Final Week Ahead for 2017!

Dear Friends

This is our final email for this year. We wish you happy and safe holidays and look forward to seeing you at the temple as 2017 comes to a close.

Marathon Message from His Holiness Partha Sarathi Das Goswami

Distributing Srila Prabhupada's books is extremely important. I recommend all devotees to participate in this most important event. Book distribution is very pleasing to Srila Prabhupada. We can derive a special type of nectar or bliss by sacrificing our false egos when approaching strangers to take Prabhupada's books. Even if we don't distribute many books, just the attempt to do it is purifying. I encourage all devotees to please Srila Prabhupada in this way. Many of Srila Prabhupada's senior disciples like His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja, His Holiness Indradyumna Maharaja, His Holiness BB Govinda Maharaja, His Holiness Giriraj Maharaja, His Holiness Bhaktimarga Swami, and His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami engaged in book distribution. We should follow in their footsteps and try our best to distribute Srila Prabhupada's books and in this way, experience what they experienced. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Srila Prabhupada's books.

I remain,
Your well-wisher,

Partha Sarathi Das Goswami

Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple Contact Number
Kindly Note: Only one line is operational at the moment: 031 403 3328.
We apologize for any inconvenience.

Your Week Ahead

Thursday 14 December
Ekadasi Break Fast 06:22 – 09:30

Friday 15 December
Women's Forum Year End Gathering @5:30pm
Ladies will be treated to a pampering session, kirtan, natural therapy, 2017 Gratitude, festive ideas for the family and prasad.
Booking is essential: Temple Reception: 031 403 3384 or reception@iskcondurban.net

Saturday 16 December
Marathon Sankirtan Festival
Festival Lineup:
4:30 am Morning Programme Begins
8:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am Orientation
9:30 am Book Distribution at pre-arranged spots (Devotees will be going out in groups)
12:00 pm Pack up and return to Temple
1:00 pm Sharing of experiences followed by a feast

Naama Ruci Harinam @10am
with His Holiness Bhakti Anugraha Janardana Swami, His Holiness BB Govinda Swami, His Grace Dina Bandhu Prabhu, His Grace Akincana Krishna Prabhu & His Grace Ojasbi Prabhu
A bus will leave from Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple @9am.

Sunday 17 December
Love Feast @3pm
with His Grace Jaisacinandana Das

Saturday 23 December
Marathon Sankirtan Festival – This is the final Marathon Sankirtan Festival!
Festival Lineup:
4:30 am Morning Programme Begins
8:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am Orientation
9:30 am Book Distribution at pre-arranged spots (Devotees will be going out in groups)
12:00 pm Pack up and return to Temple
1:00 pm Sharing of experiences followed by a feast

Sunday 24 December
Love Feast @3pm

Friday 29 December
Ekadasi – Fast from all grains, beans, and legumes.

Saturday 30 December
Ekadasi Break Fast 04:57 – 09:38

Sunday 31 December
Love Feast @3pm

Bhakti Theatre's New Year's Eve Bash @9:30pm
Bring in 2018 under the shelter of Sri Sri Radha Radhanath and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai!
Expect poetry, hip-hop, dance, drama, good food, great vibes, and count-down to the new year with the chanting of the holy names.

Monday 1 January 2018
Deity offerings from 8am until 1pm

Your friends at
Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple

Week Ahead 7 – 13 December

Dear Friends

Marathon Message from His Holiness Giriraj Swami

I am pleased to encourage you to participate in the Prabhupada book-distribution marathon. Srila Prabhupada explains, “Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami had no fixed residence. They stayed beneath a tree for one day only and wrote huge volumes of transcendental literature. . . . It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation, but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. That was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books.” (Cc Madhya 19.132 purport)

This is parampara. Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami and all the Gosvamis wrote books for the enlightenment of the general populace, and that instruction and practice came down through parampara to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who wrote many books and instructed his disciples to write books. And Srila Prabhupada faithfully followed those instructions and also wrote many books. In fact, it is inconceivable that anyone could write so many books in such a short time.

Srila Prabhupada came to America in 1965, and from the very beginning in New York City he was selling his books. Years later, when devotees were doing research about Prabhupada’s life, they went to some bookstores where he had sold his books, and the shopkeepers remembered, “Oh yes, a very nice Indian gentleman came, and he would always give us samosas.” He would give them samosas when he went to sell them his books.

Prabhupada said that from the very beginning the basis of his movement was book distribution—the publication and distribution of books—and he showed that example.

In the same purport, Prabhupada explains further, “[T]he business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them, and distribute them widely.”

Prabhupada wrote books, the BBT has published them, and now it is for us to distribute them. This is “the business of advanced and empowered devotees.” We are all already connected to Srila Prabhupada, and we all will benefit when we distribute his books. And if you persevere with sincerity and intelligence, you will also be advanced and empowered devotees.

Prabhupada states further, “According to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mrdanga.” He called the printing press the brhat-mrdanga, the great mrdanga, because an ordinary mrdanga can be heard for a few blocks whereas the brhat-mrdanga, the printing press, the books, can be heard all over the world.

I was the first ISKCON devotee to go to West Africa, Nigeria. I did hari-nama on the streets, and large crowds of people would gather round. Some well-dressed Africans started speaking about the Bhagavad-gita and the philosophy of Krishna consciousness, and I asked, “How do you know all these things? Did you ever meet devotees?” They replied, “No. But we have a friend who met devotees on the street in London, bought some books from them, and then shared them with us.” Even before any devotees had gone to West Africa, Prabhupada’s books had reached there and people were learning about Krishna consciousness.

Sometimes a whole yatra can begin just from books. Once, a tourist from Venezuela visited Israel, met devotees, and got some books from them. Back in Venezuela, he shared the books with his friends. They all started reading, became convinced of the philosophy, began to chant, and started practicing Krishna consciousness without having met any devotees. Eventually they developed a community of devotees and invited Srila Prabhupada, and he went—and it all began with the books.

The brhat-mrdanga can be heard all over the world.

Srila Prabhupada concludes his purport with a request to all of us: “Consequently we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world. By thus following in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami, one can become a rupanuga devotee.”

Rupa Gosvami is described as sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam, sthapitam yena bhu-tale: he established on earth the mission to fulfill the desire of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And that is done primarily through writing, publishing, and distributing books.

Srila Prabhupada said, “It’s like a train.” In a train, one car pushes—or pulls—the other, the other pushes another, and the other pushes still another. He said, “My guru maharaja is pushing me, and I am pushing all of you.”

Hare Krishna.

Your servant,
Giriraj Swami

Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple Telephone Disruption
Kindly Note: The switchboard is damaged and has been taken in for repairs. Only one line is operational at the moment: 031 403 3384.
We apologize for any inconvenience.

Your Week Ahead

Thursday 7 December
Disappearance Anniversary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
Fast until noon.
7:45am Class by His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami
11:30am Bhoga Offering
12:15pm Pushpanjali & Guru-puja
12:30pm Raj Bhoga Arati & Kirtan
1:00pm Prasad 

Saturday 9 December
Marathon Sankirtan Festival
Festival Lineup:
4:30 am Morning Programme Begins
8:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am Orientation
9:30 am Book Distribution at pre-arranged spots (Devotees will be going out in groups)
12:00 pm Pack up and return to Temple
1:00 pm Sharing of experiences followed by a feast

Sunday 10 December
Love Feast @3pm
with His Grace Smita Krishna Das

Wednesday 13 December
Ekadasi – Fast from all grains, beans, and legumes.

Thursday 14 December
Ekadasi Break Fast 06:22 – 09:30

Govinda’s Pizzeria
(Take Away & Sit Down)
8 December Friday 5-8pm
9 December Saturday CLOSED
10 December Sunday 11am – 3pm

Save The Date

Bhakti Theatre’s New Year’s Eve Extravaganza
Sunday 31 December
Bring in 2018 under the shelter of Sri Sri Radha Radhanath!
Expect poetry, hip-hop, dance, drama, good food, great vibes, and countdown to the new year with the chanting of the holy names.

SSRRT Community Picnic
Saturday 20 January 2018
North Beach
1pm – 5pm

Week Ahead 30 November – 6 December

Dear Friends 

 

Today is Gita Jayanti

 

"What Krishna says is all perfect and certain and is applicable to the past,
present and future. Nor is there any uncertainty for one who knows exactly what Krishna says. The Krishna Consciousness Movement is based on Bhagavad-gita as it is, as spoken by Lord Krishna, and for those who are engaged in this movement, there is no question of uncertainty." Srimad Bhagavatam 4.24.42, purport

 

Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple Telephone Disruption

Kindly Note: The switchboard is damaged and has been taken in for repairs. Only one line is operational at the moment: 031 403 3384.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

 

Your Week Ahead

 

Friday 1 December

Ekadasi Break Fast 04:47 – 09:25

Kendra Nama-hatta @7pm

with His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami

 

Saturday 2 December 

Srimad Bhagavatam Class @7:45am  

with His Holiness Indradyumna Swami

 

2017 Prabhupada Marathon Begins
Marathon Sankirtan Festival

Festival Lineup:
4:30 am Morning Programme Begins
8:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am Orientation
9:30 am Book Distribution at pre-arranged spots (Devotees will be going out in groups)
12:00 pm Pack up and return to Temple
1:00 pm Sharing of experiences followed by a feast

 

 

Sunday 3 December
Love Feast  @3pm

 

Durban Summer Kick-Off Festival

Colour Splash 

10am – 7pm

ISKCON Durban, Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple hosts this dynamic beach festival in partnership with the eThekwini Municipality. Colour Splash will be a part of the city's Summer Kick-off and will take place on the lawns of the Amphitheatre on the Durban Beachfront. The event includes multi-cultural entertainment, food, shopping, and the actual Colour Splash. 

A bus will leave Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple at 8:45am and return at 6:30pm. Seats are limited and you may book your seat at the Book Table. 

You can view/download the November/December 2017 Hare Krishna News at

http://iskcondurban.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Nov_Dec2017-HKN-RSD-edit.pdf

 

Save the Date:

20 January 2018

Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple Community Picnic @1pm  

Week Ahead 23 – 30 November

Possibly, The Best Day of Your Life…

Message from Vibhu Chaitanya Das

Srila Prabhupada described that simply thinking of book distribution is liberation, so what to speak of actually distributing his books? Srila Prabhupada’s books give people hope in a world which is full of agony, caused by other living entities, natural disasters, and ourselves. His books give permanent solutions to our challenges that cannot be found in this world. They are the law books for his followers and can guide anyone from the shackles of ignorance to developing pure love of Godhead in just one lifetime. So by distributing them, which nourishes the souls of those who receive them, we assist Srila Prabhupada in his mission of helping souls, and we give Krishna far more pleasure. Therefore, it’s no secret that Srila Prabhupada gives special blessings to those devotees who endeavor to distribute his books. The Prabhupada Marathon, which is the last festival of the year, is the ideal time for devotees to get the mercy of Krishna and His pure devotee.

For those devotees who have not experienced book distribution, we are inviting you to pledge a minimum of one day of book distribution, which could be the best day of your devotional life. 

 

Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple Telephone Disruption

Kindly Note: The switchboard is damaged and has been taken in for repairs. Only one line is operational at the moment: 031 403 3384.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

 

Your Week Ahead

 

Saturday 25 November 

2017 Prabhupada Marathon Begins
Marathon Sankirtan Festival
You can expect first class arrangements. Programme includes training, distribution of book spots, transport, and a feast. Registration is essential. The dress code is comfortable. If you feel confident, you may wear devotional attire. Kindly register via temple@iskcondurban.net. 
Festival Lineup:
10:00 am Orientation
10:30 am Book Distribution at pre-arranged spots (Devotees will be going out in groups)
3:30 pm Pack up and return to Temple
4:00 pm Sharing of experiences followed by a feast

 

Sunday 26 November
Love Feast @3pm
with His Grace Swarup Damodar Das

 

Thursday 30 November

Ekadasi – Fast from all grains, beans, and legumes.

Gita Jayanti

Special Gita Yajna from 8am until 12:30pm

Arati & Kirtan at 12:30pm

Lunch at 1pm

You are invited to participate in the Gita Yagna at no cost but if you give a donation of R108 you receive a copy of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, which will be offered on the altar. For bookings please contact the Temple Reception at 031 403 3384 or reception@iskcondurban.net

 

Friday 1 December

Ekadasi Break Fast 04:47 – 09:25

 

Sunday 3 December

Durban Summer Kick-Off Festival

Colour Splash 

10am – 7pm

Colour Splash is a dynamic beach festival organised as a partnership between ISKCON and the eThekwini Municipality. With the tagline of “one spirit, many colours”, the Colour Splash Festival seeks to further the aims of social cohesion and nation building by bringing together thousands of people of diverse cultures, to share, appreciate and respect each other in a wonderfully unifying, safe, and festive environment.

Colour Splash will be a part of the city’s Summer Kick-off and will take place on the lawns of the Amphitheatre on the Durban Beachfront.

Colour Splash will be a feast of family entertainment, empowerment and culture and will be free and open to all. Local singers, musicians, dancers and dramatists, poets, story tellers and puppeteers will provide family entertainment. A morning carnival down the golden mile will culminate in an opening peace prayer and welcome that will see religious, cultural and government leaders come together to share a common platform in spiritual unity.

The beach stage will also be the venue for a music and Colourfest, The promenade will be interspersed with street theatre, clowns on stilts, face painting, and magicians etc., to create a carnival ambiance. Great food and fashion will be on sale.

 

A bus will leave Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple at 8:45am and return at 6:30pm. Seats are limited and you may book your seat at the Book Table. 

Week Ahead 16 – 22 November

Dear Friends

Many devotees have promised Sri Sri Radha Radhanath that they will go out on book distribution for at least one day during the 2017 Prabhupada Marathon. If you haven’t made your promise yet, please do so the next time you visit Them. This service will not only change the course of human history but will transform your own devotion.

Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple Telephone Disruption

Kindly Note: The switchboard is damaged and has been taken in for repairs. Only one line is operational at the moment: 031 403 3384.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Your Week Ahead

Friday 17 November

Kirtanuity Youth Night @7pm

Kindly register via the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqzktdRZlCBg9ecZOiuNB6qsE5wIr7y5rJt3mtvMQ0UfIcEA/viewform

Sunday 19 November

Love Feast @3pm

with His Grace Swarup Damodar Das

Saturday 25 November 

2017 Prabhupada Marathon Begins
Marathon Sankirtan Festival
You can expect first class arrangements. Programme includes training, distribution of book spots, transport, and a feast. Registration is essential. The dress code is comfortable. If you feel confident, you may wear devotional attire. Kindly register via temple@iskcondurban.net.
Festival Lineup:
10:00 am Orientation
10:30 am Book Distribution at pre-arranged spots (Devotees will be going out in groups)
3:30 pm Pack up and return to Temple
4:00 pm Sharing of experiences followed by a feast

Have you tried our wood-fired pizzas from Govinda’s Pizzeria?

We look forward to seeing you at the temple.

Your friends at Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple

Save the Date

Sunday 3 December

Durban Summer Kick-Off Festival

Colour Splash

10am – 7pm

A bus will leave Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple at 8:45am and return at 6:30pm.

Naama Ruchi Festival

New Jagannath Puri Temple

15 – 18 December

R300 per person (Discount available for bookings of four people or more)

Kindly click on the link to register https://goo.gl/forms/JjYvpE07k0SPBbPC3

Week Ahead 9 – 15 November

Dear Friends

 

Now that your devotion has been multiplied by a thousand, what are you going to do with all that mercy?

 

Join the 2017 Prabhupada Marathon!

 

"The printer of Srila Prabhupada's first BTG, Kumar Jain in New Delhi, remembers that Srila Prabhupada was so poor that he usually arrived at his shop without having had breakfast. Srila Prabhupada saved money for printing his magazine by skipping meals and walking instead of riding, hiring a rickshaw only when it was absolutely necessary in order to carry heavy rolls of paper for printing." Our Family Business 

 

Your Week Ahead

 

Sunday 5 November

Love Feast @3pm with His Grace Ramvijay Das

 

Tuesday 14 November

Ekadasi – Fast from all grains, beans, and legumes.

Note: Govinda's Pizzeria will be open from 5pm until 8pm. 

 

Wednesday 15 November

Ekadasi Break Fast 04:52 – 09:24

 

We look forward to seeing you at the temple.

Your friends at Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple

Week Ahead 2 – 8 November

Dear Friends

 

On Saturday 4 November we celebrate the last day of Kartik. There will be a special Kartik Purnima Deity darshan at 4:15pm. Take advantage of the last opportunity to personally serve the Deities by sponsoring towards the Deity Utsava Seva. Kindly contact Bhakti Devi on 031 403 3328 or tck@iskcondurban.net.  

 

Your Week Ahead

 

Thursday 2 November

Lotus Park Nama Hatta @7pm
with His Holiness Partha Sarathi Das Goswami

Queries: 082 932 1139

 

Friday 3 November

Kendra Nama Hatta @7pm

Topic: Kirtan – An Expression of Devotion by His Grace Isvara Puri Das

Offering of Lamps

 

Saturday 4 November

Kartik Purnima - Last Day of Kartik

Festival Line-up:

4:00pm   Srila Prabhupada's Guru-puja 

4:15pm   Arati & Kirtan

4:30pm   Talk by His Grace Vibhu Caitanya Das

4:50pm   A Surprise & A Promise

5:15pm   Final Damodarastakam & offering of lamps 

6:00pm   Feast

 

ISKCON Phoenix – New Jagannath Puri Temple festival begins at 4pm

with His Holiness Partha Sarathi Das Goswami

ISKCON Pietermaritzburg – Sri Sri Doyal-Nitai Gaura-hari Temple festival begins at 6pm

 

Sunday 5 November

Kindly note the program:

3:00pm  Kirtan

5:00pm  Light Prasad

 

Please note that the normal Deity schedule will be followed from Saturday 4 November:

7:00pm Gaura-arati & Kirtan
7:30pm Altar Closes
9:00pm Last Arati for the day
 

We look forward to seeing you at the temple.

Your friends at Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple