October 2011

Dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Lord Krishnas Birthday Extravaganza

During a very overcast month Bhaktivedanta Manor was blessed with two sunny days during the annual Janmastami festival. Around 60,000 pilgrims joined in the celebrations, with the majority present on the actual day itself, Monday 22 August. With a whole host of colourful performances and activities on offer, it was a field day for media - with hours of coverage across BBC, Sky News, ITN London Tonight, Radio 4, Radio Five Live and Channel 4. Krishna is famous as the guardian of cows and appropriately, this year's festival featured the official launch of the Ahimsa Dairy Foundation (ADF). Ahimsa means "not to harm", and ADF has established a herd of cows in Kent which is known as the Ahimsa herd. The cows produce milk for delivery and are protected from harms way and slaughter. The Janmashtami festival was open to everyone and guests spent their time in several areas over the festival site. Kids visited Krishna Land, would-be chefs tested their culinary skills in Veggie Steady Cook and youth staged their own version of The Apprentice. His Holiness Radhanath Swami, author of The Journey Home, joined us for the entire festival and commented, "No celebration of Janmastami in the world compares with Bhaktivedanta Manor's." ....continued on page 4

Srila Prabhupada:

In the material world there is keen competition between animal and animal, man and man, community and community, nation and nation. But the devotees of the Lord rise above such competitions. They do not compete with the materialist because they are on the path back to Godhead where life is eternal and blissful. Such transcendentalists are nonenvious and pure in heart. SB. 1.1.2 Purport

Celebrating Srila Prabhupadas arrival in UK

On Saturday 10th September forty initiated disciples of Srila Prabhupada, along with many others who had chanted and rendered service together in ISKCONs formative 1970s era assembled outside 7 Bury Place, Bloomsbury, London. That was the site of the first ISKCON temple in the UK, established by Srila Prabhupada on 14th September 1969. With a palpable sense of anticipation the devotees, some of whom hadnt seen each other for over 30 years, proceeded to chant and dance through the West End. Stopping in Cambridge Circus they drew a huge crowd of smiling (and sometimes dancing) members of the public. Most of them seemed already familiar with the sight of devotees but not so accustomed to such a large assembly from the senior generation!

Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter

October 2011

Local Fayre
At the specific request of Rev Robert Fletcher, vicar of St John the Baptist Church in Aldenham, the Temple provided bullock-cart rides and facepainting as popular features of Aldenham Fayre.

University Challenge
Battle of Britain Anniversary
In his capacity of Chaplain to the Mayor of Harrow, Srutidharma das joined dignitaries including ex-servicemen and cadets who packed into St Johns Evangelist Church to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Guests from the University of the Third Age (U3A) enjoyed their experience at Bhaktivedanta Manor and had a multitude of questions!

from left: Srutidharma das, Cllr Mrinal Choudhury the Mayor of Harrow, Anjana Patel and Harrows Deputy Lieutenant John Purnell

From Film Set to Krishna Temple!

Film enthusiasts gathered from across the country for a nostalgic visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor. The Manor estate was used as a film location for popular TV shows including episodes of The Avengers, Department S and Randall and Hopkirk Deceased. Fear in the Night, which included the late Peter Cushing and Joan Collins, was the last film made at the Manor prior to 1973, before the devotees moved in!

Green Shoots
The Green Shoots Festival near Chepstow in Wales was blessed by good weather and devotees gathered from across the country to take part. There was hardly a punter on site who wasn't confronted with Parasuram"s rickshawdistributing vegetarian delights, and chanting echoed from early morning to midnight. Special exhibitions included Changing Bodies which explained reincarnation and Mechanical Man which symbolised the soul being different from the body.

Ratha Yatra in Brighton marked the last leg of Lord Jagannaths UK tour this year.

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Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter

October 2011

Serving the Divine Couple

Celebrating Radhastami with Skill and Devotion

Radhastami marks the birth of Lord Krishnas tenderhearted feminine counterpart, Radharani. This years celebrations marked the 10th year that Bhaktivedanta Manors deity department has been making beautifully decorated cakes. Each cake represents each of the 25 qualities of Radharani, explained Head Pujari Gadadhara das, Bhaktivedanta Manor is the only Temple to celebrate Radhastami in this way. Gadadhara das and his wife Anuradha dasi spent four days cooking the large fruit cakes. Then Anuradha dasi gathered a team of artistically talented ladies who spent the next three days painting and decorating them with sugar patty and coloured marzipan. During the day, devotees took the opportunity to sponsor various items as a gift to Srimati Radharani. The gifts included kitchen utensils, jewellery and arati paraphernalia, and will be used over the course of the next year. This year's celebrations were particularly special due to the presence of His Holiness Jayadvaita Swami and His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami.

