This newsletter is dedicated to His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
We remain forever indebted to him, our eternal spiritual master, and pray for his blessings so that we may continue to establish Vrindavan here in Radhadesh.
Diwali&picturereport 12
A letter from Srila Prabhupada explaining how we can celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights in our home or temple
Srila Prabhupada left this world on November 14, 1977, in Vrndavana India Devotees observe this anniversary with personal remembrances of Srila Prabhupada
Krsna Consciousness is full of festivals! Every year we celebrate them again and again! Find out which are the upcoming ones
Radhadesh Mellows is happening in a few months! Come and join our biggest Kirtan festival of the year
Govardhan-themostmagnanimous devotee
On the auspicious day of Govardhana Puja we celebrate the wonderful pastime of Krishna lifting Govardhana hill
Radhadesh welcomed its monthly donors and organised a wonderful event to show their gratitude towards their incredible support
Radhadesh hosts many Yoga retreats Want to join them? Relax and retreat with our expert teachers
"O goddess worshiped by the kings of sages, O goddess who remove the sufferings of the three worlds, O goddess whose face is a blossoming lotus, O goddess who enjoy pastimes in the forest, O daughter of Vrishabhanu, O companion of Vraja's prince, when will You cast Your merciful sidelong glance upon me?" Śrī Rādhā kṛpā kaṭākṣa stava rāja Spoken by Lord Śiva to Parvati
Editorial team : Shyamsakhi dasi, Surabhi Kunja dasi, Syamananda das Photography: Syamananda das, Surabhi Kunj dasi, Gert Eelen / Brocco Photo, Gour Govinda, INFO LUX, Kamalavati devi dasi, Linda van den Akker IIllustrations: Saccidanandana das, Radhe Gendron & unknown artists Graphic design: Surabhi kunj devi dasi & Shyamsakhi dasi Proofreader: Shyamsakhi dasi
The end of 2022 is coming soon, and we would like to share this 18th edition of our Radhadesh Newsletter We have pictures and stories to tell, but the highlight of our autumn break was Govardhana Puja and Diwali The festival of lights We celebrated with many guests and listened to insightful lectures on both events, explaining these events' intricate meanings Govardhana Puja was a sweet event with the Radhadesh residents making many preparations and offering it to the Hill Govardhana as a way to be grateful for whatever Sri Krishna has given us The pastime displays many things However, the most prominent one is that as we live in this material world, we can get caught in many emotional waves, like envy, greed, and anger However, when we try to pause and take a moment to reflect, we can overcome these unwanted emotions by being grateful and content with whatever Sri Krishna has given us Similarly, Diwali was a vibrant festival where many guests came together to celebrate Sri Ramachandra's arrival back to Ayodhya. This celebration emphasized how we can overcome the little Ravana qualities and decorate our hearts with lights to welcome the lord How can we pause in this hectic time? Consider a visit to our temple programs, join the Radhadesh Mellows event or participate in the many yoga retreats coming up You won't regret spending a day here in Radhadesh
Wishing you all a warm winter ahead, Shyamsakhi dasi
We would like to invite potential candidates to our upcoming three month Radhadesh Bhakta Program called "Bhakti Sadācāra" which will start in in spring next year, from the end of March 2023 to the end of June 2023 Please help us spread the word and direct towards us any potential candidates that are ready to have a residential experience within our Radhadesh temple ashram
Over a period of three months, the following modules will be covered: Theology and Philosophy, Devotional Practice and Vaishnava Culture. This will also include a full dose of daily early morning sadhana & kirtanas, wonderful temple & community service opportunities, plenty of delicious prasadam and load's of Krsna conscious fun guaranteed!
Fee: Only 108€ for all 3 months!
For more information, please contact: gopinatha@radhadesh com
Diwali ceremony can be observed in the temple by illuminating 100's of candles, in different parts of the temple, and offering special Prasad to the Deity This ceremony was observed by the inhabitants of Ayodhya, the Kingdom of Lord Ramacandra, while Lord Ramacandra was out of His Kingdom due to His 14 years banishment by the order of His father His younger step brother Bharata, took charge of the Kingdom and the day on which Lord Ramacandra took back the charge again from His brother, and seated on the throne, this is observed as Diwali function This is the original idea of Diwali, and Dipabali Dipabali means the same thing Dipa means candles, and bali means numerous. When numerous candles are lighted it is called Dipabali. In India, this Dipabali function is celebrated in a special auspicious occasion This Dipabali function can be observed on 21st October, and Prasad can be distributed on the 22nd October, during daytime, which is known as Govardhana Puja and Annakuta Ceremony. In India, in all Vaisnava temples, this ceremony is observed and 100's of people are given Prasad according to the capacity of the temple
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, appeared on this planet in 1896. He left for America in 1965, and travelling almost constantly, Srila Prabhupada guided his international society from humble beginnings to a worldwide confederation of more than one hundred ashramas, schools, temples, institutes and farm communities. He left this world in Vrindavana, on November 14, 1977. This day is an important day to all by his followers all over the world who remember Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and his life of pure devotion.
