Upcoming Seminar with Vaisesika das!

"For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear." (Bhagavad-gita 18.68-69)

Sharing Krishna consciousness with others is surely like an express highway to becoming dear to Lord Krishna and this coming weekend you will have an opportunity to equip yourself with the best tools and techniques in achieving this cherished goal. Gain inspiration and empowerment through a special seminar on "Sharing Krishna Consciousness as Ambassadors of Goodwill” by Vaisesika Das.

Vaisesika das, a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada, is a veteran book distributor who has inspired devotees all around the world in creating and sustaining book distribution. He has been the inspiration and guiding force behind Toronto's Monthly Sankirtan Festivals and other Sankirtan initiatives! Through classroom lectures and on-field training, Vaisesika das will enlighten, encourage and empower us to become the agents of spiritual change by sharing this timeless knowledge.

So whether you are a seasoned veteran, or just an aspiring book distributor, this seminar is for you! Please come, get inspired and inspire others through your desire to share Krishna consciousness!

The seminar will take place at the Hare Krishna Temple from Dec 4th to 5th with timings as follows:

Friday, Dec 4th, 2009

- 6:30pm to 9:30pm (in-class seminar)

Saturday Dec 5th, 2009

- 10:00am to 1:00pm (in-class seminar)

- 2:00pm to 5:00pm (onsite training)

The seminar will have a small cost of $25 to cover student materials and coursework. To register for this seminar, please click here and fill out the form.

For more information please contact us at toronto.sankirtan@gmail.com; or call us at 416.400.7001.

A Festival of Sharing Krishna with the Public!

This past Saturday, November 28th, the sixth Monthly Sankirtan Festival (MSF) took place and was a resounding success!

Over the last six months, bhakti-yoga practitioners have headed out, once a month, to share spiritual books, kirtan (musical chanting) and prasadam (blessed snacks). This time around, the monthly sankirtan festival coincided with Gita Jayanti, the auspicious day when the Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Lord Krishna over 5,000 years ago! It also marked the start of the "Prabhupada Marathon", where devotees all over the world try to distribute increased amounts of spiritual literature during the month of December. As a result, this MSF was certainly charged with even more energy and enthusiasm!

The MSF began with an inspiring class by Krsnadas Kaviraja das, who emphasized the importance of sharing our good fortune with others through book distribution and also remembering that devotional service is a rare privilege. After breakfast, a short session based on the training by Vaisesika das was facilitated and, soon after, the teams headed out to various locations.

Amazingly, a total of 15 teams distributed more than 200 books including 86 Bhagavad-gitas all over the Greater Toronto Area, which included teams at ISKCON Scarborough and Brampton. Over 800 pieces of prasadam were also distributed!

As teams gathered back home to offer their results to Lord Krishna inspired faces, beaming with enthusiasm, lit up the temple. Realizations and experiences were shared over a late lunch and the desire to serve just increased exponentially. Many who had never tried sankirtan before were so inspired and excited for the next opportunity and many who had done this long ago were rejuvenated. Others were just simply eagre for more "nectar".

In fact, at one of the locations, the devotees did not even want to stop and went way over time only to be back in time for the evening celebrations at the temple. Another highlight was the experience of a devotee couple who were headed out to distribute books by themselves in downtown Toronto. In a rush to reach their destination, they exceeded the speed limit and received a ticket of $120. The police officer on sight then "preached" the laws to them for five minutes. In return, the devotees "preached" to him and, at the end of the conversation, the officer not only happily purchased a Bhagavad-gita and a "Chant & Be Happy" (smaller book), but also reduced their ticket to $15 and gave his email address to stay in touch!

This is only a few of the many exciting experience devotees had on the street, that highlighted the magic of sharing Krsna Consciousness with others! To learn more about the sankirtan initiatives, or to join us on our next adventure, please email us toronto.sankirtan@gmail.com.

If you would like to participate in the distribution of this transcedental knowledge but are unable to come out with us, you could sponsor books (shastra dana) and the GTA Sankirtan Team would be more than happy to distribute those books on your behalf!

Deity Darshan: Sunday November 29, 2009

*Photos courtesy of Rishi Kumar

Sunday Feast Photos - Nov 29, 2009

Here's a look at last night's Sunday Feast through the eyes of a camera lens!

Here is a small sample of the 8:00 Kirtan!

Sunday Feast Recordings - November 29, 2009

The recording for this week's Sunday Feast can be viewed by clicking the image below. As a reminder, the recordings from our weekly live web broadcasts are stored on our ISKCON Toronto Video Archive Blog.

A Full Day of Appreciating the Bhagavad-Gita!

Whether sitting in a class and hearing a reference to a verse from the Gita, or perhaps finally grabbing the sacred book off of our bookshelves at home to finger through some spiritual pearls of wisdom, any time spent with the Bhagavad-gita can illuminate the mind and stimulate the soul.

