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DTSTART:20250101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250402
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250403
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T072608Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250407T104341Z
UID:41223-1743552000-1743638399@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Appearance Day of Sri Ramanujacharya 2nd April 2025
DESCRIPTION:Ramanujacharya was the principal acarya in the Sri sampradaya\, one of the four main lines of Vaisnava teachers and disciples. His Vedanta-sutra commentary Sri-bhasya establishes the doctrine known as Visistadvaita\, “qualified nondualism.”
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/appearance-day-of-sri-ramanujacharya-2nd-april-2025/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250406
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250407
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T072729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250407T104347Z
UID:41225-1743897600-1743983999@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Rama Navami 6th April 2025
DESCRIPTION:Lord Sri Ramacandra is a powerful incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as an ideal king. He appeared in the Treta-yuga\, more than two million years ago. \nThis is a verse from Brahma-samhita in which the incarnation of Lord Ramacandra is described. Ramadi. Not only Rama\, but there are many other\, innumerable incarnations. They are compared with the waves of a river. As the waves of the river or the waves of the ocean cannot be counted\, similarly\, how many incarnations are there of the Supreme Lord it is not possible to count. But out of them\, the principal names are mentioned in the sastras. Therefore it is said ramadi. Ramadi means Rama and also other\, many incarnations. And they are existing. Not that one incarnation appeared and it is finished. No. Not like that. Just like Lord Ramacandra appeared on this planet\, say millions of years before. He appeared in the Treta-yuga. Treta-yuga means… We have passed only five thousand years of this age\, Kali-yuga. Before that\, there was Dvapara-yuga. Dvapara-yuga means 800\,000 years. And before that\, there was Treta-yuga\, which continued for twelve hundred thousands of years. That means at least two million years before Lord Ramacandra appeared on this planet.  \nramadi murtishu kala-niyamena tishthan\nnanavataram akarod bhuvaneshu kintu\nkrishnah svayam samabhavat paramah puman yo\ngovindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami \nSo now Lord Ramacandra appeared in Ayodhya. There is a place in Ayodhya\, in northern India. There He appeared. As Krishna appeared in Mathura… That is also northern India. And Mathura is about ninety miles down southward from New Delhi. You have heard the name of New Delhi\, the capital of India. So Ayodhya is also situated about five hundred miles northeast of New Delhi. So Lord Ramacandra appeared on this day. Today is called Sri Rama Naumi. On the ninth day of the moon Lord Ramacandra appeared. His father was the king of Ayodhya\, and he had three wives. So out of… No. He had two wives. So out of two wives he got four sons. Ramacandra is the eldest son. The life and activities of Lord Ramacandra is… [break] …in a book which is called Ramayana. You have heard the name of Ramayana. Ramayana is also accepted as history. Vedic literatures are histories also. \nThe Puranas\, the Srimad-Bhagavatam\, Mahabharata\, and Ramayana\, they are counted amongst the history. The history of Ramacandra is that His father wanted to retire. Dasaratha\, Maharaja Dasaratha. And he decided to enthrone Lord Ramacandra and retire. So everything was settled\, but just one day before\, his youngest wife turned the whole thing into different way. Sometimes Maharaja Dasaratha was suffering from what is called whitlow\, some trouble in the finger? And this queen served him very nicely\, and he was pleased. And he said\, “My dear Sarmishtha\, if you want some benediction from me\, I can give you.” And she replied that “I shall ask you for the benediction when I require it. Not now.” So just one day before Lord Ramacandra’s coronation\, she approached her husband Maharaja Dasaratha and reminded him\, “My dear husband\, you promised to give me some benediction\, and I told you that I shall ask you when I require it.” Maharaja Dasaratha said\, \n“Yes\, I remember. You want some benediction just now?” She said\, “Yes.” “And what is that?” She said that “Ramacandra cannot be seated on the throne. My son should be coronated\, Bharata.” He was surprised. It is a big demand. So he said\, “All right. That will be done. Your son.” Because formerly\, the kings… Not only formerly\, even up to date\, there are many kshatriya kings in India. They have more than one wife. And they are\, naturally\, there is rivalry between different wives. So the same thing. Human psychology is the same. Even two million years ago the same mentality was there\, and she asked that “My son should be the king\, not Ramacandra.” Ramacandra happened to be the son of Kausalya\, the elder queen. \nSo Maharaja Dasaratha agreed and called for Ramacandra. “My dear boy\, your…” She asked also that… She was very diplomatic. She wanted that Ramacandra go to forest for fourteen years. The idea was political\, that “The king may agree to install my son just now. Now\, after a few days\, this Ramacandra may come with His army\, and there may be some difficulty to continue the kingdom.” So she wanted that Ramacandra should go to the forest and He should not come back till the end of fourteen years from this day. So Maharaja Dasaratha agreed. Because he was kshatriya. Just see the promise. \nA kshatriya never goes back from the promise\, never refuses any challenge. If a kshatriya is challenged by somebody\, that “I want to fight with you\,” oh\, he cannot refuse. This is kshatriya spirit. He cannot say that “I am now busy.” Suppose somebody comes to you\, that “I want to fight with you.” You may say\, “What nonsense fight? I have no time. We are in the temple.” But a kshatriya cannot deny that. A kshatriya at once must accept. “Oh\, yes. Come on.” And the weapon should be\, if he has no sword or weapon\, he should be supplied weapon and fight. This is kshatriya spirit. They were highly charitable and chivalrous and keeping promise and with a great tendency for ruling over. They shall rule over. Administrators. Their business is… \nThere are different prescription for different classes of men for their livelihood. The brahmanas\, they can pull on their livelihood by six ways. Pathana pathana yajana yajana dana pratigraha. Six. And they must be qualified with twelve high qualities. We have many times discussed. Out of that qualification\, truthfulness is the first item for a brahmana. A kshatriya may speak lies. That is allowed\, because he has to be diplomat\, politician. But a brahmana\, oh\, he’s