Thursday, 15 August 2019 0 comments

How Did Udgaar Transform Indian Youth In Last 8 Years?

Udgaar, an initiative of Iskcon youth forum has become a synonym of youth empowerment. It has inspired and helped thousands of people live a better life by transforming their negative attitudes and bad habits. The program is mainly focused on cultivating moral values in the Indian youth for the betterment of society and country.

Udgaar
Udgaar
The first program was held on 24th October 2010 in ISKCON Auditorium with a mission to help people get rid of their bad habits. The theme of the festival was “Destroying the Ravana within”. Without much promotion, Over 3500 people participated in the festival and they had a great time enjoying Mantra Rock show, Enlightening lectures, Drama and delicious meal at the end.

 The show concluded with a question and answer and one-on-one sessions. 867 participants have shown their interests in joining the Udgaar team and taking the movement ahead. Since then they are practicing Bhakti Yoga and making a significant contribution to the social welfare activity of the temple. It is surprising to see that people once addicted to all sorts of bad habits including intoxication, gambling, meat-eating, illicit sex and more have become absolutely free of them.

After the first successful attempt, Udgaar created a buzz in the city and next year the number of participants was more than double. 13000 people registered themselves for the program held on 21 Jan 2011. The show was centered on promoting ancient Indian culture, values, and patriotism with Mera Bharat Mahan as a theme. A mesmerizing drama showing the power of Vedic culture was the main attraction followed by a motivational speech emphasizing the need to apply ancient wisdom in our life.

Udgaar
Udgaar
After the festival, 3658 participants have started coming in the weekly classes of the temple. They practiced mantra meditation in the association of devotees, ate prasadam offered to Lord Krishna and gradually gave up smoking, drinking, and other harmful activities.

Noida was the venue for the 2013 Udgaar festival with a focus on involving the people of village areas. Many offline promotional activities were executed to create awareness about the program in rural areas; however, only 2500 people attended the event. Contribution of the youth in rural development was the theme of the festival.

Despite the low number of participants, the Udgaar team was able to persuade 924 participants to stop using tobacco and contribute to the anti-addiction campaign of the temple. These people were given extensive training and support to create awareness about the side-effects of smoking and drinking.

Udgaar
Udgaar
Working on the insights gathered from of the last year’s festival, Noida was again made the venue for the event on 23rd August 2014. Local people who joined the temple previous year were given the opportunity for the promotion of the Udgaar festival in the rural areas of the city. Their familiarity with the city and resident helped the institution hosting a successful event in which 4700 youth participated. Rock show, dram, lecture, kirtan, question-answer session, and prasadam were the main features of the festival.

 The event focused on the importance of discipline in life and participants were given practical tips to gain success in their academics and career. By the end of the festival 1050 attendees registered themselves for the temple programs and activities.

Considering the increased use of the internet and the impact of social media on Indian Youth, Udgaar team decided to launch an online campaign to encourage youth to make a positive contribution in the progress of the country. 8 festivals were held on 23rd March, 2015 in various locations including New Delhi, Patna, Gurgaon and more. 5000+ youth participated in these events.

 These interactive shows were centered on the common issues Indian youth face and their solutions. Rock show, drama, feast, and one-on-one counseling session were the main attractions of the event. 1315 attendees registered for the weekly spiritual classes for a happy and peaceful life.

7 Udgaar Festivals were held in New Delhi, Chippiwara, Gurugram and other locations in 2016 and numbers of participants were over 3800. 

Similarly, the show of 2017 was also held in multiple locations and witnessed a large audience of 5000.

Keeping in mind the large size of the audience, ISKCON Youth Forum decided to book Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium for the 2018 festival. The event witnessed 10000 youth joining from different collages and locations of the country. The festival was also held at two other locations Gaya and Ahmadabad.

Udgaar
Now it’s time for Udgaar 2019 which is scheduled on 6th October 2019 in Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The main attractions of the event are given below

1-     Enlightening Lecture -  HH Gopal Krishna Goswami (ISKCON GBC & BBT Trustee)

2-     Motivational Talk - Dr.Vivek Bindra (Founder & CEO of Badabusiness.com)

3-     Lyrical HIP-HOP – Feel Crew group

4-     Quiz – Inter College Level Competition

5-     Dance Performance – Prince Dance Group

6-     Sand Art – Nitish Bharati

7-     Theatrical Presentation – Stay High Forever

8-     Mantra Rock Show – Madhavas Rockband

9-     Delicious Snacks

So what are you waiting for? Register for the Udgaar festival now.
Saturday, 22 July 2017 0 comments

Shun Material Desires and Enjoy Your Life

Krishna
Krishna,

Life is difficult when you have lots of desires as they make you restless and you become a slave of them. They spur you to work hard and snatch your peace of mind. You may achieve some of them and become happy, however, this happiness doesn't last long because the greed has no end and after meeting one desire, new desires will sprout in you. But you may not fulfill all your desires and thus you become sad and depressed.


So it is lust that is ruling your life, spur you into action, make you happy, sad and restless. you dance like a puppet under the control of three modes of nature ie Sattogun, Razogun and Tamogun.

Satisfaction is called the best joy for a reason as it gives you peace and gets you out from the rat race of hoarding money. You can engage in other fruitful activities that can give you lasting pleasure like chanting hare Krishna mantra, reading a spiritual book and spending time in the company of good people. These things will cleanse your heart and mind and you come closure to Krishna and enjoy his blessings.


Krishna has given enough to every living entity to survive, he is all merciful father, who wants his children to be happy and in peace. He has even poured the deepest secrets of world and life in Gita However we are the dissident offspring of the God and want to live our life in our own ways. Non-compliance to the path of Krishna is the reason of our suffering.



Wednesday, 10 May 2017 0 comments

Struggling to Control Lust? Here is the Solution!

Pray to Krishna

If you want to become self-realized and achieve the love of Krishna, you must know how to control lust. The biggest difficulty in the path of self-realization is the uncontrolled mind and senses. Lust and material desires destroy knowledge and penances of a person so you need to control your mind and eradicate lust to achieve a higher spiritual taste. || []).push({});
It takes time hard work, dedication. This article will guide you on how to overcome lust. 

what causes lust?

Like the other organs in the body, reproduction limb also works on the instruction of your mind, so it is not an organ, but the mind which you need to control. Sensual urges are common and natural; it comes with an age of 14 to 16, however, these days sensually implicit content on Television and on the internet has made children sensually active in a relatively lower age.

 Many of them watch porn content and commit offenses and by the time they realize their mistakes, they have lost time and energy. So we should educate people on how to control their desires. I don’t say that everyone should become celibacy or people should not love or don’t get married, but they should avoid an illicit relationship.

What is an illicit relationship?

Now days keeping girlfriends and boyfriends before marriage have become a common trend, but it falls in the category of illicit relationship. In fact, it is a sin and our society doesn’t approve it. Premarital affair creates problems in marriage and you have to hide it and tell a lie that you are a virgin to get married. And live in relationships are the worst form of illicit relationship. Living with a person life husband wife and keep changing partners every now and then is the lifestyle of western countries. Not a respected person would like to marry a boy or girl who has a previous affair.

Many people continue their premarital affairs secretly even after the marriage, this is the second category of illicit relationship. Many others who don’t find their life partners as per their expectation; get into a secret relationship with other individual. Post marriage affairs have been a reason of a huge number of divorce, suicide and murder cases, but people still pursue it. Surely the lust is very powerful; it attracts even a person of discrimination.

How to Control Lust?

Many people are genuine and loyal to their spouses, but they struggle to control this powerful emotion and at times fall down in a testing situation. On the contrary, there are some true souls who try to control lust through yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, and bhakti. This post is for those people who think that controlling lust is possible and who are ready to put in time and energy to apply tips given here. So if you are one of them keep reading.

Sensual Fulfilment isn’t a Necessity  

Contrary to the popular belief, sensual gratification is not a necessity; it is just a feeling like anger, greed, envy, etc. Like other negative feelings, it is prominent and uncontrollable to some extent because of the sensual atmosphere where sensual desires are provoked everywhere from television to mobile and even on the hoarding on roads.

 In such a sensual atmosphere, it is really difficult for a person to keep his animalistic desires under control, however, it is possible.

The Scientific Side of Lust

Hormones are responsible for the opposite gender attraction. If your body is producing sensual hormones in a large quantity, you will have lustful feelings, nightfall, and infatuation towards people of opposite gender.

You will like their voice, limbs gait and everything that they do. In the popular culture, this is called love and many books and films have made millions on this topic.

In the scientific term is a just a mental delirium because of hormonal imbalance. So you should understand that the beautiful illusion of love is just a lustful display of hormone. For example, a person suffering from high fever or any other illness may see or experience unreal things; the same thing is true for a lustful person.

Beauty Lies in the Mind of a Person

If you analyze the body of a woman as a Skeleton covered with flesh, you won’t be attracted towards her. As a body is constantly oozing filth from different parts, it is not attractive at all. But it is the lust that makes a filthy body charming and attractive.  

So when you analyze the body of women in this way, you will feel attraction towards her and without attraction lust will lose its power.

Nobody would like to enjoy and own a thing which is not beautiful or attractive. Do you feel attraction towards an ugly girl? No, so it is the illusion of beauty which attracts you.

Eradicate the Desire of Momentary Pleasure

The purpose of a sensual act was primarily for reproduction in ancient times. The concept of pleasure or joy was added later. Even if we accept that the sensual acts are pleasurable, this joy is short lived. You cannot continue it for a lengthy period because it is not meant for joy. So if you constantly feed your mind that carnal acts aren't joyful, they are just waste of time and energy, you will not experience sensual urges in the future.

Cultivate Knowledge

Instead of thinking about pleasure, focus on the harm of carnal activity, there are many. When you become aware of demerits of sensual acts, you will automatically withdraw from it. For this, you need to cultivate and accept real knowledge from authentic sources.

The Sense of Guilt and Fear

The sense of guilt comes with the realization that I have done something wrong. For this first, you have to understand and accept what is wrong. Many people take pride in having many girlfriends or boyfriends and they openly justify it. They also consider it as one of their qualities, they face problems and repent.

 Further, the sense of fear comes with the feeling of loss or harm. You may fear that you name would get malign if people come to know about your affair. Similarly, you may fear of divorce on the exposure of your wrong doings. In this way keeping in mind the sense of guilt and fear, you can escape from the clutches of lust.

If you get knowledge and do the proper analysis, you can control the lust and regulate our family life. Always remember sensual acts are only for reproduction not for enjoyment.

How to Control Lust - bhagavad gita

Check Your Thoughts

Lord Krishna Says in Gita (chapter 2 verse 62) brings “Attachment to objects is born when one ponders over them.” Attachment (desire or aversion) to an object does not come suddenly. It comes by repeated thinking about it. If one understands this secret, then any attachment can be nipped in the bud. When the mind tends to think of an object repeatedly, we should become alert and change the thought. At the early stages, it is easy to do so.

A thought can spur you to take an action and repeated thoughts become a habit and habits form character. So don’t let evil thoughts spoil your character.

Engage Your Mind in Healthy thoughts and Activities

You cannot become thoughtless and stop working, it is not possible. However, if you keep yourself engaged in healthy and noble activity and thoughts, evil feelings will be automatically uprooted. It has also been said that empty mind is the workshop of the devil so you need to feed your mind with noble and good thought and act accordingly.

Read Bhagavat Gita

You will find a detailed answer of how can you control mind and lust in the Bhagavat Gita. Lord Krishna has explained it in a great detail. Lust is the biggest enemy of human as it engages one in the sinful activities and degrades himself. Since Lord Krishna has directed us on how to control lust we don’t need to seek other resources, Bhagavad Gita has the answer of all your questions of life.

Take Shelter of Krishna and Chant Hare Krishna Mantra.

Lust cannot be eradicated completely without the mercy of the God because Maya is the external energy of Lord Krishna and no one can control it until he is blessed by the supreme personality of the Godhead. You can curb lust and other negative emotions by chanting the holy name of the lord.

Hare Krishna mantra is a powerful sound vibration that connects you with Krishna curbing all the evil habits. Moreover, you should keep good company ideally that of pure devotees to stay safe from temptations. By reading and listening about Krishna, chanting his name, eating prasadam and associating with devotees, you can free yourself from the bondage of lust.

Why do People Commit Offences?

Arjuna has enquired Krishna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra “why do people commit sinful activities knowingly?” then Krishna said it is lust o Arjuna that compels a human being to commit a sinful act even knowing that it is wrong and he will suffer the consequences.

Lust is the Root Cause of other Vices

Lust is the mother of many vices such as anger, attachment, anxiety, etc. When your lust is not fulfilled, you will become angry and depressed and these feelings lead towards destruction.

 Further, if your lust is fulfilled you will be attached to the object of lust and face difficulty and grief in the future because path of every individual are separate. Everyone has to face bereavement from his/her loved ones at some time in life.

Lust is your Enemy

Krishna has declared lust as an enemy of a human being; it degrades one from his position of goodness and leads to the path of hell. Lust destroys all the virtues of a person and makes him a slave of momentary pleasure. You should be careful with this enemy as it is very strong and subtle. If you don’t keep a guard on your mind and senses, you wouldn’t come to know when it has conquered you.

This enemy attacks your mind and senses and puzzles your intelligence, you need to check it on the entry point which is not a difficult task if you are engaged in the devotional services of Krishna. If you don’t defeat it, in the beginning, it will grow stronger and enslave you. Generally, lust is perceived through senses and when you relish it, your mind gets captured.

