July 2012 Vaishnava Calender

03 July 2012 - Guru (Vyasa) Purnima
03 July 2012 - Srila Sanatana Goswami - Disappearance
04 July 2012 - First month of Caturmasya begins (Fast from sak, green leafy vegetables for one month)
08 July 2012 - Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami - Disappearance
11 July 2012 - Srila Lokanath Goswami - Disappearance
12 July 2012 - The incorporation of ISKCON in New York
14 July 2012 - Suddha Ekadasi Fasting for - Kamika Ekadasi
23 July 2012 - Srila Raghunandana Thakura - Disappearance
23 July 2012 - Srila Vamsidasa Babaji - Disappearance
29 July 2012 - Radha Govinda Jhulana Yatra begins
29 July 2012 - Pavitropana Ekadasi
30 July 2012 - Srila Rupa Goswami - Disappearance
30 July 2012 - Srila Gauridasa Pandita - Disappearance

42 ways to distribute Srila Prabhupada's books

Here are 42 easy ways to Help Distribute More Books!

YOU can...

1. Always keep a small book in your purse, bag, or backpack. That way, anytime the conversation goes towards Krsna, you can pull out the book, if even just to show them a picture.

2. Leave books in waiting rooms at the doctor's office, laundry mat, or any place where people have to wait and can happily read something. Write or stamp inside the book "Please take" or "Free Gift".

3. Give books to people who come to your house to make deliveries, fix things, etc.

4. Give books as gifts for any occasion, like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, engagement parties, home openings, graduations, etc.

5. Ask local Indian/ Asian market if they will display and sell your books.

A Must Read Story

Me: God, can I ask You a question?
God: Sure.
Me: Promise You won't get mad.
God: I promise.
Me: Why did You let so much stuff happen to me today?
God: What do u mean?
Me: Well, I woke up late
God: Yes
Me: My car took forever to start
God: Okay
Me: at lunch they made my sandwich wrong & I had to wait
God: Huummm
Me: On the way home, my phone went DEAD, just as I picked up a call
God: All right
Me: And on top of it all off, when I got home ~I just want to soak my feet in my new foot massager & relax. BUT it wouldn't work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did You do that?
God: Let me see, the death angel was at your bed this morning & I had to send on of My Angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that
Me (humbled): OH
GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.
Me: (ashamed)
God: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick & I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.
Me (embarrassed):Okay

15 June - Fasting for Yogini Ekadasi

Yudhisthira Maharaj said, "Oh Supreme Lord, I have heard the glories of the Nirjala Ekadasi, which occurs during the light fortnight of the month of Jyeshtha (May - June).
Now I wish to hear from You about the suddha Ekadasi that occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Ashadha (June - July). Kindly describe to me all about it in detail, Oh killer of the Madhu demon (Madhusudana)."

The Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, then replied, "Oh king, I shall indeed tell you about the best of all fasting days, the Ekadasi that comes during the dark part of the month of Ashadha. Famous as Yogini Ekadasi, it removes all kinds of sinful reactions and awards supreme liberation. "Oh best of kings, this Ekadasi delivers people who are drowning in the vast ocean of material existence and transports them to the shore of the spiritual world. In all the three worlds, it is the chief of all sacred fasting days. I shall now reveal this truth to you by narrating a history recounted in the Puranas.

"The king of Alakapuri - Kuvera, the treasurer of the devas (demigods) - was a steadfast devotee of lord Shiva. He employed a servant named Hemamali as his personal gardener.
Hemamali, a Yaksha like Kuvera, was very lustfully attracted to his gorgeous wife, Swarupavatii, who had large, enchanting eyes. "Hemamali's daily duty was to visit Manasarovara Lake and bring back flowers for his master, Kuvera, with which he would use them in the puja offerings to lord Shiva.

Know about Rajani devi, Srila Prabhupada's mother

Here is an excerpt from the Prabhupada Lilamrta about Srila Prabhupada's mother, Srimati Rajani Devi.

Abhay’s mother, Rajani, was thirty years old when he was born. Like her husband, she came from a long-established Gaudiya Vaisnava family. She was darker-skinned than her husband, and whereas his disposition was cool, hers tended to be fiery. Abhay saw his mother and father living together peacefully; no deep marital conflict or complicated dissatisfaction ever threatened home. Rajani was chaste and religious-minded, a model housewife in the traditional Vedic sense, dedicated to caring for her husband and children. Abhay observed his mother’s simple and touching attempts to insure, by prayers, by vows, and even by rituals, that he continue to live.

Whenever he was to go out even to play, his mother, after dressing him, would put a drop of saliva on her finger and touch it to his forehead. Abhay never knew the significance of this act, but because she was his mother he stood submissively “like a dog with its master” while she did it.