Namamrta - Japa and Kirtan Program in Toronto again!

In the ancient text of the Bhagavad-Gita, which is an important scripture for Bhakti Yoga Practitioners, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead explains to the warrior king, Arjuna

"Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion." (BG 9-14)

Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the Hare Krishna Movement has stressed the importance of constantly chanting the glories of Lord Krishna in form of Japa (personal meditation) and Kirtan (singing sacred chants). The followers of the Hare Krishna movement dedicate some time during the day for these activities. However, Srila Prabhupada also talked about the importance of doing these activities in the association of others who are also interested in this path.

The Namamrta Program facilitated by Bhakti Brhat Bhgavat Swami focuses on just that! The first Namamrta Program held at ISKCON Toronto during the Victoria day long weekend gave the attendees a glimpse of the early days of the Hare Krishna movement as they spent 4 days chanting, singing and associating with each other and the holy names. Around 60 devotees took part in this program at the Hare Krishna Temple which featured presentations by Bhakti Brhat Bhagavat Swami, discussions, kirtan, delicious prasadam and a chance to do 64 rounds of meditation of the Hare Krishna Mantra on a single day.

After the resounding success of the first Namamrta, we are very happy to announce the second Namamrta Japa and Kirtan Program that will be taking place at ISKCON Toronto from July 30- August 2. This program will be facilitated again by Bhakti Brhat Bhagavat Swami and will give the attendees a great chance to strengthen their relationship with the holy name.

The program starts at 10am on Friday, July 30th and will conclude at 6:30pm on Monday, August 2nd. Being a program that cherishes Srila Prabhupada's teaching, there is no cost for attending this program however, any donations are welcome.

Pre-registration is required to help us plan for prasadam and hand outs better. If you are interested in registering for this amazing program or would like more information, please send an email to namamrta.to@gmail.com at the earliest.

We look forward to seeing you at Namamrta this weekend!

HH Gopal Krishna Goswami is in Town!

Last night HH Gopal Krsna Goswami treated our Sunday Feast to an enlivening discourse as part of his annual visit to Toronto. Maharaj will also be giving the daily Srimad Bhagvatam class at 7:30 am at the Temple on July 26th - 28th.

HH Gopal Krishna Goswami will be present at the ISKCON Toronto Annual General Meeting on Monday July 26 at 6:00 pm. There will also be a program at ISKCON Scarborough on Tuesday July 27 at 6:30 PM.

HH Gopal Krishna Goswami is currently one of the Governing Body Commissioners (GBC) for Toronto. Maharaj was living in Toronto when he first met with Srila Prabhupada in June 1968. Within two weeks of meeting him, Maharaj decided to accept Srila Prabhupada as his spiritual master and in May of 1969 he received initiation. In 1981 Maharaj took sannyasa and in 1982 began accepting disciples. Since then Maharaj has been traveling extensively all over the world.

Please join us for these programs!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, July 25, 2010

Ratha-Yatra Snapshots!

The 38th Annual Ratha-Yatra: Festival of India took place on July 17-18, 2010 bringing a splash of colour to the city of Toronto. It is difficult to capture the entire festival in a few words, so we hope these pictures do the trick! More pictures and a full report coming soon!

Tribute to Aindra das

In a shocking and saddening turn of events, world-famous kirtaniya and beloved Krishna devotee Aindra das was found to have passed away on the morning of Saturday, July 17, at approximately 8 am India time, in his room at ISKCON's Krishna Balarama temple in the sacred town of Vrindavana.

Aindra das inspired many followers of the Hare Krishna movement and it is a great loss for every one. We celebrated the Toronto Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) this past weekend and it was dedicated to Aindra das and the great service he did in Vrindavan where he pioneered chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in the kirtan form for 24 hours.

Tonight, we will be having a program to honour Aindra das and his incredible service to Srila Prabhupada. The program will be facilitated by Bhaktimarga Swami and the kirtan will be led by Madhava das who not only is a world renowed kirtaneer, but also one of Aindra das's students.

The program will beging at 6pm and will feature kirtan, tributes to Aindra das and prasadam. Please join us to pay our respects to Aindra das and all his contribution to this movement.

Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) this Weekend!

The 38th Annual Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) is almost here! Please visit www.feedyoursoul.to for more information. Some of the Highlights of the festival are summarized below:

PARADE
Toronto's 38th Annual Festival of India launches with a spectacular parade on July 17th at 11:00am which will cruise down Yonge Street, beginning at Yonge & Bloor and make its way down to the lake. During the parade, three, intricately detailed, 40-foot tall floats will be hand-pulled by participants amidst energetic singing, drumming, and dancing, creating a wondrous, carnival-like atmosphere.

