Thursday 27 March 2014

Week Ahead 27 March-2 April & Festival of Chariots News

Dear Friends,

You can look forward to loads of Durban Festival of Chariots news and information in the coming weeks. With the festival less than four weeks away, many devotees are busy with planning, preparation and final touches. We will highlight events at the festival and also bring you news on what is new. This week we are happy to share the details of both chariot parade routes and times:

Chariot Parade Routes
Friday, 18 April, 10.30am
Starting opposite Tropicana Hotel on OR Tambo Parade (Upper Marine Parade) at the car park, proceeding north towards Blue Waters Hotel. At Blue Waters Hotel, turning left going down Sandile Thusi Road and then turning left into Sylvester Ntuli Road and finally entering the festival site. This route is 2.8km.

Monday, 21 April, 5pm
Starting at the festival site, turning right into Sylvester Ntuli Road, turning left at the robots into Somtseu Road, then left into Snell Parade, heading towards Blue Waters Hotel, then turning left going down Sandile Thusi Road and then left into Sylvester Ntuli Road and finally entering the festival site. This route is 1.5km.

We request all devotees and well wishers to arrive at the start of the parade on time, by 10.30am on Friday and 5pm on Monday, to receive the Deities and thus ensure a punctual start. This years Friday parade will be just two hours long, and the Monday parade just 90 minutes long, so arriving early, or at least on time is a must.


There is a pre-festival, a buildup to Lord Jagannath mounting His chariot. On Sunday, 30 March at 11am, is the blessed Snana-yatra (publicly viewed bathing ceremony) of Lord Jagannath at the New Jagannath Puri Temple in Phoenix. This festival will be led by His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami. Generally only trained brahmanas are allowed to bathe the deity form of the Lord, on this day a special dispensation to bathe the deity is given to everyone who attends the Snana-yatra at New Jagannath Puri in Phoenix. Please offer your gratitude by donating generously according to your capacity or more. All proceeds will be engaged in the Ratha-yatra festival organisation. Bhakti Caitanya Maharaj will also give the class at the Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple Sunday Love Feast at 4pm. 

As you know the Ratha-yatra festival, is done voluntarily and primarily based on donations. We are always looking for volunteers.  If you are able to give your time or other resources please contact: Merumala Dasi on 0836760844.

If you can accommodate some the many visiting sannyasis, gurus, senior devotees and guests, we require assistance in taking care of them and ensuring that their experience is a memorable one. Please contact the following devotees if you are able to assist with transport, accommodation and various other needs for our visiting guests.

Arjunacarya Das 
Cell - 082 781 2944 

Srinivas Acarya Das 
Cell - 082 885 8873 

Anandamaya Krishna Das 
Cell - 0712436985 

You can also view or download the March/April issue of Hare Krishna News on our website http://iskcondurban.net/kngdownloads/newsletters/25.pdf. We have dedicated nine pages to the Durban Festival of Chariots. You can read about the love between Lord Caitanya and Lord Jagannath, Festival of Chariots highlights, features on the Blue Mountain Children’s Theme Park, Bhaktimarg Swami’s dramas, children can draw their own chariots, and we have also included the beautiful song Sri Jagannathastakam, which you can bring along to sing to the Lord at the festival. 


Finally, you can listen or download His Holiness Devamrita Swami’s classes from https://soundcloud.com/durbankrishna and the Bhaktivedanta College begins the Bhagavad-gita Brief Overview on Friday, 28 March at 7pm. Call Divesh 0741626835 for details.

As always, we look forward to seeing you and hope this finds you in the best spirits,

Your friends at Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple

T: 031 4033328  |  F: 031 4034429  |  www.iskcondurban.net  |  temple@iskcondurban.net
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Wednesday 12 March 2014

Sri Gaura Purnima Event Guide


Dear Friends,

You are warmly invited to the celebration of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu this weekend 14-17 March. Please share the attached posters containing all details of the festivities with friends and family. We are blessed to have His Holiness Devamrita Swami and His Grace Medhavi Prabhu here in KZN to celebrate Gaura Purnima with us.

Meditations on Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: 

“In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the name of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons, and confidential companions.”  Srimad Bhagavatam 11.5.32 

"May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Sriamti Saci-devi be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service…” Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi, 1.4

Wednesday, 12 March 
Ekadasi
Fast from all beans, grains and legumes

Thursday, 13 March
Break Fast 05:54 - 10:01 
7.35am Vyasa-puja celebration of His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami

Friday, 14 March
7.35am Morning Class with Devamrita Swami
6.15pm Pre Gaura Purnima Kirtan Youth Festival with Devamrita Swami

Saturday, 15 March
Estcourt Festival of Chariot - 10am Estcourt City Centre
Harinam Schedule:
10.00am Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple car park
10.00am Umlazi Center L800 Mandlemdlve Road
3.00pm Northdene Primary School

4.00pm Lord Chaitanya bhoga offering. Remember Lord Chaitanya’s favourite food is anything from the spinach family. Everyone is invited to bring as many offerings as possible.
5.30pm Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Boat Festival with  Devamrita Swami

Sunday, 16 March
Sri Gaura Purnima
Fast until moonrise
You are all especially invited for mangal-arati and japa from 4.30am. 
7.10am Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple morning class with Medhavi Prabhu
7.45am New Jagannath Puri Temple morning class with Devamrita Swami
11.00am Special Midday Programme
3.00pm Pietermaritzburg Temple class with Medhavi Prabhu
4.00pm Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple class with Devamrita Swami

Monday, 17 March
Please note that the Festival of Jagannath Misra, i.e the feast will be at 1pm not 9am.

For more details see attached poster. Finally we are experiencing problems with our website and it is temporarily shut down. We apologise for any inconvenience. 


As always, we look forward to seeing you and hope this finds you in the best spirits,

Your friends at Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple

T: 031 4033328  |  F: 031 4034429  |  www.iskcondurban.net  
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Friday 7 March 2014

Week Ahead 7-11 March - In Preparation of Lord Chaitanya's Appearance

Dear Friends,

We celebrate the appearance anniversary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on the following Sunday, 16 March.  We have decided to host a festival over the entire weekend starting with a kirtan on Friday night and ending with a feast on Monday morning.

Lord Chaitanya introduced the simple and sublime method of developing love for God by the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.  Prior to Lord Chaitanya, spiritual knowledge and practice were only available to the brahmanical class but Lord Chaitanya changed the course of history by opening it to all who desired real love.  It is unfathomable to think that this maha-mantra can awaken our love for God and is the real peace formula.  Therefore Lord Chaitanya is accepted by all the great spiritual masters as the most munificent incarnation.  The dictionary explains munificent as "characterised by or displaying great generosity". 

We at Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple have made special arrangements for everyone to honour Lord Chaitanya. On Saturday, 15 March we have scheduled a spectacular boat festival. You can also bring food offerings to offer to our larger-than-life deity of Lord Chaitanya and there will be chanting parties all over Durban.

On Sunday, 16 March, Sri Gaura Purnima, you are invited to mangal-arati at 4.30am.  Sri Sri Radha Radhanath will be offered a new outfit.  As a special offering to Lord Caitanya, we are creating a chanting park where anyone can come and chant 108 maha-mantras, thereafter you can sign a register and your name will be read to Lord Chaitanya on the altar.  It will be your personal service to Him.  The festival will have the usual elements: abhishek, discussions on Lord Chaitanya, kirtan, etc.  The main arati of the festival is sandhya-arati at 7pm.  We encourage everyone to come and raise your arms in the air like Lord Chaitanya taught us, and let the holy name resound.  After the arati, maha-prasad will be distributed from the altar.  More details will be published early next week. 

Sunday, 9 March 
Vyasa-puja of His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami - Special Love feast
You can read about Maharaja in the attached article. Devotees are invited to bring bhoga offerings for Maharaja.
4.00pm Srila Prabhupada’s guru-puja
4.15pm Arati and kirtan
4.35pm Love Feast class on Lord Caitanya by His Grace Prabhanu Prabhu
5.15pm Video of Bhakti Tirtha Swami followed by guru-puja for Maharaj
6.00pm Feast prasad

As always, we look forward to seeing you and hope this finds you in the best spirits,

Your friends at Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple

T: 031 4033328  |  F: 031 4034429  |  www.iskcondurban.net  |  temple@iskcondurban.net
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