International Society for Krishna Consciousness

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organisation. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who is worshipped by followers as Guru and spiritual master. Its core beliefs are based on select traditional Hindu scriptures, particularly the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. ISKCON says it is a direct descendant of Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya. The appearance of the movement and its culture come from the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, which has had adherents in India since the late 15th century and American and European converts since the early 1900s in North America, and in England in the 1930s.

ISKCON was formed to spread the practice of bhakti yoga, in which those involved (bhaktas) dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing the Supreme Lord, Krishna. ISKCON today is a worldwide confederation of more than 550 centres, including 60 farm communities, some aiming for self-sufficiency, 50 schools, and 90 restaurants. In recent decades the most rapid expansions in membership have been within Eastern Europe (especially since the collapse of the Soviet Union) and India.

Hare Krishna (mantra)

The Hare Krishna mantra, also referred to reverentially as the Maha Mantra ("Great Mantra"), is a 16 word Vaishnava mantra which is mentioned in the Kali-Santarana Upanishad, and which from the 15th century rose to importance in the Bhakti movement following the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.This Mantra is composed of three Sanskrit names of the Supreme Being; "Hare," "Krishna," and "Rama."

According to Gaudiya Vaishnava theology, one's original consciousness and goal of life is pure love of God (Krishna). Since the 1960s, the mantra has been made well known outside of India by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his International Society for Krishna Consciousness (commonly known as "the Hare Krishnas").

Mantra

The Hare Krishna mantra is composed of Sanskrit names in the singular vocative case: Hare, Krishna, and Rama (in Anglicized spelling). It is a poetic stanza in anuṣṭubh meter (A quatrain of four lines (pāda) of eight syllables).

Sanskrit is a polysemic language and as such, this mantra has multiple interpretations all of which may be considered as correct. "Hare" can be interpreted as either the vocative form of Hari, another name of Vishnu meaning "he who removes illusion". Another interpretation is as the vocative of Harā, a name of Rādhā, Krishna's eternal consort or His energy (Krishna's Shakti). According to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Harā refers to "the energy/shakti of Supreme Personality of Godhead" while Krishna and Rama refer to Supreme Godhead Himself, meaning "He who is All-Attractive" and "He who is the Source of All Pleasure". In the hymn Vishnu Sahasranama spoken by Bhishma in praise of Krishna after the Kurukshetra War, Krishna is also called Rama.

Krishna

Krishna (/ˈkrɪʃnə/; Sanskrit: कृष्ण, Kṛṣṇa in IAST, pronounced [ˈkr̩ʂɳə]) is a Hindu deity, worshipped across many traditions of Hinduism in a variety of different perspectives. Krishna is recognized as the complete and eighth avatar of the God Vishnu or as the Supreme God in his own right. Krishna is one of the most widely revered and popular of all Hindu deities.

Krishna is known by many names such as Kishan, Makhanchor, and Kanha. Krishna is often described and portrayed as an infant eating butter, a young boy playing a flute as in the Bhagavata Purana, a young man along with Radha or as an elder giving direction and guidance as in the Bhagavad Gita. The stories of Krishna appear across a broad spectrum of Hindu philosophical and theological traditions. They portray him in various perspectives: a god-child, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero, and the Supreme Being. The principal scriptures discussing Krishna's story are the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.

Krishna (2008 film)

Krishna is a 2008 Telugu romantic action comedy film starring Ravi Teja and Trisha Krishnan. The film is directed by V. V. Vinayak and produced by B. Kasi Vishwanatham. The film released on 11 January 2008, during the Sankranthi festival. It was dubbed into Hindi with same name and in Tamil as Madhura Thmiru. It was remade in Bengali as Awara, starring Jeet and Sayantika Banerjee and in Kannada as Rajni with Upendra. In 2013 movie was dubbed in Hindi under the title Krishna: The Power of Earth. This film has brought some fame to the noted Tamil actor Kadhal Dhandapani in Telugu.

Plot

The film is about Krishna (Ravi Teja) who was once a software engineer but quits his job to give it to his friend and is unemployed in the city of Vijayawada. Sandhya (Trisha Krishnan) is a girl from Hyderabad who studies in college and comes to Vijayawada for her vacation to stay with her elder brother Bobby (Brahmanandam) and his wife. Krishna falls in love with Sandhya at first sight and starts chasing her to win her heart and enters the upper portion of their house as tenants with his brother (Chandra Mohan) and sister in law (Sudha). In this process Krishna will have clash with Local Rowdy Lanka Raju (Kadhal Dhandapani). Mistaking him to be one Tapori, Sandhya hates him first but later on she realizes his true nature . She returns to Hyderabad and lives with her older brother (Sayaji Shinde), a former builder and now a very powerful rowdy who is very possessive and protective about his sister. Krishna follows Sandhya to Hyderabad and works his way into their house with the help of Bobby and finally both of them confess their love. There, Krishna knows the flashback of Sandhya and how she is being chased by the notorious and cruel Jagga (Mukul Dev) assisted by his uncle (Jaya Prakash Reddy) for marriage. Krishna fights Jagga, Sandhya's older brother kills Jagga, and Krishna marries Sandhya.

Krishna district

Krishna district is an administrative district in the Coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Machilipatnam is the administrative headquarters and Vijayawada is the most populated city in the district. It has an area of 8,727 km² (3,370 sq mi) and had a population of 45,29,009 as per 2011 census of India. It is bounded by West Godavari on the east, Bay of Bengal on the South, Guntur and Nalgonda districts in the west and a portion of it also borders with the state of Telangana.

Guntur district was separated from Krishna in 1904 to form Krishna district which was further divided in 1925, to Krishna and West Godavari districts.Krishna district is the most developed district in Andhra Pradesh.

Etymology

Krishna district, with its district headquarters at Machilipatnam was formerly called Machlipatnam district. Later it was renamed as Krishna district, by adding certain Taluks of the abolished Guntur District in 1859 with Machilipatnam with its head. It was named after the Krishna River, the third longest river in India. The river flows through the state of Andhra Pradesh before it empties itself into Bay of Bengal, near Hamsaladevi village of Krishna district.

Wah

Wah (Punjabi, Urdu: واہ‎) is a town in the Rawalpindi District in Punjab, Pakistan. Wah Cantonment is nearby. On August 21, 2008, Wah was attacked in a suicide bombing.

References

Coordinates: 33°48′N 72°42′E / 33.800°N 72.700°E / 33.800; 72.700

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Wah!

Wah! (pronounced WAAH) is a U.S. band performing and creating music for the New Age and yoga market. The female lead singer Wah! (whose legal name is Wah Devi) and the band’s name are synonymous.

Wah!’s mystical relaxation music CD, Savasana, has sold over 50,000 units worldwide and continues to draw attention in the yoga community and beyond. Wah!’s music is often compared to that of Sade, Zero 7 and India.Arie, but her latest releases (such as Maa) reflect the gritty dance grooves of her live performances.

Biography

Born to a professor father and a professional violinist mother, Wah! grew up in a musical and intellectually stimulating environment. She was a musician, singer, dancer, and conservatory student when she attended Oberlin College/Conservatory. Wah! traveled to Ghana and Nigeria with the Philadelphia-based Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble. She was enrolled at the University of Ghana for a year of study at their African Dance and Music program but a government coup cut short her stay.