not allowed to speak lie. \n This is the system\, caste system or varnasrama system. Everyone was trained. Because these four classes of men are required in a society. For proper upkeep of society\, one class of men must be very intelligent\, highly qualified\, with all good qualities. They must be trained in that way\, ideal character so that people can see and follow them. Therefore brahmanas were taken to so much respect because they’re ideal character\, learned\, and godly\, knows the science\, spiritual science. Therefore they’re held in high estimation and topmost of the society. The next\, the administrator\, administrative class\, kshatriyas. \nThey are trained how to kill. The kshatriyas were allowed to hunt in the forest to learn the art of killing because that was necessity for the kshatriyas. Kshatriya\, if he… If the king\, if he finds somebody is doing wrong\, he can immediately chop off his head if he likes. The king was so powerful. And it is not that if there was some war\, it is not that the president or the king shall sit down comfortably at home and ordinary soldiers will go and lay down their life. No. Formerly\, the king or the head of the state\, he should first of all go there in the fight. You see in the picture\, the chief men of the fighting in the Kurukshetra\, both sides\, they were arrayed\, this side\, that side\, with their chariot. \nNot that the head man\, the chief man\, or the commander is taking shelter back side\, protecting himself\, and poor soldiers are (chuckles) thrown into the fighting. No. These were kshatriya spirit. And it is necessary that a class of men should be trained up in that way\, kshatriya\, fighting men. In India\, because this training was there since a very long time\, so there is no difficulty in recruiting soldiers there. \nThere is a class of men\, they are very much forward in fighting still. They are called… Just like the Gurkhas\, the Nepalese. You have heard the name of Nepal. Still a small state\, independent state. They are not within India. Between China and India. The whole Nepal population\, they are kshatriyas. Oh\, they are very good fighters. Similarly\, the Sikhs\, the Jatas. There are classes. So they’re always forward for fighting. And you’ll be surprised that the British Empire was voluntarily liquidated because they lost India. The Britishers\, they understood that because we are now losing India\, there is no more possibility to keep our eastern empire. Therefore they liquidated. Why? Actually\, the whole British Empire were being administered or managed by Indian soldiers\, these Sikhs and Gurkhas. They extended their empire. After taking their position with India\, they extended British Empire in the Middle East and Far East simply by these Sikhs and Gurkha soldiers. They got supremacy on the Burma and everywhere. \nSo there is necessity of a class of fighting men. You are finding in your country difficulty in recruiting because the recruiting process is wrong. You are recruiting from persons… You are training persons just like sudras\, and you want them to fight. How they can fight? It is not possible. So as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita\, that catur-varnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagasah… [Bg. 4.13]. Lord Krishna said that “The four classes or orders of the society\, brahmana\, kshatriya\, vaisya\, sudra\, is planned by Me according to work and quality.” So this kshatriya quality men is also required\, the brahmana quality of men is also required\, the mercantile community\, they are also required\, and the laborer class\, they are also required. Of course\, laborer class\, they do not require any training. Laborer class means one who cannot do anything\, neither become brahmana\, nor become kshatriya\, nor become vaisya. That means the last balance of the population\, they are called laborer class\, sudra. Sudra means one who has no training. Sudra has no samskara. Samskara means training. Everyone is accepted as sudra by birth. Janmana jayate sudra. Janmana means by birth. By birth\, everyone is born a sudra\, a fourth-class man. It is to be accepted\, and actually so. Just like a child\, innocent child\, what does he know? He has to be trained. Either you train him as a brahmana or train him as a kshatriya or train him as a vaisya. Or otherwise\, he is sudra already\, born sudra. Sudra has no training. Everyone\, the basic principle\, basic foreground\, everyone\, it is accepted sudra. Now\, if you train him as a brahmana\, then he becomes a brahmana. If you train him as a kshatriya\, then he becomes a kshatriya. If you train him as a vaisya… So I think this is\, this system is very scientific so that if you want help of a really intelligent man or God realized man\, it is ready\, the brahmana class. Just like if you require the help of a lawyer\, we have got so many lawyers. If you require the help of medical man… Because there are trained men. Similarly\, the society requires to train a certain class of men to become brahmanas. Just like we are training the Krishna conscious. The Krishna consciousness is meant for the brahmanas. \nThey are not meant for fighting because they are not being trained for fighting. They have been trained for becoming brahmanas. Who is brahmana? Brahma janati iti brahmana. The four divisions are described like this. Janmana jayate sudrah\, everyone is born sudra. That is accepted. Samskarad bhaved dvijah. Now if you train him\, never mind in which family he’s born\, you have to train him. Just like boys are sent to school for being trained. So everyone is accepted as sudra\, but you now train him. He goes to the guru-griha. \nGuru-griha means teacher’s house. Formerly\, for being trained\, there was no such big scale school and colleges. Every village… Still\, fifty years before in India\, in every village there was a small school conducted by the brahmana\, and the village children would be trained up there. So he was sent for training. And there was no school fee. The boys will go there\, and on behalf of the teacher or spiritual master\, they will go\, brahmacari\, door to door\, and beg and bring forth alms\, rice\, dahl\, grains\, and everything. That was the system. There was no school fee. There was no problem how to send a boy to the school. Samskara. Now he’s trained up. The teacher sees the psychology of the boy\, in which way he should be trained. Either he should be trained as a vaisya or he should be trained as a kshatriya. So everyone was trained like that\, but generally\, the son of a kshatriya… Just like Maharaja Ramacandra or Arjuna\, from the very beginning they were trained as kshatriya. \nNaturally\, if somebody is the son of a medical man his father trains him to become a medical man in future. That is the natural tendency. If the boy is different altogether that is another question\, but naturally\, that is the tendency. So a kshatriya’s son was trained as kshatriya. A brahmana’s son was trained as a brahmana and a vaisya’s son was trained as a vaisya\, and sudra had no training. So gradually this became a caste system. Brahmana’s son became brahmana. Because formerly\, the training was there. But when it is vitiated\, although a person born in the family of a brahmana\, he is doing the work of a sudra. So according to Vedic scripture\, one is classified according to his work and quality\, not by birth. That is the classification of sastra. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says catur-varnyam maya srishtam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. Guna means quality and karma means work. One must be qualified for the work and he must actually work. Then he is counted classified into that\, I mean to say\, category. Just like if you are simply trained or educated as a lawyer\, and if you are not practicing in the court\, nobody comes to you to consult as a lawyer. \nNobody cares for you. You must be practicing also. Similarly\, to become a brahmana means first of all\, he must know what is Brahman and he must be actually situated in the activities of Brahman. So devotional service are activities of Brahman. Activities in Krishna consciousness means activities in Brahman. Brahme carati iti brahma brahmacari. Carati means acts. Actually\, he acts in life\, applies the principles of brahmana in his life\, he is called brahmacari. So these were the trainings.\nSo just see how the training was\, that a kshatriya cannot refuse his promise. So Maharaja Dasaratha\, he fulfilled the promise of his youngest wife and asked his son\, eldest son Ramacandra\, “My dear boy\, You’ll have to go to forest for fourteen years. That is the desire of Your youngest mother. And I promised that I shall fulfill her promise\, uh\, request. So please accept.” Ramacandra said\, “Yes father\, I am ready.” Just see. This is the quality. Out of the six opulences of God\, this is one quality. \naisvaryasya samagrasya\nviryasya yasasah sriyah\njnana-vairagyayos caiva\nshannam bhagam itingana\n(Vishnu Purana 6.5.47) \nHow one becomes God? God is not manufactured by vote. There are definition who is God. God must be the proprietor of all the riches. Aisvaryasya samagrasya. Samagra means all. Nobody can compete with Him. Here\, in this world\, material world\, I am rich man\, and there is another rich man who can compete with me. There is another rich man who can compete with him. But nobody can compete with God in richness. That is one qualification of God. Nobody can say that “I am richer than God.” You can say “I am richer than Ford or Rockefeller” or this or that. You can say. But nobody can say that “I am richer than God.” Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is said mattah parataram nanyat asti kincid dhananjaya. Mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7]. Dhananjaya is a name of Arjuna\, and Krishna said that\, “My dear Arjuna\, there is nobody greater than Me.” So if anyone claims that he is God\, he must prove by practical example that nobody is richer than him. That is the first. But unfortunately\, we are accepting so many Gods. A rascal in the street\, he also claims that “I am God.”  \nSo similarly\, the other qualification\, nobody can be stronger than God\, nobody can be wiser than God\, nobody can be more beautiful than God\, and nobody can be more renouncer than God. So here Ramacandra\, Lord Ramacandra exhibited the quality how He renounced the whole kingdom simply on the order of His father\, His obedience to father. He could have argued with His father\, “My dear father\, you\, simply for keeping your promise and actuated by the dictation of a woman\, you are doing this. Let us stop it. Everyone is expecting that tomorrow My coronation will be there\, and they love Me so much.” Because He… Just like Krishna was so much loved\, similarly\, Lord Ramacandra was the life of the people. They were very much expecting that Ramacandra was going to be enthroned tomorrow. So how they were celebrating\, how they were decorating the whole city. Everything. He never argued. He accepted immediately: “Yes\, father. I am ready.”  \n So then one of the brothers\, Lakshmana\, He also requested Ramacandra\, “My dear brother\, You also take Me. I am Your constant companion. I must go with You.” So He said\, “That’s Your wish. Voluntarily\, if You want to come\, You can come with Me.” Then Sita\, His wife\, young wife\, She also said\, “I’ll go with You.” Ramacandra requested His wife\, “Oh\, you cannot go with Me. It is very difficult. You are a king’s daughter\, and you are brought up in so nice way\, and you are so beautiful. You cannot go. You cannot take the trouble of living in the forest.” So she said\, “Oh\, I am Your wife. Married wife. So I must go even if You go to hell.” This is ideal wife. She could have refused: “Oh\, Your father has ordered to go to forest. You can go. I shall go to my father’s house or I shall remain here.” No. This is ideal wife. She must be prepared to accept any circumstances of the husband. Not that when the husband is rich the wife is very faithful\, and when he has come down to be poor or he’s going to forest the wife gives up his company. No. Wife means better half. She must abide. \nJust like\, it is said\, just like a shadow follows the reality\, similarly\, the wife is the shadow of the husband. Wherever the husband goes\, she must go. Whatever the husband wants\, she must carry out. Of course\, in this country this interpretation is taken differently\, that wife is made a slave. But actually\, it is not so. When Sita was kidnapped in the jungle\, Ramacandra expected that\, that she was beautiful\, she was young\, and “We shall be in open jungle. It may be some demons may come\,” and actually it so happened. So for Sita\, Lord Ramacandra massacred the whole family of Ravana. Only for Sita. So as the husband\, so the wife. The wife was so faithful that she could not remain alone. She must accompany the husband even in the forest. And the husband was so faithful that\, “Oh\, my wife has been kidnapped.” So He massacred the whole family of Ravana. \nSo these are ideal history how… Ramacandra\, Lord Ramacandra appeared on this world to educate or to place ideal example of a king. How the king should be. Therefore when there is good government… The example is given\, Rama-rajya. Rama- rajya. It is the kingdom of Lord Rama. Because everyone was happy\, everyone. There are so many instances in the life of Ramacandra. One brahmana… Not brahmana exactly. Somebody came to Ramacandra. Because at that time there was no court like this\, that you have to go to a court and apply with stamp fee. Then your judgment will be delivered after six years. It is not like that. Anyone who has got some complaint\, he should… The king used to sit in the open audience\, and the citizens were allowed to approach the king and place their complaints. Because there was no complaint practically. Everyone was happy. Very minor complaint. So somebody came to Ramacandra\, and he charged