November - December 2020 Radhadesh ENGLISH Newsletter

Radhadesh HORIZON.COM

E-Newsletter

November - December 2020 CHATEAU DE PETITE SOMME - PETITE SOMME 5 SEPTON-DURBUY - 6940 - 003286323590

FEB 2017

Dear Reader, we have finally arrived at the last newsletter of 2020. A strange year, with a still very unclear future. Nobody knows what 2021 will give, but we are going to face it with our heads held high and are already brainstorming on how we can receive you, our guests, optimally and give you a great time. Further on in the newsletter we already give a small foretaste. Please mark these dates in your calendar!

Also this autumn we have a nice program ready for you, taking into account the current prescribed hygiene measures. On other days you are also more than welcome. Radha Gopinath will welcome you with open arms!All that remains for me, is to wish you a beautiful autumn and end of year period.Have fun reading and see you soon!

ON BEHALF OF THE ROSE DEPARTMENT KIM

PREMAculture Eco-farming with love Permaculture is a set of design principles aimed at thinking about whole systems, simulating or directly using the patterns and resilient characteristics observed in natural ecosystems. It uses these principles in a growing number of fields of regenerative agriculture, community renewal and resilience.

We are developing a new way of agriculture called 'Premaculture'. This way of agriculture combines the ecological and sustainable principles of permaculture with the loving devotion cultivated in the ancient Indian Bhakti tradition. Self-sufficiency is a subject of great importance to ISKCON (the International Association for Krishna Consciousness). The founder of ISKCON, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, has many times recommended the importance of 'simple living, high thinking' and the connection with 'selfsufficiency'.

As a community we will benefit greatly from the establishment of this project by : Offering the kitchen a higher quantity and quality of fresh garden vegetables that will be cooked with dedication and offered to the lord and his devotees. From season 2021 we also want to feed the community one day a week from the garden and sell extra production for people who prefer to cook at home.

Sharing knowledge about the project, permaculture and self-sufficiency through courses, YouTube videos, newsletters, a garden visit during the tour program and various other activities.

Attracting more 'eco-tourists' and volunteers in Radhadesh.

Make financial contributions to Radhadesh for all of the above reasons.

To follow Srila Prabhupada's vision of an ideal lifestyle, in harmony with God's nature. For more information about our project please visit Premaculture.be Facebook www.facebook.com/premacultureproject/ Instagram @premaculture project.

International Ayurveda day Ayurveda Day is celebrated on November 13th 2020 as a global initiative to promote and preserve the health science of Ayurveda and on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras).Ayurveda embodies the principles of natural and sustainable living and this day aims to promote the UN-WHO Sustainable Development Goal 3 (ensuring a healthy life and promoting well-being for all at all ages) by raising awareness about the strong role Ayurveda can play in the realization of SDG 3. Ayurveda Day is supported by the Ministry of AYUSH, the Indian Government and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). More than 75 countries pledged their participation and support to the event in 2020.

Ayurveda is seen as one of the most ancient and well-documented systems of medicine equally relevant in modern times. The holistic approach of Ayurveda, both for healthy and sick people, remains unequalled. Prevention of sickness and promotion of health is the main goal of Ayurveda. The objectives of the Ayurveda day are: An attempt to further promote Ayurveda Focus on Ayurveda's strengths and unique treatment principles Reducing the burden of the sickness and the related morbidity and mortality by using the potential of Ayurveda Exploring the potential of Ayurveda to contribute to national health policies and programmes Creating a sense of awareness in the present generation and promoting Ayurvedic principles of healing in society

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‘ I promise that I will make Ayurveda an integral part of my daily life and thus enable good health and well-being for myself, my family and my community, in harmony with nature.’

God of Health DHANVANTARI FINNISH PROVERB

Lord Dhanvantari is known as the father of Ayurveda, because he was the first divine incarnation to bring his wisdom to the people. He first appeared during the great churning of the cosmic ocean of milk to deliver amrit (ambrosia, or divine nectar) to the demigods.

Churning the ocean of milk is a famous episode in the Puranas that represents a person's spiritual effort to achieve self-realization through concentration of the mind, withdrawal of the senses, control over all desires, austerity, and asceticism. It is celebrated in India every twelve years in the sacred feast known as Kumbha Mela. The following story is from the Srimad Bhagavatam.

With Mount Mandara as a rod and Vasuki as a cord, both demigods and demons churned the ocean of milk. All kinds of herbs were poured into it. The churning was so heavy that Lord Vishnu had to appear in many forms to help them with this process and prevent it from going nowhere.

