Prabhupada Uvaca + Devotee Art Exhibition + Events

Lord Rama Appears

By Ambika devi dasi

Lord Ramachandra incarnated to help the distressed demigods, who were unable to subjugate the wicked Ravana. He also protected the sages and devotees and displayed wonderful pastimes.

He appeared in the royal family of King Dasaratha and Queen Kausalya, along with three brothers, also incarnations of the Lord. The four brothers personified all good qualities.

Lord Ramachandra was beloved of the citizens of Ayodhya, and all who contacted Him were charmed by His beauty and wonderful characteristics.

Raised as ksatriyas, or warriors, the royal sons as youths mastered the art of using celestial weapons, and learned the principles required to become just and pious leaders.

Through the arrangement of the Supreme, Lord Ramachandra, although spotless in character and blameless, was banished to the forest in His youth, and spent 14 years there along with His chaste and faithful wife, Sita Devi, and His brother Laksmana. During that time, He protected the sages living in
the forest with the skill of His bow
and arrows.

When the undefeatable demon Ravana kidnapped Rama’s exalted wife, removing Her to Sri Lanka, Lord Rama began the search for Her that would see a great alliance with monkeys and bears sired by demigods appearing in animal forms just for this purpose.

The monkeys were imbued with the qualities of their powerful fathers. The greatest monkey among them, Hanuman, son of the wind god, is worshiped to this day for his undivided devotion to Lord Rama.

In order to access the island of Sri Lanka – 800 miles away – a wonderful floating bridge of rocks was built. Lord Ramachandra controlled the mighty ocean and defied the law of gravity by allowing the rocks to float.

The mighty battle that ensued on Lanka saw the destruction of Ravana’s opulent kingdom and the demise of his family and supporters. Finally he was killed by an arrow to the heart from Lord Ramachandra’s celestial bow, to the great relief of the demigods and sages. Ravana’s pious brother, Vibhisana, was installed as King of Lanka.

After Sita Devi was rescued and restored to Her divine husband, Their victorious return to Ayodhya was celebrated along the route by lamps lit by jubilant citizens. This marks the source of Diwali, the Festival of Lights.

Lord Rama ruled as the ideal monarch for thousands of years, much to the joy of the citizens and devotees who loved Him more than life itself. Still to this day, people speak of Rama Raja as being the perfect kingdom and of Lord Ramachandra as being the perfect king.

All glories to the wonderful pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Sri Ramachandra. May He bestow His blessings on us all.

Source: Srimad-Bhagavatam, Ninth Canto, Chapters 10 & 11

ISKCON Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Srila Gadadhara dasa is considered to be a united form of Candrakanti, who is the effulgence of Srimati Radharani and Purnananda, who is the foremost of Lord Balarama’s very dear girlfriends. Thus Srila Gadadhara dasa Prabhu was one of the associates of both Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu.

Once, while Srila Gadadhara dasa Prabhu was returning to Bengal from Jagannatha Puri with Nityananda Prabhu, he forgot himself and began talking very loudly as if he were a girl of Vrajabhumi selling yogurt, and Srila Nityananda Prabhu noted this. Another time, while absorbed in the ecstasy of the gopis, he carried a jug filled with Ganges water on his head as if he were selling milk. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in the house of Raghava Pandita while going to Vrndavana, Gadadhara dasa went to see Him, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was so glad that He put His foot on his head. When Gadadhara dasa Prabhu was present in Endiyadaha he established a Bala Gopala murti for worship there. Sri Madhava Ghosa performed a drama known as Dana-khanda with the help of Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Gadadhara dasa. This is explained in the Caitanya-Bhagavata, Antya-lila 5.318–94.

CC Adi 10.53

Fun for Kids at the Sacred Sound Retreat

By Dhriti Gopi devi dasi

We are excited to tell you about the Krishna Kids Activity Area during the upcoming Sacred Sound Kirtan Retreat in April. We are planning lots of children’s activities to make the retreat fun and memorable for kids and easier for parents.

We are providing a safe, caring, creative and fun environment for the children to be fully taken care of and entertained in a Krishna conscious environment so the parents can attend the Sacred Sound Kirtan Retreat with peace of mind.

There will be physical activities, arts and crafts, structured and free play, kirtana with special visitors, story time, two giant custom-made Krishna Kids Jumping Castles (for different
age groups), giant outdoor games
and yoga.

The children will also be making decorations and doing activities directly related to the festival itself.

To take advantage of this facility you must register and volunteer.

Registration is simple – just click on the Kids Activities button on the website www.sacredsoundkirtanretreat.com.au

When registering, you will see a link that will take you to our volunteer sign-up page. Follow the steps and enter a time that suits you.

It is very important for you to register your child as soon as possible. This will allow us to have the correct ratio of carers to children and to better plan activities.

We thank you so much for your support and look forward to seeing you all soon. 

New Arrival

By Krishnarupa devi dasi

New Govardhana community welcomes the latest edition to the farm. Hari Nama and his wife, Laxmi Priya devi dasi, greeted Tulasi Sri on 26 February 2017. She weighed 3.1kg. Blessings to the beautiful newborn!

History in
the Making

By Syama Sakhi devi dasi

We are delighted to announce that our very first Year 11 students started their studies this year. For the first time in the history of the gurukula at New Govardhana, students had the option to study beyond Year 10,
and thus complete their full High School education resulting with a
HSC certificate.

The students in Year 11 chose six Board-approved subjects from the following list: English, Maths, Business Studies, Biology, Modern History, Design and Technology, Agriculture, Religious Studies, Community and Family Studies, and Music. In addition, students also have sastra classes, as well as weekly sport sessions with the rest of the High School.

Following the NSW Stage 6 syllabus, each subject contributes towards the students’ ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank). Small classroom sizes and the studious environment ensures that the students receive plenty of attention when it comes to their learning progress. This offers the students a chance to be successful in their designated study areas and reach their full potential.

Permaculture: More Than Just Gardening

By Marie Burrows

You could be forgiven for thinking that permaculture is synonymous with gardening, but not according to permaculture pro Damien Bohler, who will be holding a permaculture course at Krishna Village starting
from 17 April to 1 May 2017.

“It is a system of design, not just gardening, which relates to everything, enabling us to interact with our habitat in a more creative way,” says Damien.

His permaculture journey has been a 20-year exploration. On a break from university, Damien had a life-changing experience visiting the Pyrenees Mountains in Europe. After finishing his travels, He took six months off from studying engineering to focus on environmental biology. He began to do more investigating and came across permaculture, realising it as “a piece of a bigger picture I’m interested in – how as humans we can live a more harmonious, loving life.”

For course attendees, no previous experience or knowledge is required, just curiosity and a willingness to learn. They also do not need a huge back garden or plot of land – there are lots of ways for city dwellers to get involved too.

Damien explains, “It absolutely can translate to a home system. And if you don’t have land right now, maybe there’s a community garden available nearby, or maybe you can do some ‘guerrilla gardening’, planting gardens on abandoned plots of land and in nature strips.”

The course’s main aim is to encourage people to go into their community and start making change, designing and implementing permaculture system for themselves and others. On completion of the course participants will be qualified to teach and will receive a Permaculture Design accreditation by Damien’s organisation, Permaculture Visions.

He believes that we can all contribute to help develop the level of consciousness in the world through more awareness as to where our food comes from.

“We don’t necessarily all have to be gardeners either,” says Damien. “What’s important is to interact with the system that sustains us in some way with our hands. Some people are inclined in clothes making with natural fibres, others with working with preserving foods, herbal medicines – we can’t all be gardeners but we can all interact with a garden some way.”

Sannyasa Ministry

By Krishnarupa devi dasi

Dhruva dasa from New Govardhana is the Assistant Secretary to the Sannyasa Ministry. The Conch recently interviewed him about his service.

Q: What is the Sannyasa Ministry and its purpose?

A: The ISKCON Sannyasa Ministry serves those ISKCON members who have taken sannyasa or are aspiring to in the future. 

As the International Sannyasa Minister, Prahladananda Swami, explains, “Every year at the GBC General Meeting in Mayapur, we systematically assess sannyasa candidates and give recommendations to the GBC Body. This assessment process for sannyasa candidates, as well as the training that follows, seems to have significantly improved the quality of the sannyasa ashrama in ISKCON.”

Q: How many candidates are on the sannyasa list?

A: In 2016 there were 23 candidates in total on the waiting list for sannyasa. Twelve of these candidates will be considered for sannyasa during this year.

Q: What criteria must applicants follow in order to be considered for sannyasa?

A: The candidate is assessed according to the qualities they possess. 
Based on Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, assessment begins with an overview of some of the important qualities that an ideal ISKCON sannyasi should possess. These are: 1. Fearlessness. 2. Controlling sex desire. 3. Ability to preach. 4. Learned in the scriptures. 5. Possessing brahminical qualities. 6. Leadership. 7. Submission and co-operation with authorities. 8. Strictly following rules and regulations. 

