SADHANA
Daily Schedule - Special Days
Below you will find a simple schedule that you can follow according to your own personal circumstances
‘The process of devotional service—beginning with chanting and hearing—is called sādhana-bhakti. This includes the regulative principles that are intended to awaken one to devotional service.
Devotional service is always dormant in everyone’s heart, and by the offenseless chanting of the holy names of the Lord, one’s original dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness is awakened. This awakening to Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the beginning of sādhana-bhakti.’
(‘Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu’ 1.2.2)
Sadhana means continuous and sturdy practice. Good sadhana is based on following a specific daily schedule that consists of waking up early in the morning, attending mangala arati, Tulasi puja, chanting t‘Hare Krishna’ mahamantra on your beads (that are called japa mala), attending the greeting of the Deities, Srila Prabhupada/Guru puja, and the ‘Srimad Bhagavatam’ lecture. Srila Prabhupada also recommended that we attend or perform Sandhya arati i.e. evening worship of the Deities and listen to a ‘Bhagavad Gita’ lecture. All these can be done either at the temple or at your home, depending on your lifestyle.
‘It does not matter that you do not live within our temple, since you say your health does not permit. But you can make your home a temple for Krishna. Try to chant as many times as possible the Hare Krishna mantra on japa beads. You may keep a picture of Lord Krishna in your house and after cooking you may learn to offer the foodstuffs to the picture of Krishna. In this way the food you eat will be offered and be spiritual and will help you to advance spiritually.’ (Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Marie Priterel, 27 January, 1973)
‘The process of devotional service—beginning with chanting and hearing—is called sādhana-bhakti. This includes the regulative principles that are intended to awaken one to devotional service. Devotional service is always dormant in everyone’s heart, and by the offenseless chanting of the holy names of the Lord, one’s original dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness is awakened. This awakening to Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the beginning of sādhana-bhakti.’
(‘Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu’ 1.2.2)
‘You can make your home a temple for Krishna. Chant as many times as possible the Hare Krishna mantra on japa beads. You may keep a picture of Lord Krishna in your house and after cooking you may learn to offer the foodstuffs to the picture of Krishna’ (Srila Prabhupada)
Good sadhana is based on following a specific daily schedule that consists of waking up early in the morning, attending mangala arati, chanting t‘Hare Krishna’ on your japa mala, attending the greeting of the Deities, Guru puja, and the ‘Srimad Bhagavatam’ lecture. Srila Prabhupada also recommended that we perform evening worship of the Deities and listen to a ‘Bhagavad Gita’ lecture. All these can be done either at the temple or at your home.
BELOW YOU WILL FIND A SIMPLE SCHEDULE THAT YOU CAN FOLLOW ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
4:30 AM
MANGALA ARATI
The most auspicious time of the day starting with the waking up of the Deities and offering arati to Them (you can do the same with a picture)
4:50 AM
SRI NARASIMHA ARATI
This beautiful prayer is sung after every arati
4:55 am
TULASI PUJA
After Mangala Arati and Narasimha song, Tulasi puja — or the worship of Tulasi Devi — is performed.
5:00 AM
CHANTING JAPA
Start your day with the most auspicious chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
7:00 AM
DARSAN ARATI (GREETING THE DEITIES)
This is the first time of the day when the Deities can be seen in Their fresh clothes
7:30 AM
GURU PUJA (SRI GURU VANDANA)
Worship of the spiritual master.
As the followers of Srila Prabhupada who is the founder-acarya of ISKCON, we daily offer worship to His Divine Grace.
8:00 am
SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM READING
Srimad-Bhagavatam, spoken shortly after Lord Krishna’s time on earth, is a treatise that explains the science of God in detail, including His creation, His eternal activities, the path to attain Him, and the lives of some of His great devotees.
18 hs
SANDHYA ARATI (EVENING CEREMONY)
Srila Prabhupada recommended that ISKCON devotees should follow a so-called ‘sandwich program’ of morning and evening worship. The evening program is called Sandhya Arati during which full arati is offered to the Deities and everyone sings the ‘Gaura Arati’ song
19:00
BHAGAVAD GITA READING
If you read Bhagavad-gita daily, you will get the benefit of performing ashvamedha sacrifice. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Krishna in our lives.”
IMPORTANT DAYS IN THE YEAR
SPECIAL MONTHS AND DAYS THAT ARE MEANT TO HELP US CONCENTRATE MORE ATTENTIVELY ON SPIRITUAL PRACTICE.
SPECIAL DAYS
EKADASI
If a person regularly and rigorously fasts on Ekadasi, Lord Krishna promised, ‘I shall remove all obstacles from their path of spiritual development and bestow upon them the perfection of life.’
AUSPICIOUS MONTHS
CATURMASYA
DAMODARA MONTH (KARTIKA)
PURUSOTTAM MONTH
FESTIVALS
APPEAREANCE OF KRISHNA, LORD CHAITANYA, RAMA, PRABHUPADA, ETC…
Nityananda Trayodashi ● Gaura Purnima ● Rama Navami ● Narasimha Chaturdasi ● Balarama Purnima ● Janmasthami ● Srila Prabhupada Vyasa Puja ● Radhasthami ● Govardhana-puja
DOWNLOAD AND FOLLOW!
Vaisnava calendar
– Display Vaisnava’s celebrations and Ekadasi.
– Notice of fasting-days in advance.
– Notice of events and festivals in the notification area.
– Display the output time of the fast, taking into account the location.
– Time display of Brahma muhurta.
– Display the sunrise, sunset and moon.
