Ram Navami – a joyous celebration

We celebrated the most awaited festival of Ram Navami at Hare Krishna Melbourne in April. Thousands of people enjoyed the glorious appearance day of Lord Rama Chandra by dancing, singing and feasting.

Lord Rama appeared on this earth around a million years ago. His birth was a much awaited and much celebrated event in Ayodhya. Even today, the Krishna devotees of Melbourne celebrate it with the same enthusiasm and fervor.

The whole temple was decorated with garlands and flowers, whose fragrance overpowered the fragrance of chemical perfumes. People were wearing colorful clothes and joyous smiles. Kids surrounded the fishpond in middle of the temple. The whole scene was very pleasing to the eyes.

The main function started in evening with the singing of the Holy names. Every single person was jumping and dancing in ecstasy while chanting the Holy names of the Lord. The crowd bought some discomfort but it was a special feeling to see different people from different backgrounds chanting and dancing in one room.

A big feast followed the music and dance. There were so many preparations to eat that if one took one bite of every single item, one would be full. Each item was delicious and satisfied the bellies and hearts of all.

Melbourne is a multicultural city; which witness different festivals from different cultures around the world. The Ram Navami festival, a jewel of Indian tradition, was definitely worth a visit by festival connoisseurs.

(Reported by Bhakta Gagandeep)

Infanticide – a Spiritual Perspective

The recent tragic event of a Victorian mother drowning her own infant has truly shocked the nation. We offer our deepest condolences to the aggrieved family and keep the girl in our prayers. What could possible have caused the mother to turn into such a monster?

Family and community structures provide stability in society. If all needs of every individual are met and each one feels valued then they are happy to take up new responsibilities. But if that support and respect from society is missing even becoming a parent can become extremely depressing and burdensome.

In this scenario, the mother herself was a victim of domestic violence and was separated from her partner. The whole situation created an extreme psychological disorder that made her hate her own offspring. No doubt the mother is solely responsible for the heinous crime but looking at the situation from a spiritual perspective can provide more clarity to the whole picture.

Our psychological process works naturally on what we consistently see, hear, act and practice. If the whole society is running towards material sense gratification, every individual will focus on his own sense satisfaction over the needs of others. Materialism can make one so self-centred that one attempts to destroy anything or anyone that comes in the way of our own personal enjoyment.

Instead, if we the society is God Conscious and focused on higher values, everyone can focus on duty over self-pleasure. Society values the execution of one’s material and spiritual duties in the best possible way. Community members value human relationships over individual success and are happy to devote time to each other. Naturally stable family structures are maintained and new mothers get the support needed from the community.

At Hare Krishna Melbourne, we are blessed with a great community whose focus is service to God and man.

Hare Krishna Valley News

There is always something new to see and do at our Hare Krishna farm in Bambra. Last month, the Hare Krishna Valley witnessed a retreat, a growing vegetable garden and a wood-chopping event.

It can be exhausting to live in a busy city like Melbourne. If you want to get close to nature and recharge, you must stop by at Bambra. Regular retreats and yoga sessions are conducted for this purpose. Recently, a retreat facilitated by a very senior Bhakti Yoga teacher was conducted on the topic - “How to find happiness?” Around 70 people attended to enjoy nature and participate in yoga lessons.

As our valley is around 30 acres, our farm manager has begun growing vegetables. Most of the area is still natural forest, but next to his house a green house project has been started which is producing a large amount of fresh vegetables for the farm's projects.

With the onset of winter, wood is required to make fire in the guest houses and other buildings of the farm. We had a great wood-chopping event, where members of the Hare Krishna Community from the city visited the farm to help with the wood chopping. The Hare Krishna Farm offers a complete rural experience for anyone who is interested!

Upcoming events at Hare Krishna Valley can be found here

(Reported by Bhakta Gagandeep)

Harinam Inspired Generosity

Today we would like to share with you an inspiring story of a new Hare Krishna devotee. Jason recently donated a van worth 50000 dollars to the Hare Krishna temple for our Food For Life services.

Jason became a devotee by participating in our Hare Krishna Music events.

He narrates, “I was walking past the Harinaam crew - a group of devotees who sing and chant the holy names of the lord in the streets. I didn’t realise the hearing of holy names would change my life eternally. I loved the music and began participating regularly in the street events. The crew members invited me for lunch to the temple restaurant and I was hooked to the delicious vegetarian food!”