The candidate is assessed through General Data and also Evaluation Reports.

Q: What is the service that you perform for this ministry?

A: I act as an Assistant Secretary, which entails ensuring the candidates’ Application Forms meet the criteria required for assessment. I ensure that all the data, such as references, candidate information and application requirements, are completed properly and in good English.

Q: How long have you been doing this service?

A: I’ve been doing this for six months.

Q: How much of a time investment is your service?

A: Towards the end of the Application close date there may be up to 24 hours per week of correspondence. This may carry on for a period of six to eight weeks after application closing date. Each application received generally requires some hours of scrutiny to ensure all the criteria in the applications are met.

Q: What do you enjoy about the service?

A: I like assisting my spiritual master with his service and also helping
the candidates with the practicalities required for completing their applications.

Q: Will there be any changes to the existing way you do the service?

A: The Sannyasa Ministry is continually evolving. Currently the application process is being developed for more automation, which will mean that applicants’ data will be handled by a specific computer program. This will streamline the application process. Also the application form itself is being revised to make it more user friendly for the applicant.

• The information in this article is in the public domain and additional information can be found on sannyasa.iskcon.org

ISKCON Christchurch Temple Re-opens after quake

By Sadhana devi dasi

Six years ago, an earthquake demolished Christchurch, including the Christchurch Temple and its presiding Deities, Nitai Gaurachandra. Still to this day there are many restricted areas in the city, empty lots, rubble and half-standing buildings. It took six years to rebuild the Christchurch Temple, involving a number of court cases fighting for
the finances owing to ISKCON for
the rebuild.

Three hundred and fifty enthusiastic devotees attended the ‘Revival’ festival opening of the new temple on 3–5 March 2017. Having lived in New Zealand from 1992 to 1997, I was delighted to be reunited with friends and the very special Lords Nitai Gaurachandra, who are extremely merciful.

The festival opened with a special dance performed by former New Zealand resident, the talented Syamalika devi dasi. This was followed by the abhisheka and installation of the new Nitai Gaurachandra Deities.

A local government official spoke highly of the devotees in his speech, welcoming back the Hare Krishnas to the Christchurch community.

Other events included a massive hari-nama through the centre of Christchurch and lively kirtanas led by Trivikrama dasa and Sri Prahlad dasa. Senior devotees also inspired the attendees with their memories of
the early Christchurch temple.

Art and the
Holy Name

By Kisori devi dasi

Virabhadra dasa recently held a week-long art exhibition at the iconic 1920s ‘Citadel’ building in Murwillumbah. The exhibition – ‘Mantrology’ – was the final step in finishing his Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts and took a year from planning to reality.

Having run his own business as a qualified architect for many years, Virabhadra had an unfulfilled desire to create art, an urge since his high school days.

Throughout the visual arts course, Virabhadra has been a distinction student. The exhibition was a glowing testimony to this. Its opening night with classical Indian music, kirtana and prasadam was well attended.

The artwork, much of it on a grand scale, was potently devotional in nature with the Hare Krsna maha-mantra being the highlight. Various other Vedic mantras and portrayals
of sadhana practice were on display in a variety of styles.

Virabhadra’s inspiration to choose this content came from wanting to share Krsna consciousness with everyone through art.

“This artwork is a viable expression of my devotional practice that I can share widely,” he says. “Everything about Krishna is Absolute and His senses are interchangeable, so I consider the experience of transcendental sound vibration expressible through other media
such as visual and tactile art.”

Virabhadra deliberately kept away from artworks of devotional pastimes, choosing to showcase instead the experience of sadhana practice because he feels it provides a more tangible experience that is less prone to misinterpretation.

While he is satisfied that exhibition attendees chanted and developed an appreciation of spiritual matters, plans for the future include sharing his artwork in galleries and online. Collectors are also welcome and devotees can have their chosen mantras turned into works of art.

Encouraged by several devotees and with the support of the Sacred Sound festival organisers and the Bhaktivedanta Gurukula principal, the exhibition is to be restaged in the school hall over the Easter weekend. Works by other devotee artists will also be included.

Where There is
a Will, There is
a Way

By Janardan-hari dasa
LLB (Hons) GDLP

As devotees we train ourselves to remember Krishna so that when we leave our material body, we will be able to think of Him. However, give a thought to loved ones you leave behind – it is important to ensure that wishes regarding your estate are clearly defined and legally enforceable.

The purpose of a Will, therefore, is to execute the testator’s desire (the person making the Will) of where their property and possessions should be distributed to and in which quantities, in the advent of their passing. This is done by completing a ‘Last Will and Testament’ form, which can either be done as a ‘homemade Will’ from a newsagent at a low cost or with a lawyer, which will cost somewhat more. The purpose, however, is to clearly remove doubt as to the testator’s intentions regarding their estate.

The Will’s complexity will vary depending on the nature of the estate, and the circumstances surrounding the testator. Therefore, not surprisingly, lawyers will invariably advise to employ their services in this regard, which is not unfounded given that an unclear
Will can be extremely costly in the long run.

However, where the estate is not elaborate, complex nor of significant commercial value, then a clearly written document, nominating an executor and trustee, witnessed by at least two other persons, may be better than nothing at all, and will be largely enforceable if properly executed. That being said, certain life events such as marriage and divorce can revoke or significantly alter the validity of any Will. This means it may need to have a ‘codicil’ added for an amendment or alteration, or be totally redrafted.

Dying ‘Intestate’

Problems may arise when a person passes away not making their intentions clear as to what will become of their estate. If a person indeed passes away ‘intestate’, or without a valid legal Will, then statutory provisions shall take effect. That is, Acts of Parliament such as the NSW Succession Act 2006 ‘the Act’, provide for example, that in the absence of a spouse, the children of the deceased may become the main beneficiary(s) of the intestate estate. Please note the Act also provides a basis for aggrieved persons to contest the Will legally, if an ‘adequate provision’ for a direct family member such as a son or daughter was not contained in the actual Will.

Contrary to popular belief, the Crown (State) will only become a beneficiary of real estate property for instance, only after ‘eligible relatives’ (heirs) to the estate cannot be found.

Disposition of the Ashes

As devotees usually opt for cremation rather than burial, such provisions need to be expressed in the Will to avoid all doubt by other parties concerned (such as non-Vaishnava family members). This can be done by inserting a clause directing a devotee spouse or executor to ‘dispose of the ashes’ as instructed. For instance:

Clause 1 – Ashes to be disposed of in an appropriate manner chosen by executor ‘I hereby direct that my body be cremated and that my ashes be disposed of in such manner as my executor or executors shall, in their discretion, deem appropriate.’

Storing your Will

In order for a Will to be properly executed after the testator’s demise, the relevant Court will ‘grant probate’ in order for the nominated executor (and/or trustee) to pay debts and/or distribute the estate to beneficiaries under ‘letters of administration’. The trustee, who may also be the executor, will often store the Will for safekeeping after signing. This need not be a paid professional, but should be someone reliable and trustworthy.

ISKCON New Govardhana has offered to provide fireproof safe storage for originals and certified copies for devotees desiring this service (excluding acting as trustee or executor). Please contact Ganga devi dasi for more information.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that this is a topical article for the purposes of ‘The Conch’ newsletter. It is not intended to be regarded as personal or specific legal advice. For any legal advice regarding Wills or other matters, please consult an Australian Legal Practitioner.

1 Sat Sri Ramanujacarya – Appearance

Last day of Daylight Saving Time

5 Wed Rama Navami: Appearance of Lord Sri Ramacandra

(Fast till Sunset)

7 Fri Ekadasi – Fasting for Kamada Ekadasi

8 Sat Dvadasi – Break fast 6.00-9.52 am

11 Tue Sri Balarama Rasayatra

Sri Krsna Vasanta Rasa

Sri Vamsivadana Thakura – Appearance

Sri Syamananda Prabhu – Appearance

14 Fri Tulasi Jala Dan begins

18 Tue Sri Abhirama Thakura – Disappearance

22 Sat Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura – Disappearance

23 Sun Ekadasi: Fasting for Varuthini Ekadasi

24 Mon Dvadasi: Break fast 6.08 – 6.58 am

26 Wed Sri Gadadhara Pandita – Appearance

29 Sat Aksaya Trtiya. Candana Yatra starts.

(Continues for 21 days)

Daylight Saving

On Saturday, 1 April, after the Deities have been put to rest, all clocks and other timepieces should be put BACK one hour.

From Sunday, 2 April all Winter Sunday Feast programmes will then start at 3pm, except when otherwise announced.

Daily at various locations. Contact Garuda dasa for details

garuda108das@hotmail.com

Sunday Mornings

Northern NSW & Gold Coast

Visnujana dasa 0498 141 021

Harinama

Sankirtana ki jaya!