Tasty Travels in India - Mayapur Gurukula by H. H. Bhaktividya Purna Swami

Mayapur Radhastami 2010_DD Bengali(TV)_By_Sundar Govind Das

Happy Janmastami

By gopijana on Thu, 2010-09-02 13:11.

We wish all our viewers a very happy Janmastami.Sri Sri Radha-Madhava were offered new bright yellow embroidered outfits with gorgeous flower decorations. The temple decoration is very artistic with qualities of Sri Krishna from Nectar of Devotion written on it. Special class on Sri Krishna’s appearance was given by HG Jananivasa prabhu & HG Hari Sauri prabhu. Bengali classes were given by HH Jayapataka Swami & HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami. 

BreakingNews_KolkataTV_Bengali_ISKCON_Mayapur_JhulanYatra_2010

TV news in Hindi( Taaza Khabar)

Sri Krishna Janmashtami Festival at Mayapur

By gopijana on Wed, 2010-08-18 13:44.

“ISKCON Mayapur is happy to invite everyone to participate in the colorful Sri Krishna Janmastami celebrations on 2nd september 2010. Festival commitee has started organizing the festival few months before - designing outfits for the deities and planning for the festivities. Janmastami celebrations in Mayapur is very popular in this region with thousands of visitors flocking the temple on this day to have darshan & prasada. This year, we are aiming at making the midnight abhisheka more grand. Many devotees have booked their kalashas to bathe the Lord on this very important day.Book your ‘Kalash’Onlineto render personal service to Sri Krishna on His appearance day.

Sri Sri Jhulan-Yatra in Mayapur

Sri Sri Radha Govinda Jhulan-yatra takes place from ekadasi till Balarama-purnima of the month of Sravana. The youth members of ISKCON Mayapur community take charge of this program. They begin their hard work a few months before Jhulan-yatra starts and organize it as an attractive, colorful and grand festival. For the festival, they select a proper place(this year at Boys Gurukula; near Mayapur Goshal) for the Jhulan, decorate the entire arena with flowers, colorful water fountain, ponds with flora and fauna, and groves. They also arrange a stage for cultural events, Harinam sankirtan and artfully exhibit fireworks. The cynosure of the event are the small Deities of Sri Sri Radha Madhava who are brought in the evenings from Their main temple in procession. An essential ingredient of this festival, as with others, is distribution of huge quantities of prasada for all who attend.


Thousands of people come to Sridham Mayapur to take part in the Jhulan yatra. This festival captivates the minds of everyone. It is marvelous to behold Sri Sri Radha Madhava sitting on the jeweled mantapa and swinging. It is even more enchanting to swing Their Lordships. And it is most pleasing to honor Their remnants' prasada and everybody is happy to receive the prasada at the end.


So if anybody takes up this precious opportunity of sponsoring prasada for this Jhulan-yatra festival, it can yield the greatest happiness and satisfaction of pleasing Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Radha Madhava.

Jhulan Yatra Invitation 2010

 By Jhulan Festival... on Sat, 2010-07-24 12:47.

With great pleasure, we invite devotees worldwide to participate in the annual 2010 Jhulan Yatra Festival at Sri Dham Mayapur. Jhulan is one of the eternal Astaka Lila pastimes that Sri Sri Radha Madhava and Their associates perform daily in Gokul Vrindavan.  Each year we, the Mayapur Gurukula Alumnae & Mayapur Community Youth organize the Jhulan yatra festival for the pleasure of Sri Sri Radha Madhava under the guidance of H.G. Jananivas prabhu & H.G. Pankajanghri prabhu. It has become one of the highlight festivals of the year in Mayapur. Daily about 5000 devotees and pilgrims come to swing their Lordships from around Mayapur, Navadvipa and other localities. The festival also features melodious kirtans, stage programs; besides distributing thousands of plates of sumptuous prasadam. 

This year’s event will be graced and inaugurated by special guest: H.H. Jayapataka Swami, H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami and H.H. Bhakti Purrushottam Swami.

Jhulan begins from August 19th and continues until the 24th.

The daily program schedule is as follows:

4.45 PM	– Deities brought out from the temple in process with kirtan & taken to Gurukul
6.00 PM	– Sandhya arati
7.00 PM	– Bhajan & kirtan
8.00 PM	– Offering
8.15 PM	– Lamp offering & cultural programs
8.30 PM	– Bhajans continue

Please help us to continue and improve this wonderful service to Sri Sri Radha Madhava by giving a generous donation for this five- day festival.