Ramacandra\, “My dear king\, my son has died. How is that\, in the presence of his father\, son can die? There must be something wrong in Your government.” Just see. The charge is “Why my son has died before my death? This is unnatural.” So there was nothing unnatural. The king was responsible even for severe cold\, severe heat. That we get from history of Srimad-Bhagavatam. That is stated. So the kings were so much responsible. They were always thinking of the happiness of the citizens\, and the citizens were also so nice. \nOne citizen approached Lord Ramacandra and His next assistant\, His brother\, Lakshmana\, informed Him that “He is a brahmana. You were absent on Your tour for\, I think for a fortnight or a month\, and this brahmana has not eaten even a drop of water during Your absence.” Why? “Because he comes here to see You\, darsana.” Just like we come here in the temple to see the Deity. So Lord Ramacandra was present personally. So he used to come. After seeing Ramacandra\, offering his obeisances\, then he would go home and take something\, his breakfast. That was his vow. And because he could not see for a fortnight or a month Lord Ramacandra because He was out on political tour\, he did not eat even. Just see. The citizens were similar to the king. So at that time\, there was a statue of Ramacandra which was being worshiped in the family from Maharaja Ikshvaku. Maharaja Ikshvaku\, the son of Manu\, happens to be the forefather of the family in which Ramacandra appeared. So he was devotee of Lord Rama\, and he was worshiping the statue of Lord Rama. So that statue was being worshiped by the family one after another. But when Ramacandra was actually present He kept that statue in the closet of the room\, and when this brahmana approached and Ramacandra was informed by Lakshmana that he is so steady and strong in his vow\, so Ramacandra ordered that he may be delivered that statue so that in My absence he can offer respect to the statue and do with this. That form\, I mean to say\, statue\, or arca of Ramacandra is still existing in South India. It is being worshiped from that time. \nSo these were the dealings of Ramacandra. Then He\, His younger brother Lakshmana and His wife went to the forest\, and His wife was kidnapped by the diplomacy of the demon Ravana\, and there was fight between Rama and Ravana. Ravana was very\, materialistically\, he was very strong. But the thing is for fighting with Ravana\, Ramacandra did not come back to His kingdom and take His army. No. He did not come back because He was ordered to live in the forest. So He organized army with the jungle animals\, the monkeys. The monkeys. He fought with Ravana\, an organized materialist\, with the monkeys. You have seen the picture. And He constructed a bridge between India’s last point to the other side. Ceylon is considered to be the kingdom of Ravana. So there was a bridge\, and the stones were floating.  \nSo there are so many historical incidences in the life of Ramacandra\, and we should remember\, because if we remember why we are observing today fasting for Ramacandra… There were many kings like Ramacandra. Because the kings were trained in that way. Maharaja Yudhishthira was also as good as Ramacandra\, and Maharaja Parikshit was as good. There were many such kings. But we are not concerned because He was a king. He is the King of all kings\, paramesvara. Because He is God\, therefore we are observing today. Ramadi-murtishu kala-niyamena tishthan [Bs. 5.39]. So He is not original form of God. The original form of God is Krishna\, and Krishna expands Himself in various other forms. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. Ananta-rupam means millions and millions. The Manu is also incarnation of Krishna. So in one day of Brahma there are fourteen Manus. So Brahma lives for one hundred years. Just see how many incarnation of Manus are there even for one Brahma\, and there are innumerable Brahmas also. So\, as stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that nobody can count how many incarnations are there\, but some of the chief incarnations are mentioned\, and Lord Ramacandra is one of them. So Lord Ramacandra\, He killed Ravana and He installed his brother. \nHis brother was devotee\, Vibhishana. So He did not go to conquer Ceylon\, because He was emperor. He went to punish that culprit Ravana\, and He installed his younger brother Vibhishana in that… And He came back with Sita\, and again He was installed after fourteen years\, and His brother was so faithful that so long His eldest brother was away\, Ramacandra requested Him that “Your mother wants that You should be king\, and I also wish that in My absence You should be king.” Bharata\, He was so faithful brother\, He replied\, “No. You are king. So long You are living\, nobody can be king. So I cannot be king.” Then He requested\, “At least You administer.” Because after the departure of Lord Ramacandra\, Maharaja Dasaratha died out of the shock because Ramacandra was very pet son\, eldest son. He was going to be king\, and by his order He was sent to the forest. The father could not tolerate the shock. He died. \nSo Ramacandra’s life\, God’s activities\, pastimes\, if we hear\, that means we are associating with Ramacandra. There is no difference between His form\, His name\, His pastimes\, and Himself. He’s absolute. Therefore either you chant the holy name of Rama or you see the statue of Rama or you talk of His pastimes\, transcendental pastimes\, everything\, that means you are associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So we take advantage of these days when the incarnation of God appears or disappears\, and we try to associate with Him. By His association we become purified. Our process is purification. Krishna consciousness means simply we are purifying our consciousness. From the birth\, as I have explained\, everyone is sudra. \nSudra means one who laments. That is called sudra. For a slight loss or slight inconvenience\, one who laments\, he is called sudra. And brahmana means one who tolerates. A sudra has no toleration. So kalau sudra sambhava. Kalau means… This age is called Kali. So it is the statement of the sastras that in this age the whole population is sudra. And formerly also\, by his birth\, everyone was considered sudra\, but there was training\, samskara. At the present moment\, there is no samskara\, there is no training. The training is only for earning livelihood. No other training. How one can earn money and enjoy senses that is the training at the present moment. But actually\, to make successful the human life or the mission of human life\, the Vedic culture is very nice. And by spreading Krishna consciousness\, by adopting the process of Krishna consciousness\, you can revive that cultural life\, sublime life. If not wholesale\, if there are a few people trained up in this line\, and they become ideal examples to the society\, immense benefit can be derived from their examples of life.
