ISKCON Navi Mumbai has officially released the schedule and registration details for the International Gita Scholarship Test (IGST) 2026. The global initiative, designed to promote value-based education and mental clarity among youth, will culminate in a unique opportunity for top-performing candidates: an immersive, fully sponsored spiritual retreat.

The Grand Prize: A Gateway to Vedic Excellence

Moving beyond traditional scholarship models, IGST 2026 offers winners an experiential award intended to recharge both mind and spirit. Top-ranking participants will receive a two-day, one-night spiritual retreat at the ISKCON Navi Mumbai temple complex.

The retreat package includes accommodations at the temple guest house, complimentary satvic meals at Govinda’s Restaurant, and a curated program featuring mantra meditation, Bhagavad-gita–based leadership workshops, and opportunities for personal interaction with senior resident scholars.

Global Examination Schedule and Registration

To encourage broad participation, the examination has been structured to accommodate students from diverse academic backgrounds. The test will serve as the qualifying gateway for the retreat program.

The examination will be conducted on four consecutive Sundays: May 31, June 7, June 14, and June 21, 2026. Registration for both international and local participants requires a nominal fee of ₹101. Enrollment through the official portal will remain open until June 11, 2026.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/iskcon-navi-mumbai-announces-igst-2026-schedule-deadlines/

Rasamandala dasa has offered us this article to help clarify some of the concerns and reservations that many of us may have with educational approaches to Vedanta and Hinduism. He reassures us with his positive treatment of the subject and with his obvious experience in the field of teaching Hinduism and Vaishnavism in British schools. He has systematised our objectives very well and marries this to the difficulty in interpretation experienced between members of the tradition and those non-practitioners who attempt to teach the tradition to others. This article is essential for those in our society engaged in the religious or academic fields.

 In my last article1, I applied modern communications theory to explore how presentations to school audiences can improve public perception of ISKCON. We also discussed how, within the statutory educational framework, there may be legitimate scope for teaching about Krishna Consciousness. We also heard how, in Britain, our Society has been fortunate to enjoy both these benefits.

However, right from the start, there were a couple of notable challenges. Firstly we were assumed, and required, to represent one of the principle world religions2, namely Hinduism. This raised pertinent, and sometimes controversial, theological questions about the identity of ISKCON and its members (we’ll come back to this later). Secondly and subsequently, this also meant that ISKCON Educational Services staff were required to make presentations not just on ISKCON and Gaudiya Vaishnavism, nor on broader Vaishnavism, but on the whole spectrum of Hinduism itself. I began to question whether this supported our Society’s aims or was even consistent with them. As I pondered, and read more school textbooks on Hinduism, I considered and noted down some of the possible benefits of speaking and writing about the subject. However, I also noticed in many school textbooks room for considerable improvement.

This concerned me. We were, whether we liked it or not, strongly identified with the broader tradition and any misrepresentation of that could reflect badly on ISKCON. On a positive note, it was evident that a large percentage of our presentation material on Hinduism per se was congruent with Krishna Consciousness, giving us ample scope to redress such errors. In other words, I concluded that the reputation of ISKCON, at least within the educational world3 , depended significantly on public perception of the broader tradition, which we had ample opportunity to influence.

What I intend to do here, therefore, is to discuss the educationalists perspective on the Hindu tradition, identifying areas of apparent misunderstanding or misrepresentation. This subject is presented mainly through the experience of our schools programme in the UK, though it naturally has implications on higher academic levels. Indeed, I hope this article, presented here principally for Krishna devotees, will form the basis of an extended study of interest to scholars (in both Religious Education and Religious Studies). My comments here are not intended to be a criticism of the educational and academic worlds, where there is increasing sensitivity towards multi-cultural issues. I hope, though, that by identifying possible shortcomings, in methodology, this article will be constructively challenging.

The subject is discussed in terms of the ten objectives which ISKCON Educational Services has formulated in teaching about Hinduism. Each objective (in bold type) is followed by a brief explanation including practical information for devotees making presentations in the educational sphere.

