Deity Worship

The otherwise mundane mind could be infused with spiritual inspiration and longing for Krishna, just by looking at the sanctified auspicious deities of the Lord. Deity worship is indeed one of the most personal services devotees engage in at our temples. A devotee doesn’t consider these deities any different from the Lord Himself. Scriptures mention the auspicious nature of deity worship time and again (Srimad-Bhagavatam excerpt, Chaitanya-caritamrta excerpt).Srila Prabhupada directed his disciples to worship deities in the same mood of service.“Never think of the Deity as made of stone or wood. Every worshipper must remember that Krishna is personally present. He is simply kindly presenting Himself before us in a way that we can handle Him. That is His mercy, otherwise, He is unapproachable.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 10, 1975)Every year people throng the ISKCON temples to catch a glimpse of beautiful deities of the Lord. The beauty could not be described in words. Come and witness for yourself the encaptivating love of deities of Sri Sri Radha Madan Gopal at ISKCON Bahadurgarh.

Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita Classes

One of the 7 purposes of ISKCON is “To propagate a consciousness of Krishna as it is revealed in the Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam”. In the same vein, daily lectures and discussion sessions are organized on verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita. These scriptures even though are thousands of years old, but their teachings are relevant even now especially when the world is in search of peace and love. Apart from the daily classes, temple organizes special seminars for youth and congregationdevotees as well.

The glories of these scriptures can be understood from following excerpts.

The pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees are recorded in Srimad-Bhagavatam so that those who recite these pastimes and listen to them will become purified. Nityam Bhagavata-Sevaya. As a matter of principle, devotees should read, speak and hear Srimad-Bhagavatam persistently, twenty-four hours daily if possible. That is the recommendation of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Kirtaniyahsadaharih. One should either chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra or read Srimad-Bhagavatam and thereby try to understand the characteristics and instructions of the Supreme Lord, who appeared as Lord Rsabhadeva, Lord Kapila, and Lord Krsna. In this way, one can become fully aware of the transcendental nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (SB 5.6.16 P The Activities of Lord Rsabhadeva).

We should discuss Srimad-Bhagavatam daily as much as possible, and then everything will be clarified, for Bhagavatam is the essence of all Vedic literature (nigama-kalpa-tarorgalitamphalam). It was written by Vyasadeva (maha-muni-krte) when he was self-realized. Thus, the more we read Srimad-Bhagavatam, the more its knowledge becomes clear. Each and every verse is transcendental. (SB 10.13.53 The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahma).

Prasad Distribution (Food for Life)

The Impact

Hare Krishna Food for Life has emerged as the world’s largest vegetarian/vegan food-relief program with 170 free food kitchens, home delivery programs, mobile kitchens, school services and disaster relief programs. The program has a presence in over 60 countries.

Volunteers serve more than 1,500,000 free meals daily in a variety of ways, including food vans serving to the homeless within major cities around the world; lunchtime meals for poor school children throughout India etc. From the time of the order up to the turn of the century over 100 million meals had been served worldwide.

The Service

The main impetus for any of ISKCON’s activities is a mood of devotion and love for the Supreme Person, Sri Krishna. The food cooked is therefore done with that extra little bit of tender loving care. Once prepared, the food is offered to Krishna in a gesture of love. The food is then called prasadam meaning the Lord’s mercy. Imbued with this spiritual ambience, prasadam satisfies and nourishes, not just on the physical level but also on a spiritual level. Subsequently, prasadam is distributed to all, whether to address the hunger of the stomach or to quell the thirst of the heart and soul.

ISKCON Bahadurgarh strives to carry on this service with the mercy of Krishna, Guru parampara and with the support of devotees.

Book Distribution

“Books are the basics”

The spiritual knowledge has been passed through Guru Shishya parampara and the scriptures are of utmost importance for this process. To carry on the pace and direction that Srila Prabhupada envisioned for this movement, devotees try to study and distribute as many books as possible. Words have the power to move mountains and when they come from a devotional heart and have the potency of transcendental knowledge, words can change the world.

Exhibitions

The devotees strive to share these books by organizing exhibitions for benefit of masses, organizations and corporate houses. These books are based on our traditional culture and wisdom, providing values of integrity and cooperation amongst the workers/employees. These books impart self-satisfaction, peace, and self-control that will benefit people in their professional and personal lives. All the books are available in English, Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati languages and are subsidized to benefit all.

Bhagavad Gita Marathon

Even though book distribution is around the year activity, every year on Gita Jayanti, ISKCON temples all over the world put in extra effort for distributing the “Bhagavad Gita- As it is” as the part of Gita Marathon. Lakhs and millions of books are distributed over a span of one month. Devotees realize that distributing books is one of the most pleasing services they can do for serving Srila Prabhupada and sincerely tries to be a part of this world-wide event.

House Programs

There is no reason why positivity one experiences in the temple should not be brought to one’s home. In fact, by practicing the principles of Bhakti Yoga at home, one can –

• Uplift the standards of their life.
• Gain peace of mind and relief from stress & anxiety.
• Experience real satisfaction and joy.
• Learn how to face the problems in life.
• Understand how to put an end to their sufferings.

For devotees, home-based spiritual rejuvenation program gives a chance to educate people in the techniques of spiritual life, give people an opportunity to come closer to Krishna, encourage Sankirtana movement and propagate Krishna consciousness as per scriptures. ISKCON Bahadurgarh welcomes any opportunity to be an instrument for engagement of people in this movement.