On Saturday, November 28th, devotees gathered at Toronto's Hare Krishna temple to honour the Bhagavad-gita's birthday! Yes, that's right, it's birthday! Known as "Gita Jayanti" this day marks the occasion when, over 5,000 years ago, Lord Krishna spoke this imperishable science to Arjuna, giving all of life's lessons in one supremely sublime conversation.

Over 5,000 years later, the Gita continues to resonate strongly in people's lives and it is with this in mind that the day began with bundled-up devotees hitting the streets for the Monthly Sankirtan Festival. The monthly festival involves groups of spiritualists sharing books of spiritual knowledge with the public. Amazingly, over 10 teams covered the whole city of Toronto, Bhagavad-gitas in hand, and helped share our beautiful spiritual culture with the whole city!

After spending the afternoon chanting, dancing and sharing books, it was back to the temple for the annual reading of the Gita. This year, as a special treat (and for our many new spiritualists), we had both the Sanksrit and English reading of the Gita taking place at the same time. The Sanksrit reading took place in the main temple room while, tucked in Srila Prabhupada's Quarters upstairs, devotees read the English translations!

After a great 6pm arati, Subhavilasa das gave a wonderful class about the importance of sharing these special books, especially focusing on the Bhagavad Gita. The program then took a lighter note with a comedic drama presentation, "The Telemarketer". Laughs were abound and the little skit was received warmly.

As a new initiative, the next part of the program featured an audience-interactive Gita Q&A session. With a panel of four esteemed devotees from our community: Dvija Gauranga das, Rupanuga das, Praharana devi dasi and Vrndavana das, the audience was given a chance to ask questions about the Gita either by speaking into a microphone or by writing their questions on paper which were then read aloud. The Q&A session zipped by as thoughtful questions and brilliant answers flew through the air. The evening ended with a beautiful kirtan at 8:00pm and a simple vegetarian feast.

The next few weeks will be very special at the Hare Krishna temple in Toronto. There will be a theme of books, books, books! Being such an auspicious time of year, Hare Krishna temples around the whole world place a special focus on sharing these spiritual gems. If you would like to obtain a Gita or sponsor a case of Gitas, please feel free to contact us and we'd love to provide you with more information.

Gita Jayanti festivities present a pretty unconventional approach as far as birthday celebrations go, but the warm faces and joyous hearts that could be found beaming throughout the day proved that while there was no candles and cake, the mood was certainly very sweet!

Please enjoy the festival slideshow below or click here for the picture gallery (photos courtesy of Rishi Kumar):

Gita Jayanti Celebrations this Saturday!

Over five thousand years ago, Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna, discussing the fundamental principles of life. The Gita lucidly explains the nature of consciousness, the self and the universe. It contains both the essence of India's spiritual wisdom and the answers to questions that have been posed by philosophers for centuries.

Today, that same Bhagavad-gita has been translated to numerous languages and is read by millions of people around the world, revered in academic circles, and studied by spiritualists of all backgrounds.

Saturday, November 28th marks Gita Jayanti, the day when Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna. After hitting the streets during the Monthly Sankirtan Festival, celebrations on this glorious day will be focused at the Hare Krishna Temple with the reading of all 700 verses of the Gita, followed by an evening full of festivities.

This year will feature two readings of the Gita taking place simultaneously. The main reading in the main temple room will be of the original Sanskrit verses and the other will take place upstairs and will be the English translations. Celebrations will also feature a comedic drama called "The Telemarketer", kirtan and a vegetarian feast!

As a special treat, the program will also feature an audience-interactive Bhagavad-Gita Q&A Session. The basic idea will be to open up the floor to the audience who can either ask questions or submit questions on paper to a panel of senior devotees from our community.

If you would like to submit a question now, you are welcome to do so using the form below and it will be included in the bank of questions which will be asked during the festival!

The schedule for the festival is as follows (subject to change):

11:00am to 3:00pm - Monthly Sankirtan Festival

4:00pm to 6:00pm - Reading of Gita (Sanskrit in Temple Room / English Upstairs)

6:00pm to 6:30pm - Arati

6:30pm to 6:40pm - Welcome and Announcements

6:40pm to 7:20pm - Class by Subhavilasa das

7:20pm to 7:30pm - Drama: "The Telemarketer"

7:30pm to 8:00pm - Audience-Interactive Gita Q&A Session

8:00pm to 8:30pm - Arati

8:30pm to 9:30pm - Vegetarian Feast (Prasadam)

Sankirtan Saturday: Gita Jayanti Special!

The coming Saturday, November 28th is a special day because it is the birthday of the Bhagavad-gita (Gita Jayanti)! The Bhagavad-gita was actually spoken by Lord Krishna over 5,000 years ago on this day. Additionally, this will mark the start of "Srila Prabhupada's Book Marathon" with a target of distributing 2,010 books before the new year.