He even appeared as Lord Vishnu himself sitting on top of the mountain to give Indra and his companions energy. Churning the ocean of milk first produced a deadly poison (halahala) that only Lord Shiva could swallow without it bothering him. And so he did, except that his consort Parvati pressed his neck shut while he swallowed, so that the poison would not reach his stomach, and the halahala remained in his throat, changing the color of his neck to blue because of its power. That's why Lord Shiva is also called Neelakantha, or the blue neck. During churning, many divine objects and creatures emerged from the ocean, including Kamadhenu (the wishful cow), Ucchaisrava (the white horse), Airavata (the white elephant), Kaustubhamani (a rare diamond), Kalpavriksha (the wishful tree), and Shri Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wealth, who after being worshipped by all the Gods, demigods, asuras and all the others present, was reunited with her husband Lord Vishnu after being divorced for many centuries).

As the churning continued, Lord Dhanvantari appeared. He was young and strongly built, his chest was very broad and his complexion bluish black. He had strong arms, red eyes and moved like a lion. He was dressed in bright yellow, his curly hair was anointed with oil and he wore shiny earrings of mother-of-pearl.

When he appeared, he held in his hands a shell, leeches, medicinal herbs, a chakra (one of Lord Vishnu's divine weapons), and the long sought-after pot of ambrosia, making him also called Sudha Pani (carrier of nectar). The asuras, who are greedy after all, immediately realized that the pot was full of nectar and took it away from him.

Again full of greed and pride the demons started arguing about which one of them would drink the nectar first, took the pot away from each other and behaved like thieves. When he saw how busy they were with each other, Lord Vishnu did not pass up the opportunity to deceive them. He appeared as Mohini, a beautiful woman who fascinated the demons, took the nectar from them and distributed it only to the demigods.

As soon as the demigods drank it, they were invigorated with energy and defeated the demons. After worshipping Lord Vishnu and Shri Laxmi, they resumed their position in heaven.At the time of churning, Lord Vishnu predicted that Lord Dhanvantari would reappear in the world to teach the people the science of Ayurveda. And so, after Lord Indra, he appealed to Lord Dhanvantari to descend into the material world and teach Ayurveda to the human race, when he saw that humanity was suffering so much pain and sickness.

AGNI TEA The first definition of agni is the element of Fire, the second of the five elements in the body. It also denotes the digestive fire that regulates temperature, performs digestion, absorption and assimilation of ingested food, and converts food into energy or consciousness.Agni Tea is a simple beverage that helps to regulate and stimulate your digestive capacity, improving all the functions of digestive agni.

INGREDIENTS Agni Tea 1 quarter liter water 1 pinch of cayenne pepper 2 handful of finely chopped ginger root 2 teaspoons Sucanat or other sweetener 1 to 2 teaspoons rock salt PREPARATION Bring all the above ingredients to the boil. Boil for 20 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.

Add the juice of 1/2 lime. Enjoy!

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ONLINE BHAGAVAD GITA classes We live in insecure times and therefore a period in which we might more consciously choose for more association with devotees and also with Krishna herself. By looking at the world from Lord Krishna's perspective we can become more Krishna-conscious. If we want to become more conscious we have to delve more deeply into Lord Krishna himself. In this way we can better understand the world, ourselves and also Lord Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada says that society should be 'Krishna-conscious' - enlightened by devotion (bhakti) to Krishna (God). Pure devotion can only grow and develop better if we spend our time hearing about life and the person Krishna.

Therefore we offer you the opportunity to study the Bhagavad Gita together, online and in Dutch, with interesting guest speakers, including Kadamba Kanana Swami and Bhakti Prabhava Swami, for 18 weeks from November 1, 2020.

Time: 10h-12h Where: Online via Zoom Registration: bg108nederlands@gmail.com FREEInitiative: asbl ISKCON Belgium Council Coordinator: Bhaktin Mariska

SAVE THE DATE February 15 and 16: Familiy Fun Carnaval These days are completely focused on children. We are going to celebrate Carnival in the Indian way and play! Mom and dad can take a day for themselves, we take care of the children!

Time: 9.00 - 15.30 Before and after care from 8.30 to 17.00 possible Participation fee: 12€ per child (lunch and snack included) Age: 5 - 12 years 11 to 13 June: Family Mindfulness retreatIn this retreat we will learn different ways to relax and bond as a family. Meditation, building strong relationships, forest walks, yoga, games for everyone,... A weekend to bond and grow closer to each other's hearts!