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/rama-navami-6th-april-2025/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250408
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250409
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T072846Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250410T073829Z
UID:41227-1744070400-1744156799@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Kamada Ekadashi 8th April 2025
DESCRIPTION:The untold glories of Kamada Ekadasi are described in the Varaha Purana in a delightful conversation between Maharaj Yudhistira and Sri Krsna.The king asked: “My dear Lord\, crowning jewel of the yadu dynasty. Please enlighten me about the nature of this most auspicious day. Kamada Ekadasi. Please accept my humble obeisances and advise me how one should observe this Ekadasi that falls during the month of Chaitra while the moon is waxing. Please also describe what the benefits of such observance are and advise me how to reap the result.” \n“Sri Krsna replied: “My dear maharaja Yudhisthira\, please hear attentively the description of this Ekadasi day which has been recorded in the ancient Purana. One time Maharaja Dilip\, the great grandfather of Sri Ramacandra\, asked his dearly beloved and most magnanimous spiritual master Vasistha\, about the name and procedure for observing this Ekadasi\, ‘Kamada’ which occurs during the month of Chaitra (March/April.) \n“The saintly & sagacious Vasistha replied\, ‘O my dear King\, naturally i will fulfill your desire to hear the glories of this Ekadasi day. The name of this inscrutably alligned\, constellatory opportunity is Kamada. The essence of such a day is the realisation of the delineation of lust and love; and knowing the difference between the two. This sacred Ekadasi burns all one’s sinful reactions to ashes and awards the observer the privelege of having an intelligent and confident son. Now\, please hear the glories of this Ekadasi.” \n“Once\, in the city of Ratnapura (Bhogipura) there was a great and venerable king known by the name of Pundarika. He was accompanied by his joyful and kindly munificent subjects which included the Gandharvas\, Kinnaras and the Apsaras. In that sweetly opulent city there lived a fantastically beautiful Apsara named Lalita and a handsome\, regal Gandharva known as Lalit. They lived happily as husband and wife and were consistently overwhelmed by each other’s love; to the point of madhness. They were constantly engaged in sporting activities and relished each others company until their association burned at the heartstrings and knarled their brains to the point of exhaustion.” \n“One time in the court of King Pundarika many Gandharva’s were engaged in blissful frivolities\,  they were singing and dancing and covorting in great bliss. Lalit sang with the Gandharvas although his wife did not\, rather she danced in great ecstacy with the many joyous Apsaras. Due to the pangs of separation that Lalit was experiencing in separation from his devoted wife\, he felt intense hankering and dove into an ocean of tears. His innunciation during his singing grew weaker and he forgot the words to many songs that he knew off by heart.” \n“Oh king\, in that assembly there was one serpent from the Patala Region\, he went by the name of Karkotaka and knew well the mystery of this situation. He complained in a greatly thunderous voice\, “O lalit you have spoiled the perfomance here by your attachment to your wife\, you have upset the taal (rhythm) of the piece and distracted the singers. Therefore i curse you to be a man-eater cannibal.’ \n“Being thus cursed by such a serpentine character\, Lalit immediately transformed into a great demon and all could see there was fearsome fire in his eyes. When lalita saw her husband’s terrifying form she was extremely hurt and distressed. In intense pain and distress she spent her days and nights simply thinking of where to go\, what to do and who to see. However\, her fears allayed she felt no understanding of where she was\, what she was doing and who she was seeing. She was simply lost on an ocean of delinquent separation. Surrendering all embarrassment she lived with her husband in the forest.” \n“Once\, while wandering within the dense forest with her husband\, Lalita saw the most sacred ashrama of the sage and Sringi situated at the peak of the Vindhiya Mountain. Lalita immediately went there and offered her respectful obeisances to the sage. Upon seeing this lady\, the sage inquired\, ‘O beautiful one\, who are you and where do you come from? Why have you come here and what duty will you perform here?’ \n“Lalita replied: “O great soul\, I am the daughter of the great and kind hearted Gandharva named Viradhanva. My name is Lalita and I live in this forest with my husband. He has been cursed by a ferocious serpent and is now in the form of a demon. O brahmana! I am greatly indebted to you for your kind darshan and have no means of rescuing my husband myself. Please\, as a great brahmana you must surely have the ability to help. If there is at all some way of atonement that will remove this horrendous afflication\, then please; tell me!” \n“After hearing Lalita’s pathetic request\, the sage Sringi said\, ‘O daughter of the Gandharva\, in a few days time during the waxing Moon of the Chaitra month. There is a munificent Ekadasi day\, known as Kamada. By observance of this day all one’s sinful reactions can be completely annhiliated. By following this (vow) and giving the entire merit to your husband\, all one’s desire’s will be fulfilled. Then\, by the influence of this merit your husband will immediately become freed from the curse.” \n“O King! Being instructed in this way by the sage\, Lalita gladly observed the vow of this Ekadasi. On the day of Dvadasi\, Lalita gladly sat in front of the brahmanas and the Supreme Lord Vasudeva and announced: “I have observed the Ekadasi vrata as you reccomended\, I have abstained from food and water for the duration and am now gladly offering my results unto my dearest husband. I pray that my piety will remove his demoniac condition and alleviate our suffering.” \n“As soon as Lalita had finished her prayer\, her husband-turned-demon\, ‘Lalit’ became freed from the reactions of his sins and regained his divine Gandharva form. From that time on Lalit and Lalita lived happily together.” \n“Lord Krsna concluded\, “O Maharaja Yudhisthira! O best of kings! Anyone who hears the narration of this most charmingly blissful day should certainly observe it to the best of his ability. There is no better vow as it can eradicate even the sin of killing a brahmana and easily counteracts demoniac curses.”