Every morning during the annual fiveday swing festival of Jhulan Yatra, the deities of Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda were placed on a beautifully decorated swing in the temple room. Devotees showered Them with flower petals and took the opportunity to gently pull the swing.

My favourite day of the year Srila Prabhupadas Vyasa Puja

By Sakshi Gopal das During this day devotees throughout the world honour and remember His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Devotees make written or verbal offerings of prayers, glorifications, some recollecting memories and personal exchanges, but all infused with heartfelt sentiments of love, gratitude, wonder and appreciation. They bear testament to the incontrovertible fact that Srila Prabhupadas appearance has certainly changed our perceptions, our aspirations and our lives beyond measure. Srila Prabhupada belongs to a lineage wherein each successive teacher is a transparent via media to the previous acarya, that is, a pure devotee of the Lord. The crya is the external representative of Paramtm, the all-pervasive Supersoul within. He dispenses Gods grace wherever he is and to whomsoever is willing to accept it. But we must never forget that he is not obliged to do so. He does so out of compassion alone. Srila Prabhupada himself was, and remains, the perfect example to us all.

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Lord Krishnas Birthday

Festival of Peace for Guardian of the Cows

continued fron page 1 In the main marquee, the audience was treated to an awesome performance from Jojio Hirota and the Taiko Drummers, who then joined Kripamoya das and a host of other artists to perform 'Cakram' - a collection of devotional songs from their newly released album. With the involvement of several community youth, the Bhaktivedanta Players performed a thrilling, action-packed drama from the Mahabharat. At the centre of the festival, Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda presided in the main shrine. They graced all the pilgrims with Their spectacular darshan (viewing) in an atmosphere filled with heartfelt song. A full complimentary vegetarian feast (prasad) was served to everyone.

Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter would like to thank you and your colleagues I

October 2011

for your kindness, hospitality and warmth on our visit to the great Janmashtami. We had heard that this was one of the great spiritual and family events and we were much impressed by what we saw. Lord Charles Hertfordshire Cecil, High Sheriff of

I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to come for a second year to the Janmashtami festival. We enjoyed looking around the different stalls, seeing the gardens and seeing your new attractions. My mother also enjoyed talking to the cows! It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying themselves - it was a great atmosphere. Cllr Lisa Rutter, Mayor of Barnet Thank you for making us feel so welcome and taking the time to show us around. We really enjoyed our visit and meeting many of your other guests, It was good to meet the London Mayors there as well. Cllr Peter Knell, Mayor of Hertsmere

Our deepest gratitude

The entire festival is managed and run by over 1500 volunteers from the community who gather every evening for a month prior to the event putting in countless hours of hard work. Without the volunteers this spectacular festival would simply not be possible.

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Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter

October 2011

T he be as t r is es
by Krishna Dharma das In the aftermath of last months riots opinions were divided as to their cause. Existing criminals on the rampage, pronounced Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke, while, in a display of party disunity, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan-Smith declared the problem to be selfish bankers and MPs ignoring the plight of the poor. Whatever the cause, the riots certainly made for some shocking footage with the police apparently losing control of our streets. Fires blazed everywhere, shop fronts were kicked in and cars turned over as marauding gangs realised that no one was going to stop them. Personal violence was also meted out with a number of brutal incidents being reported. I felt a deep sense of sadness at seeing all this, but I was not particularly surprised. Vedic knowledge points out that a man lacking spiritual practice will eventually tend toward brutish behavior and the number of non-practitioners in society is certainly considerable. If its anything to go by, less than 5% of the UK now attends church, for example. The Vedas define the distinction between man and animal as the formers quest for religious meaning and truth. Sensual gratification is common to all species but only humans can practice religion. Such genuine practice, according to the Srimad Bhagavatam, will ultimately imbue a person with all the qualities of the gods, while its absence results in one losing all gentility and becoming a danger to everyone including himself. Given the right set of circumstances, such as we saw recently, this tendency rapidly rises to the surface. Animals take whatever they want as and when they can, restricted only by their power, and a person without spiritual guidelines will likely act similarly. The only restriction will be ones personal capabilities and opportunities, or the constraints of law, which as we have just seen do not always work. Iain Duncan-Smiths suggestion that selfishness lay at the root of the riots
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was right. It was the ugly face of selfishness run amok as people grabbed whatever they could while the going was good. Obviously it was also rampant criminality, as Mr Clarke pointed out, but in the Vedic analysis anyone not God conscious is a criminal to a greater or lesser degree, stealing the Lords property. Naked came we to the world and naked we shall depart. Whatever we think we own was here before us and will remain after we are gone. We falsely claim ownership for a brief period before everything is snatched away by death. Really it belongs to its creator and maintainer, and that is Krishna or God. Spiritual practise aims to awaken this perception and its consequent gentle behaviour of using all property in divine service while taking for ourselves only what we need, that which is ordained for us by God. Ever increasing consumerism and the all out pursuit of wealth stand in stark opposition to this godly paradigm, but does our present society direct people toward anything else? Who are our heroes and role models, for example? Film stars, musicians and football players, for the most part, all of them flaunting obscene quantities of disposable income and quite often a converse degree of morality. Saints and sages hardly get a look in, with religion generally making the media only when it is time to decry the fanatics. Hardly surprising then that we should see godless behaviour breaking out all over. Especially when we add to the mix the fact that society is producing an underclass of people for whom hope and opportunity simply do not exist. Two and a half million are now unemployed; nearly half of them young people, many coming from families where no one has a job or any realistic hope of getting one. But like everyone else they have been programmed with consumer societys ideal of having it all now, and are continually tantalized by an all powerful marketing machine driven by insatiable corporate greed.

Without spiritual practice we are all victims of the same desires; all of us becoming thieves of Gods property to feed a lust that knows no satisfaction. Fair enough, most of us have enough control to not rush out and seize everything in sight when the opportunity presents itself, but as long as we remain fixated on material enjoyment who knows what we might be capable of doing if the going gets tough enough? Even those at the top of the heap have shown themselves to be quite capable of profligate seizure, as the recent bankers bonuses and MPs expenses debacles demonstrated. Unless we find some way of increasing genuine spiritual consciousness in our society soon we can surely expect the madness to continue, from top to bottom.

Peace Walk in the wake of the Riots

Armed with nothing but leaflets and a Ratha Yatra chariot, 40 devotees held a Peace March from Wembley to Southall via Ealing in the wake of Augusts violence across London. During the infamous riots, Ealing High Street was subject to mobs torching buildings and cars, looting shops and breaking into homes. Someone was even killed. "We chanted for peace, which is very important after all that had happened, organiser Parasuram das informed the local press. Later that night, the Peace Walk concluded in Southall and the next day devotes took part in the local Rathayatra. The huge event was graced by the Indian, Nepali and Fijian ambassadors, and is supported by the entire Sikh community, as well as many other members of the public.

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October 2011

He had amazing spiritual insight into all of lifes situations. When I hear from his classes, I feel flooded with firm desire to progress strongly in spiritual life. He was real, accessible, approachable, and full of raw spiritual energy and enthusiasm. Bhuta Bhavana das (London) He embodied the very core of spiritual attraction, the nectar of learning, never pious or distant, he stayed on the bottom rung even though he was on the top..He stayed there to help us who needed the extra guidance... Glen Hansard (Ireland) To this day he has made an impression in my heart and mind that inspires and propels me forward in my spiritual life. Relentless, selfless, unflinching, fully enthusiastic, sincere and dedicated endeavour in everything he did. Jai Nitai (London) He had a burning desire to please Srila Prabhupada and genuine compassion for people. His austerities never caused him to be judgmental or proud, and he was so loved because he had the rare ability to immediately connect with whoever he met and make that person feel special. Isani Davis (Ireland) He inspired me by his broad mind & broad heart. He was strict & orthodox yet so non-judgmental and liberal when required. He realistically encourage someone from the weakest most challenging point of hopeless despair to get on their feet with a sober new vision. He knew how bad things could get and how to pull through. Giridhari das (National Festival Team)

Because of his pioneering preaching spirit of taking his festivals all over the UK, the Welsh Yatra was formed. We in Wales owe him a great deal of gratitude. Tarakanatha das (Swansea) Ingenuous and ingenious. Without honours and titles, he was probably the most endearing and influential devotee in the UK. As Lord Siva is worship by both the aristocratic and the derelict, we all gathered around him, competing for a little of his company. He saw us without discrimination, and busied us in Krishna consciousness. He had a hard life himself, so there was no question of facade. Gauri das (Bhaktivedanta Manor) His motto was our lives are meant for serving others and he certainly did till his last breath. He was always thinking how to encourage others to take to spiritual life. Srutidharma das (Bhaktivedanta Manor) An overflowing mine of blissful enthusiasm and dedication to lovingly serving Srila Prabhupada and his mission. Just by seeing him or hearing his words, or remembering his friendship and qualities its hard not to be infected with Krishna Consciousness. Tribhangananda Das (Manchester) His deep love for Srila Prabhupada, ecstatic kirtans and preaching worldwide. A lover of the devotees and a friend to all, with that brilliant smile, he is irreplaceable. I miss him so much! Jyestha dasi (Bhaktivedanta Manor)

A Tribute das to Tribhuvannatha

Tribhuvannatha das joined ISKCON in 1969 in London and naturally took to a leadership role early on in Bury Place in London (the first ISKCON Temple in the UK) and Bhaktivedanta Manor. He got the Bhagavad Gita translated into Arabic and distributed it across the Middle East. He organised festivals over the UK, Ireland and East Africa. Yet he was a simple person, whatever he did was out of deep love for his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada and a fearless spirit to serve him. If you met Tribhuvannatha, whoever you were regardless of stature or background, he would disarm you with his huge smile and warm heart. On this the 10th year of his passing away, we wanted to remember him by hearing from a wide range of devotees and friends about the qualities he had that inspire them in Krishna Consciousness:-

First Hare Krishna Festival at Croome

Over 100 devotees from across the UK and 2,350 local guests attended the August Bank Holiday Weekend Hare Krishna festival at Croome Court in Worcestershire. When Croome was run by ISKCON from 1979- 1984 it was known as Caitanya College and during that time it housed the largest devotee community in the UK. The National Trust, the current owners of Croome, worked shoulderto-shoulder with devotees to organise the event held within the beautiful 700-acre estate. Visitors met the devotees and experienced dramas, meet-the-monks, japa meditation workshops, face painting and trying on saris. In the Court itself senior devotees gave seminars and the Long Gallery exhibition was notably popular. One room in particular, known as the Fruit Room or Dining Room, was also used for exhibitions because it still retains the colour scheme introduced by the devotees over thirty years ago.
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Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter

October 2011

National Seva Day expands

As part of this years annual Seva Day, volunteers from the Manor community picked litter and removed fly-tipping from Composers Park in Elstree. Meanwhile, 150 volunteers of all ages helped in the harvesting of over 6 tonnes of potatoes from one of Bhaktivedanta Manors fields designated for horticulture. Another Seva Day contribution included a team of devotees who work for Ernst and Young, Network Rail and Barclays Capital, who cooked vegetarian meals for the homeless in Watfords YMCA. On Seva Day, thousands of good-hearted people across the world come together to perform voluntary Seva (service) to the community and experience the joy of giving in its truest sense, explained Seva Day Chairman Anup Ganguly during their recent conference held at Bhaktivedanta Manor. This year people from 70 countries will take part in Seva Day to one degree or another, including Indonesia and China.

Tulasi Harrison: Delivering Little Souls

Tulasi Harrison, a Manor School graduate, was only seven years old when she decided she wanted to become a mid-wife. As soon as she started her coursea three-year Bachelor of Science Degree at Londons City Universityshe knew it was the right one for her. I was so thrilled by it, she explained. Working with so many different people, and having to be strong for them, really suited my nature. Krishna consciousness helped Tulasi deal with the stress of delivering babies in a variety of challenging situations. When she did all she could, and things were out of her control, she understood that it was all up to Krishna, and prayed to Him to help the mother and child. Tulasi was popular at the hospital for her caring, bright and happy nature, much of which she attributes to her upbringing.

Diwali at the Palace

On Sunday 13th November, Watford Palace Theatre, Bhaktivedanta Manor and the local community will present Diwali at the Palace. This unforgettable evening will bring the tastes and colours of India to the Theatre, in a family experience of music, dance and drama to celebrate Diwali. Tickets are available from the Watford Palace Theatre Box Office on 01923 225671, or directly from Jaya Krishna Das.

October 2011 Tue 11th Disapp of Sri Murari Gupta Fourth month of Caturmasya Wed 12th Month of Kartika begins Mon 17th Disapp of Srila Narattama Dasa Thakura Thur 20th App of Radha Kunda Sun 23rd Rama Ekadasi Diwali festival at Manor Wed 26th Diwali day Thur 27th Govardhana Puja, Annakuta, Go Puja Sun 30th Disapp of Srila Prabhupada November 2011 2nd Sun 6th Disapp of Sri Gadadhar das Gosvami & Sri Srinivasa acarya Utthana Ekadasi

Bhaktivedanta Manor Dharam Marg Hilfield Lane Aldenham Herts (for sat-nav only, please use postcode WD25 8DT) 01923 851000

www.krishnatemple.com
Please send your news, photos and comments to Radha Mohan das at: newsletter@krishnatemple.com

A team of Hertfordshires Probation Officers came to learn about the Manor Farm and how Vaishnava-style music and meditation can bring peace of mind

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2011, All articles & photographs copyright of Bhaktivedanta Manor