The Toronto Hare Krishna Blog!

Nityananda Appearance Day Celebrations - Sunday, February 5, 2012!

2012-01-27T10:55:00.000-05:00

Toronto's Hare Krishna community will be celebrating the advent (appearance) of Lord Nityananda on Sunday, February 5th, 2012! A warm invitation goes out to you and your family to join us as we celebrate this wonderful festival.

Lord Nityananda (also known as Nityananda Prabhu or Nityananda Rama) appeared as Lord Chaitanya’s principal associate for spreading the beautiful and rich movement of bhakti-yoga - devotion to Krishna. He especially spread the chanting of the names of Lord Krishna throughout Bengal. He is considered an incarnation of Lord Balarama, Lord Krishna's brother and best servant.

The festival has traditionally been a very sweet experience for our community and will also feature a special kirtan experience (Nama-Yajna) from 4pm to 6pm, before the festival. The festival schedule is as follows (subject to change):

4:00pm to 6:00pm - Special Nama-Yajna - Two Hour Kirtan
6:00pm to 6:30pm - Kirtan (Arati)
6:30pm to 6:40pm - Welcome & Announcements
6:40pm to 8:00pm - Special Presentation
8:00pm to 8:30pm - Kirtan (Arati)
8:30pm - Free Vegetarian Feast (Prasadam)

Brand New Traffic Lights at Roxborough & Yonge Means Safer Hare Krishnas!

2012-01-26T21:19:00.002-05:00

For many of the delightful members of our Toronto Hare Krishna community, a drive or stroll down Roxoborough Street is a regular occurrence.

When coming to the temple from the east, it is normal to turn on to Roxborough from Yonge Street. This would often translate to some white knuckles on the steering wheel when making that left turn - yikes! Of course, for pedestrians walking to nearby Rosedale station, crossing the street to the east side of Yonge would be a nightmare.

Well, worry no more!

The City of Toronto has installed new traffic lights at Yonge and Roxborough and they look like they will be functional very soon. This should help everyone be safer when visiting the temple. Hooray!

And for those of you wondering, yes... this does indeed qualify as newsworthy material for our lovable Toronto Hare Krishna Blog! :o)

Magic Tour of India goes to Brazil

2012-01-25T02:06:00.002-05:00

Travelling monk, Indradyumna Swami is known world wide for his exciting adventures and grand festivals in Poland. Along with a group of talented devotees, they go around Poland and recently around Australia and put on grand festivals that feature exhibits on Bhakti Yoga, classical and Vedic arts and dances and free vegetarian feasts.

Last year, for the first time, they held festivals in Brazil. Here is a cool video on people's experience at the Magic Tour of India festivals!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, January 22, 2012

2012-01-23T22:50:00.003-05:00

Toronto 12-Hour Kirtan Recordings!

2012-01-20T12:36:00.000-05:00

Just a small housekeeping note! We've added a link on the right-hand sidebar to the recordings from the 12-Hour Kirtan that rocked the Toronto Hare Krishna Centre last July! Glance over to the right and you should see the link!

Video: Divine Maha-Mantra Chant by Jahnavi

2012-01-19T12:09:00.001-05:00

A sweet and meditative kirtan that eventually picks up to a feverish pace! We thought it might be nice to share this wonderful video today!

Toronto 2011 - Oh, What A Year of Sankirtan!

2012-01-19T10:49:00.000-05:00

2011 marked another year of exciting sankirtan achievements for the Toronto Hare Krishna community. With lofty goals of sharing record numbers of Srila Prabhupada's books, enthusiastic devotees from our community hit the streets as ambassadors of goodwill as we happily shared Krsna consciousness. (Our favourite moment of the video starts at the 8:35 mark!) :o)

Second Anniversary of the Monthly Temple Clean-Up - This Saturday!

2012-01-18T01:22:00.001-05:00

This Saturday, January 21st (10am to 3pm), the temple is celebrating the two year anniversary of Ceto Dharpana Marjanam (CDM) or the Monthly Temple Clean-Up. This project entails organized cleaning of the temple as a group.

To recognize our hard work throughout two amazingly exciting years, there is going to be a special pizza party as part of our tradition and a huge cake for everyone! The celebrations will consist of many parts after the clean-up so stay tuned for more updates!

Let's take full advantage of this opportunity to cleanse our hearts and have lots of fun together! What can be better than doing service together in a fun way, associating with devotees, having an incredible prasadam, inspiring each other for the year ahead of us and chanting together for our beloved Deities?

Here is a quote by Srila Prabhupad to inspire us even more:
"Everything within the temple should be kept very, very neat and clean. And the more you keep the temple neat and clean, you will be neat and clean within your heart. And then your understanding will be very easy. We cannot understand Krsna because our heart is piled up with many garbages. That we have to cleanse."

-- Srila Prabhupada Melbourne, May 22, 1975

We need your help and support! See you this Saturday!

New ads in the Toronto Subway on being Vegetarian

2012-01-17T23:18:00.001-05:00

Thousands of Torontonians take the TTC daily to go to school, work and back home. The TTC Subway carts are full of different ads, but recent ads by an independent group called Be Veg have been catching the attention of Subway goers. Using a simple question of "Why love one but eat the other", these ads ask Torontonians why do they love pets like dogs and cats, but eat farm animals like cows, chickens and pigs.They show the inhumane conditions these animals are put through to produce meat. They urge the readers to be compassionate and think about what they are eating and where it is coming from.

The tradition of Bhakti Yoga, which is practiced by the Hare Krishnas, believes in being a strict vegetarian to show compassion to all living beings. Check out this video that showcases reactions from some of the people who travel by trains and have seen the ads.

Tuesday Sangas at the Hare Krishna Temple!

2012-01-16T17:45:00.000-05:00

Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the Hare Krishna movement often talked about the importance of getting together and discussing spiritual topics. These spiritual and devotional discussions between devotees is known as Sangas.

Toronto's Hare Krishna Temple along with the Toronto Sankirtan Team is excited to announce its new project for 2012 - Tuesday Sangas which will take place at the Hare Krishna Temple every Tuesday from 6pm - 8pm followed by light dinner. These discussions will give devotees an opportunity to get together other than a regular Sunday Feast. The program will have kirtan, chanting of the Hare Krsna Mahamantra and will feature different activities like hearing classes of Srila Prabhupada, reading the book of the month together and in the summer,fun outdoor activities like Harinamas (outdoor street kirtan)! There will also be parallel activities for the kids.

We invite all of you to join us for our first sanga tomorrow, January 17th from 6pm - 8pm.

Deity Darshan: Sunday, January 15, 2012

2012-01-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

A Spiritual Retreat for Women - "Vaisnavi Sanga Retreat" - Brighton, Ontario - April 5-8, 2012

2012-01-11T15:03:00.000-05:00

Many women in our Hare Krishna community, if not all, undoubtedly have incredible amounts of responsibilities and duties to manage in every day life. Whether it's being a wife, a mother,a university student, an employee or a even head of a company, being able to manage personal lives with spiritual endeavours can be a difficult task to manage.

Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre is excited to present theVaisnavi Sanga Retreat, scheduled to take place April 5-8, 2012 at the Lotus Heart Centre in Brighton, Ontario. The retreat will provide a special opportunity for ladies from all agesto get away for a relaxing and surcharging weekend and give attendees and chance to share theirexperiences and realizations of the Krishna conscious philosophy andpractice. It will provide an opportunity to leave behind all worries and sources ofstress and, for a few days, just focus on our relationship with Krishna. The retreat will provide a space to charge your batteries, both spiritual and material, so that you can go back to the world stronger and with more knowledge and realizations.

During the Vaisnavi Sanga Retreat, one of the goals will be that all barriers that prevent us from voicing out our opinionsand doubts will be completely removed. It will provide a safe environment to talk aboutall topics, especially those that affect women who practice the devotional form of bhakti-yoga. It will be a place toassociate and get to know other ladies in our community whom you may not normallyhave a chance to meet or talk to.