You may sponsor any of the following:

1	Pandal	Rs. 50,000	$1140
2	Decorations	Rs. 25,000	$570
3	Daily prasadam distribution	Rs. 20,000	$455
4	Flower decorations	Rs. 50,000	$1140
5	Flower abhishek	Rs. 10,000	$230
6	Daily shoes for Sri Sri Radha Madhava	Rs. 3,000	$75
7	Daily lamp offering	Rs. 3,000	$75
8	Daily flower dress	Rs. 3,000	$75
9	Daily Bhoga offerings for the Deities	Rs. 2,000	$45
10	Fountains	Rs. 50,000	$1,140

Or any other amount you have in mind……….

To Donate Online, click here.

For remittance from abroad:

Account Name:     FCRA A/C ISKCON
Account Number: 2370100071336
Swift Code:          Axis INBB 005

For Remittance from India:

Account Name: ISKCON
Account Number:  237010100005944

Please send a confirmation e-mail to MayapurJhulan@pamho.net with the following details:

1. Name of donor

2. Exact date of remittance

3. Exact amount remitted 

4. Purpose of donation

Thank you. May you receive the blessings of Sri Sri Radha Madhava.

Your humble servants, 

Mayapur Jhulan Yatra Team 
For queries and further details contact us at:
+91-9732133729 or +91-03472-245-056 
Varnashrama bldg. ISKCON Mayapur, Dist Nadia, W.B., India 741313

Below is a personal invitation and description from H.G. Jananivas prabhu along with the e-pamphlet and donation list.

A personal Invitation

“Imagine a lake surrounded by flowering shrubs, illuminated by thousand of twinkling colored lights and with cooling water fountains shooting colorful droplets of water in the air, that gently cascade with a splashing sound, that accompanies the sweet kirtan, that permeates the entire atmosphere. In the center of the lake there is a pavilion which is covered with creeping flower vines, and within that grove there is an astonishing effulgent crystal Jhulan.  Suddenly, amidst a loud kirtan, Radha and Krsna appear being carried on a palanquin by their loving devotees. They cross the bridge and are seated on the Jhulan profusely decorated with flowers and gently swing, while being offered refreshments, arotiks and very unusual firework displays on the water. The devotees lovingly surround Sri Sri Radha Madhava and swing them to their hearts content, while gazing upon their splendid forms. No, No. This is not an imagination; it is not a dream and is it not a fairyland. It is real and it is happening now! Come to Mayapur Jhulan Yatra, a creation of the Mayapur Vaishnava Youth, with plenty of prasadam for all!!!” 
H.G. Jananivas Prabhu.

Gouranga Prasada Seva

"I want that you shall distribute prasadam at least to hundreds of persons daily, and advertise very widely all over Nadia Province for people to come there and take prasadam daily without charge. ... we can expand this program widely throughout India and become very much popular with the people as a whole. So try to expand this programas much as possible at Mayapur and let me know."
- (Srila Prabhupada, letter to Bhavananda Prabhu, 1 August 1972)

Early in 2010, Food for life Mayapur started a unique project for serving full-meal prasada to visiting pilgrims calledGauranga Prasada Seva. The project was inspired, named and guided by His Grace Jananivasa Prabhu. Despite its humble beginnings, this project is aiming at serving full-meal prasada to all visiting pilgrims.

Gauranga Prasada Seva program was inaugurated on 14th February 2010 by His Grace Jananivasa Prabhu and His Grace Pankajanghri Prabhu, the head pujaris of ISKCON Mayapur.

Currently, we are feeding prasada meals to at least 100 visiting pilgrims per day. Each plate of prasada consists of rice, dal, seasonal subjis and sweet rice. Occasionally, additional items are served. We distribute coupons to those who attend the early morning darsana in the temple courtyard near Conch Building. The meals are served in the Brahmachari Prasada Hall between 12 to 1 in the afternoon.

The pilgrims express their gratitude to the Lord and His devotees who have sponsored the seva by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra before honoring the prasada. By serving the pilgrims in this way, one accumulates great piety and spiritual benefit (sukriti) for this life and the next.

The Vishnu-smriti says, "The goddess of fortune Lakshmi resides in those who are charitable."

Sri Krishna Janmashtami Annadan Seva Appeal 2010

                              Hare Krishna!