Read more: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=31800

Every civilized person is familiar with the concept of seva or service. Service can be of different types and of different qualities. At home, every member of the family is serving everyone else. Traditionally, the father traditionally earns for the family and is therefore known as the “breadwinner,” while the mother takes care of the home itself by cooking, cleaning, and creating a comfortable and congenial atmosphere. The children obey their parents and perform basic chores or run minor errands, according to the desires of the parents. This kind of seva is at the level of interdependence, each family member is taking care of basic needs based on the principle of partnership. It is material seva. This sort of service, in varying degrees, is also observed in animals, aquatic creatures, birds, and so on.

When we serve our employers or, as a businessman, serve our customers, this type of service is perforce carried out by circumstance and need; it is not voluntary. In the broader society, locality, or community, recognizing common material goals, we sometimes serve on local committees, advisory bodies, NGOs, or otherwise engage in activities whose outcomes are intended to affect the community at large.

This principle can apply to the much larger national and international arena as well. Those who are of a charitable bent of mind, having sufficient disposable money, freely donate materials, money, time, and efforts to those in dire want, or institutions that take care of such needy persons, in the spirit of seva, without expecting anything in return.

And yet these activities concern doing good for the body, either of those who are near and dear or those who we are not directly concerned with but still feel sympathy for. Such service is considered also to be on the material platform. Activities of this sort do not provide any lasting benefit to the soul the actual, eternal person because we all are separate from our temporary material bodies.

This brings us to the question of whether the good we think we have done is going to benefit the recipient temporarily or permanently. Service on the material platform is certainly noble when seen in the context of present social norms and pervasive economic disparities. If we consider things dispassionately, however, we can see that the suffering and happiness of every creature in the material world is preordained, being the fruit of its past karma. Acts of charity may help us obtain pious credits, but they will not help the recipient in his or her spiritual evolution towards liberation. It is therefore better that we serve others in a way that will help them reach the highest perfection, the supreme destination.

Facing the Crucial Moment

At a deeper and more fundamental level, at the spiritual level, we need to nourish the well-being of the spirit soul in order to ensure that it does not again obtain a material body and remain enmeshed in the throes of material nature, which is attended by birth, aging, disease, and death. A living entity’s best interest lies in reconnection with the Supreme Lord Krishna, or Vishnu, the only true benefactor and friend to all living beings and the only one who can grant us liberation from this debilitating condition. At the time of death, the living entity’s salvation lies in recognizing Lord Krishna’s supreme dominion over the entire creation by total surrender to that Supreme Person (Gita 7.30). Whatever form of being we think of at the time of death, that form or body we shall receive in our next birth. In a similar vein, the Lord has promised that if at the time of death we think of Him alone, we shall attain His nature without fail (Gita 8.5–6 ).

Every human being is responsible for his or her activities and consciousness in this life. Although the gross material body is left behind at death, the living entity’s desires, as well as the reactions to his past activities, accompany him after death. However, the Lord guarantees protection to all those who surrender unconditionally to Him. Surrender to the Supreme Lord Krishna is very pleasurable, especially when we see His eternally youthful and beautiful face and His enchanting smile, which can dispel all the miseries of the material world. As Bhishma lay on his bed of arrows, suffering the pangs of pain due to mortal injuries, Lord Krishna appeared at his deathbed and gave him darshana. As a result, all of Bhishma’s pain vanished, and he smiled in anticipation of his glorious future.

Most of us hold very dear to us our spouse, children, pets, possessions, house, money, and so on; if we make the mistake of hankering for any one or more of these at the time of death, in our next incarnation we will get an appropriate body to fulfill our longings, thus continuing the cycle of birth and death. Sadly, we have no one to blame but ourselves for this mammoth blunder. After all, we came into the material world because we did not wish to be subservient to the Lord and instead wanted to enjoy separately from Him.

Lord Krishna is so magnanimous that even if we lead a life of indulgence and sin but think of Him only at the time of death, He will overlook all our sins, and our disrespect and indifference to Him, and consider us His pure devotees. This concept is exemplified in the story of Ajamila in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. When a person, however materialistic or ignoble he might be, approaches the Supreme Lord with sincerity, he is gradually purified as a result of this association, since everything about the Lord is transcendental, untouched by the three modes of material nature, just as all unclean things are sterilized by the powerful rays of the sun. If we spend even a small portion of our life in loving service to the Lord, the reward will be the sterilization of our consciousness of all unclean thoughts, words, and actions.