“As I began accepting the process of Krishna Consciousness, I found myself becoming more peaceful and joyful. Life became more meaningful and I found answers to many of my spiritual questions. I recently fell sick, and was hospitalized for a while. Many friends from the Hare Krishna community visited me daily and I was touched by their love and affection. Krishna gave me the strength to chant His names even when I was sick.”

“I became convinced of the Hare Krishna way of life and wanted to contribute to all the community work they do. Hence I donated the van. It’s a small contribution to a very large cause.”

We are very grateful for Jason’s gift and will utilize it in expanding our food for life efforts even more!

(Reported by Bhaktin Iswariya)

Domestic Violence Workshop Conducted at Hare Krishna Melbourne

The volunteers of Natak Vihaar - a voluntary drama group, put up a fabulous performance to raise awareness about domestic violence on the 30^th of April at the Hare Krsna Temple in Albert Park. ‘Natak‘ means drama and ‘Vihaar’ means recreation. This group is known for their enthusiasm in raising awareness about domestic violence through their dramatical acts.

The organisers said, “The Hare Krsna temple in Albert Park is a place of spiritual welfare and worship for the general community. It was an obvious choice for us to spread our message of compassion. We are trying to curb the violence occurring within the secured walls of people’s homes, and we are really grateful to Hare Krishna Melbourne for supporting us.”

The performers of the Natak Vihaar team performance was both captivating and interactive, involving the audience and getting people to think on their feet. They acted out typical situations that violate the peace in our homes and in our lives. The team would then ask the audience for their opinion on a possible way to improve the situation. Then a thought out solution was put forward on how disturbing household scenarios can be returned to normalcy.

-Reported by Radha Sangi Devi Dasi

Important Information for Retreat.

Dear devotees

Hare Krishna, Thank you for registration for retreat “The early days and before”.

Things to bring:

A pair of clothes along with some warm clothes. socks, sleeping bag or blanket (must bring), sleeping mat or yoga mat (if you have) and toiletries. A pair of earplugs (incase you share room with a snorer)

Address:

1265, Winchelsea – Deans Marsh Road, Bambra VIC

(12.5km from Winchelsea)

Transportation:

Your own arrangement. Let me know if you have any difficulty getting lift there.

Program schedule:

Saturday 23rd April 2016

9 am - 10 am: Breakfast

10 am - 1pm: HG Bhurijana Prabhu’s Class

2 pm - 3 pm: Lunch

4 pm - 6 pm: HG Jagattarini Mataji’s Class

7 pm - 8:30 pm: Lila Kirtana with HG Bhurijana Prabhu and HG Janardana Prabhu

8:30 pm: Dinner

Sunday 24th April 2016

7 am - 8 am: Guided Japa Session with HG Bhurijana Prabhu

8 am - 9 am: Breakfast

10am - 1pm: HG Bhurijana Prabhu’s Class

2 pm - 3 pm: Lunch

4 pm - 6 pm: HG Jagattarini Mataji’s Class

6:30 pm: Dinner

Services:

Most of the devotees will get opportunity to do some seva to all assembled Vaishnavas.

ISKCON Disciple Course This Easter Weekend

Good news! Melbourne Yatra will host another ISKCON Disciple Course over our upcoming Easter Holiday weekend:

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  Saturday March 26: 3pm-6pm


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  Sunday March 27: 10am-1pm and 3pm-6pm


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  Monday March 28: 10am-1pm and 3pm-6pm

The Course is facilitated by His Grace Aniruddha Prabhu. Our venue is the Mary Kehoe center.

Remember that passing the Disciple Course is now compulsory for anyone applying for shelter in Melbourne Yatra. The Course is specifically designed to assist you prior to selecting a guru. If you wish to qualify for Shelter, the Disciple Course is especially important because most of your exam questions are covered there.

By ISKCON law the Course became compulsory for anyone applying for first or second initiation after 6.9.2015.

Please note that acceptance of your registration is on a first-come-first-served basis, and only ten seats are left.

You can register online here. If you do not receive an immediate response, please follow-up by contacting Kundalata Mataji (kundalata@iskcon.net.au - who manages registration and invitations) directly.