Prayer to Overcome Lust


Human efforts alone isn't sufficient to overcome lust, you need divine help. You should pray to Krishna to give you real knowledge and help you eradicate lust. 

Don’t Suppress but Direct Your Senses

Many yogis try to suppress their senses through yoga, fast and other penances, but eventually they fall down. One can suppress his sense for some time, but when you become a little careless or when any favourable circumstances arise, these senses attack you with the redoubled energy and you get defeated.

So the suppression of senses is not a solution, you need to direct sense to a higher taste towards the devotion of lord Krishna. In this way, you will control your mind effortlessly.

Cultivate Love of Krishna in your Heart

Love and lust are two opposite things but gets mistaken for each other. The materialistic love is actually lust covered with an attractive packaging.  

The real love is the love of god because it is pure, blissful, everlasting and joyful. Once you tasted this nectar, you will find all other things useless. Fortunately, the love of God isn’t something that we need to import from outside, it resides in our heart covered with the materialist vices, and we just need to awaken it.

Chaitnaya Mahaprabhu put a strong emphasis on the chanting of Hare Krishna mantra as it purifies your heart and gives you the love of god.

You have to rise above The Kama to Get Moksha

As per ancient scripture, a person has to strive for four things in life namely Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. First, comes dharma, we need to follow our dharma in every situation, it is the topmost priority. Artha which means money is the second thing and it helps you fulfil your duties and maintain your body. The Kama is the next important thing with a purpose of reproduction and you need to rise above The Kama to get Moksha which is the ultimate goal of our life.

Effective Tips to Overcome Lust


    Keep all your senses engaged in the service of Krishna, chant his name, listen to his bhajans and lecture (only sung by devotees), read Krishna books and associate with devotees.

Chant every day with full attention and take prasadam.

Whenever a sensual thought comes in your mind replace it with the pastimes of lord Krishna. Do it for a few days regularly and it would become a habit.

Always remember the skin deep beauty isn’t a real beauty

Take inspiration from history, many great personalities such as Laxman, Hanuman, Bhishma pitamah were Brahmachari. You can control lust if you are determined to do so. 


Tuesday, 25 April 2017 0 comments

Hare Krishna: Maya Gets Stronger When You Miss Chanting for a day

hare krishna
Hare Krishna


Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

 Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
Hare Krishna! We all are living in the realm of Maya which is more stronger than you think. If you consider that you can win over Maya with your own might and virtue, you are completely wrong. It is the power of Krishna that you derive from his holy name, which keeps you safe from the Maya.

So it is necessary to keep a guard on your thoughts and actions if you are not perfectly established in Krishna Consciousness because in the initial stages a devotee is prone to fall under the illusion of Maya. The guidance of a bonafide guru and faithful chanting can help you advance in the spiritual life.

When you follow the 4 regulative principals and chant hare Krishna mantra every day, the shackles of material world become loose and you begin to experience the ecstasy of divine love. But if you deviate from your path for a minute, the Maya will attack you with the redoubled power and once again make you a slave to the material things.That is why we should never miss our daily chanting of hare Krishna mantra, it is the only way to free yourself from the clutches of Maya.

But given our materialist nature at times we give priority to other things than the service of Krishna and this is when our degradation starts. No doubt we have job, family, finance and many other things to take care of in life, but they are better managed when we are engaged in the service of Krishna. You will not get lasting happiness and satisfaction with material objects, that is why spiritual practices are important.

Because of time constraint and responsibilities, you might miss chanting, but beware, you shouldn't lose interest in the Harinaam. Maya is very powerful and it has degraded many highly esteemed saints in the past so you should carefully chant hare Krishna mantra every day with great devotion.

Because of our constant engagement with material objects, we can not get free from the cycle of life and death unless we get the mercy of Krishna and his pure devotees. So chant hare Krishna Mantra and be happy.

Friday, 21 April 2017 0 comments

Hare Krishna : No Need to leave Material World

Hare Krishna Chanting
Hare Krishna Chanting

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare

Hare Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Friends! Misconceiving one thing for other is illusion. At times, you may accept a rope as a snake or vice versa. Because of darkness of ignorance you don’t perceive things and situation in their true light. This illusion keeps you away from the real goal of life – self realization or Krishna consciousness.

Since every part and parcels of the world is originated from Krishna, so one can advance in spiritual life while executing his worldly duties. He doesn’t need to leave the material world and become a Sanyasi to get rid of the cycle of life and death.

A family life is said to be the basis of other stages of life because a grahastha serves people in other stages in life like brahmchari, sansysi and vanprathi.

 
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