This year's Janmashtami festival is just around the corner! I am happy to invite you and your family for the festival, as it is a great opportunity to rember and serve Lord Krishna on His auspicious appearance day. Year after year, thousands of devotee pilgrims pour into our ISKCON Mayapur campus and witness the wonderful and colorful Maha-Abhishek, Gita Dan and cultural events such as dramas, exhibits depicting Krishana lila, bhajans, Kirtans and of course enjoy having sumptuous Krishna Prasadam.

This is a great opportunity to serve the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. I humbly request you to Kindly donate generously towards the festival and Distribution of Krishna Prasadam on a massive scale. Every donation is gratefully received and appreciated.


The devotees who donate Rs. 500/- or more , will acknowledged in our website www.fflmayapur.org in our recent donor section on the right pannel. Please send your donation today, whatever the amount- it will help a lot!


Please take a few minute off your busy schedule and draw a tax-deductible cheque/DD in favor of "ISKCON" and don't forget to send the details through e-mail: iskcon.mayapur@pamho.net

You are welcome to sponsor pilgrims prasada seva on the Janmastami day for the pilgrims and Gauranga Prasada seva for visitors. Feeding 400 small cups of prasadam to the pilgrims cost Rs. 1000 and a full meal for 100 vistor is Rs. 2000 on this Janmastami Festival. You can support as many as you can.

Announcement of new official FFL Mayapur website www.fflmayapur.org

By Sankarshan Nitai Das on Mon, 2010-07-12 10.10

Today we are very pleased to announce that FOOD FOR LIFE MAYAPUR (FFL Mayapur) has launched its new official website www.fflmayapur.org . This site will keep your informed of the latest prasada distribution programs conducted by ISKCON Mayapur as and when they happen. Please stay updated!

The website was inaugurated by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami on the auspicious Return Ratha-yatra Festival at Sri Mayapur on 21 July. Just after his inaugural click, we could hear the glories of Lord Jagannatha and Lord Sachinandana Gaurahari chanted by thousands of devotees who had assembled to pull Their Lordships' carts. The inauguration was also presided by His Grace Naru Gopal Prabhu, ISKCON Mayapur's Chief Executive Officer, who spoke words of encouragement and appreciation at the efforts of Food For Life Mayapur. The Director of FFL Mayapur, His Holiness Bhakti Purushottama Swami, and His Grace Jananivasa Prabhu have also blessed this sacred endeavor to provide a news outlet for this important activity of distributing Krishna-prasada to one and all.

Significantly, HH Jayapataka Maharaja was the devotee who was directly ordered by Srila Prabhupada to ensure that "no one within ten miles' radius of ISKCON Mayapur temple should go hungry". And Lord Jagannatha can be said to be the eternal FFL Deity as He descends to distribute His prasada liberally to all conditioned souls. Indeed, Lord Jagannatha can be worshipped simply by honoring and distributing His prasada.
At www.fflmayapur.org, our goal is to provide our visitors with both a comprehensive coverage of our permanent projects and their objectives, as well as current news in our four main fields of activity: (1) Inside Mayapur, (2) Ten miles around Mayapur, (3) Festivals, and (4) Outreach. The site also features a “Special Events to support” section in its homepage to get visitors acquainted with the most popuar sponsored prasada distribution events. Check our photo and video gallery today. We hope you like it; it will be of interest to a wide range of audience. Let us know what you think. On the right panel, you will be able to see our recent donors. Also there is dedicated space for e-newsletter subscription. We added social network to drop your positive and constructive suggestion and a frequently updated blog. So be at the latest.
Remember, www.fflmayapur.org is your charity giving gateway to support the needy, Srila Prabhupada and the Sri Mayapur, the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates. Whether you are a simple householder or a corporate professional, we have something or the other for you to help. Every contribution is welcome and important for us to improve our activities which we will see reported at our site.
Help us spread the word about this site. We think this website is a great tool and is something that everybody can benefit from. So we would be really pleased if you tell your friends about www.fflmayapur.org. Or, you could write about our site on your blog. Write to use at fflmayapur@pamho.net for permission to use our content, if you want to use them. Thank you for your support.
Yours in the service of the Godhead and humanity,
Sankarshan Nitai Das
Chairman, FFL Mayapur

Outreach

We already distributed 80,000 plates of prasadam at Ganga Sagar Mela, 50,000 plates of prasadam at Santipur Festival, 21,000 plates of prasadam at Gaura Purnima Festival  in the year 2009. 

We will also distribute more than 10,000-15,000 plates of sanctified foodstuff during large gatherings and festival viz. Janmashtami, Radhashtami, Rasapurnima, Cida-dadhi utsava, etc.