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/kamada-ekadashi-8th-april-2025/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ekadashi.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250409
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250410
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T072943Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250410T073850Z
UID:41229-1744156800-1744243199@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Damanaka Ropana Dvadasi 9th April 2025
DESCRIPTION:The following days the following is observed in Jagannath Puri. This festival is celebrated on the thirteenth and fourteenth days of the bright fortnight of Chaitra (April). \nDeities of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna are taken in procession to the Jagannath Ballava Math. There the Deities get Their Dayana leaves from the garden at the math. On the fourteenth\, the leaves are offered to Lord Jagannath\, Lady Subhadra and Lord Balarama. “Damanaka is a particular type of flowering tree\, Artemisia indica. In modern Oriya it is called daana. It is one of the two favorite flowers of Lord Jagannath\, the other being campaka. It is said that Lord Jagannath comes to the Jagannath Vallabh garden in Puri to steal these flowers. Aropana means to plant. On this dvadashi there is a ritual planting of the daana tree.”
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/damanaka-ropana-dvadasi-9th-april-2025/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Damanaka-Ropana-Dvadasi.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250412
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250413
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T073058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T090337Z
UID:41231-1744416000-1744502399@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Sri Balarama Rasayatra
DESCRIPTION:Lord Balarama’s springtime rasa dance with His cowherd girlfriends. Krsna performs rasa lila of two varieties\, one in the autumn season and one in the spring season\, on vaisakha purnima. \nBalarama also performs rasa dance at this time. In order to keep the gopis in Vrndavana satisfied\, Lord Balarama stayed there continually for two months\, namely the months of Caitra and Vaisakha. For those two months he kept himself among the gopis and he passed every night with them in the forest of Vrndavana in order to satisfy their desire for conjugal love. Thus Balarama also enjoyed the rasa dance with the gopis during those two months.
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/sri-balarama-rasayatra/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/balarama_rasayatra.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250412
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250413
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T073224Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T090344Z
UID:41233-1744416000-1744502399@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Sri Krishna Vasanta Rasa
DESCRIPTION:Lord Krishna’s springtime rasa dance. The purnima or full moon of Damodara month is the second full moon of the autumn season\, and rasa lila is again celebrated.  \nThis second rasa yatra is celebrated more in Bengal\, whereas the first one is celebrated more in Vrndavana. On this day one should perform full worship of Radha and Krsna with many flowers\, and place them in a rasa mandapa surrounded by the gopis. Sri Krishna Vasant Rasa is similar excepting that it is in the Spring (Vasant)\, at this time everyone dresses in yellow. On this full moon night the devotees usually leave out pots of sweet rice payasam for the Lord to enjoy during His rasas.
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/sri-krishna-vasanta-rasa/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Krishna1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250412
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250413
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T073356Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T090352Z
UID:41235-1744416000-1744502399@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Appearance Day of Sri Vamsivadananda Thakura 12th April 2025
DESCRIPTION:Sri Vamsivadananda Thakura Appearance Day. Vamsivadananda Thakura wrote many sweet poems expressing his devotion to Krsna.
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/appearance-day-of-sri-vamsivadananda-thakura-12th-april-2025/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Sri-Vamsivadananda-Thakura.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250412
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250413
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T073510Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T090401Z
UID:41236-1744416000-1744502399@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Appearance Day of Sri Syamananda Prabhu 12th April 2025
DESCRIPTION:Syamananda Prabhu\, a disciple of Hrdaya Caitanya\, established the temple of Sri Radha-Syamasundara in Vrndavana.
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/appearance-day-of-sri-syamananda-prabhu-12th-april-2025/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Syamananda-Prabhu1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250414
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250415
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T073641Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250415T090409Z
UID:41237-1744588800-1744675199@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Beginning of Saligrama and Tulasi Jala Dana 14th April 2025
DESCRIPTION:Starting of Tulasi Jala Dana During the hot season in India\, a pot of dripping water is placed over Tulasi and Salagrama to keep them cool.\nKeshava Vrata starts; for one month one should control the senses\, sleep on the earth\, bath twice daily in a river\, worship the Lord and give cloth\, sugar\, sesame\, rice\, and gold to the brahmanas. If one worships Madhsudana in this month one gains the benefits of one years worship.\nWhile Keshava Vrata lasts one may hang a pot with a hole in it\, fill it with water and drip water over Tulasi and a Shalagrama Shila. \nThis is especially done in the now hot northern hemisphere when water becomes a vital asset for the growth of Tulasi Devi. In the southern hemisphere be careful not to overwater as we come out of Summer and into Autumn.
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/beginning-of-saligrama-and-tulasi-jala-dana-14th-april-2025/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tulsi.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250420
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250421
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T073746Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250421T061159Z
UID:41241-1745107200-1745193599@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Disappearance Day of Sri Abhirama Thakura 20th April 2025
DESCRIPTION:Abhirama Thakura was one of the most vigorous preachers among the associates of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. In the mood of a cowherd boy\, Sri Abhirama Thakura carried a bullwhip named Jaya Mangala.
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/disappearance-day-of-sri-abhirama-thakura-20th-april-2025/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Abhirama.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250423
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250424
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T073916Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250424T110342Z
UID:41243-1745366400-1745452799@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Disappearance Day of Srila Vrndavana Dasa Thakura 23rd April 2025
DESCRIPTION:Vrndavana Dasa Thakura was the author of Sri Caitanya Bhagavata\, a great biography of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is considered the manifest Vyasadeva of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes.