The Vaisnavi Sanga Retreat will have the great fortune of having thepresence and guidance of three amazing senior vaisnavis, all of whom are Srila Prabhupada disciples and have been in the movement for many years: Laxmimoni devi dasi, Akuti devi dasi and Praharna devi dasi.

Laxmimoni Prabhu, was one of the pioneers in the Toronto yatra during the 1960's and 70's and she has been involved in educating many vaisnavis around the world for many years. Akuti Prabhu, is also a well recognized teacher in our Hare Krishna movement. Praharna Prabhu is well know to us in Toronto and is a key part of our Torontotemple!

All interested women are welcome to attend. The three-day retreat will take place at the Lotus Heart Centre in Brighton, Ontario. The cost for attendance is $180 (early-bird fee) which covers accommodation, meals (prasadam), and more! For more information, check out www.vaisnavisanga.weebly.com or contact Sukhayanti devi dasi.

Priceless in Seattle: Free Prasadam Cafe Says “It’s Fun to Give”

2012-01-11T14:39:00.001-05:00

We were recently visiting ISKCON News and read an incredible article about a devotee-run project in Seattle. Check it out!

A Seattle eatery that’s celebrating its 10th anniversary this year serves sanctified pure vegetarian food with a difference.

It’s completely free.

My Sweet Lord, located ten minutes’ walk from the University of Washington in an area populated with student residences, vegan restaurants and arthouse theaters, is a haven for students, drifters, and the homeless youth of Seattle. (Click Here for the Full Story)

Deity Darshan: Sunday, January 8, 2012

2012-01-09T16:40:00.000-05:00

January Book Club: Teachings of Lord Caitanya

2012-01-03T19:37:00.006-05:00

The Toronto Hare Krishna Book Club is starting the new year with a great book called 'Teachings of Lord Caitanya'. It consists of 360 pages so if you read just 12 pages a day, you can complete the book in a month.

Here is a nice synopsis of the book:

"Lord Caitanya chanted, danced, wept in ecstacy and flooded the world with waves of prema-bhakti. Lord Caitanya is famous for His contribution of love, but His excellence as a philosopher is less well-known. However Lord Caitanya's teachings not only had a profound effect on Indian society 500 years ago, but are even now rapidly spreading throughout the world.

Srila Prabhupada, a great acarya in the disciplic succession from Lord Caitanya, herein reveals the philosophical truths behind the chanting of God's names, the essential conclusions on which Lord Caitanya's ecstasy of Krsna Consciousness is based. Read how Lord Caitanya debated with and defeated the most erudite religious thinkers of his time, established His own philosophy of acintya bhedabheda tatva (simultaneous oneness and difference), gloried the opulence and sweetness of Krsna, and revelade the ultimate pinnacle of spiritual exchange, the loving affairs of Radha and Krsna."

The objective of the book club is to facilitate and encourage readings from the wonderful philosophy of Krishna consciousness. We encourage you to participate! We will be sending out daily quotes from the book to those who register. To register for the book club, email toronto.sankirtan@gmail.com.

Happy reading!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, January 1, 2012

2012-01-03T16:05:00.006-05:00

YouTube Users Capture Our New Years Eve Chanting Party!

2012-01-02T11:24:00.000-05:00

It's always a fun tradition to do YouTube searches after our annual New Year's Eve Harinama (jubilant outdoor chanting). Every year, as tens of thousands of people ring in the new year at City Hall, we bring our drums, cymbals and portable speakers to help usher in the new year with mantras beautiful bhakti-beats!

This time around was no different and over 100 devotees joined in the harinama! A quick search on YouTube provides a few highlights as captured by the public! Check it out.

This first video was captured by someone just as we arrived at our spot and began to chant (about 15 minutes before midnight). This YouTube user commented on their video, "See what we found in downtown Toronto on New Years eve !! :) ... everyone WAS grooving with this ONE !!!"

This second video certainly captures the craziness and fun of the kirtan!

A few amazing things happen in this third video. First of all, at the beginning of the video, you hear a man speaking into a microphone with his own portable speaker (similar to the one we use). As the kirtan group passes by him, this gentleman in a black jacket feels inspired and proceeds to hand his microphone to Bhaktimarga Swami (at around the 25 second mark). He even sings into the mic a little later on. Then, at the 1:47 mark of the video - an amazing swarm of bats began to dance and fly through the air above Yonge and Dundas! We thought they were birds, but the astute YouTuber indicates that it was a swarm of bats! Check it out!

Video: Beautiful Srila Prabhupada!

2012-01-01T23:30:00.000-05:00

Tonight, January 1st, we celebrated our annual Srila Prabhupada Festival at Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre. In honour of our beloved spiritual master, check out this blissful video!

Your Guide to an Awesome New Year's Eve!

2011-12-31T02:22:00.000-05:00

The following is your detailed guide to ringing in the New Year "Hare Krishna Style"! As we do every year, devotees gather at the temple on New Year's Eve and then head over to City Hall to join the tens of thousands of revelers, ushering in the new year. However, we come armed with our drums, karatalas (cymbals) and voices as well!

Here's all that you need to know about this evening:

8:00pm - Kirtan will begin at the temple.

10:00pm - The kirtan will really pickup by this time!

10:30pm (approx) - Bundle up and off to Rosedale station.

11:30pm - We will start chanting in front of Old City Hall (NE corner of Bay & Queen)

12:00am - the kirtan will reach it's peak as fireworks set the sky ablaze!

1:30am (approx) - We'll get back on the subway and make our way back to the temple for hot ginger tea and snacks!

Some tips to keep in mind for this evening:

Come early to the temple - enjoy the kirtan and association of devotees before we head out to City Hall.
Dress warmly - it will be chilly, so dress in layers!
Don't worry about weather - whether it be snow, rain, hail or sleet, we will usher in the new year with kirtan!
Bring your voices - don't forget to chant with all of your hearts!

To get a glimpse into what it's like to party with us, "Hare Krishna Style" on New Year's Eve, check out this video footage from our 2008-09 New Year's Eve kirtan! We really hope to see you there!

Annual Srila Prabhupada Festival - This Sunday!

2011-12-31T02:21:00.001-05:00

On New Year's Day, January 1st, Toronto's Hare Krishna temple will be hosting our annual Srila Prabhupada Festival! Promising to be a great way to start the new year, the festival is usually one of the biggest of the year.

As a special treat, we would like to encourage all devotees to come early for the festival to chant japa (mantra meditation) together. The schedule for the program is as follows (subject to change):

4:00pm to 6:00pm - Mantra Meditation (Japa) Session
6:00pm to 6:30pm - Kirtan (Arati)
6:30pm to 6:40pm - Welcome & Announcements
6:40pm to 7:00pm - Guru Puja
7:00pm to 8:00pm - Drama Presentation - "Dhruva"
8:00pm to 8:30pm - Kirtan (Arati)
8:30pm - Vegetarian Feast (Prasadam)

Mantra Meditation: A Video

2011-12-29T15:46:00.004-05:00

Ever wondered why we do kirtan? Here is a wonderful video explaining mantra meditation as well as some realizations from people on their kirtan experiences.

Aaand if you cannot wait for your own kirtan experience, join us on New Year's Eve as we celebrate the arrival of the New Year - Hare Krishna style!

Please stay tuned for more details!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, December 25, 2011

2011-12-27T23:20:00.005-05:00

Yamuna devi dasi Passes Away

2011-12-20T10:51:00.004-05:00

Toronto's Hare Krishna community was deeply saddened to hear the news that Yamuna devi dasi, a legendary devotee in our international ISKCON family, passed away in Florida this morning.

Yamuna devi dasi was one of the first women to join ISKCON, helping to open the San Francisco centre in 1967 and the London centre later on. One of her first services was to assist Srila Prabhupada in cooking, and she had become one of the foremost experts on Vedic cooking.

Also famous for her singing voice, Yamuna devi dasi's voice can be heard as the lead vocalist in the famous "Govindam" prayers that are played in all 400+ Hare Krishna centres around the world every morning.

We invite devotees to post their comments of gratitude and sympathy.

There will be a memorial service taking place in Alachua, Florida on Tuesday, December 27 at 7pm. There will also be a live broadcast of the event.

