha will go out of His temple (once a year ocasion) in a big cart with large wooden wheels pulled by people. He goes around streets and everyone can come and offer service to the Lord, even people who normally don't go to the temple, animals, etc - all are given darsan and mercy of the Lord on that day.

Radha-Madhava water pastimes 2009

Water pastimes of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Madhava is one of the summer festivals - Small Radha-Madhava deities are placed in a lotus fauntain - it is in the shape of a lotus and also filled with pink lotus flowers, infront of Radha-Madhava is a small fauntain and Their altar is surrounded by water.
Devotees come and offer flowers to Their Lordships chanting Their names, Jananivasa Prabhu and Ramaniya Mataji giving out flowers along with one of 1000 names of Radha-Krishna to chant.

Chandan yatra in Mayaur - lila darsans, 2009

Chandan YAtra is a time of a year when Deities covered with Sandal wood paste (chandan) to keep cool in summer's heat. For 21 days of Chandan yatra devotees were offering a different lila-outfit every day to Sri Sri Radha-Madhava.

Happy Nrisimha Chaturdasi

Nrisimha Deva abhishekha:

H.H. Jayapataka Swami could not come this year, he was in a medical facility in
South India, H.H. Gopal Krishna Goswami was present, H.H. Umapati Swami (his vyasa puja is on the same day as Nrisimha Deva's appearance), abhishek was conducted by seniour devotees and pujaris under guidence of H.H. Bhaktividyapurna Swami.

this video shows flower shower of Nrisimha Deva, the final part of abhishekha:


photos are posted HERE