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NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2009
ISKCON-London
 Providing knowledge of Krishna to All

International Society for Krishna

Consciousness RADHA-KRISHNA TEMPLE
10 Soho Street - London
Founder-acharya His Divine Grace
W1D 3DL
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila T: 0207 4373662
Prabhupada W: www.iskcon-london.org
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
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GAURA PURNIMA
We had a great

festival on

Gaura Purnima

with kirtans,

dancing,

drama, abhisek

and of course a

huge feast!

Iskcon-London Monthly Report - Page 3 March 2009

 SPIRITUAL COUNSELLOR SYSTEM
news
On the 10th March during the Gaura Purnima and appropriate. In other words, he or she
celebrations we launched the Spiritual has to look into the overall welfare of the
Counsellor System. This concept is taken from counsellees and refer to outside agencies if
the already established and hugely success- required.
ful system in ISKCON Chowpatty. - A Counsellor conducts fortnightly meetings
with their counsellees.
The purpose of the Spiritual Counsellor - A Counsellor recommends the names of
System is to: qualified candidates for first and second
initiation.
- Educate and train devotees to live accord - A Counsellor is expected to provide useful
ing to the Krishna conscious principles of inputs to the Board of Counsellors and to
their asrama. actively participate in its meetings.
- Provide systematic training to devotees in - As a leader, a Counsellor is expected to set
matters of philosophy, sadhana, Vaisnava a good standard of sadhana, service and
behaviour, etiquette, lifestyle and atti- behaviour.
tudes.
- Provide a formal framework within which Counsellors hold twice monthly meetings
personal care and attention can be extend with their groups. The format of these meet-
ed to all devotees so as to make them feel ings are based upon the following format:
loved and wanted and part of a wonderful
spiritual family. - Vaisnava bhajans
- Foster warm personal relationships and a - A few pages of one of Srila Prabhupada’s
spirit of love and trust amongst devotees books are discussed. One of the
based on Krishna Conscious principles. Counsellees makes a presentation of the
- Provide a forum through which allocation same and a discussion follows.
of service, organization of major events, - Sharing of realizations.
communication of important decisions, - Discussion on service, sadhana and
etc., can be facilitated. Vaisnava etiquette.
- Devotees are asked if they want to discuss
The responsibility of the Consellors is to: any problems which are not personal (per
sonal problems are discussed in private
- Be a friend and guide in Krishna with the counsellor).
Consciousness. The Counsellor is like a spir - Kirtana.
itual elder brother or sister and must take - Prasadam.
personal care of all devotees in the group.
- A Counsellor should inspire and encourage If you would be interested in joining the
their counsellees in Krishna Consciousness spiritual counsellor system please contact
and monitor their progress. Bhava Bhakti devi dasi on
- A Counsellor is expected to provide Krishna Bhava.Bhakti.RNS@pamho.net
Conscious training to their counsellees.
- A Counsellor is required to counsel Or alternatively you can read more about
their counsellees not only in spiritual the system on our website:
matters but also in other personal or http://www.iskcon-london.org/
domestic matters where necessary

Iskcon-London Monthly Report - Page 4 March 2009

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KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
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news

OUTREACH PREACHING
ACTIVITIES
During the month of March the following activities were carried out by Jai Nitai dasa:

On the 1st – gave the Sunday Feast talk On the 13th – gave a talk to the sanga
groups in Crawley.
On the 4th – gave a talk at Southampton
University On the 14th – attended and was the MC foe
the Patrons Event held in the Temple to
On the 5th – gave a talk at King’s University update the Patrons on the plans for the 40th
anniversary celebrations.
On the 6th – attended the Dattani house
programme in East London On the 16th – went to Mayapur and various
other places in India for 3 weeks with Murli
On the 7th – attended the 1st birthday cele- Manohara dasa and Radha Londonishvara
brations of Tulsi Lila. dasa.

VIP SPEAKERS
We were very fortunate to have the
association of the following tran-
scendental visitors during the
month of March:

Jayadvaita Swami
Candramauli Swami
Purustraya Swami
Jayadvaita Swami Candramauli Swami Kripamoya dasa
Sankarshan dasa
Rohini Priya dasa
Visrambara dasa

Iskcon-London Monthly Report - Page 5 March 2009

 APPRECIATION
news
Haribol Akrura Prabhu, much impressed and inspired by the temple
management and the standards of deity
Thank you for your reply….It was such a worship.
family feeling when I lived in the Temple
that I feel that other devotees that have Thanks very much.
also served there are like my extended fam-
ily. Your servant,
Divya
Hare Krishna Dear Akrura Prabhu

Regards, Hare Krishna

Andy
I am generally only good at finding faults.
Even when others find things are perfect, I
Hare Krsna Mataji, can find faults. But the way gaur poornima
was organized at Soho temple, it was really
Please accept my humble obeisances. perfect. Hari bol to all the devotees who did
a phenomenal service.
I was there in London about 6 months back
and was very fortunate to get the associa- ys
tion of the devotees at Soho. I was very Rajaram V.

ISKCON EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

During the month of March the following a Westminster Faith Exchange Executive
engagements were carried out by Krsna Meeting.
Pranadhika devi dasi:
On the 7th - gave a presentation to 91
On the 2nd - visited Glendower Primary English teachers from Italy. They took 82
School and gave a presentation to 150 Higher Tastes and 1 Bhagavad-Gita before
pupils and 10 teachers. they left.