In our Hare Krishna (Vedic) culture, it is customary to sing a traditional bengali song (bhajan) for the passing away of devotees of Krishna. The name of the bhajan is Je Anilo Prema Dhana (seen below).

Bhagavad-Gita Facing Ban in Russia - Please Sign Our Petition!

2011-12-18T18:40:00.002-05:00

In recent news, the Russian Government has deemed the Bhagavad-Gita As-It-Is, an ancient and revered text, "extremist literature" and is in the process of banning the book from the country.

Devotees in Russia are rushing to stop this banning and are urging devotees and well-wishers around the world to sign a petition found here.

Deity Darshan: Sunday, December 11, 2011

2011-12-15T01:33:00.005-05:00

Temple Clean-Up - This Saturday at 10:00am!

2011-12-14T22:56:00.000-05:00

CDM (Ceto Darpana Marjanam) is a monthly project which entails the organized cleaning of the temple as a group and will take place this Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 10:00am!

The schedule will be as follows:
10:00am to 1:30pm - Clean-Up
1:30pm to 3:00pm - Special pizza party and nectar-filled conversations.

An inspirational quote by Srila Prabhupada:
"Everything within the temple should be kept very, very neat and clean. And the more you keep the temple neat and clean, you will be neat and clean within your heart. And then your understanding will be very easy. We cannot understand Krsna because our heart is piled up with many garbages. That we have to cleanse."
-- Srila Prabhupada Melbourne, May 22, 1975

Please come out and bring your family and friends for this unforgettable experience!

An Appeal for Help from ISKCON Hungary!

2011-12-06T14:39:00.001-05:00

We recently received the following message regarding some difficulties that the wonderful devotees in ISKCON Hungary. We're hoping devotees from our Toronto Hare Krishna Community can sign the petition to help out our fellow devotees in Hungary.

Dear Devotees.

The new “Church Law” in Hungary will take away ISKCON Hungary’s church status as of January 1st requiring us to reapply for the same next year. However the government has not provided any legal stipulation for the society’s continued ownership of Krsna Valley’s lands in the interim period until we are again reregistered. In short we risk losing Krsna Valley with no pasture for our cows or land to grow our food. I therefore request that you sign the online petition—link below—and forward this message to as many people as possible who would also petition against this injustice.

Thank you.
Sivarama Swami.

http://www.petitions24.com/krisna

Vaisesika Prabhu Returns to Toronto!

2011-12-06T14:14:00.000-05:00

Our Sankirtan general, H.G. Vaisesika Prabhu is returning to Toronto. A disciple of Srila Prabhupada, and a mentor to so many of us in Toronto and around the world, we are always looking forward to his visits. From inspiring classes and hitting the streets with spiritual books, to the rip-roaring kirtans, Vaisesika das keeps us all on our spiritual toes! We have an inspirational line-up of programs for you! While details are being finalized, some of the key events that you absolutely need to know are:

Friday (Dec 9) - Monday (Dec 12) - Srimad Bhagavatam Classes (7:45-9:00am) Sankirtan is for Everyone
Sub-themes:
Friday: Sankirtan is our Family Business - Power of Parampara
Saturday: Sankirtan is All Inclusive - Fighting the Myths
Sunday: Sankirtan and Sadhana - Sharing the Overflow
Monday: The Power of Endeavour - Every ONE Matters, Every BIT Counts!

Friday (Dec 9) - 6:30-8:30 pm - Sankirtan Training - Handling Objections and Rejections (Top 10 tips)

Saturday (Dec 10) 11:00 am - 2:00 pm - World Enlightenment Day Special Sankirtan Festival
All devotees are welcome to join Vaisesika das as we collectively hit the streets with our beloved spiritual books with the goal of sharing our beautiful spiritual heritage with the public. Stay tuned for more information!

Saturday (Dec 10) 6:30 pm - Bhajans with Marathon Memories, Stay tuned for more information!

Sunday (Dec 11) - 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm Sunday Feast with Vaisesika das
Our weekly Sunday extravaganza will include a special class by Vaisesika das. Toss in some amazing kirtan and mouth-watering vegetarian feast and your Sunday should be booked!

...and more... see http://www.torontosankirtan.com/ for more details!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, December 4, 2011

2011-12-06T00:50:00.003-05:00

Celebrating the Speaking of the Bhagavad-Gita - Monday, December 5, 2011

2011-12-01T15:18:00.000-05:00

Over five thousand years ago, 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.

Monday, December 5th marks Gita Jayanti, the day when Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna. We will be celebrating this occasion by reading the entire Gita in Sanskrit. The reading will begin at 6:00pm and will take approximately two hours. Stay tuned to the Toronto Hare Krishna Blog for more information!

December Book Club: Path of Perfection

2011-12-01T14:52:00.000-05:00

The newly established "Toronto Hare Krishna Book Club" will be reading Path of Perfection this December. This book has 176 pages, so if you were to read only 6 pages a day, you will complete the book in less than a month!

"A chronicle of a historic series of talks by Srila Prabhupada, who has been acclaimed by scholars as the greatest exponent of the Indian spiritual tradition, this book deeply probes the nature of consciousness, meditation, karma, death and reincarnation. He prescribes a simple process to purify the mind and elevate the consciousness - a process that assures the readers not only inner peace but the power to change the chaotic trend of modern society."

The objective of the book club is to facilitate and encourage readings from the wonderful philosophy of Krishna consciousness. We encourage you to participate! We will be sending out daily quotes from the book to those who register! To register for the book club, email toronto.sankirtan@gmail.com.

Deity Darshan: Sunday, November 27, 2011

2011-11-29T15:06:00.000-05:00

Video: Behind the Scenes with Gaura-Shakti - Cooking for the Sunday Feast!

2011-11-23T11:37:00.001-05:00

A few Sundays ago, Toronto's Hare Krishna kirtan-yoga group, Gaura-Shakti, had the delightful opportunity to cook for the weekly Sunday Feast at the temple. Inviting friends to come help, Gaura-Shakti and Friends prepared a fun, Chinese menu and worked away in the temple kitchen for hours!

For many of our volunteers, it was their first time in the temple's kitchen and so they got a chance to learn about the high standards of the temple kitchen, how cooking in the temple kitchen is a meditative experience and that the kitchen is looked upon as belonging to Srimati Radharani - Lord Krishna's divine feminine energy. So it was a fun learning experience for all.

Here's a fun little behind-the-scenes look at what was certainly a special experience!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, November 20, 2011

2011-11-22T16:00:00.000-05:00

Food for Life just turned three!

2011-11-21T23:10:00.000-05:00

Every month, a bunch of local youth at the Hare Krishna Centre along with other budding spiritualists from Krishna Club, York University go out to the streets and share a hot meal of pasta with the homeless. This exciting endeavour is called Food for Life, Toronto.

With similar projects happening all over the world, participating members believe that it is not just about sharing a hot meal, it is about sharing love and showing those who are less fortunate that there is some one who cares about them. When they go out for Food for Life (usually at Sherbourne and Queen), it is always accompanied with hot pasta being served along with chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra!

Last Sunday, Food for Life Toronto turned three years old. That means, that till today, over 3600 of plates of hot pasta have been distributed to the homeless in Toronto and we hope that this number continues to grow.

To celebrate this special occasion, we have some videos from different years of the project!

Here is a video of the second Food for Life from December 2008

And here we have a video from May 2009 when our friends from the Montreal Hare Krishna Centre were visiting us.

Video: Book Distribution Drama - January 2010

2011-11-17T14:41:00.001-05:00

At the beginning of last year (January 1, 2010), we held our annual Srila Prabhupada Festival and, as a little treat, we had a small skit about book distribution. Check it out!

Part One:

Part Two:

Deity Darshan: Sunday, November 13, 2011

2011-11-14T15:53:00.001-05:00

Video: Toronto's Explosive 12-Hour Kirtan!

