PRASADAM DISTRIBUTION IN THE HOLY LAND

ISKCON LEICESTER ENGLAND FROM A MIRACLE TO A DREAM

KRISHNA LUNCH COMES TO CHICAGO

By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on 3 Jan 2013

Krishna Lunch set-up at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT)

After seeing the success of the Krishna Lunch program at the University of Florida in Gainesville—which serves hot vegetarian meals to around 1,000 students daily—ISKCON devotees in Chicago have followed its example to create their own.

Krishna Lunch ISKCON Chicago is run by Rasika Manjari Dasi, who traveled to Gainesville to study its program in July.

Formerly Director of Professional Services at a treasury solutions software company, Rasika Manjari quit her job to work on Krishna Lunch and other outreach projects full-time.

She launched the program on October 2nd, 2012, and has been its only full-time cook and manager since, although a second full-time volunteer will join her this month.

APPEARANCE OF SRI SRIVASA PANDIT

Sri Srivasa Pandit Appearance Day 

Srivas Pandit Is one Of our Foremeost Acharyas ANd He is COnsidered to be The Avatara Of Narada Muni ,The bhataakhya (pure devotee) is Srinivasa in Pachatatva. Srivasa Pandit appeared in Srihatta, West Bengal, about 30 years before Lord Gauranga. Srivasa Pandit, fifth member of the Panca-tattva— Sri Krishna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasadi, Gaura Bhakta Vrnda— lived in Navadvipa before the advent of Lord Caitanya.

He led his younger brothers— Srinidhi, Sripati, and Srirama— in worshipping Lord Krsna, performing devotional service, and bathing thrice daily in the Ganges. On his order, they moved to Navadvipa and began to associate with the senior respected Sri Advaita Prabhu. Meeting with Sri Advaita Acarya Prabhu, they studied Bhagavatam, performed Hari-nama sankirtana, and prayed for an incarnation of the Supreme Lord. What did they pray? Because only an avatara of Krishna could re-establish Vaisnavism among the staunch atheists, logicians, and proud pandits harassing Nadia at that time.
Srivasa Pandit and his wife, Malini Devi, became intimate friends of Jagannatha Misra and Sacimata. When Lord Visvambhara appeared, the hearts of all the devotees were filled with parental affection (vatsalya bhava). After the birth of Lord Caitanya, Malini would regularly visit and give advice to the younger Sacimata on how to raise her wonderful child. She served Nimai as a nurse. Malini's mood was always friendly, and she tried to satisfy Saci Devi in every possible way. Nimai looked upon Srivasa and Malini just like His parents. Gaurachandra loved Malini and Srivasa as a second mother and father
Srivasa 's house was located 200 hundred yards north of Nimai's house. Srivasa Pandit's palatial home had large comfortable rooms, a high protective boundary wall, and lush densely foliated gardens and groves. Every night Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and His dearest friends would enjoy ecstatic kirtans here and taste the mellows of Vrndavana. It was here that the angry Muslim kazi broke the sacred mrdanga in his foolish attempt to stop Sri Krishna's sankirtana movement. Henceforward, Srivasa's house was known as Khol Banga Danga (the place where the mrdanga was broken).

The kazi passed an ordinance prohibiting sankirtana. Violators would be converted to the Muslim faith and lose their property. Although most Nadia vasis panicked over this, Srivasa Pandit laughed at the fanatical law.

VEGETARIANISM IN THE BIBLE

Vegetarianism in the Bible

By Denis Giron   29 Mar 2013

Image: myspace.com

Was he vegetarian?

Introduction

When I first began to study the bible, the people I studied with told me that it was wrong for me to be a vegetarian. I have found a common attack by Christians, and even Muslims on vegetarianism goes along the lines of "God said we could eat meat. Are you trying to say you are more merciful than God?" The answer to that question is "surely not", God should be the most merciful being. To help faith-based vegetarians, this article will discuss how vegetarianism relates to the bible, animals, and God. I will be quoting from the NIV translation of the bible, unless otherwise noted.

In The Beginning

According to the bible, the first people were vegetarians. The first two chapters of Genesis tell a story of man and animal being companions, and trees being the source of food. In Genesis chapter 1, verse 29, God commands man to only eat fruits and vegetables.....

Genesis 1:29 "Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."

Florida’s Bhaktivedanta Academy to Launch Middle School

By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on 29 Mar 2013

Jaya Sri Radhe Dasi, head of Bhaktivedanta Academy's new Krishna Sharanam Middle School

Bhaktivedanta Academy, the largest ISKCON school in North America, is now accepting applications for the 2013-14 school year for all grades, including its brand new middle school, Krishna Sharanam.

The Academy, which sits on a five-acre plot at ISKCON’s New Raman Reti farm in Alachua, Florida, has been offering an innovative Montessori-based learning program for pre-k through 6th grade since director Visvambhar Das introduced it in 2007.

But this year will mark a major milestone for the school, as it launches its first ever middle years program.

Fifty-three students are currently spread throughout Bhakti Bhavan (Pre-K to Kindergarten), Audarya Bhavan (first to third grade), and Madhurya Bhavan (fourth to sixth grade).

But this August, twelve of them will move on to the brand new middle school program, along with twelve new students for a total of twenty-four. Krishna Sharanam will start with only seventh grade, but each year it will add another grade until, in four years, it covers grades seven through ten.

WHY VEGANISM DOES NOT WORK IN ISKCON

Why Veganism Does Not Work in ISKCON

BY: DUSYANTA DASA

Mar 06, 2013 — WALES, UK (SUN) —

The concept of Veganism in the secular world is based on two foundational issues:

            Non-violence.

Desire to not exploit animals in any way.

There may be some other mitigating individual circumstances that can be genuinely overlooked related to dietary needs and reactions to dairy food, especially cows milk. Of course, those considerations are no problem. Some people can't even consider the idea of putting a commodity like cows milk into their body from a cow's body, it makes them shudder. So the mitigating circumstances are a minority of cases in the world. But for devotees of Lord Krishna who follow Srila Prabhupada, we find there are much bigger concepts in play than these individual needs.