YOGA RETREAT CAMP IN MARATHI

A new chapter commenced in the history of ISKCON Youth Forum (I.Y.F.) with the organization of yoga retreat camp for the first time in Marathi. Many youths from Nigdi, Chakan and other places enthusiastically participated in the camp held from 6th to 8th October. Bh. Chadrahas Pujari, Vrajanand das and Advaita Acarya das gave their first Marathi lectures in this camp. Shankar Pandit das co-ordinated this camp.The yoga retreat camp, a novel preaching method, started about 3 years ago by IYF, Pune, gives the participants an unforgettable first taste of the ecstasies of Krishna consciousness. A very fruitful and popular program conducted till now only in English, the avenues for getting a systematic and scientific understanding of our glorious Vedic heritage have now opened to even the vernacular seekers. Those interested in further details can please contact Shankar Pandit Das on 841 855 or visit ISKCON Youth Forum at 4, Tarapore Road, Next to Dastur Boys’ School, Camp, Pune-1.

• A unique compilation based on the Vedic scriptures, which clearly establishes their unambiguous conclusion: Lord Shri Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
• A systematic and scientific presentation, oriented especially for those with a scientific bent of mind
• A blend of everyday examples, thought-provoking anecdotes, incisive logic and scriptural quotations

  Compiled by :

       His Grace Radheshyam Das (M. Tech IIT),

  President, ISKCON, Pune,

  Director, ISKCON Youth Forum.

H. H. Radhanath Swami Maharaj visits Pune

The Pune devotees had the immeasurable fortune of getting the divine association of H. H. Radhanath Swami Maharaj on the 30th and 31st Aug, 2000.  After bhagavatam class Maharaj proceeded to   to Bharati Vidyapith Bhaktivedanta Student Library (BSL) and there came the real nectar. Maharaj explained, "How Krishna Consciousness movement is being taken seriously throughout the whole world by all the people who matter." The united nation is going to have a international symposium, sometime later in this year. At that time they wanted one secular representative who would represent all the religions of the world. So they approach Oxford University which considered to be topmost theology to recommend one such representative. So all the Oxford University Department heads meet and they decided that if there is any one religion, which can represent all the religions of the world, it is Hinduism. And among all the movements, which are Hindu, the only movement, which is most authentic in its practice and preaching, is the Hare Krishna Movement.

So a devotee Shamaik Rushi Prabhu who is also the head of the Department of the ‘Vedic offered Vaishnava Studies’ at the Oxford university will be representing all the world religions at that International Symposium. And also those who are involved in sense gratification are also very much fearfull of the Hare Krishna Movement. When communism was existing in Soviet Union, the communist government made a list the things, which are the greatest threat to the communism.

And among top three were American Music, American dress and the Hare Krishna Movement. Actually Prabhupada came to know this, he considered it to be great complement that second greatest power in the world considered the preaching of the 75 year old man to be so dangerous. So Maharaj further explained that this knowledge of Bhagavad-gita is the most powerful weapon in the entire creation because one who posses this knowledge cannot be exploited, manipulated or controlled by the higher powers of Maya.He then went on to say, " How Pune is known internationally as the high center for learning " and He urged all the students to take up this knowledge very seriously.

Maharaj was very happy with the concept of the BSL and he concluded by declaring that the ‘Institute for Vaishnava Studies Pune’ is inaugurated today. After that he went to the Simhagadh BSL where he gave a brief talk explaining how no character is required for acting according to animalistic impulses. After that he proceeded to Nigadi where they were celebrating Janmashtami. Maharaj began with ecstatic kirtan of "Govind Jaya Jaya Gopal Jaya Jaya". And then went on to vividly describe the appearance of Lord Krishna in this material world. During the class he gave a nice example of how trying to get happiness through sense gratification is like trying to catch mist with our hands. And he said, "Life after life we are engaged in this futile endeavor of catching the mist with our hands". He also explained vividly Nanda Maharaj’s ecstasy when a brahmani came to inform him of the birth of Lord Krishna. He became so overwhelmed with ecstasy that seeing his ecstasy, his brother, Upanand gave all the cows whom they were milking and the cows which were to be milked, in charity to the brahmani. Nanda Maharaj’s eyes were so full of tears that while he was going back, he was repeatedly stumbling and falling down. But somehow, he was guided by yogamaya, to place of Krishna’s birth. At that time baby Krishna was covered by a curtain and when Nanda Maharaj arrived, Rohini redropped that curtain and then he saw the beautiful form of Lord Krishna. Maharaj concluded this point by ecstatic kirtan of "Nanda ke ananad bhayo, jay kanhaiya lal ki" Maharaj then proceeded from there to Bombay.

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Inter-Collegiate Debate Organised By IYF Pune

ISKCON Youth Forum, in co-operation with the reputed software training institute, Software Solutions Integrated (SSI), organized intra-college debates    in the leading colleges in Pune such as MIT, AISSMS, AIT, B.J. Medical, D.Y.Patil, PICT, BVP, VIT, COET and Wadia, in which several hundreds of students participated. During the final round held at the ISKCON center in Pune Camp on the evening of the 23rd of September, Saturday, the winners of the intra-collegiate debates, 60 of the most intellectual students from these

colleges, spoke on the topic, "Has industrialization made man into a machine?". The winners of the inter-collegiate competition were:

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