2011-11-14T12:04:00.000-05:00

It was just under four months ago that Toronto's Hare Krishna community was in full-fledged Festival of India mode and there was an explosion of spiritual sound during the 12-hour kirtan. Held the day before the biggest festival of the year, the 12-hour kirtan featured world-famous chanters like Madhava das and Niranjana Swami!

*** SPECIAL UPDATE *** The recordings from Toronto's 12-hour kirtan have been posted online and can be found by clicking here!

Join the Toronto Hare Krishna Book Club!

2011-11-13T01:47:00.001-05:00

Inspired by the success of the book club which was launched this past month (during Kartik), the book club initiative continues! The book club "book" from Nov 11-30th is the Nectar of Instruction. The objective of the book club is to facilitate and encourage readings from the wonderful philosophy of Krishna consciousness. We encourage you to participate! We will be sending out daily quotes from the book to those who register! To register for the book club, email us!

Also, don't forget that we are having weekly classes on this very same book every Friday evening!

Video: Radhanatha Swami speaks at House of Commons, UK

2011-11-12T00:51:00.001-05:00

Radhanatha Swami, a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada and a Bhakti Yoga Pracitioner for nearly four decades was recently invited to speak at the House of Commons, the UK Parliament. Radhanatha Swami's autobiography "The Journey Home" has inspired thousands of readers around the world and today, he travels all over the world giving talks at various banks, universities and business corporations.

Check out the highlights and audience reaction from his talk at the UK Parliament.

The End of Kartik

2011-11-11T17:22:00.002-05:00

Yesterday concluded the month of Kartik, an auspicious month that is celebrated as a month to progress further in our spirituality. The month was dotted with various activities to help everyone take a closer look at their spiritual growth through morning Srimad Bhagavatam classes, Nectar of Devotion book club, themed Sunday Feasts and much more!

With all of this excitement, we wanted to ask you, our readers, for any of your experiences or realizations this past month. We would love to hear how this month has progressed for you!

Please leave us a comment!

Historical Look at Vimanas

2011-11-11T16:48:00.002-05:00

We found this interesting video that includes our very one Dr. Michael Cremo (Drutakurma Das) explaining the historical and spiritual significance of Vimanas. These are aircrafts that are depicted in many of the scriptures like the Srimad Bhagavatam.

We hope you enjoy!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, November 6th, 2011

2011-11-09T15:48:00.003-05:00

ISKCON North Carolina: Hare Krishnas Share Faith Through Food

2011-11-08T01:24:00.000-05:00

We recently stumbled upon a nice article from the The Daily Tar Heel, a student newspaper from the University of North Carolina (UNC) about the local Hare Krishna meal program! Check it out!
---------------------------------
Hare Krishnas Share Faith Through Food
For many students, the weekly, vegetarian Hare Krishna meal in McCorkle Place represents a free dinner. But for others, it is much more.

Every Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., hundreds of UNC students line up for rice, curry, beans and cream of wheat, served by members of the New Goloka temple in Hillsborough.

Sophomore Josh Sydes was one of those students last year. He began asking members of the temple questions about their beliefs, and soon, he was volunteering himself. (Read Full Article)

Video: Greenstream TV Visits the Bhaktivedanta Manor in London, England

2011-11-07T13:24:00.001-05:00

Green Stream TV is a website that explores all things environmentally-friendly and provides environmental news, commentar and advice. They recently visited the Bhaktivedanta Manor in London, England and explored the sustainable philosophy of the Hare Krishna movement. Read more about the visit here.

Video: Re-Living Nuit Blanche with the Hare Krishnas!

2011-11-05T20:35:00.001-04:00

Toronto recently celebrated Nuit Blanche, an all-night arts festival in downtown. For one sleepless night, tens of thousands of people roamed the streets and took in arts exhibits, performances and more. An energetic group of devotees from Toronto's Hare Krishna community hit the streets and brought their drums, cymbals and more.

The kirtan began and swept the public up in the sounds of the chanting and before we knew it, there was dancing, singing clapping and more! Check out this little video that captures the experience!

Video: Guru-Puja from Srila Prabhupada's Disappearance Day Celebrations

2011-11-05T16:08:00.002-04:00

Damodarastakam in Mayapur!

2011-11-03T20:14:00.002-04:00

As we enter the last week of this special month of Kartik, we wanted to share with you a beautiful video of the Damodarastakam prayers being led in Mayapur, West Bengal, India.

An Invitation to "In the Further Soil" with the Menaka Thakkar Dance Company

2011-11-03T17:39:00.002-04:00

A warm invitation has been passed along to Toronto's Hare Krishna community to attend a special presentation by the Menaka Thakkar Dance Company. Menaka Thakkar has been a friend of our temple for a number of years and has helped arrange beautiful dance programs at our annual Festival of India.

“In the Further Soil” is subtitled the transplantation of a dance tradition because it illustrates the journey that Ms. Thakkar has forged in founding the first professional school of Indian dance in Canada as well as founding the first professional Indian dance performance company which became the first culturally diverse dance organization to receive funding from Canada Council for the Arts. The title of this production comes from a poem by Rabindranath Tagore in which he speaks of the Banyan Tree that not only grows in its own soil but reaches its roots to the further soil which is an apt metaphor for the growth of Indian dance in Canada through the activities of Ms.Thakkar.

For more information and tickets, please visit: www.menakathakkardance.org or www.nrtyakala.org.

Nectar of Instruction Classes Starting Friday!

2011-11-03T10:41:00.000-04:00

Starting tomorrow, Friday, November 4th, the Toronto Hare Krishna temple will be facilitating weekly classes on one of our most beautiful and essential books, The Nectar of Instruction. The concept of instruction being sweet like nectar can be seen when it melts your heart, lights your path, and bring tears of love for God to your eyes.

Let this Nectar pour forth into your being! These eleven short verses give essential instructions on how to clean your heart and prepare it for loving devotion to Krishna, God. The classes are part of the wider Bhakti-Sastri Certification program and will be conducted every Friday from 6:30pm to 9pm over the next few weeks in the classroom in the temple basement.

The classes will take place every Friday evening for the next three months and will cover the following major themes:

Mind and Sense Control
Attitude
Guru and Disciple
ISKCON’s Purpose
Sadhu-sanga
Devotees
Bhakti

If you have any questions regarding the Nectar of Instruction classes, please email Vrndavana das.

Video: Temple of the Vedic Planetarium Mini-Documentary

2011-11-02T10:38:00.001-04:00

We thought we would share another beautiful video of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (we posted one several months back). The project is continuing at a rapid pace!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, October 29, 2011

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Celebrating Diwali "Hare Krishna" Style - Tonight!

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Tonight (Sunday, October 30, 2011), Toronto’s Hare Krishna Temple will celebrate Diwali in grand, kirtan fashion. Festivities during tonight's Sunday Feast will feature a special “kirtan-themed” presentation. It will be a spectacular festival that will provide a feast for the eyes, body, mind and soul!

The program will begin at 6pm and be an extended program (vegetarian feast served at 8:30pm). We hope you can join us for these special festivities! The schedule will be as follows (subject to change):

6:00pm to 6:25pm - Kirtan (Arati)
6:25pm to 6:35pm - Singing of Damodarastakam
6:35pm to 6:40pm - Welcome & Announcements
6:40pm to 7:20pm - Class by HH Bhakti Vasudeva Swami
7:20pm to 8:00pm - Special Nama-Yajna Kirtan
8:00pm to 8:30pm - Kirtan (Arati)
8:30pm to 9:00pm - Vegetarian Feast (Prasadam)

Srila Prabhupada's Disappearance Day - Saturday, October 29, 2011 - 12pm to 4pm

2011-10-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday, October 29th will mark the day we commemorate Srila Prabhupada's passing from this world, also known as Srila Prabhupada's Disappearance Day. Festivities will begin at noon and will feature memories of Srila Prabhupada by our dear Srila Prabhupada disciples and amazingly sweet kirtan!

It will be a special day as Toronto's Hare Krishna temple will welcome HH Bhakti Vasudeva Swami, HH Bhaktimarga Swami, various Srila Prabhupada disciples and kirtan superstars Gaura das (Montreal, QC) and Amala Kirtan das (Dallas, TX).