Since none of us has any inkling when and in what situation we shall quit our body, we should always be prepared to think of the Lord and we should do so as often as possible so that we do not forget Him at the instant of death, which can sometimes be very painful or distracting and hence prevent us from remembering Krishna.

Service to the Soul – Sharing Krishna Consciousness

The Srimad-Bhagavatam (8.9.29) says: “In human society there are various activities performed for the protection of one’s wealth and life by one’s words, one’s mind, and one’s actions, but they are all performed for one’s personal or extended sense gratification with reference to the body. All these activities are baffled because of being separate from devotional service. But when the same activities are performed for the satisfaction of the Lord, the beneficial results are distributed to everyone, just as water poured on the root of a tree is distributed throughout the entire tree.”

Hence the highest welfare activity anyone can perform for any other person is to bring him to Krishna consciousness; induce him to associate with devotees, encourage him to read the authorized scriptures, such as the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad- Bhagavatam, and listen to the discourses of advanced devotees and spiritual masters or acharyas, and also invite him to join in the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. By one or more of these processes, anyone can be purified and steadily progress as a sincere and loving devotee of the Supreme Lord Krishna, firmly established on the path to salvation and eternal spiritual life. Since the Lord and His name are non-different, when we chant His name, Krishna actually dances on our tongue, cleansing it of all sinful propensities, just as He danced on the hood of the giant serpent Kaliya, thereby subduing and cleansing the demon of his evil and spiteful nature and paving the way for his salvation.

The Lord Himself states in the Gita (18.68–69), “For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end, he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” This shows how much the Lord loves us and wants to liberate us all from this enslavement by maya, His external illusory potency, so that we may join Him in a blissful and eternally lasting reunion. It is only our ignorance or indifference that comes in the way. Many times preachers face hostile audiences and sometimes even the threat of violence by persons inimical, even though devotee preachers have nothing but love and sympathy in their hearts for the fallen creatures of Kali-yuga. Hence those who go around explaining the glories and pastimes of Lord Krishna and the substance of the scriptures to the common man should be considered the most magnanimous and munificent persons. Those saintly souls have taken up the transcendental mission of bringing the Lord’s message to the common man, who is so deeply engrossed in material life, by bringing Krishna to his doorstep, thus empowering him to inculcate all the qualities required to cross over the ocean of material life, never to come back to this miserable world. Thus no person can show his love or charity for others in a better way.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16267

With a desire to increase communication, understanding and harmony between world faiths, King Charles III of the United Kingdom arranged for faith leaders to gather with him.

With that important goal in mind, 30 leaders from Muslim, Sikh, Baha’i, Christian, Hindu and other faiths gathered at the Lambeth Palace Library in central London, an eight-story modern building dedicated to divine scriptures.

Visakha Dasi, president of Bhaktivedanta Manor, was one of the leaders to meet the King. Upon meeting her, he asked, “Where are you from?” She replied, “Bhaktivedanta Manor. This year we’re celebrating our fiftieth anniversary. I’ve just given your Private Secretary a letter inviting you to please come and visit us.” The King, having listened respectfully, replied, “Very good.”

Afterwards many of the leaders took a tour of the first floor of the library, where ancient scriptures were on display in humidity and temperature controlled cases.

“I noted that the Bhagavad-gita was absent from the displays,” explained Visakha Dasi,  “but I hope that devotees can offer one to the library to help educate the public on the importance and antiquity of this important scripture”.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=118046

By Atma Tattva Das,

Devotees and senior leaders from across South Africa gathered at ISKCON Lenasia on May 9, 2026, to commemorate the 47th installation anniversary of Sri Sri Nitai Gaurahari, regarded as the first life-size deities installed in the country by the Hare Krishna movement. The in-person observance included abhishek ceremonies, kirtan, historical presentations, and reflections from senior Vaishnavas who participated in the development of ISKCON communities across Southern Africa from the late 1970s onward.