Prasadam Distribution with Nagar Sankirtan Party

“No one within ten miles radius of ISKCON Mayapur temple should go hungry.” – Srila Prabhupada

Mayapur is situated 110 km North of Kolkata, and most of the people living in its surrounding areas are below poverty level, earning an average of less than $1 a day. Such people naturally find it difficult to survive with such very low income.

Despite the fact that we are living in the modern age with high technology (‘computer age’), is this age making any difference to the poverty stricken people? Rather we see that prices for all the provision, stationary, etc. are high. In any 6-member family, 70% of the earning goes for food! It is extremely difficult for people with very low income to properly cater to minimum necessities of family life and social intercourse such as proper shelter for living, medical needs, etc. This is their life, day after day. Generally, their children are also similarly poor, and due to insufficient education, lack of proper vocational training and good health, they are unable to adjust to the contemporary needs of the rapidly changing modern society.

Therefore, we humbly request you to kindly consider their situation and ask ourselves, “How can we tolerate this inequality between the affluent us and the poor them. Though it is impossible to mitigate the problem of poverty altogether, it cannot be denied that at least we should feed hungry members of our community. According to the scriptures, the civilized man considers the entire world to be his community and family: vasudhaiva kutumbakam. Feeding these persons is not only a charity to them; it is our duty and obligation to them. Vedic culture exhorts all householders to worship the Supreme Lord and feed others, especially the poor, to the very best of his capacity. Since all of us are Krishna’s children as spirit souls, it is our obligation to feed these financially incapable brothers and sisters.

Our village prasada distribution party goes by boat to surrounding villages once a week. This is organized by His Grace Shastra dasa Adhikari and his team.

Feeding the School Children

File Photo: BVNS Mayapur

Today’s children are our future. Everyone is Krishna’s child, whether they are rich/poor, dark/fair, educated/uneducated. These differences don’t matter in the long run. Hunger exists in everybody. And when even adults cannot tolerate hunger, what to speak of children?

The children who are born to the poor are undernourished even when they are in their mothers’ wombs, what to speak of when they are grown up. Poverty leads to hunger, and it is very heartbreaking to see such children suffer from hunger.


Such children are somehow sent to the nearby schools to get basic education, but often come to school without any arrangement for lunch. Very rarely they might bring some dried flat rice or puffed rice! This is not because there is no food but because they don’t have money to buy the food. As a result of this, several such village children are undernourished and they drop out from school. Sometimes this causes them to be prone to diseases and finally death. Why should these children be allowed to suffer like this?

It often happens that such illiterate and poverty-stricken parents who cannot afford to feed and educate their children properly have many children, and naturally to participate in earning the basic necessities of the family, the children turn to labor (child labor). This does not improve their family’s financial situation, and so their poverty leads to hunger generation after generation. Such situations often incite them to engage in antisocial activities, thus disturbing the country’s peace.

But there is a way to help these children become free from hunger: midday meal prasada to school children. The school children can thus get healthy nutritious food and spiritual benefit, and thus become good citizens of this country.

Flood Relief

Flood is a natural calamity causing severe damages to the basic survival of the people. The primary damage is the destruction of the people’s dwellings, leaving the people with no choice apart from moving out from their broken dwellings. Then they try to take shelter anywhere and everywhere, on top of the trees or on broken buildings or even above their thatched roofs or on the roads above the flood levels just to protect themselves. And they suffer without food. Children, women, old people, the diseased and the disabled become totally helpless. Food becomes a major problem!

The flood water spreads all over the land putting a stop to electricity, basic communication amongst people, medical help, drinking water supply, and food transport. Apart from this, the price of the available food items hikes up. This makes it all the more unaffordable for the people prone to flood. Without sufficient medical help, the children and diseased people undergo severe physical suffering. Arrangement of food becomes the major issue at that time. This pathetic condition forces some good citizens to steal food for their hungry family members. The struggle for survival makes people learn and practice illegal means to earn their living. Will such attitudes help the society and the nation? So how will the flood-prone people survive? Apart from the human beings getting affected from the flood, domestic animals also get affected. Innocent animals like cows and buffaloes which provide milk to the human beings develop diseases due to the flood water and many of them die without food!

Having noticed a crisis amongst the people in the flood prone villages, ISKCON Mayapur has organized a project named Flood Relief. Within the last 30 years, some part of West Bengal has been affected by the flood waters of Ganga almost every year, either in small scale or large scale. From 1978 until now there have been at least 4-5 major floods apart from the smaller floods! The major floods are disastrous! Food for Life Mayapur has been on site in action, launching extensive relief efforts to cater to the needs of the flood affected people.

