Sri Krishna Janmastami!!!!

On Wednesday, September 1st, Hare Krishna Temple (243 Avenue Road - click here for a map) will be celebrating the biggest birthday party of the year, Lord Krishna's appearance day, Sri Krishna Janmastami!!!!

The evening program will be full of kirtan, bhajans, discourses and more! The highlight of the evening is the countdown to midnight! The momentum builds as the abhisheka (bathing ceremony) is performed and the Temple is filled with wonderful rocking kirtan, at the stroke of midnight, the Deity doors will open and their Lordships Sr Sri Radha Ksira-Chora Gopinatha will be revealed in a stunning flower outfit!

Please note, prasadam (vegetarian feast) will be served in the dining hall from 7:00 pm onwards. The full feast will be served after midnight.

Special parking rates have been arranged for festival attendees. The parking lot is located on Pears Avenue, a 2-3 minute walk from the temple. Click here for a detailed view. Parking is $3.00 from 5:00pm - 2:00am.

The Schedule of the evening is as follows (subject to change):
6:00 pm - Arati
6:30-6:40 pm – Welcome & announcements
6:40-7:20 pm – Class by HH Bhaktimarga Swami
7:20-7: 25 pm – Japa session
7:25-7:45 pm – Bhajan
7:45-8:00 pm – Children's program
8:00 – 8:30 pm – Arati
8:30-9:10 pm – Class by Vishaka devi dasi
9:10 to 9:40 pm – Kalash Abhisheka
9:40 to 10:00 pm - Reading from Krsna Book
10:00 – 11:00 pm – Special Pesentation
11:00 – 11:20 pm – Drama
11:20 – 12:00 am - Abhisheka
Midnight - Arati: Flower Outfit Darshan

Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa Puja

Thursday, September 2nd is the Vyasa-puja of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. This is an annual celebration where members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness offer homage to their guru, or spiritual teacher. For More information on Srila Prabhupada, click here.

Festivities normally take place at noon, however this year as it falls on a weekday the main program will be taking place in the evening. the Guru Puja ceremony will be performed at noon, however the main festivities including abhisheka and offerings will take place in the evening. The program will take begin at 6:00pm, stay tuned for more details.

Deity Darshan: Sunday, August 29, 2010

Lord Balarama's Appearance Day Festivities

Deity Darshan:

Festival Slideshow:

Lord Balarama's Appearance Day!

Tomorrow (Tuesday, August 24, 2010) marks the auspicious appearance day (birthday) of Lord Balarama, Lord Krishna's older brother! Lord Balarama symbolizes strength and compassion and we invite you to take part in the celebrations at the Hare Krishna Temple. Our schedule for the evening will be:

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm - Arati
6:30 pm - 6:35 pm - Welcome and Announcements
6:35 pm - 7:25 pm - Class by HH Bhaktimarga Swami
7:25 pm - 8:00 pm - Lord Balarama's Cooking Contest!
8:00 pm - 8:30 pm - Arati
8:30 pm - Free Prasadam (Vegetarian Feast) for All!

This year's festivities have a bit of a twist with "Lord Balarama's Cooking Contest". Some of our community's most talented cooks have volunteered to make sweet preparations dedicated to Lord Balarama. On Sunday the cooks choose their mystery ingredients as well as a name of Lord Balarama they need to express through their dish. The results will be presented during tomorrows program, this new feature is something you don't want to miss!

After Lord Balarama's appearance day, the countdown for Sri Krishna Janmashtami starts, the biggest birthday bash in town for Lord Krishna. This year, Janmashtami falls on September 1st. As always, we will be having exciting activities on September 1st from 6:00 pm to midnight! More information about what to expect will be coming your way soon!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, August 22, 2010

Jhulan Yatra: August 19th - 24th!

The Hare Krishna Temple will be observing the Jhulan Yatra festival every morning from August 19th until August 24th (last day of Jhulan Yatra and Lord Balarama's Appearance Day).

This festival commemorates the swing (Jhulan) pastime of Radha and Krishna. Every morning at 7:00 am following Deity Greetings, the small deities of Sri Sri Radha Krishna will come off the altar and be placed on a decorated swing. Please feel free to join us in celebrating this festival and get a rare chance to personally swing their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krishna!

Deity Darshan: Sunday August 15, 2010

Bhajan's Night with Vaisesika das - Tommorrow!!

Most people around the world know Vaisesika das an amazing book distributor! However, last year in Toronto, we were very fortunate to experience a different and very special side of Vaisesika das - his amazing kirtans and bhajans!

By popular demand and in the mood of absolute spontaneity, we will be having a Bhajan's Night at the temple tomorrow starting at 6:30pm!

Kirtan refers to the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra in a call and response format with the accompaniment of musical instruments like cymbals (kartals), drum (mrdanga) etc. At a typical Sunday Feast, the kirtan is fast, loud and extremely powerful!

Bhajans, on the other hand are songs written by great saints and usually sung in small, intimate groups. The effect is soothing and calming! And when Vaisesika das leads us on Bhajans, it can go on forever - and trust us, you'd wish that it goes on forever!

Please do not miss this opportunity to soak up some nectar! The bhajans night will be followed by a Pizza party! We hope to see you there!!

Vaisesika das returns to Toronto!

As announced on Sunday, by the efforts of so many devotees, we have crossed the mark of distribution over 10,000 books around Toronto! This distribution of books, is always accompanied with some kirtan, prasadam and a warm smile! A huge part of this success is attributed to Vaisesika das, who in his previous visits inspired devotees to do the unthinkable!

And now, he returns to Toronto for the fourth time to continue to enliven the community as we march towards the grand goal of distributing 20,000 books! Vaisesika das, is a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada and has developed innovating models for book distribution in San Jose. He will be coming to Toronto this time with his wife, Nirakula devi dasi, who is also a disciple of Srila Prabhupada.

Vaisesika das and Nirakula devi dasi will be here in Toronto from Friday, August 13 to Monday, August 16. During their visit, there will be a variety of programs around the GTA and ofcourse, a fun book distribution (sankirtan) party!

Special Srimad Bhagavatam Class (Friday - Monday at 7:30am) by Vaisesika das and Nirakula devi dasi

Theme: Serving Srila Prabhupada's Mission Through the Grhasta Ashram (Married Life)

Friday - Setting it right - The search for a perfect match

Saturday - Getting it right - Serving Harmoniously together

Sunday - Striking the Balance on Your way to Krsna - Material/Spiritual

Monday - Seeking Shelter in Troubled Times

Program at ISKCON Scarborough - Friday at 6:30pm

Sankirtan Ride in the streets of Toronto - Saturday at 11am

Program at ISKCON Brampton - Sunday at 11am

Sunday Feast at ISKCON Toronto - Sunday at 6pm featuring a rocking arati by Vaisesika das!

We hope to see you at these programs for an extended weekend of fun!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, August 8, 2010

Sunday Feast Recording - August 8, 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.

Gopinatha's Kids Camp - August 7, 2010!

After celebrating a grand Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra), we thought its time to have some fun! And what better way to have fun than by having a day dedicated for the younger bhakti-yogis in the Hare Krishna Community! Imagine a day full of games, laughter, delicious prasadam and a chance to make new friends!

ISKCON Toronto is providing just that and more and especially for the younger congregational members with the fourth annual Gopinath's Kids Camp!

This year, the fourth annual Gopinath's Kids Camp will be held on Saturday, August 7th from 8:30am-6:00pm, for kids aged 5-12 years. The purpose of this one-day camp is to provide an opportunity to ignite the spiritual spark in the children while doing fun and interactive activities that they enjoy.

In addition to outdoor games, some of the primary activities being planned for the day are Mantra Meditation Sessions, fun cooking classes, learning how to play different musical instruments, sumptuous prasadam and many fond memories.

All this and much more for registration fees of only $20!

Click here to register your children now!!

For further information, please feel free to contact us at info@torontokrishna.com or psenatoronto@gmail.com. You can also contact Shyama-Mohini dasi at 416.844.2937 or Mahasundari Madhavi dasi at 647.284.7010. We look forward to seeing all our enthusiastic younger devotees at the Gopinath's Kids Camp this year on August 7th!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, August 1, 2010