The anniversary program brought together disciples of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, regional leaders, temple devotees, and long-time congregational members to reflect on the role the deities have played in the growth of Krishna consciousness in South Africa over nearly five decades.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/iskcon-lenasia-marks-47-years-of-sri-sri-nitai-gaurahari-in-south-africa/

By Sri Radhika Devi Dasi

Strong families serve as the foundation of healthy ISKCON communities. But in today’s fast-paced and often demanding world, Grihasthas face unique challenges in maintaining harmony within while simultaneously serving the institution. Addressing the need to deepen connection while staying rooted in Bhakti values, The Atma Center for Empathic Leadership is offering a virtual course titled Relational Leadership for Couples, beginning on June 1st, 2026. This 22-week-long journey invites participants into a transformative exploration of conscious partnership through the lens of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), The Empowerment Dynamic (TED), and models of Conflict Resolution, while being firmly rooted in Krishna Conscious principles.

Relational Leadership for Couples reframes partnership as a sacred space for growth, service, and mutual upliftment. Drawing inspiration from the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, the course emphasizes that spiritual life is not separate from our relationships—it is expressed and tested within them. At the heart of the course is the concept of relational leadership—the capacity to take responsibility for the quality of connection we co-create. In many couples, unspoken expectations and obligations can create tension and distance. This course invites couples to rediscover giving and receiving as expressions of love, choice, and seva, rather than pressure or obligation. Participants are guided to move beyond habitual patterns of blame, withdrawal, or control, and instead cultivate skills to build emotional safety and trust, empathic presence and listening, and the ability to navigate differences with respect. Through these practices, couples will learn how to transform conflict into opportunities for deeper understanding and trust.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/a-course-to-strengthen-our-grihastha-ashrama/

From Back to Godhead

The following exchange took place after a talk by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada before the World Health Organization, in Geneva, on June 6, 1974.

WHO member: Your Divine Grace, do you have any suggestions for solving the worldwide problem of food shortages?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. My suggestion is that people should utilize all this vacant land for crops. I have seen so much land lying dormant. For instance, in Australia and also in America, there is so much land lying dormant. The people are not utilizing it.

And whatever produce they get, sometimes they dump tons of it into the ocean to keep the prices high. And I have heard here in Geneva that when there was excess milk production, some of the people wanted to slaughter twenty thousand cows just to reduce the milk production.

This is what is going on in people’s brains. Actually, they have no brains. So if they want to get some brains, they should read these authentic Vedic literatures, and they should take spiritual guidance. And that guidance is simple: produce your food – all the food the world needs – by properly utilizing the land.

But today people will not utilize the land. Rather, they have left their villages and farmlands and let themselves be drawn into the cities for producing nuts and bolts. All right, now eat nuts and bolts.

Mahatma Gandhi’s basic program was to revive the natural, God-given way of life. Simple villages and farms. This can solve India’s – and the whole world’s – food problems. But our big Pandit Nehru topsy-turvied everything. He wanted more industrialization.

Gandhi’s program was very nice: organize yourselves into small farming villages and produce your own food. Live free from cities and factories. This way, you can work only three months and still you get your produce for the whole year.

Three months’ work for the whole year’s produce. And the rest of the time, the time you save you can use for chanting Hare Krishna. Sing the Lord’s glories and develop your original God consciousness. This is our Krishna consciousness movement. Be spiritually advanced – be a human being.

Otherwise, the life you are leading is risky. In the Bhagavad-gita (2.13) it is said, tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati: however big a plan we may make, someday we will have to give up this plan, because someday we will have to give up this body. And there is no guarantee what kind of body we are going to get next time.

Suppose that this time, this life, I am very busily constructing a big skyscraper. Next time, next life, I may have to live in that skyscraper in the body of a cat or dog, because I have developed the grossly selfish, body-centered consciousness of a cat or dog. And at that time who will care about my so-called title to the skyscraper?

These are the facts. Because nobody can change nature’s law. Nature’s law is exactly like an infectious disease – expose yourself to it, and it takes hold of you, that’s all. Karanam guna-sango ‘sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu: one gets born into a nice or nasty situation because of his prior actions and because of nature’s inexorable reactions. This is nature’s law.