When there is a threat of a flood, ISKCON attempts several precautionary measures to prevent it such as
• Sand bags are put across the roads
• Sewage gates are checked
• Roads are checked and repaired
• Medical facilities are arranged
• The local government and villages are kept informed about the flood situation
• Local residents are given precautions to store food and prepare for surviving during flood

And once the flood sets in, the stranded villagers need the following:
• Prasadam: Cooked food such as khitchari, and dry food such as flat-rice (chira) with molasses (gur)
• Drinking water
• Medical facilities: Volunteer doctors, assistants and medicines
• Food for children such as biscuits and milk powder
• Fodder for cows
• Tents and other essential materials for survival
• Clothing
• Emergency rescue team
• Help to transport their essentials from their home to a place of shelter

How is all of this provided by Food for Life Mayapur?
About 300 full-time volunteers from ISKCON dedicate their time and energy to help in flood relief. Some of them cook food from morning to night on a daily basis, while others distribute it to various surrounding affected villages. Experienced field-workers and dynamic senior team leaders meet on a daily basis to strategically plan the entire flood relief operation based on input from their village networks on population, affected spots, potential places of distribution of food, etc., specific requirements and current availability of resources. Specific service teams are organized, supervised and dispatched to specific localities in consultation with local governmental authorities. Each daily meeting is preceded by a review of the previous day’s efforts, and the challenges faced are noted and deliberated upon.

On an average, more than 3000 plates of cooked food and 3000 plates of dry food are served to the stranded villagers. The affected villagers have repeatedly expressed their honest appreciation and gratitude to ISKCON Mayapur for their services.

After the flood
Once the flood waters recede, there is still a lot of work to be done to resettle the villagers back into their normal life. These include:
• Help to transport the flood victims along with their possessions back to their homes
• Their houses need to be repaired
• Since their fields are not fertile and adversely affected by the flood, they are unable to produce their own foodstuff; so they still need food to survive
• They, especially women and children, need clothing
• The flood affected areas need to be disinfected
• Further medicines and health-awareness programs need to be conducted to reduce and stop epidemics due to the flood

In order to do the above, we need your help and support.

Lord Chaitanya flooded the whole world with the holy names of Krishna. Helping to serve the residents of His holy abode is a powerful means of receiving the mercy of Sri Navadvipa-dhama. Join us in receiving the mercy of Sri Navadvipa-dhama as per your capacity.

Help us help the flood victims. Periodic floods in Mayapur and surrounding areas is a reality. Let us help the villagers overcome their challenges at this crucial part of the year.

Dhamvasi Seva

This is a program to feed the dhamvasis khitchari prasada on a regular basis. This was inaugurated directly under the auspices of Srila Prabhupada during his lifetime. About 1000 dhamvasis per week are being fed full plates of khitchari prasada. This operates every Friday and Saturday at 5 PM. We are thankful to ISKCON Australia and BBT Australia for their continued support for this program.

We are interested in expanding this program to feeding seven days a week, thrice a day. Kindly help us make Mayapur a hunger-free zone. One can please Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu when residents of His dham are fed prasada. We should also remember that this holy dham has been manifested by Srimati Radharani for the Lord's pleasure, and so feeding the dhamvasis is a means to please Srimati Radharani Herself

Pilgrims Seva

About Food For Life (FFLM)

In 1974, Srila Prabhupada was looking out from his room at ISKCON Mayapur, when he noticed a group of village children fighting with street dogs over scraps of food. Shocked and saddened by what he saw, Srila Prabhupada turned to his disciple and said, “Imagine how hungry they are! Krishna is the Supreme Father, and wherever the father is, children should not go hungry.” 

He gave a mandate: No one within ten miles radius of our temple in ISKCON Mayapur should go hungry. He wrote to one of the temple presidents, “Our temple should be the via media for feeding the poor with food and spiritual knowledge.”

These prophetic and historic words rang loudly and inspired his followers to expand into a global network of prasadam distribution services. Food for Life, as the name suggests, is a unique project for bringing food and life to the needy of the world through the liberal distribution of sanctified vegetarian meals. To expand this project to benefit underprivileged people in the country, ISKCON has formed a non-profit, non-religious, non-sectarian charitable food distribution program, FOOD FOR LIFE MAYAPUR (FFLM).