Dearest Friends,
Hare Krishna. The Durban Festival of Chariots is 6 days away. In case you don't know the dates: Friday, 29 March to Monday, 1 April. The festival times are 10am to 11pm.
We have received mixed reactions to the "new" Durban Festival of Chariots. Our hope is that the additions will achieve the desired result-that people's hearts will open to God, to Krishna. We have heard that our acaryas, our long gone spiritual teachers, were innovative and bold in presenting Krishna consciousness. One of the qualities of a madhyam devotee (a devotee who spreads Krishna consciousness) is that they present the path of devotion in a way that is relatable. Successful communication is in how what is said is heard and perceived. Bhakti or love is an affair of the heart. Our aspiration is that the 25th anniversary of the Durban Festival of Chariots will enter people's hearts and water the seed of bhakti that is in each and everyone's heart--even if we sometimes forget that everybody has this seed. Let us not forget that Lord Jagannath Himself, overwhelmed by love, steps down from His altar and comes out to meet the people, this is Lord Jagannath's mood, our acaryas' mood, the jagat guru, Srila Prabhupada's, mood and the essence of devotion to Krishna.
Durban Festival of Chariots News
We will be posting updates during the course of next week. You can go to www.iskcondurban.net or Facebook DurbanKrishna or www.festivalofchariots.net or Facebook festivalofchariotsdurban.
We welcome His Holiness Bhaktimarg Swami on Monday, 25 March. Maharaja will be presenting 2 new theatrical productions at the festival: 1. Gita Concise, a rousing cross-genre take on Krishna's immortal wisdom. 2. Dhurva, The Prince of Anger and Peace, inspired by the true story from Srimad Bhagavatam of a five-year old prince in search of God for the wrong reason--revenge. Maharaja's innovative renditions combine dance, martial arts and music to dazzle you.
Show Times:
Friday, 29 March
Dhruva, The Prince of Anger and Peace, at 8.15pm followed by the Prayer Lanterns.
Saturday, 30 March
Gita Concise at 8.30pm
Monday, 1 April
Gita Concise at 2.30
His Grace Bada Hari Prabhu arrived earlier this week and His Holiness Bhakti Brnga Govinda Swami arrived on Thursday and is already rehearsing with the KZN philharmonic orchestra.
Witness the Vivaha Samskara (Vedic wedding) of Ramashna and Mayapura Candra Das on Sunday 31 March at 10.30am.
We also welcome His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami and His Grace Mahatma Prabhu on Monday.
During the festival you can take a break and enjoy a wholesome meal in a beautiful setting.
Govinda's Restaurant in the Sunken Garden
For a tranquil dining experience, visit us at the sunken garden where you can enjoy authentic Indian vegetarian cuisine in our fully air-conditioned restaurant. Let the culinary skills of our expert Hare Krishna cooks satisfy you with a variety of sumptuous meals that include rice, dhal, flat breads, homemade cheese tossed in with fresh vegetables, savouries and sauces to delectable desserts.
Lunch is between 12-4pm
Dinner is between 4.30-8.30pm
To find out what's on the menu each day call 084 345 7471
Your Week Ahead
Saturday, 23 March
Ekadasi
Sunday, 24 March
Special Love Feast programmes at NJP at 11am and SSRRT at 4pm
With His Holiness Indradyumna Swami and Anuradha Dasi (GRS) answering your questions about the Durban Festival of Chariots. You can also look forward to the devotees from Soweto performing the Jagannathastakam and Krishna Prestaya will do a prayer with three Odissi dancers.
Wednesday, 27 March
Sri Gaura Purnima-The Appearance Anniversary of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
There is an exciting all-day programme, so, take some time off work or school and spend some time at the temple.
4.30am: Mangal-arati with Bhaktimarga Swami
5.20am: Japa
7:00am: Guru-puja with Mahatma Das
7.15am: Class with Bada Hari Das and Mahatma Das
8.30am: Greetings followed by kirtan with Mahatma Das
10:00am: Kirtan in temple
10.30am: Abhishek and kirtan with Bada Hari Das
11.15am: Class with Bhakti Caru Swami
12.30pm: Arati and kirtan with Mahatma Das
4-6pm: Kirtan
6.00pm: Kirtan with BB Govinda Swami
7.00pm: Gaura-arati and kirtan with Indradyumna Swami
7.40pm: Class with His Holiness Partha Sarathi Das Goswami and Mahatma Das
8.40pm: Kirtan with BB Govinda Swami followed by arati
We hope this finds you in the best spirits, until next week,
Your friends at Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple
T: 031 4033328 | F: 031 4034429 | www.iskcondurban.net | temple@iskcondurban.net
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/DurbanKrishna | Twitter: http://twitter.com/DurbanKrishna
No comments:
Post a Comment