On the 3rd - attended a whole day training On the 27th - gave a presentation to 20 stu-
course for Learning Outside of Classroom dents and one teacher from Notre Dame
Quality Badge. University. They took 18 Bhagavad-Gita’s.

On the 4th - attended a SACRE meeting and

Iskcon-London Monthly Report - Page 6 March 2009

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
news
INTERVIEW WITH JANANANDA GOSWAMI
Here is a continua-
tion of an interview
with HH Janananda
Goswami from earli-
er this year.
Q - How can I devel-
op a desire to rectify
my poor japa?
Recognize it. Don’t
resign yourself to
poor japa. Kick off all
the anarthas
and hold on to the
name. We need mercy of guru and vais-
navas. Ei chaya
gosai kori carana vnadan yaha hoite vighna
nasa abhista puran. We heed to associate
with pure devotees thus Tulasi has
appeared in this world to give us here asso-
ciation. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu would
gaze at Tulsi whilst chanting.
Talk to someone for guidance who has not
got the tendency for poor japa or at least is
serious about chanting and changing. Get
together and talk about these things. Japa
retreats are there. Each situation may be
slightly different so the medicine needs to
be administered differently. This is our time
- personal time with Krishna - why waste it.
If we only realized that, then how we would
be attentive.
Haridas is the namacarya. Pray to him, hear
about him and other pre devotees.
Prabhupada has written we should chant
following in his footsteps. - Nirantara nama
lao - always chant the holy names. We
Iskcon-London Monthly Report - Page 7
should never think we have finished our
rounds. We must avoid the offenses in
chanting.
Myself I am a poor example. Preach to oth-
ers and Krishna will help us. I suggest we all
chant more and not just minimize this -
chant at all times - even if not attentive
keep chanting in the house, the bathroom,
the train the plane, the car the garden the
kitchen, the street, the office – wherever
you are keep chanting. That will purify us
and naturally when our hearts are more
purified when chanting japa the mind will
be less overwhelmed by the clouds. A devo-
tee will feel he can never finish our rounds
Prabhupada said pray and endeavour.
Remember that Krishna is non different
from His form of nama prabhu. Be conscious
of His presence. We are chanting for
Krishna’s pleasure not ours.
Q - Do you have a favourite sankirtana
experience?
Every day is my favourite. it is like
Jayananda prabhu would say. Hey that was
the best prasadam I’ve ever tasted. But you
said that yesterday Jayananada. Yeh but
today’s is now the best. Don’t live in the
past - the good old days. Live in the present.
Sankirtan is better now than ever before.
Just we have to do it. The fruits are there for
the picking. As soon as we let go of our
comfort zone and get out then we will see.
Sankirtan is the path to prema. Sankirtan,
meaning chanting the holy names (and
book distribution if one is actullay develop-
ing his taste for chanting) - congregational
chanting is the yuga dharma.
March 2009
news
Q - What is your favourite Srila Prabhupada ing service. Every pastime of Prabhupada is
memory? preaching but I particularly like the occa-
sions when he danced and chanted in ecsta-
I don’t have one. We all love to hear them sy for us to see (since he is actually doing
and get inspired and so on but I am not real- that all the time) . In this way it is not a
ly so much into it - I prefer to meditate on memory but a living experience. It is not
how I can become absorbed in assisting something we should regret that we missed
Prabhupada to spread the Holy names. I out on but if we get into the preaching
know it inspires others or keeps us going to mood we will feel Prabhupada right with us.
hear about these things but I prefer preach-

DEVOTION IN PRACTICE
This is a new 6 part course looking at all The course will be run on a Sunday from
aspects of Bhakti Yoga and how to put this 11:00am to 12.30pm on the following
into practice. dates:

We will be looking at the following top- April 26th & May 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th,
ics: 31st

Practical devotional service Seminar room (3rd floor)

The daily schedule The course fee is £30 which includes £10
The four regulative principles course materials cost
Hearing and Chanting
Deity Worship Course facilitator: Jai Nitai dasa
Holy days and festivals Please register in Krishna’s Community
Serving and Honouring Prasadam Shop.
Missionary Activities
Relating to Family and Friends For further course details please contact:
Bhava.Bhakti@gmail.com

This month saw the departure of long time ashram resident

GOODBYE Tarun Krsna dasa for ISKCON Hungary. Tarun Krsna dasa stayed
in the bramacari ashram for over 7

TARUNA years before deciding to change

ashram and prepare for the gri-
hastha ashram.

KRSNA Regarded as one of the most suc-

cessful sankirtana leaders at
DASA ! ISKCON-London we all wish him
well in his new path in life.

Iskcon-London Monthly Report - Page 8 March 2009

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KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

SRILA PRABHUPADA SAID ….

... Association with a great personality is most important.
In Caitanya-caritamrta Lord Caitanya says that sadhu-sanga,
the association of a great saintly person, is very important,
because even if one is not advanced in knowledge, simply by
association with a great saintly person one can immediately
make considerable advancement in spiritual life.

SB 3.23.54 - Devahuti’s Lamentation (purport)