Festivities will begin at 12pm and continue to 4pm. A special invitation goes out to your and your family to join us for what promises to be a VERY special afternoon, dedicated to Srila Prabhupada!

Check out this wonderful video of Amala Kirtan das from his "Yoga Bliss Kirtan Tour" in Australia last year:

Come Celebrate Govardhana Puja the "Sweet Hill Festival" - October 27, 2011

2011-10-27T03:15:00.001-04:00

Tonight marks one of the biggest festivals of the year for Toronto's Hare Krishna community! Govardhana Puja, also known as the "Sweet Hill Festival" marks the occasion when Lord Krishna lifted an entire hill like an umbrella to protect the residents of his village from torrential thunderstorms sent by the angered demigod, Indra (read more by clicking here).

To celebrate this festival, we build a replica of Govardhana Hill made of various opulent foods, worship Lord Krishna as the lifter of Govardhana Hill, worship the hill as His incarnation, and worship the cows and bulls who are dear to the Lord. At the end of the festival, the hill of sweets is distributed to the public.

Festivities will kick off at 6pm (sharp!) and will continue until 9pm. Toronto's Hare Krishna temple will be welcoming HH Bhakti Vasudeva Swami and will be welcome home HH Bhaktimarga Swami! The schedule for the program will be as follows (subject to change):

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

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

6:40pm to 7:30pm - Class

7:30pm to 8:00pm - Special Presentation

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

8:30pm to 8:45pm - Damodarastakam

8:45pm to 9:30pm - Vegetarian Feast (Prasadam)

Festivals, Programs, Guests and More – Join us at the Hare Krsna Temple!

2011-10-26T14:26:00.002-04:00

Happy Diwali from Toronto's Hare Krsna Centre! The temple will be a buzz of activity in the next five days, so we thought we would share some of the exciting events which you and your family can take part in!

Welcoming HH Bhakti Vasudeva Swami to Toronto!
Toronto's Hare Krishna community is happy to announce that we will be welcoming HH Bhakti Vasudeva Swami for first time to our city! Maharaj will be arriving today and staying until Monday and will be here for our Govardhana Puja, Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day and Sunday Diwali celebrations! He will also be conducting some morning classes.

Govardhana Puja - Thursday, October 27, 2011
Also known as a "Sweet Hill Festival", Govardhana Puja is one of our biggest festivals of the year. The festival marks the time Krsna lifted Govardhana Hill to protect the citizens of Vrndavana from a torrential rain storm! Govardhan Puja celebrations at the Hare Krishna temple feature a grand "Govardhana Hill" made entirely of sweets in the middle of the temple room! Please join us for festivities from 6:00pm onwards to celebrate this festival! You won’t want to miss it!

Honouring Srila Prabhupada’s Passing – Saturday, October 29, 2011 (12pm)
On Saturday, October 29th at 12pm, we will honour Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day. Marking the date that Srila Prabhupada passed from this world, the temple will be having a wonderful afternoon of kirtan, memories of Srila Prabhupada and more! Join us from 12pm to 4pm for this special festival.

Ashtaprahar Diwali Celebrations – Saturday, October 29, 2011
In conjunction with Toronto's Hare Krishna Temple, the Ashtaprahar Organizing Team is presenting special Diwali Celebrations at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton, Ontario on the evening of Saturday, October 29th, 2011. The evening festivities at the Hindu Sabha Mandir will include a great line-up of kirtaneers, delicious prasadam and much more! A special call goes out to our Hare Krishna community of devotees to check out this event which will be part of a full weekend of activities!

Diwali Celebrations @ Hare Krishna Temple – Sunday, October 30, 2011
Toronto’s Hare Krishna Temple will celebrate Diwali in grand (kirtan fashion) this Sunday with a special “kirtan-themed” presentation. It will be a spectacular festival that will provide a feast for the eyes, body, mind and soul! The program will begin at 6pm and be an extended program (vegetarian feast served at 8:30pm). We hope you can join us for these special festivities!

Welcoming HH Bhakti Vasudeva Swami to Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre!

2011-10-26T11:35:00.001-04:00

Toronto's Hare Krishna community is happy to announce that we will be welcoming HH Bhakti Vasudeva Swami for first time to our city! Maharaj will be joining us until Monday and will be here for our Govardhana Puja, Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day and Sunday Diwali celebrations! He will also be conducting some morning classes.

Bhakti Vasudeva Swami, a disciple of HH Bhakti Tirtha Swami, has a master degree in philosophy and education with measure in critical and creative thinking and caring community of enquiry. His work is based out of an African institute affiliated to Montclair State University in New Jersey - USA where he will finish his PHD soon. His guru wanted him to be amongst scholars and pundits, sharing our spiritual culture in the best way and giving Krishna consciousness in the highest level possible to show academics and scholars of the beauty of our philosophy.

Diwali and Govardhan Puja this Week!

2011-10-25T14:12:00.003-04:00

This week will certainly be a special one at Toronto's Hare Krishna temple! On Thursday, October 27th, we will be celebrating Govardhan Puja and on the following Sunday, October 30th, we will celebrate Diwali (actual date for Diwali is Wednesday, October 26th)!

The story of Diwali stems back to ancient times when inhabitants of Ayodhya celebrated the return of Lord Ramachandra. Lord Rama was in exile, away from His kingdom, for many years. The joyful day on which He finally returned is observed as Diwali, or Dipavali (“dipa” means candles, and “vali” means numerous.). We will be celebrating this festival on Sunday during the Sunday Feast.

The day after Diwali is referred to as Annakuta, or Govardhana Puja. On this day the inhabitants of Vrindavan (Lord Krishna’s abode on Earth) would hold a harvest festival in honour of King Indra, the demigod who provided the rains essential for the harvest. One day, however, Lord Krishna wanted to teach Indra a lesson. He convinced the inhabitants of Vrindavan to honor Govardhana Hill instead, whose fertile soil provided the grass upon which the cows and bulls grazed, and to honour the cows and bulls who provided milk and ploughed the lands.

Outraged, Indra retaliated with terrifying thunderstorms. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, calmly lifted Govardhana Hill with the little finger of his left hand. For seven days and seven nights the Lord held up Govardhana Hill, providing a giant umbrella to shelter the inhabitants of Vrindavan from the torrential rain.

Govardhan Puja celebrations at the Hare Krishna temple have always been popular and this year will also feature a grand "Govardhana Hill" made entirely of sweets in the middle of the temple room! Please join us for festivities from 6:00pm onwards to celebrate this festival!

We hope to see you and your family at the Hare Krishna temple this week!

Ashtaprahar Diwali Celebrations - Saturday, October 29, 2011 @ Hindu Sabha Mandir

2011-10-25T01:55:00.000-04:00

In conjunction with Toronto's Hare Krishna Temple, the Ashtaprahar Organizing Team is presenting special Diwali Celebrations at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton, Ontario on the evening of Saturday, October 29h, 2011. Festivities during the weekend will also include afternoon celebrations marking Srila Prabhupada's Disappearance and Sunday evening festivities (at the Hare Krishna Temple).

Saturday evening festivities at the Hindu Sabha Mandir will include a great line-up of kirtaneers, delicious prasadam and much more! A special call goes out to our Hare Krishna community of devotees to check out this event which will be part of a full weekend of activities!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, October 23, 2011

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"Life Without Conflict" Seminar - HG Uttama Sloka Das - Sun, Oct 23rd to Tue, Oct 25th

2011-10-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

We've all experienced that feeling of being embroiled in conflict. Whether it is at work, home, school or even the temple, conflict can be a dangerous and tricky thing that can significantly affect our Krsna consciousness and spiritual progress.

On Sunday, Oct 23rd (3:30pm-5:30pm), Monday, Oct 24 and Tuesday, Oct 25 (6:30pm-9pm) HG Uttama Sloka das will be conducting a three-day seminar entitled, "Life Without Conflict". With teachings and principles routed in the Bhagavad-Gita, Uttama Sloka das will present various concepts on the idea of spiritually dealing with conflict, including:

Conflict types and their origin
Dealing with challenges
Deriving spiritual and practical benefit from conflicts
Choosing a positive alternative
Developing compassion and humility
Taking higher responsibility

Join us for this three-day seminar which help give practical tools for dealing with conflict in a spiritually sound way. There will be a small fee for the course to cover materials and prasadam.