Celebrated as the day thatLord Krishna becomes old enough to go with the bigger cows to the pasture
The advent of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita
Kirtaniya Sada Harih
On the weekend of the 27th 29th January 2023 we will be celebrating the 14th Annual Radhadesh Mellows Due to the exceptional and complicated situation in the world with regards to Covid 19 we will finally be hosting onsite once again the thousands of kirtan lovers from around the globe We will also be working very hard to create a most excellent and unique Kirtan experience which will allow each and every one of you joining in online on our YouTube channel to have another unique chanting experience
The RM team is endeavouring more than ever so that the festival will be better than those of the previous years :) Therefore, do not hesitate to support the free festival by donating to our Paypal or Bank Account as we mainly cover the organisational costs of 50 000€ through the kindness of the many souls and their online wallets in this way sparing no expense in creating a unique historical Kirtan moment to experience for all :). Any extra donations will of course go to the RM24 event and those that follow Hoping to see all of you in January 2023 (hopefully in person) for a special world changing chanting weekend Register at radhadeshmellows.com
By Sacinandana Swami
All devotees know that the greatest servitor of Krishna is Giriraja, who constantly serves the Lord in His pastimes Great saints proclaim, “Affectionate Krishna fulfills the desires of all those who take shelter of Govardhan This is the conclusion of the scriptures Even the most unqualified can attain perfection in spiritual practice by such assistance.” (Kavi Karnapura in Ananda Vrindavan Campu, Chapter 11)
The 10th Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam mentions unlikely candidates for receiving Krishna’s mercy: the deer roaming in the forest, the sky ranging birds, the rivers spinning in whirlpools, the swans bobbing on their surface, etc Even the unconscious cloud who swiftly moves to where Krishna plays His flute to shield Him from the scorching rays of the autumn sun and remove His fatigue with drops of water, gets Krishna’s direct service Everyone and everywhere can receive the mercy of Krishna which best attained by taking shelter at the feet of His devotees And Giriraja Govardhana is proclaimed by no one else than the Queen of Vrindavana to be the best of all the devotees!
Radhadesh with joy in our hearts once again welcomed the members with a wonderful program We gathered in the Museum, walked to the new cow stable, viewed the progress of the new Prasadam Hall and visited the Premaculture garden Organised and guided by Shyam Sakhi, we were able to serve and please many members that made the effort To come join us to celebrate this day
Our dear cows are finally under the shelter of the new barn. We would like to thank every single one of their enthusiastic sponsors and well wishers for making this beautiful building a reality for them The Summer season has started and that means our cows get to go outside and graze in the beautiful Radhadesh pastures full of luscious grass They are being served by a dedicated team of hardworking cow servants, and served many delicious things a day
18 Nov, 17:00 20 Nov, 14:00
Experience the best of Kundalini Yoga including morning Sadhana (sacred morning practice) before daylight, transformative meditation and praanayam, mantra chanting, Soul Sound healing & relaxation with Gongs, and nature walks Connect within, release emotional blockages and dysfunctiinal programming to allow your energies to flow
Balance your stress response through a revitalized glandular system, awaken your senses through Breathwalk and connect on a deeper level with your authentic human potential
It has been an interesting time to say the least for many Allot of us have been a little stagnant waiting for our chance to bounce back into action. Some of us have taken time to nourish ourselves, start a hobby or do some creative internal work that you may have planned to do but never had the time. Either way, now is your chance to re stimulate your mind, body and senses with an uplifting weekend of Yoga, movement, Creativity, Expression, Gardening, Walking and tasty hot nourishing meals.
For those of you who would like to sometimes visit Radhadesh and do some practical devotional service, kindly write to us in advance to service@radhadesh.com . In that way we can anticipate your visit and arrange some particular service for you
For your inspiration, let us consider the following:
In the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Krsna explains that the best thing you can do is to 'just fix your mind upon Me' Of course, most of us are not able to 'just' do that all the time Therefore Krsna continues to say that if we cannot do that, we should engage ourselves in sadhana bhakti, meaning to rise early, chant the holy names, read Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, etc But again, not all of us are able to continuously engage ourselves in sadhana bhakti and therefore Krsna says that if we cannot do that, we should work for Him
In fact, the combination of remembering Krsna, hearing and chanting about him and doing some practical service is a very powerful one Feel free and inspired to visit Radhadesh and experience this combination yourself
Radhadesh highlights!
Plan your outdoor wedding in Radhadesh. Wedding season is from May - August. Email to weddings@radhadesh.com
"When there is love in our heart, only love will come out" RADHANATHSWAMI