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/disappearance-day-of-srila-vrndavana-dasa-thakura-23rd-april-2025/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Srila-Vrndavana-Dasa-Thakura.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250424
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250425
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T074031Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250502T103129Z
UID:41245-1745452800-1745539199@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Varuthini Ekadashi 24th April 2025
DESCRIPTION:Varuthini Ekadasi most mercifully descends in the month of Vaisakha (April/May) and is described in details in a conversation between Sri Krsna and Yudhisthira Maharaj. Once upon a time the sublime king Yudhisthira asked the Lord: “Please explain to me the process for observong this Ekadasi which takes place during the waning Moon in the month of Vaisakha. What is the process for observing this Ekadasi and what results may be obtained by such practice.” \nLord Krsna replied: “My dear Raja (king) the name of this Ekadasi is Varuthini and it awards one greatly intrinsic fortune\, both in this life and the next. By following the vow of Ekadasi one obtains perpetual happiness and his sinful reactions dwindle as of a dimminuendo. By following such a vow an unfortunate wife grows fortunate\, a lame man may leap and a blind man see. A human being attains prosperity in this life and the next\, and even without realising so; an animal may be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. Many saintly kings such as Dhundhumara and Jambhudra became liberated by following this delectable and most transcendent of days… Varunthini Ekadasi.” \n“O great king! Donating an elephant is superior to donating a horse\, donating land is superior to donating an elephant and donating sesame seeds is greater than donating sesame seeds and donation of food grains is greater than donating gold. In fact there is no greater charity than donating food grains in charity. By such munificence one can satisfy the forefathers\, the demigods and all living entities. The learned scholars have recorded in their Vedic legacy that\, giving a daughter in charity is equal to giving  grains in charity. The Supreme Lord Himself has compared donating food grains to be equal in stature and benificence to donating cows! Moreover\, among all kinds of charities sharing one’s knowledge with others is the highest. \n“By following Varuthini Ekadasi one can attain the results of all charities. A person who earns his livelihood by cowardly selling of his daughter\, deserves to live in hell untill the end of time. Therefore no one should ever accept wealth in exchange for his daughter. A householder who\, under the influence of greed sells his daughter in exchange for money becomes a cat in his next life. But one who decorates his daughter with beatific ornaments according to his own capacity and gives her away in all good faith to a qualified and chaste groom\, even Citragupta-the secretary of Yamaraja\, is unable to count his piety. \nThe follower of this Ekadasi should abstain from eating out of a bell metal pot\, eating meat\, masura gram\, chickpea\, spinach\, honey\, accepting foodstuffs cooked by others\, eating more than neccessary\, eating more than once and engaging in sex life from the day before Ekadasi. He should not engage in gambling\, sleeping\, eating betel nuts\, brushing his teeth\, blaspheming anyone\, gossiping\, speaking ill truths\, speaking with a sinful person\, becoming angry and telling lies on the day of Ekadasi. If one observes the Ekadasi day in this manner with great tenacity and determination\, according to these reglatory stipulations-all his sinful reactions will be completely annhiliated and he will attain the supreme destination. One who remains awake on the day of Ekadasi and worships Lord Janardana becomes freed from all sins and attains the supreme goal of life. Anyone who hears or reads some narration of the inscrutable glories of this Ekadasi surely achieves the result of donating one thousand cows\, and being freed from all his sinful reactions he attains the abode of Visnu.”
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/varuthini-ekadashi-24th-april-2025/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Ekadashi.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250427
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250428
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T074135Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250502T103135Z
UID:41246-1745712000-1745798399@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Appearance Day of Sri Gadadhara Pandita 27th April 2025
DESCRIPTION:Gadadhara Pandita is among the group known as the Panca-tattva\, consisting of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and four of His closest associates. Gadadhara Pandita spent most of his life in Jagannatha Puri worshiping the Tota-Gopinatha Deity.
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/appearance-day-of-sri-gadadhara-pandita-27th-april-2025/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Sri-Gadadhara-Dasa-Goswami.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250430
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250501
DTSTAMP:20260518T010608
CREATED:20250218T074323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250502T103141Z
UID:41249-1745971200-1746057599@www.iskconpunjabibagh.com
SUMMARY:Aksaya Tritya – Candana Yatra Starts 30th April 2025
DESCRIPTION:Candana Yatra is a festival during the hot season in India in which the Deities are covered with sandalwood paste (candana) to cool Them. (This is generally impractical in the West\, where it is cold during this time.) \nFor 21 days with the Utsava Vigrahas covered in chandan. The Deities are covered completely with chandan(sandalwood paste)\, which provides the Lord relief from the scorching heat of summer in the month of Vaisakha/Jyestha (May/June). \nOnce\, Lord Jagannatha instructed the ancient King Indradyumna to perform this festival on this occasion. Smearing the body of the Lord with ointments is an act of devotion\, and the best of balms is said to be sandalwood paste. Since heat in the month of Vaisakha is extreme in India\, the cooling effect of sandalwood paste would be pleasing to the Lord. \nSandalwood paste is applied all over the body of Lord Jagannatha leaving only his two eyes exposed. The Utsava Vigrahas (functional Deities – Vijay Utsav) are taken on procession and placed in a boat in the temple pond. To commemorate this festival\, Lord Caitanya also performed water