Register for the seminar by clicking here!

More upcoming events during Kartik!

2011-10-21T01:03:00.000-04:00

We hope you have enjoyed the past 10 days of Kartik so far. It has been so blissful with the morning Srimad Bhagavatam classes, daily Bhagavad Gita phone conferences, evening Damodarastakam prayers at the temple and much more! The next 20 days promise to be more exciting with a lot of fun festivals coming up!

Upcoming events are:
Sunday, October 23rd - Special Sunday Feast - Theme: Prasadam
Wednesday, October 26th - Diwali
Thursday, October 27th - Govardhana Puja
Saturday, October 29th - Srila Prabhupada's Disapperance Day (12pm_
Sunday, October 30th - Special Sunday Feast – Theme: Kirtan (Diwali)
Wednesday, November 2nd - Gopastami
Sunday, November 6th - Special Sunday Feast – Theme: Books
Thursday, November 10th - Last Day of Kartik

Stay tuned for more information!

Radha Kunda Appearance Day Tomorrow!

2011-10-19T13:40:00.001-04:00

There are many places of pilgrimage for Krishna devotees, especially in India. Devotees visit them to become inspired in their spiritual lives. Devotees of Krishna observe the appearance of Radha Kunda, also known as Bahulashtami. This Thursday, October 20, 2011 the Hare Krishna Centre will be celebrating this auspicious occasion beginning at 6:00pm.

Radha Kunda is a reservoir of water located in Vrindavan, India, where Krishna and Srimati Radharani had Their pastimes. It is mentioned in Sri Isopanishad and other Vedic texts as one of the most sacred places in the universe. Be sure to come out and be transported to this amazing place!

Bhagavad-Gita Crash Course with HG Uttama Sloka das - Wednesday, October 19th

2011-10-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Hare Krishna temple is excited to welcome HG Uttama Sloka das back to Toronto from October 14th to 26th! A disciple of HH Indradyumna Swami, Uttama Sloka das 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.

Uttama Sloka das has forged some wonderful relationships with devotees in Toronto and, during his 12 day visit, he will be conducting various programs and seminars, like "Life Without Conflict" which will take place later on in the week.

On Wednesday, October 19th, Uttama Sloka das will once again be conducting a "Bhagavad-Gita Crash Course" from 6:30pm to 9:00pm at the temple. If you ever wanted to learn the essentials of the Bhagavad-gita in one power-packed session, then you won't want to miss out on this seminar! The cost for the one-day course will be $15 and will include prasadam. Please register for the seminar by clicking here.

Deity Darshan: Sunday, October 16, 2011

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Deity Darshan: Sunday, October 8, 2011

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Photos taken by Pranesvari Devi Dasi and Hari Lila Devi Dasi

Kartik-Themed Activities for the Next Month!

2011-10-11T22:22:00.013-04:00

As some may already know, the month of Kartik began today. To continue in this spiritual mood, Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre will be hosting a slew of spiritually charged events throughout the next month for those ready to take a devotional challenge!

Damodarastakam Prayers
Every evening, 8:00PM

Damodarastakam is a set of prayers that describes the vivid pastimes of Lord Krishna and when coupled with dimmed lighting and soft accompaniment, it is truly the BEST way to end your evening. Please join us every week night at 8:00PM.

Srimad Bhagvatam Classes
Every morning, 7:30AM

Our mornings are just as enlivening with special spiritual discourses every morning. For Kartik, a wonderful schedule has been put together to highlight this time of the year.

Here is the schedule for the following week:

Wednesday, October 12: HH Bhaktimarga Swami on Surrender
Thursday, October 13: Uttama Ananda Das on Damodar Lila
Friday, October 14: Vrndavana Das on The Qualities of a Devotee
Saturday, October 15: Uttama Sloka Das on Devotee Relationships
Sunday, October 16: Uttama Sloka Das on Understanding the Six Goswamis

Please check back for next week's schedule.

Morning Bhagavad Gita Conference Calls
Every morning, 7:00AM - 7:15AM

Why not start your day by reading from the Bhagavad Gita As It Is with other spiritualists? This is a chance to begin the day on the right note and a chance to bond spiritually with others. The group will be reading from Chapter 8, "Attaining the Supreme".

Here are the details on how you can join on this great opportunity every morning:

Conference call Dial-in: 647-847-1525 Passcode: 6118889#

For further information, please contact the Sankirtan team at: toronto.sankirtan@gmail.com .

Nectar of Devotion Book Club:
If reading by yourself is more your style, you can join our book club, which will be reading Nectar of Devotion, a book that focuses on the practices of bhakti yoga. By joining, you will receive inspiring quotes every day. Further, to complete the book within a month, everyone is encouraged to read 14 pages a day. So, if you are ready to soak in some knowledge, please email toronto.sankirtan@gmail.com to sign up for daily emails!

We hope that everyone can find an activity that best suits your interests and as a community, we can grow spiritually together during this Kartik month!

Happy Kartik!

2011-10-11T19:11:00.004-04:00

Today marks the beginning of a month that is celebrated as an opportunity to dive deeper in our spirituality. This lunar month is known as Kartik and falls during October and November.

This month is described as especially dear to Krishna, and sincere spiritualists keep it sacred through acts of devotion and vows of austerity aimed at increasing their spiritual strength and allowing them to draw closer to Krishna.

At the Hare Krishna temple, every Sunday Feast during this very special month will be highlighted with sublime festivities. Of note, we will collectively sing the Damodarastakam prayers, which celebrate one of Krishna's most endearing pastimes.

Please stay tuned for more information on these wonderful activities and we truly hope you can join us for what will be a spiritually introspective time of the year.

As a special treat, you can view a wonderful animation of the Damodarastakam prayers (complete with lyrics and translation) below:

A Hare Krishna Thanksgiving - Saturday Night!

2011-10-04T23:35:00.000-04:00

As Canadians get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving this upcoming weekend by spending time with family and friends, the Hare Krishna temple is warmly inviting our devotee community to join us for our own version of a “Thanksgiving Party” at the temple this Saturday, October 8th from 6pm to 9pm.

Join us for an evening of kirtan, special “Thanksgiving” prasadam and the wonderful association of devotees! There will also be some fun elements of the evening as well, so you won’t want to miss it. The evening will present us with a great opportunity to come together and express our thanks for being part of our beautiful Hare Krishna family. Everyone is welcome!!!

In order to ensure that we make enough prasadam arrangements for everyone, please RSVP for the event by clicking here!

In the News: "Hare Krishna: The Rise in Krishna Consciousness"

2011-10-04T09:16:00.000-04:00

This past Summer our 39th Annual Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) caught the eye of a reporter for the Huffington Post. His article entitled "Hare Krishna: The Rise in Krishna Consciousness" provides a unique perspective on the Festival as well as the Hare Krishnas:

The arrival of the Toronto International Film Festival neatly heralds the end of the summer festival season in the city and Canada as a whole. However glamorous the parade of celebrities on the red carpet may seem, nothing quite compares to the peculiar sight of the Ratha Yatra in Toronto and across the country. Mimicking the original Indian procession in the city of Puri, several devotional floats dedicated to the Hindu God Krishna, also known as Lord Jagannath, roll down the street, accompanied by exuberant crowds extolling a familiar chant:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

(Read More)

Vaishnavi Sanga - A Spiritual Course for Women!

2011-10-04T08:45:00.000-04:00

"Vaishnavi" means a female devotee of Krishna. "Sanga" refers to the spiritual discussions between devotees. Toronto's Hare Krishna temple is very excited to present "Vaishnavi Sanga - A Spiritual Course for Women", scheduled to take place every Friday evening, starting at 6:00pm. The event will take a form of a weekly retreat in our beautiful Hare Krishna Centre!

