New Delhi, March 19, 2020: Keeping in mind the safety of the worshipers and devotees, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has decided to restrict the entry of the public at its major centers like Vrindavan, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai among several others until further notice.
“Our hearts go out to all those affected by this unfortunate situation and we remember them in our prayers. May Lord Krishna give those families the strength to bear the loss. As all of us have seen in other countries, while we should not panic, it is better to be prepared and hence keeping mind the health and safety of all the devotees of ISKCON and our fellow citizens of India, all the mass-gathering events such as Sunday lectures, seminars, and festivals are to be avoided until further notice. For over three weeks, our temples across the country have been implementing the health measures recommended by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.” said Yudhistir Govinda Das, National Director of Communications for ISKCON.
The aratis and other worship activities to the Deities shall continue as usual but will be restricted only to the resident members of the temple. ISKCON has advised all its congregational members and followers to utilize the ‘Live Darshan’ facility to take part in the arati ceremonies or hear the discourses on their laptops or mobile phones.
“While we are doing all that we can in terms of health measures, we also are praying for the entire country and every citizen by having kirtans and yajna (fire sacrifices) in our temples (with the resident devotees and monks) praying to Lord Krishna to help and guide us through these challenging times,” said Yudhistir Govinda Das.
ISKCON has been in touch with the relevant local and national government agencies to offer its assistance in tackling the issue of COVID-19.
The international society informed its members that they could use the internet to avail the benefit of several seminars and workshops on topics of spiritual and personal development that are being presented through Skype and Zoom.