sport with his devotees. \nChandan yatra is said to have been celebrated first on the day when Treta-yuga began. Sages and devotees perform homa (yajna) during this holy occasion. Usually barley is used as a major ingredient for homa. Ganga Devi is said to have descended to earth on this day. People also perform special puja on the occasion of this holy day. Bathing in a holy river\, offering charity\, performing japa and fire sacrifices\, offering barley in sacred fire\, and preparations of delicious food using barley are common celebrations among the people. \nIn the Mahabharata\, the Pandavas lived in disguise in the palace of King Virata during their Ajnatavasa. After Bhima killed Kichaka\, King Virata realised that the Pandavas were living in his palace. The king felt proud of them and made strong bonds of friendship with them. Once\, the king expressed his desire to have a darshan of Lord Krishna with the Pandavas. Yudhisthira then advised the king to organise a boat journey in a lake for the amusement of Lord Krishna in summer months. \nThe king also organised to embalm the body of the Lord with sandalwood paste in fragrant water to comfort Him from summer heat. Satisfied with the devotion of King Virata\, Lord Krishna arrived with his elder brother Balarama. The two Lords and the Pancha Pandavas enjoyed the Snana-yatra and rowing festival. Thus with the close association of Lord Krishna\, the pious king fulfilled his devotional desire. To commemorate this incident\, Lord Jagannatha (Krishna) enjoys Chandan Yatra with Pancha Pandava at the Narendra Sarovar. This festival is known as Chandan Mahotsava. Prior to the existence of Narendra Sarovar\, this festival was said to have been observed in other tanks like Benta Sarovar. \nMadhavendra Puri was a great follower of the Gaudiya-sampradaya. When he was in Govardhana\, he dreamt of a deity of Gopala dug in the jungles. The Lord said\, “Madhava\, I am much suffocated in the jungle beneath the earth. Please excavate my place and install Me in a temple.” So Madhavendra Puri\, with the help of the Annore villagers\, excavated the earth and found the deity and Gopala was installed on top of the Govardhana Hill. One day\, Gopala said\, “I was beneath the earth for long and My body is worn out. Would you please bring some sandalwood from Jagannatha Puri and smear on Me with its pulp and soothe My body?” \nMadhavendra Puri was then an old man and he couldn’t deny the order of Lord Gopala. So he set out to Jagannatha Puri. On the way\, he reached the Remuna where the Gopinätha temple is located at the border of Orissa and Bengal. He stayed there overnight and saw that the pujari offered twelve pots of ksira to the deity. So Madhavendra Puri thought\, “If I could taste a bit of ksira\, then I would also make similar offerings to my Gopala in Vrindävan. Immediately\, his consciousness scolded him\, “Oh\, I am so stupid. Before offering it to the Deity\, I think of eating it.” Realising his mistake\, he immediately left the temple. He went outside and sat beneath a tree and chanted the Hare Krisha Mahamantra to pass the night. At night\, the Deity appeared in the dream to the priest and said\, “I have shielded one pot of kshira (condensed milk) behind My garment. Take it to Madhavendra Puri sitting beneath the tree outside the temple. The priest reached the temple and did so as instructed. Then the priest described the whole episode to Madhavendra Puri. Thereafter\, Gopinatha became famous as Kñéra-cora\, who stole ksira for His great devotee. \nIn the next day morning\, Madhavendra Puri set out to Jagannatha to collect chandan for Gopala. Before he reached Puri\, the news was spread there that Gopinatha stole kshira for Madhavendra Puri. At Jagannatha Puri\, Madhavendra met the pujari of Lord Jagannatha and expressed the desire of Lord Gopala. The pujari took him to the King of Puri. Hearing the episode\, the king gave him one mann (nearly 37 kg) of special sandalwood used in Puri and two security guards and gave him a written order not to harm Madhavendra\, the carrier of chandan. While he reached near Gopinatha\, Govinda appeared in his dream and said\, “Madhava\, you embalm Lord Gopinatha with sandal paste so that I too would receive it\, for Gopinatha and I are one.” Madhavendra Puri anointed Lord Gopinatha with chandan paste as Gopala instructed. The Chandan Yatra festival started since then to commemorate the incident. \nBefore one month of the festival\, ISKCON Vrindavan devotees enthusiastically ground the sandalwood paste (approximately 100 kilograms) for anointing the embodiments of their wonderful Divinities for the Chandan-yatra festival. On the day of Chandan Yatra\, HG Aindra Prabhu and his qualified team of pujaris started to smear with chandan since 12:45 pm to 4:30 pm on their Lordships with pure love and devotion. We all had a wonderful darshan on that auspicious day and we unanimously thank all those pious devotees who actively participated in the chandan festival to make the event a grand success. \nPlease see the extract from Caitanya Caritamrita below to commemorate the event. (Translation and purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada): \nSri Caitanya Caritamrita: Madhya Lila (4.106) says\,\ngopala kahe\, puri amara tapa nahi yaya malayaja-candana lepa’\, tabe se judaya.\n“In his dream\, Mädhavendra Puri saw Gopäla\, who said\, “My bodily temperature still has not decreased. Please bring sandalwood from the Malaya province and smear the pulp over My body to cool Me.” \nPURPORT:\nThe Deity of Gopala had been buried within the jungle for many years\, and although He was installed and was offered thousands of pots of water\, He still felt very hot. He therefore asked Madhavendra Puri to bring sandalwood from the Malaya province. Sandalwood produced in Malaya is very popular. That province is situated on the western ghäöa\, and the hill Nilagiri is sometimes known as Malaya Hill. The word malaya-ja is used to indicate the sandalwood produced in Malaya Province. Sometimes the word Malaya refers to the modern country of Malaysia. Formerly this country also produced sandalwood\, but now they have found it profitable to produce rubber trees. Although the Vedic culture was once prevalent in Malaysia\, now all the inhabitants are Muslims. The Vedic culture is now lost in Malaysia\, Java and Indonesia.
URL:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/event/aksaya-tritya-candana-yatra-starts-30th-april-2025/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iskconpunjabibagh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chandan.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR