ISKCON's World Holy Name Week And Bhadra Poornima Celebration
· Kirtan Mela at Mira Road: The World Holy Name Week moved towards its conclusion with an evening kirtan mela on 29th September, 2023 as a means to achieve mental health and uplift consciousness
· An evening at Govardhan Eco Village: The event on September 30, 2023 and Oct 1st featured an international Bhajan Group from New York, USA, in an attempt to inspire peace and prosperity for people and planet
· Bhadra Poornima: On 1st October, 2023 ISKCON set a record of distributing over 15000 sets of Bhagavat Purana with in India “The Book that helps you escape Death’
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) concluded a week-long spiritual celebration known as World Holy Name Week with a series of deeply enriching events. Gauranga Das Prabhu Ji, the Director of the Govardhan Ecovillage, an award-winning United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) eco-village community and Governing Body Commissioner (GBC) for ISKCON recognized for his strategic leadership, highlighted the significance of spiritual music as a means to achieve mental health, emphasising how it can soothe the mind and elevate the spirit.
The celebration began with an enchanting evening kirtan mela at the ISKCON centre in Mira Road. Devotees and spiritual enthusiasts gathered to immerse themselves in the soul-stirring melodies of Kirtan, there was another kirtan event at Govardhan ecovillage led by the famous New York Bhajan singer Acyuta Gopi devi (@govindagirl_acyutagopi) for the second time, transcending geographical boundaries and bringing together devotees and music lovers in a divine atmosphere of devotion.
At the event, Gauranga Prabhu Ji, ISKCON, quoting a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam, said,
āpannaḥ saṁsṛtiṁ ghorāṁ
yan-nāma vivaśo gṛṇan
tataḥ sadyo vimucyeta
yad bibheti svayaṁ bhayam
“Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, which is feared by fear personified.” This event also marked ISKCON's participation in the global Harinam Yagna during the World Holy Name Week, with over a million people from around the world uniting in the transcendental practice of chanting the holy names, promoting spiritual well-being and unity.
Speaking at the Kirtan, Achyuta Gopi from the New York Bhajan Group, said, “The holy name is transcendental and is beyond all material barriers and divisions of language, nationality and other divisive considerations. ISKCON celebrates this diversity via the unifying potency of Sankirtan or congregational chanting of the holy names.”
On the auspicious occasion of Bhadra Poornima, ISKCON also organized a grand event at Sridham Mayapur, the world headquarters of ISKCON. One of the most significant aspects of this gathering was the distribution of over 15,000 sets of the Bhagavat Purana in India in the 2023 campaign, also known as "The Book that Helps Escape Death." With this, the idea of timeless wisdom contained in the Bhagavat Purana and its power to transform lives was reiterated. This accomplishment builds upon ISKCON's legacy of distributing 550 million copies of the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam worldwide since 1970. As the week-long sprint came to an end, Gauranga Das Prabhu Ji expressed his gratitude to all participants and volunteers who distributed Bhagavata Purana by distributing certificates. He emphasized that these events not only promote spiritual well-being but also foster a sense of unity and love among all participants.
As the World Holy Name Week and the Bhadra Poornima Bhagavata Purana distribution campaigns conclude, ISKCON remains dedicated to its mission of spreading spiritual wisdom and providing opportunities for individuals to experience the transformative power of the holy names and the holy literatures.
About Gauranga Das
Gauranga Das is a leadership and mindfulness coach based in Mumbai. A graduate of IIT Bombay, he found his calling to become a monk to best serve society. A member of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission, he is actively involved in enhancing leadership effectiveness and governance of temples and communities globally.Gauranga Das is director of ISKCON’s Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV), founded by Radhanath Swami. The GEV, representing India, has won over thirty-six national and international awards, including the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Award in 2017 for its innovative model of ‘Eco-Tourism as a Catalyst for Rural Development’.He is recently appointed as an advisor for sustainable development of the Ekatma Dham Project by the Honorable CM of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan.
About Govardhan Ecovillage:
Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV, https://www.ecovillage.org.in/) is a model community in India implementing various green initiatives in its campus and is working with the neighbouring indigenous village groups in their sustainable development. GEV is accredited to United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), UN Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and UN Council for Biodiversity (UNCBD)and has received various national and international awards.GEV is running initiatives in the area of Rural Development wherein it is facilitating 360 degree services to over 200+ villages by training and facilitating them livelihood through organic farming, women empowerment, skill development for tribal youths, water resource development for drinking and irrigation, rural education, micro-enterprises for landless farmers and health care.
(Brochure Rural Development). GEV also runs a Free food distribution program known as Govardhan Annakshetra wherein it has distributed over 2.1 M meals since its inception in December 2018 to the villagers and pilgrims who visit the Ecovillage. The GEV project is being studied by high level institutions as a model for ecological sustainability and rural development and supported by Corporate for various CSR Initiatives.
