Krishna Balarama

When we were in India for the 50th Anniversary of the Krishna Balarama Mandir, I saw this beautiful painting of Krishna, Balarama and Mother Yasoda. I know it is not the best image…as the glass was reflecting the sunlight…but there was something about this painting that captured my imagination and just pulled me into the pastime.

“O Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for liberation, nor eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon. My only prayer is that Your childhood pastimes may constantly appear in my mind. O Lord, I do not even want to know Your feature of Paramatma. I simply wish that Your childhood pastimes may ever be enacted in my heart.” (verse 4 from the Sri Damodarastaka)

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50th Anniversary of Krishna Balaram Mandir Grand Opening!

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Well the Golden Jubilee at Krishna Balarama Mandir is over, and its time for many of us to return to their respective homes. The above photo are the Prabhupada disciples, sannayasi’s, and other participants, taken on the last day of festival. Many thanks to the management and festival organizers, as well as all the Vrindavan residents who helped make this a memorable occasion.

The Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir, situated in the Raman Reti area of Vrindavan, holds a special significance for the devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. This grand temple represents the fulfilled dream of Srila Prabhupada, Founder Acharya of ISKCON, who wished to construct a temple of unparalleled beauty for the worship of the transcendental brothers Krishna and Balaram in the same village where They played more than five thousand years ago. Srila Prabhupada directly oversaw all the aspects of design and construction and personally called the Lord to come and accept the worship of His devotees from around the world. He said, “Lord Balaram is the source of spiritual strength, and I have built this temple just to give strength to the devotees”.

Today, the Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir is a booming spiritual center. Every day of the week pilgrims flood in the gate in great numbers from all over the world. In fact, the large green government signs posted over the highway turn off to Vrindavan only give directions to two temples: Banke Bihari and ISKCON.

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Golden Jubilee at Krishna Balarama Mandir

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The Opening of Krishna Balarama Mandir 50 years ago

Today we are celebrating The Appearance day of Lord Ramachandra (Rama Navami), at the Krishna Balarama Mamdir, for the 50th Golden Jubille Grand Opening. It was 50 years ago today, this beautiful temple was opened.

It has been a very blissful morning thus far, with ecstatic kirtan, memories given by Senior devotees who were here with Srila Prabhupada for the opening, and a Big Surprise was seeing the Ashtasakhi Gopis, who joined Radha Shyamasundar on the altar for the first time.

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Vrindavan Happiness

We are currently in Vrindavan, India, at the Krsna Balaram Mandir, with the most beautiful Radha Shyam. All the deities looked so gorgeous this morning, in their black outfits.

Have been doing the parikaram of the twelve forests of Vrindavan, and it has been amazing, and feel exceptional fortune, at being here, and experiencing so much devotional nectar.

I wish to share some from the Preface to the”Nectar of Devotion” By A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami:

The basic principle of the living condition is that we have a general propensity to love someone. No one can live without loving someone else. This propensity is present in every living being. Even an animal like a tiger has this loving propensity at least in a dormant stage, and it is certainly present in the human beings. The missing point, however, is where to repose our love so that everyone can become happy. At the present moment the human society teaches one to love his country or family or his personal self, but there is no information where to repose the loving propensity so that everyone can become happy. That missing point is Krsna, and The Nectar of Devotion teaches us how to stimulate our original love for Krsna and how to be situated in that position where we can enjoy our blissful life.

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Krishna and Balarama

Probably because we leave for India today, and probably because we are going for the 50th Aniversity of the opening of the Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Temple in Vrindavan, but every morning I think about this Iconic picture of Srila Prabhupada offering the first Arotika to Krishna and Balarama.

We share with you some of the pastimes of the two transcendental brothers.

While Kṛṣṇa was engaged in tending the cows in the forest of Vṛndāvana or on Govardhana Hill, the gopīs in the village were always absorbed in thinking of Him and discussing His different pastimes. This is the perfect example of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: to somehow or other remain always engrossed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. The vivid example is always present in the behavior of the gopīs; therefore Lord Caitanya declared that no one can worship the Supreme Lord by any method which is better than the method of the gopīs. The gopīs were not born in very high brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya families; they were born in the families of vaiśyas, and not in big mercantile communities but in the families of cowherd men. They were not very well educated, although they heard all sorts of knowledge from the brāhmaṇas, the authorities of Vedic knowledge. The gopīs’ only purpose was to remain always absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. (“The Gopīs Attracted by the Flute.”)

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Wonderful Krsna

Krishna Balarama and friends and cows

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KRSNA, The Supreme Personality
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Volume 1, Chapter 26

Wonderful Krsna

Without understanding the intricacies of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and without knowing His uncommon spiritual opulences, the innocent cowherd boys and men of Vṛndāvana began to discuss the wonderful activities of Kṛṣṇa which surpass the activities of all men.

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One Who Knows Kṛṣṇa Knows Everything

Akrura

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This mornings post is actually about the picture. I love this image and just wanted to put it on our page. And the words from Srila Prabhupada’s Kṛṣṇa Book, are like the music to the song.

…Akrūra said, ”My dear Lord, all wonderful things that are happening within this world, either in the sky or in the water or on the land, are factually appearing in Your universal form. So when I have seen You, what wonderful things have I not seen?“ This statement confirms the Vedic version that one who knows Kṛṣṇa knows everything, and one who has seen Kṛṣṇa has seen everything, regardless of how wonderful a thing may be. ”My dear Lord,“ Akrūra continued, ”there cannot be anything more wonderful than Your transcendental form. When I have seen Your transcendental form, what is there left to see?“

When passing from Vṛndāvana to Mathurā, all passersby along the way who saw Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma could not help but look at Them again and again. In the meantime, the other inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, headed by Nanda and Upananda, had already reached Mathurā by going through forests and rivers, and they were awaiting the arrival of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.

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Sri Krishna Janmastami 2012

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Sri Sri Krishna Balarama descend at Sunnyvale, California


Sri Sri Krishna Balarama descend at Sunnyvale, California
By: Iskcontimes

The India Heritage Foundation center at Sunnyvale, California, observed the gorgeous installation ceremony of Sri Sri Krishna Balarama on Saturday, 29thNovember, 2011. The ceremony was marked with the abhishekam of Sri Krishna Balarama, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada deities. Hundreds of devotees assembled to witness this rare event. Amongst the devotees present were Sri Yashodanandan Dasa, senior Iskcon devotee, along with Sri Chanchalapathi Dasa and Sri Sridham Krishna Dasa from Srila Prabhupada’s Iskcon Bangalore.

Pasted from; http://iskcontimes.com/sunnyvale-temple-inauguration

108 Imporant Slokas from the 1972 Bhagavad-gita As It Is

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The Hare Krishna Cookbook

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Bhagavad-gita As It Is 1972 Edition “Online”

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