In the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna states, "For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me." What could be more auspicious than actually going out and sharing this spiritual knowledge with others on the very day when the Bhagavad-gita was spoken?

The GTA Sankirtan Team is aiming to organize 18 teams (one for each chapter of the Bhagavad-gita) to go out for this special Sankirtan Festival. If you are unable to join us in the downtown area, we encourage you to consider distributing books in your neighbourhood, to your friends, relatives and anyone you know. Please get in touch with us and we will be more than happy to provide you with the information, the books and the tools! Please come and inspire us by being a part of this special festival - certainly a chance not to be missed!

For more information or if you would like to participate, please contact the GTA Sankirtan Team at toronto.sankirtan@gmail.com.

The New ISKCON Toronto Magazine!

For over 30 years, the Toronto Hare Krishna Temple has been a bustling hub of activity with grand festivals and regular events. This year has been no different as a calendar full of activities and events has enlivened our vibrant congregation!

In a creative effort to capture some of the wonderful events that have taken place this year, the ISKCON Toronto Fundraising Committee is presenting to the community a magazine showcasing some of the highlights of 2009. The Fundraising Committee hopes to distribute 5,000 to 10,000 copies of this magazine during 2010. The colourful magazine will include various articles on Krishna consciousness, bhakti-yoga and will feature messages by some of the senior leaders of ISKCON Toronto.

There will also be an opportunity for the members of the community to place advertisements in the magazine. It will reach out to a large number of people in the GTA and will be a great way to market your company or organization while also providing a nice service for the temple by informing people of the numerous activities and events that take place at ISKCON Toronto.

The prices for advertisement in the ISKCON Toronto 2010 Magazine are as follows:
- Full Page Advertisement: $500
- Half Page Advertisement: $300
- Quarter Page Advertisement: $200

The last date for submiting ads for the magazine is November 30, 2009. For more information about how you can be involved in the magazine and for all other inquiries, please contact the members of the Fundraising Committee:
- Geet Bhardwaj - geetegay@gmail.com (416-831-7773)
- Keshava das - krishna01@sympatico.ca (416 922 5415)

Deity Darshan: Sunday November 22, 2009

Sunday Feast Recordings - November 22, 2009

The recording for this week's Sunday Feast can be viewed by clicking the image below. As a reminder, the recordings from our weekly live web broadcasts are stored on our ISKCON Toronto Video Archive Blog.

Drama Rescheduled For This Sunday

At Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre, we're fortunate to regularly have inspiring dramas presented by Bhaktimarga Swami. Recently, Bhaktimarga Swami formed Swami Productions which consists of gifted actors from around the world. This Sunday they will be showcasing their first collaborative creation entitled, “Lonely” (Originally scheduled for Sunday, November, 8th, the drama had to be rescheduled due to unforseen circumstances).

This drama differs from some of the traditional theatrical epics of the Vedas and highlights a modern-day struggle that many of us have experienced or at least know someone who has been affected by it. Loneliness has evolved into such a big problem that many people can't handle it. This performance is a reminder of what it can do to individuals.

Please join us this Sunday for this unique experience!

Temple Seva Day - this Saturday!

Pandava Sena Toronto, the temple's youth group is extending a warm invitation to all the congregation members especially the youth to join them as they engage in some special temple clean-up seva (service) on Saturday, November 21.

For this seva day, one of the main services will be to clean the Tulasi room and take extra care of Tulasi Maharani. The clean-up will start at 11am and continue till around 2pm. Those who attend will be rewarded both spiritually and with a delicious lunch prasadam!

Please contact psenatoronto@gmail.com to RSVP or for more information!

Free Teleconference for Married Devotees!

Ever wondered why a call-in devotee talk show did not exist where you could call in and ask your most pressing/embarrassing/heart-rending relationship questions in complete anonymity and get help from an expert? Ever felt terribly anguished yet unable to unburden yourself for fear of ridicule? Ever wondered if you are the only one suffering alone? Ever wondered if your relationships could get better?

Wonder and worry no more- it is here! In the safety and privacy of your home or office, you can call in and talk to a relationship expert who is experienced and devotional. The Grihastha Vision Team offers yet another first to the devotee community of North America - a FREE teleconference facility every month just for you - the humble devotee who is seeking help with relationships.

You can choose to remain anonymous, but please note that your question and the panelist’s answer will be audible to all those on the call. This way you benefit from the association of many other devotees and also gain perspective from the comments of others who are facing similar issues. Our entire panel consists of qualified experts, counselors, therapists or marriage educators who are deeply dedicated to the health of devotees in relationships - especially those in or those contemplating marriage.

Here is the telephone number for our inaugural public teleconference call, 712-432-0111, Participant access code: 761698 #. This information is also available on our website and online newsletter at www.vaisnavafamilyresources.org.

