Blast from the Past! "Prabhupada: A Shadow Play" (1995)

Gaura Purnima Celebrations - An Evening to Remember!

On the evening of Saturday, March 19th, spiritualists gathered to celebrate Gaura Purnima which marks the appearance anniversary of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who appeared in Mayapura, India in the year 1486. Celebrations began with a two-hour kirtan before the program officially began and, as the temple filled with celebrants, a special evening unfolded. Featuring a non-stop program that had talks, monologues, videos and bhajans, the evening also featured small dramatic vignettes that depicted different stories about Caitanya Mahaprabhu. An amazing abhiseka (bathing ceremony for deities) then took place amidst a wild kirtan. Gaura Purnima is always one of the biggest festivals of the year and this festival certainly didn't dissapoint! We hope to post some videos from the festival in the next little while, so stay tuned!

A Neat Video About "Krishna Lunch" in Gainesville, Florida!

We found a neat video by a small university news network about the very popular "Krishna Lunch" program operated by devotees in Gainesville, Florida! Check it out!

Deity Darshan: Sunday March 27, 2011

Deity Darshan: Gaura Purnima

Click HERE for full Deity Gallery!

Gaura Purnima Celebrations - Today!

This evening, Toronto's Hare Krishna temple will be hosting one of our largest festivals of the year - Gaura Purnima! A huge crowd is expected for this incredible festival that promises to leave you immersed in spiritual bliss and love for Lord Caitanya who is none other than Lord Krishna Himself! Gaura Purnima celebrates the appearance anniversary of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who appeared in Mayapura, India in the year 1486.

Having the festival fall on a Saturday means that we can have especially extravagant festivities and so devotees are encouraged to come throughout the day for festivities. Spiritualists are encouraged to come early in the morning (4:30am!) to take part in the morning program. Festivities in the evening will begin a little earlier with rousing kirtan starting at 4pm.

The schedule for the full day is as follows:

4:30am to 9:00am - Mangala Arati and Morning Program

4:00pm to 6:00pm - Kirtan for Mahaprabhu

6:00pm to 6:30pm - Kirtan (Arati)

6:30pm to 7:30pm - Special Presentation

7:30pm to 8:00pm - Maha-Abhisheka (Bathing of Deities)

8:00pm to 8:30pm - Kirtan (Arati)

8:30pm - Vegetarian Feast (Prasadam)

A warm invitation goes out to you and your family for this larger-than-life festival as we celebrate the auspicious advent of the appearance of Lord Caitanya!

Gaura Nitai of the GTA

As promised earlier in the week we're featuring a Special Gaura Purnima Gallery. This gallery gives a glimpse of the many Gaura Nitai Deities that preside over the Greater Toronto Area. Enjoy!

Sponsor an Arati During Gaura Purnima this Weekend!

The Toronto Hare Krishna temple is gearing up for grand celebrations this weekend as we get ready to celebrate Gaura-Purnima on the evening of Saturday, March 19th!

Gaura Purnima celebrates the appearance anniversary of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It is observed annually by Krishna devotees all over the world — especially in the area of Mayapur, India, the place where He appeared in the year 1486.

As a special treat, devotees have a chance to sponsor one of the aratis (offerings, accompanied by chanting) during this Saturday's program. The two main aratis will be at 6pm and 8pm and you are welcome to sponsor one of the three altars during one of the aratis!

For more information, or to sponsor one of the aratis, please click here to fill out our form and we will be in touch with you!

Hare Krishna in South Africa - A Little Documentary!

This video has been on YouTube for quite some time, but we're sure some of our blog readers have not seen it before. Check out this neat documentary made about ISKCON in South Africa!

Send Us Pictures of Your Gaura-Nitai Deities!

With Gaura Purnima around the corner we're planning a special surprise featuring images of Gaura-Nitai deities worshiped in the homes of members of the ISKCON Toronto community. If you would like us to include your Gaura-Nitai deities please send us a picture by 5 PM on Thursday, March 17th.

Please email pictures to info@torontokrishna.com (high resolution pictures are prefered).

One of Our Biggest Festivals of the Year this Saturday! Join us for Gaura Purnima Celebrations!

If you have plans for Saturday, March 19th then you should quickly cancel them! The best place to be will be the Hare Krishna temple on Saturday evening. We will be celebrating one of our biggest festivals of the year, Gaura Purnima!

Gaura Purnima celebrates the appearance anniversary of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It is observed annually (usually in February or March) by Krishna devotees all over the world —especially in the area of Mayapur, India, the place where He appeared in the year 1486.

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna Himself, appearing as His own devotee, to teach us that we can gain full enlightenment simply by chanting the holy names of the Lord. Those who witnessed the Lord's pastimes saw Him dance and chant with ecstatic love for God, the likes of which had never been seen before.

We hope you can join us for what will be a spectacular festival of chanting, feasting, dancing and more! The program will begin at 6pm sharp this Saturday! We hope to see you there. Stay tuned for more details, including a schedule for the evening.

Coming to the Temple (Part One) - Presentation from Yesterday's Sunday Feast

For our blog readers who were present during yesterday's Sunday Feast, Rupanuga das gave a wonderful introductory class about what our mood should be like when we enter a sacred space like our temple. He also covered some common things that spiritualists are encouraged to do when they visit the temple. We've embedded the presentation below!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, March 13th, 2011

Earthquake and Tsunamis Strike Japan! A Call for Prayers!

As many of us already know, Japan was struck by earhquakes and tsunamis a few days back. During our Sunday program this evening, a special moment was taken out of the program to chant for all the souls affected by this disaster. We encourage devotees in our community to send your heartfelt prayers to all those affected by the recent events. Below, is an excerpt from ISKCON News:

Historic Earthquake and Tsunami Hits Japan

An 8.9 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Northeast Japan spawned a ferocious tsunami that's caused massive destruction; flattening whole cities, starting raging fires, and killing hundreds. Nearly 88,000 people are reported missing, according to the official Kyodo news agency.

"The Tokyo ISKCON Center and Govinda`s Restaurant did not get impacted - says Sanjay Krishnacandra Das, Tokyo Krishna-devotee - apart from some cracks on the walls, there was no substantial damage."

The 30 temple resident devotees are safe, they make sure to watch for the emergency evacuation instruction in case of a violent after-shock.

ISKCON News will keep readers updated about the situation Japan.

Deity Darshan: Sunday, March 6th, 2011

Sunday Feast Siva Ratri Class by HH Bhakti Brhat Bhagavat Swami

Part 1 (62:07)

Part Two (first 1:10):

Siva Ratri Celebrations this Sunday!

This Sunday, March 6th, the Hare Krishna temple will be celebrating Siva Ratri. Lord Siva is described as “the greatest Vaishnava (devotee of Lord Krishna). Siva Ratri literally translates as “the Night of Lord Siva,” as such this Sunday we will honour Lord Siva.

The schedule of the program will be as follows:
6:00pm - Arati
6:30pm - Welcome and Announcements
6:40pm - Class about Lord Siva by HH Bhakti Brhat Bhagavat Swami
7:30pm - Abhisheka (bathing ceremony) and Arati for Lord Siva
8:00pm - Arati

*Please note that the actual date of Siva Ratri is Thursday March 3rd, but festivities will take place at the temple on Sunday.