What a great opportunity to get together and open our hearts while discussing various spiritual topics like exploring the relationship between spiritual master and disciple, learning how to worship Krishna at home or in the temple, learning about matter and spirit (karma, reincarnation, yoga, etc) and many more topics dealing with the philosophy and culture of Krishna Consciousness.

Please feel free to bring your friends and family (women only) who can benefit from this amazing spiritual experience! Please join us every Friday from 6:00pm – 8:00pm for an exciting experience.

For more information, please contact: Sukhyanti devi dasi

Deity Darshan: Sunday, October 1, 2011

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Video: Maha-Mantra Festival Celebrations in Toronto!

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Toronto's Hare Krishna community recently celebrated the annual Maha-Mantra Festival. The festival involved a wide assortment of activities and events that proved to be wonderfully spiritually inspiring! Check out some of the highlights via the video below:

Video: Maha-Mantra Festival Highlights!

2011-10-03T14:47:00.000-04:00

Some video highlights of the recently-celebrated Maha-Mantra festival in Toronto which included chanting on a double-decker bus, harinamas and chanting at a Beatles Festival in Orillia!

Thanksgiving Weekend Celebrations - LIVE!

2011-10-02T18:41:00.004-04:00

Vaisnava Family Resources - A Must-Visit Site for Families!

2011-09-29T14:15:00.000-04:00

We recently received a newsletter from Vaisnava Family Resources, a website by the Grihastha Vision Team. The newsletter covered the team's presentations at this year's Festival of Inspiration, an article about parenting entitled, "Parenting: Are you a Jellyfish or a Brick Wall?" and even responses to questions from devotees. The work that the team does is more than inspiring. From the Vaisnava Family Resources website:

The Grihastha Vision Team is a grass roots volunteer group of Krishna devotees who are mostly mental health or educational professionals. Our intention is to provide resources to support married couples and prospective couples primarily in North American ISKCON communities. However, the broader community of Vaishnavas, and anyone who is interested in spiritual married life are welcome to take advantage of the knowledge that is shared here. We want to help spiritualize your married life so that it will be an asset for your Krishna (God) consciousness. We welcome your suggestions to make this site relevant and useful.

It's certainly worth clicking and exploring the Vaisnava Family Resources website for any members of our Toronto community who have families or are looking to perhaps get married or have kids soon!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, September 25, 2011

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Bhaktimarga Swami Featured in Article from the East Coast!

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Walking monk crossing Canada to meditate, meet people

NEW GLASGOW – Clad in a bright orange robe and wearing sneakers, a Hare Krishna monk is walking through Pictou County this weekend as part of his fourth trip across Canada.

The Ontario-born Bhaktimarga Swami, now 53, joined the Hare Krishna in 1973 and adopted a Sanskrit name as part of his vows.

Bhaktimarga, who began his travels in Newfoundland a week ago, averages about 30 kilometres a day and camps on the side of the road, preparing his own vegetarian meals. This weekend, he plans to stay with a friend in the county and hold a ceremony welcoming a Halifax woman in to the movement before continuing on towards New Brunswick.

Click Here for Full Story

Video: Re-Living the Double-Decker Bus Kirtan!

2011-09-26T12:47:00.001-04:00

During the recent Toronto Film Festival, the Hare Krishna's took the opportunity to share the spotlight with the stars by loading onto a double-decker bus and chanting exuberantly through the downtown streets! Here's a quick clip to help re-live the wild experience. Keep an eye out for the part where we pass by a tattoo studio owned by Yamuna Jivana das, one of the many artistic devotees of our community! The name of his tattoo studio is BluGod (and it features a beautiful picture of Krishna on it's window facing Yonge Street)!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, September 18, 2011

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Monthly Clean-Up This Friday!

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CDM (Ceto Darpana Marjanam) is a project which entails the organized cleaning of the temple as a group that will start at 6:30pm on Friday!!! :)

Be part of a special process, the process of cleansing one's heart by cleaning the temple! :)

The schedule will be as follows:
6:30pm to 8.30pm - Maha clean-up
8:30pm to 9:00pm - Special pizza party and nectar-filled conversations.

An inspirational quote by Srila Prabhupada:
"Everything within the temple should be kept very, very neat and clean. And the more you keep the temple neat and clean, you will be neat and clean within your heart. And then your understanding will be very easy. We cannot understand Krsna because our heart is piled up with many garbages. That we have to cleanse."
-- Srila Prabhupada Melbourne, May 22, 1975

Please come out and bring your family and friends for this unforgettable experience!

Double-Decker Bus Harinam!

2011-09-15T12:29:00.003-04:00

As part of the Mahamantra Festival, the Hare Krishna temple chartered a double-decker bus on Saturday, September 10, 2011! With a boosted sound system aboard the bus cruised it's way around all of Toronto's hotspots, with devotees chanting, singing and drumming much to the delight of the public! Like a party-on-wheels, the kirtan (chanting) brought smiles to everyone on the streets! Check out some highlights from this incredible event below:

Video: The Thakura's Prophecy!

2011-09-15T12:20:00.004-04:00

This film is an artistic depiction of the prophecy made by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakura in the early 19th century that a wonderful temple would appear at Sri Dham Mayapur and people from all over the world would gather there to chant the holy names in great ecstasy. Srila Prabhupada played an integral role in making the Thakura's prophecy a reality.

Mahamantra Festival Celebrations - this weekend!

2011-09-14T23:08:00.001-04:00

Over 46 years ago, His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada stepped off the steam ship Jaladutta onto American shores and rest is history. From the moment Srila Prabhupada set foot on western soil, he began to work miracles! ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), popularly known as the Hare Krishna Movement, was formed in 1966. Today, 45 years later, there are over 400 centers all over the world with thousands of followers and Srila Prabhupada's legacy lives on in his students and books!

In order to celebrate the historic occasion of Srila Prabhupada's coming to the west, celebrations are taking place in every corner of the world! In Toronto, we have organized a ten day festival called the Mahamantra Festival. The festival commenced on Sept 10 and will go on till Sept 20! The coming 4 days are going to feature special events and we hope you can join us in these events!

Thursday, September 15 - Srila Prabhupada Memories Movie Night at Hare Krishna Temple, 243 Avenue Road from 6:30pm - 8:00pm. Popcorn and juice will be served as we sit back and watch some memories of Srila Prabhupada!

Friday, September 16 - Harinama in Downtown Toronto - meeting at the temple at 6:30pm. With the famous TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) on, it is the perfect opportunity to go and share the Hare Krishna Mahamantra with enthusiastic Torontonians!

Saturday, September 17 - Beatles Festival in Orillia (Pre-Registration is required). George Harrison and the Beatles expressed great interest in the Hare Krishna Movement and helped devotees in UK to establish the movement there. So when the organizers of the Beatles Festival in Orillia contacted us, we had to join them to honour George Harrison and his love for the Mahamantra. If you are interested in joining, please email the Sankirtan team at toronto.sankirtan@gmail.com .

Sunday, September 18 - Special Sunday Feast glorifying Srila Prabhupada! If you feel inspired, you can also join us for Mangala Arati (Morning Program) from 4:30am.

For more inspiration, join our daily calls from 7:15am - 7:30am with the reading from Sri Namamrta. These calls will go on only till September 20! So dial in tomorrow :-)! It is the perfect way to start your day!

Conference line dial-in: 647-847-1525; Passcode:- 6118889#

On Tuesday, September 20, we will be having a Grand Finale Kirtan & Pizza Party - an extremely grand way to cap off 10 days of fun and bliss with a special kirtan night at the Hare Krsna Temple!

We hope to see you at these events this weekend!

Deity Darshan: Sunday, September 11, 2011

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Video: Surprise Send-Off Party for HH Bhaktimarga Swami

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A group of devotees from Toronto's Hare Krishna community gathered to throw a mini-surprise party for Bhaktimarga Swami as he prepared to begin his FOURTH walk across Canada this year.

With Maharaj busy in a meeting, devotees hid in the restaurant with balloons, rose petals, a confetti stick and a garland and waited for Maharaj to be brought in! It was an explosion of colour and chanting as we then surprised Maharaj and brought him to a specially arranged table where we served a huge feast for him (and everyone present)!

The special menu included all of Maharaj's favourites: noodles, manchurian, cream cheese wraps, humus wraps, gauranga potatoes, Russian potato salad, asparagus, spinach sabji, pizza, paranthas, greek salad, strawberry/banana/coconut milkshakes and more!

The mini-surprise party was a huge success and we wish Maharaj all the best as he heads out for his fourth walk across Canada! Hare Krsna!

Deity Worship Seminar

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Toronto's Hare Krishna Temple has an exciting seminar coming up. The temple's Pujari Department, which manages the care of our beautiful Deities in ISKCON Toronto is welcoming anyone interested in learning about process of Deity worship. The seminar will teach basic standards for worship that can be adapted for both home and Temple worship.

The Seminar will take place in four sessions on October 8th-9th and 15th-16th. Regestration is required as educational material will be sent to the participants prior to the seminar.

Click HERE to register.For more information or if you have questions, comments please contact Bhakti Yoga Das.

Bhaktivedanta Hospice - A Touching & Inspiring Video

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Deity Darshan: Radhastami 2011

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Click HERE for more pictures!

Gifts for Shrimati Radharani!

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The Hare Krishna Temple warmly invites you and your family to join us on Sunday, September 4th for Radhastami celebrations - celebrating the appearance of Srimati Radharani! Festivities will commence at 6:00pm and will include wonderful kirtan, bhajans, a discourse about Srimati Radharani and delicious prasadam. As an annual tradition, the highlight of the evening will be when we open gifts for Srimati Radharani that have been brought by the assembled devotees.

If you and your family feel inclined, you are welcome to bring a gift for Their Lordships. Some humble suggestions from our beloved pujari department for gifts for the Deities include jewelry (necklaces, earrings, hair ornaments, tiaras, rings, and bracelets), bindi sets, pure sandalwood oil, cleaning supplies for the altar (marble cleaner, wood polish, brass and silver polish, laundry soap), as well as utensels for Radharani's Kitchen. A humble request is that all gift items be new as gifts will be placed on the altar and will be unwrapped and shown to the Deities during the program. Of course donations of any kind are always warmly accepted!

Kirtan Mela 2011 LIVE from Germany!

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A while back, we had posted about Kirtan Mela 2011 in Germany, the first and biggest international kirtan event ever! Inspired by HH Sacinandana Swami, Kirtan Mela 2011 will feature six days of unforgettable kirtan with 12 hours of kirtan every single day featuring spiritual leaders, kirtaniyas and thousands of devotees from all over the world!

You can watch the live broadcast of this incredible event on http://mayapur.tv/, go to the "KirtanaMela" channel.

Deity Darshan: Sunday, August 28, 2011

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Hare Krishna with MC Yogi!

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Popular in the "kirtan yoga" scene, MC Yogi is a devotional rapper who has been making waves with his style of "bhakti-rap". Although he's not a devotee from our Hare Krishna family, we can stil appreciate some of his awesome and fun-filled efforts, including this little video below! (Check out the super-cute Jagannatha) Hare Krsna!

Deity Darshan: Sri Krishna Janmastami 2011

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Click HERE for more pictures!

Krishna Janmastami - August 22, 2011!

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On Monday, August 22, 2011; the 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! It is truly a festival NOT to be missed!

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.

Free street parking is availabe on Roxborough and Macpherson streets between 6pm and 12am. Extra paid parking is available 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.

A schedule for the eventful day will be up shortly. Please stay tuned!

A Blogger's First Time at Our Temple!

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Our Sunday Feast regularly hosts a wide variety of people, from seasoned spiritualists to the slightly curious. Recently, a young lady who is a regular blogger, came out of curiosity and ended up blogging about her experience and her hospitable experience! We thought it would be worth sharing:

"Early evening sunlight pours in through windows overhead, illuminating the main floor of the temple and the tops of devotees’ heads. Devotees engaged in Aarti, an offering of thanks to Lord Krishna, whom is enshrined in an altar at the front, in male and female forms. A number have their hands raised above their heads as they chant. And with every word, they step back and forth in dance or sway side-to-side. A little girl approaches me with a violet coloured flower, patiently waiting for me. Not knowing what to do, I pass my hands over the flower and then my face. The look on her face is of wonder and innocence." (Continue Reading)

Gopinath's Kids' Camp - August 20, 2011!

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Imagine a day full of games, laughter, delicious prasadam, chance to make new friends and especially, NO PARENTS! ISKCON Toronto is providing just that and more for the younger members of our community with the 5th Annual Gopinath's Kids Camp!

This year, the 5th Annual Gopinath's Kids Camp will be held on Saturday, August 20thfrom 8:30am-6:00pm, strictly for kids aged 5-12 years. The purpose of this one-day camp is to provide an opportunity to ignite the spiritual spark in our 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 a Mega Scavenger Hunt, 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 $25!

You can register at the temple or use our online form by clicking here.

For further information, please don't hesitate to email us at info@torontokrishna.com or psenatoronto@gmail.com.

Deity Darshan: Lord Balarama's Appearance Day

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Click HERE for more pictures!

Join Us for a Full Day of Celebrations for Lord Balarama's Appearance Day with HH Gopal Krsna Goswami!

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We are gearing up for what will be a full day of festivities at Toronto's Hare Krishna temple as we celebrate Lord Balarama's Appearance Day! Lord Balarama is worshiped as the older brother and best servant of Lord Krishna.

Festivities will begin early in the morning as our special guest for the weekend, HH Gopal Krsna Goswami, will be giving a morning class and then conducting an initiation ceremony. Spiritualists who take to the Hare Krishna tradition can formally take vows from a spiritual master (guru) and this ceremony is known as "initiation". It's a wonderful ceremony, accompanied by a fire sacrifice, discourse and then the initiates are given spiritual names!

Following the initiation, there will be a special abhiseka ceremony of Gopal Krsna Goswami's Krsna-Balarama silas. An abhiseka is a bathing ceremony wherein deities are elaborately bathed with various items like water, milk, honey, etc. This is accompanied by resounding kirtan! The kirtan will lead into a delightful vegetarian feast (prasadam).

The festival doesn't end there, though!

The evening festival will kick off at 6pm with kirtan and will feature a special, extended class by Gopal Krsna Goswami. After the class, Toronto's Hare Krishna temple will present the Second Annual Balarama's Bake-Off! Five members of our community have been selected and have been assigned secret ingredients and have been challenged to come up creative sweet items related to Lord Balarama. After the class, the contestants will present their offerings in a fun and creative way. You won't want to miss it! Festitivies will conclude with more kirtan and a huge vegetarian feast!

The schedule for the day will be as follows (subject to change):

7:45am to 9:00am - Morning Class with Gopal Krsna Goswami
9:00am to 11:00am - Initiation Ceremony
11:00am to 12:00pm - Abhiseka (Bathing) Ceremony
12:00pm to 12:30pm - Kirtan (Arati)
12:30pm to 1:30pm - Vegetarian Feast (Prasadam)
6:00pm to 6:30pm - Kirtan (Arati)
6:30pm to 6:40pm - Welcome & Announcements
6:40pm to 7:40pm - Special Extended Class by Gopal Krsna Goswami
7:40pm to 8:00pm - Second Annual Balarama's Bake-Off!
8:00pm to 8:30pm - Kirtan (Arati)
8:30pm to 9:30pm - Vegetarian Feast (Prasadam)

Special Bhagavatam Classes with HH Gopal Krsna Goswami!

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Toronto's Hare Krishna temple is very excited to announce that HH Gopal Krsna Goswami is in town and he will be conducting a series of special classes each morning at 7:30am from August 12th - 15th at ISKCON Toronto.

Gopal Krsna Goswami has been practicising and sharing bhakti-yoga for over 40 years and travels extensively around the world especially in Russia, Africa and India sharing the teachings of Srila Prabhupada!

He will also be giving a special class on Lord Balarama's appearance day.

A special invitation goes to you and your family to join us for these special morning classes!