FESTIVAL AT CENTRE ISLAND
After the colourful parade down Yonge Street, Festival of India celebrations continue for the remainder of the weekend at Centre Island. At Centre Island, all festival-goers will be treated to a sumptuous and FREE vegetarian feast! The island's festivities will also feature a massive outdoor tented pavilion, host to a free and varied assortment of family-friendly activities and events. The festival is free and open to everyone!

ARTS & CULTURE
The Festival of India is proud to present a lineup of new and award-winning performances that portray the depth and the passion of ancient India's devotional traditions. From enrapturing dance performances to dramas depicting thrilling stories from ancient scripture, the Arts & Culture stage program presented at the Festival of India will surely be a treat for one and all.

Pre-Ratha-Yatra Kirtan Festival with Madhava das, Gopal das and Others!

Join us for two 12 hour days of blissful kirtan at the Hare Krishna Temple, Toronto and experience ecstatic and sweet kirtan leading up to North America’s biggest Ratha-Yatra (Festival of India)!

July 15th - 10:00am - 10:00pm
July 16th - 10:00am - 10:00pm including a Maha Harinama (Street Kirtan) through downtown Toronto!

This Pre-Ratha-Yatra Kirtan Festival will feature kirtaneers like Madhava das from Switzerland, Gopal das from UK/Vrindavan, Ajamil das from Toronto, Akinchana das from USA and many many more! It is an event that no kirtan lover must miss!

And the kirtan bliss continues a Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) on July 17th and 18th with a rockin' Parade kirtan, Spiritually chaotic kirtan in the Toronto Tunnel, kirtan on the ferry ride to Centre Island and non-stop kirtan at the Festival site!!!!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, July 11, 2010

Sunday Feast Recording - July 11, 2010

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.

Snana-Yatra Photos

This past Sunday, Toronto's Hare Krishna temple celebrated our annual Snana-Yatra festival. During this festival Lord Jagannatha, His brother Balarama, and His sister Subadhra are given a special abisheka (bathing ceremony).

The temple room was packed with people wanting to catch a final glimpse of Lord Jagannatha. Their Lordships have "mysteriously" contracted a cold while they were bathed in various substances and will be quarantined and given intensive care by their pujaris (priests) for the next two weeks.

Once they have had time to recover, they will come out of Their temple to give darshan to everyone during the Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra Festival) on July 17-18, 2010. Thier Lordships will be riding down Yonge Street on large colourful chariots pulled by Their devotees amid ecstatic chanting of the holy names! For more information please see the official Ratha-Yatra Website.

Please view the Snana-Yatra slide show below (photos by: Rishi Kumar, Thageesan Thanabalasingam, Rajendra Patel, and Vijay Teli):

Deity Darshan: Sunday, July 4, 2010

Canada Day Maha Harinam!

On Thursday, July 1, 2010, Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre celebrated Canada Day with a splash of colour! Our first Canada Day Maha Harinam took to the streets sharing the Holy Name, prasadam and books with the public during Canada Day festivities in downtown Toronto. With Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) around the corner, this was also an amazing way to promote the festival. As such a colourful assembly set out and distributed thousands of invitations! Please view the slide show below(photos by Rishi Kumar and Manish Thorat:

Ratha-Yatra Postering this Sunday!

There is a lot of excitement in the air with Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) just 15 days away! But how many Torontonians know about this wonderful festival? This is what the "Lord Baladeva's Invitation Crew" will set out to do from now until the festival by personally inviting people and putting up posters throughout the city!

Postering and inviting people personally are among our more extensive and important tasks as we need to constantly keep the public informed of the festival and one of the best ways is to hit the streets and put up our beautiful posters. This effort will continue between now and the festival with volunteers meeting every weekend, hitting the streets armed with tape, staple guns and posters!

Volunteers will meet at the Hare Krishna Temple (243 Avenue Rd.) at 1:00pm this Sunday. Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear for walking. As a special surprise, there are always scrumptious snacks and refreshments waiting for everyone once we are finished our "postering missions"! If any of the volunteers with a car would like to help transport volunteers to postering sites please let us know. Please email volunteers@feedyoursoul.to if you have any questions or concerns.

If you would like to sign up to be part of the team, please click here!