The call will take place on Thursday, November 19, 2009 from 7- 8 PM EST.

The call, which will be for one hour is on the topic, “FORGIVENESS.” We will introduce the call and explain the format to you. Her Grace, Krsnanandini Devi Dasi, Director, Grihastha Vision Team will be the panelist for the first conference call. She is a Certified Family Life Educator, Prepare and Enrich Counselor, Grihastha Coach and has been counseling devotees for a number of years. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother and an author and has been a regular attendee and participant at the Smart Marriages Conference.

For further information about the other expert panelists, and the efforts and initiatives launched by the Grihastha Vision Team, please look up our web-site which iswww.vaisnavafamilyresources.org. Please feel welcome to sign up for our free newsletter. You may also e-mail us with your questions by using the 'Contact Us' button on the web-site.

Thanking you in anticipation,
Grihasta Vision Team

No Sunday Feast Recordings This Week

Due to some technical difficulties with the audio, there won't be a Sunday Feast Recording for this week. We apologize for any inconvenience caused!

Deity Darshan: Sunday November 15, 2009

Gita Course with Uttama Sloka das this Friday!

The Hare Krishna temple is very excited to announce that HG Uttama Sloka das will be once again visiting our temple to conduct the second part of his Bhagavad Gita Course. Uttama Sloka das visited Toronto last year and facilitated a course that was attended by over 50 devotees!

He is a disciple of HH Indradyumna Swami and serves part time as Maharaja's traveling assistant, secretary and translator. Apart from his personal services to Indradyumna Swami, he spends his time conducting educational and training courses covering 20 countries on four continents. He is qualified as a Bhakti Sastri teacher, mediator and counsellor. This will be his third visit to Canada.

Uttama Sloka prabhu will be teaching a week-long seminar on the Bhagavad Gita. Normally, Bhagavad Gita courses and seminars focus on studying the deep intricacies of the ancient spiritual text. The unique feature of this course is that it will focus on real-life applications of the Bhagavad Gita! Imagine learning real lessons from the Gita about releasing negativity, developing self esteem and learning how to foster cooperation!

The course will span Friday, November 13th to Tuesday, November 17th. The details are as follows:

Friday, November 13th, 2009 - 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Saturday, November 14th, 2009 - 10:00am to 2:00pm

Sunday, November 15th, 2009 - 3:00pm to 5:00pm

Monday, November 16th, 2009 - 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 - 6:30pm to 9:00pm

There will be a fee for the course, which will be announced in the coming days. For more information, please feel free to email us. To officially register for the course, please fill out the form below:

Deity Darshan: Sunday, November 8, 2009

Youth Morning Program - This Saturday!

This Saturday, November 7th, 2009, a warm invitation goes out to one and all to join the Pandava Sena youth group and the rest of the youth in coming out for a very sweet and intimate experience at the temple.

Please come and join the temple devotees for the regular morning service, consisting of arati, japa (mantra meditation), Bhagavatam class, kirtan, and of course delicious breakfast!

The program begins at 4:30am with Mangala Arati and finishes at 9:00am followed by breakfast prasadam. Feel free to contact psenatoronto@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns or if you are looking for a ride, and we will respond to you as soon as possible.

Book of the Month - Path of Perfection

The Sankirtan Team of the Hare Krishna temple is excited to announce a new "Book of the Month" program which will highlight one of Srila Prabhupada's books each month. The goal is to help us collectively take more time to read these spiritual gems of wisdom!


Srila Prabhupada translated numerous Vedic scriptures including the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam and Caitanya Caritamrita. This month's book is The Path of Perfection. This book features a collection of talks given by Srila Prabhupada focusing on the nature of consciousness, meditation, karma, death and reincarnation.


As a teaser, here is an excerpt from the book:
"The ultimate goal of yoga is thus clearly explained. Yoga is not meant for attaining any kind of material facility; it is to enable the cessation of all material existence. As long as we require some material facilities, we will get them. But these facilities will not solve the problems of life. I have traveled throughout the world, and it is my opinion that American boys and girls have the best material facilities, but does this mean that they have attained peace? Can anyone say, 'Yes, I am completely peaceful'? If this is so, why are American youngsters so frustrated and confused?"

(Chapter 4 - Moderation in Yoga)

If you would like to obtain a copy of The Path of Perfection, you can place it on hold for you by clicking here. You can then pick up your book during the weekly Sunday Feast (there is a suggested donation of $4.00). For more information about the book, please visit the book table at the Hare Krishna Temple, during the weekly Sunday Feast.

Deity Darshan: Sunday, November 1, 2009

Sunday Feast Recordings - November 1, 2009

The recording for this week's Sunday Feast can be viewed by clicking the image below.
As a reminder, the recordings from our weekly live web broadcasts are stored on our ISKCON Toronto Video Archive Blog.