July 2 to 4 : Home Deity worship retreat This course is an essential tool for your spiritual life. In order for your bhakti to blossom it is recommended to worship a form of Krishna. But how do you do that at home? How can you create a practical altar? How do you sacrifice food to Krishna? And how to do an aarti? In this course all these questions will be answered theoretically and practically.

Learn from the experienced pujari of Radhadesh and add this knowledge to your own life.

25 September: ‘Balade Gourmande’ A 'balade gourmande' is a walk where a buffet will be waiting for you at indicated places.

A beautiful route will be mapped out for you so you can enjoy the best of the beautiful places in and around Radhadesh, as well as the rich food culture.

We should learn to forget and forgive minor incidents because whenever there are two men in a place, there is always some misunderstanding. Such misunderstanding happens even between husband and wife—what to speak of others. But we have to adjust things on the basis of Krishna Consciousness…Chant Hare Krishna sincerely and all good intelligence consultation shall come from within. Krishna says that, ‘those who are engaged in My service, I give intelligence for his progressive march’.

Letter to: Gargamuni, Los Angeles, January 11, 1968

Offer a lamp Lord Krsna is happy to offer a single lamp during the month of KÄ rtika. Lord Krishna glorifies anyone who lights a lamp for someone else to offer.

Text 44, Kartika-mahatmya, Hari-bhakti-vilÄ sa Kartik, also known as the month of Damodara, which starts on November 1st, is a month to deepen the love for Krishna. It is considered by devotees of Krishna as the holiest month of the year. During this month devotees make extra vows, perform extra spiritual activities and generally worship Krishna in his form as a young boy, Damodara, who was once tied up by his mother, Yashoda, as punishment for his naughty child's entertainment, namely stealing butter and yogurt. As a reminder of this wonderful pastime, and hoping one day to tie Damodara with their ropes of love, all the devotees offer ghee lamps and sing the beautiful Damodarashtakam, creating a very transcendent atmosphere.

Every spiritual activity we do during Kartik is magnified, so it is an ideal time for us to immerse ourselves in the Krishna consciousness. By observing spiritual vows during Kartik we can get the shelter of Srimati Radhika, the queen of Vrindavan. So we are all encouraged to immerse ourselves in singing Krishna's holy names, reading Srila Prabhupada's books, associating with Krishna's devotees, and worshipping His almighty form of Sri Damodar.

We offer you the opportunity to light a light. This can be done every day, in honor of a loved one, on a special occasion or throughout the Kartika month. You will receive a picture in your inbox of the offered lamp on the altar of Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha. In addition, if you offer a lamp for the whole month, you will receive a Kartika gift by mail.

Cost prices: 1 day: 4 euros 7 days: 25 euros whole month: 98 euro You can pay on the account number BE90 0682 2073 3732.

Also send an email to kim@radhadesh.com stating when you want the light to be sacrificed.

We also understand that many of you are not able to travel, therefore this year we would like to give you the opportunity to sacrifice a prayer or even a drawing of your child.

You can mail it and we will print it out and offer it at Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha's Lotus Feet.

Sri Damodara Janani The Perfect Kartika Read!

Lord Damodar's Mother by Sivarama Swami.This book is a unique retelling of the damodara-lila focusing on theexceptional mercy received by Mother Yasoda, from whose love for her babyson sprang this most remarkable pastime of the binding power that is thelove of Krsna’s sincere devotees.

Sivarama Swami writes in his dedication page: Srila Prabhupada said, “Evenin this material world, there is no comparison to a mother’s love, for a mother loves her child without any expectation of return.” With my head upontheir lotus feet, I dedicate this book to every devotee’s mother, includingmine, Dushi.

Sri Damodara-Janani weaves a captivating tale of the glories of Mother Yasoda. No other person has ever received the unique mercy that Krishna has showed to His own mother, teaching devotees for all times that the binding force of love for Him is more powerful than even His own supreme will.

A lila that stopped the demigods in their tracks, captivated the residents of Gokula, and even stunned the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, this most powerful and beautifully scripted spotlight on mother Yasoda is a revelation that will bind the devotees’ hearts, and in turn, detail the path to hopefully binding the heart of our beloved Sri Krishna. Based on the teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the previous acaryas (Sridhara Swami, Sanatana Goswami, Jiva Goswami, Srinatha Cakravarti, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur, Baladeva Vidyabhusana), Sivarama Swami comments on the verses of Srimad Bhagavatam10.9.1-10.11.8, where the pastime of Lord Damodara is vividly detailed.

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