But now many people do not even believe that there is a life after death. In Moscow a big professor named Kotovsky told me, “Swamiji, after death there is nothing.” You see? He’s a big professor. And yet he has no knowledge of the soul. A big professor – just see. This kind of nonsense is going on.

So as this godless civilization drags on, by nature’s law there will be more and more problems. As predicted in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, there will be anavrishti, insufficient rain; and as a result, durbhiksha, insufficient food production. Of course, these problems have already begun.

And on the plea of providing relief from the drought and famine, the government will crush the people with excessive taxation. And consequently, acchina-dara-dravina yasyanti giri-kananam: the people will be so disturbed that they will give up their hearth and home and go to the forest. They will feel utterly harassed – by scarcity of rainfall, by scarcity of food, and by the government’s excessive taxation.

In such a predicament, how can one keep his brain in equilibrium? He will become mad. Unless we take the instruction of the scriptures, all these tragedies are guaranteed to befall us. So we should immediately take this instruction of the Bhagavad-gita (3.14) to heart:

annad bhavanti bhutani
parjanyad anna-sambhavah
yajnad bhavati parjanyo
yajnah karma-samudbhavah

“All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. And rains are produced by sacrifice.”

This is why we have introduced this movement, this chanting of the names of the Lord. This is sacrifice. And in this age of confusion, this unfortunate age, this sacrifice alone is possible. This is the remedy, the solution for all the world’s problems. But people will not take the remedy. They have got their own remedy.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=25151

The Devil always likes to help saints ‘organize’ religion, and organized religion can be problematic. But without human structures, the saint’s messages and good public works may not endure over the next three generations.
For thousands of years, whenever saintly people have searched for a good spot to live, they’ve chosen places of tranquility, far removed from the noise and clamor of the town. In a quiet place, undisturbed by distraction or temptation, surrounded by the beauty of nature, they’ve said their prayers, studied their scriptures, and engaged in meditation.

Islands, deserts, mountains and forests have all been home to generations of monks, yogis and contemplatives of every religious description. The fact that so many of them have actually found transcendence and salvation through their solitude is glorious. The great literary works of spiritual guidance written by them – the outward fruits of their inner life – are a lasting treasure for the world.

But those of us who can’t lead a life of seclusion also want the inner happiness that they experienced. We too want to deepen our spirituality. We cannot retire to the mountains and forests, but we need a helping hand along the way. Somehow, it seems, the saints have to come out of seclusion to help us ordinary folks. Luckily for us, they always have. History is filled with tales of how male and female saints have set out to share their precious wisdom and insight with the world. They’ve left their quiet places and returned to the towns and villages simply to help others.

Sometimes it’s been quite a risky business, beset with opposition, poverty, and danger. But the religious history of the world would not be the same without them. How one saint turns his message and a few early followers into an entire religious movement is a great story, every time it’s told. It involves deep spirituality and sacrifice, compassion, friendship, service, and inspiration. Then there’s the teaching, training and preparing of disciples. Finally comes the sending out of those followers into the world, successful conversion, then organising of people into a human structure for perpetuating and preserving the original message.

Of course, history books are not usually so kind to ‘religious organisations.’ And in today’s world there is widespread and ingrained suspicion of institutions generally, and religious ones in particular. We don’t trust the combination of religion and power, however great the original prophet, saint, or guru was, and however noble the cause.

There’s an old story of a saint walking down the road, a peaceful smile on his face. A farmer sees him: “Where are you going dear saint?” he says. “I’m going to start a religious movement,” replies the saint, and carries on his way. Then the farmer sees the Devil walking some distance behind the saint but obviously following him. “But you,” says the farmer, “where are you going, and why are you following him?” “Me?” replies the Devil with a cunning grin, “Why, isn’t it obvious? He’s going to start a religious movement – and I’m going to help him organise it!”

But while there are numerous historical accounts of the institutionalization that has so crippled the legacies of even the best of saints, it is also a fact that, at some point in its successful expansion, a movement of spiritual people must give itself a shape and systems in order to maintain its natural growth. Mother Nature herself has ordained that living structures of greater complexity require enhanced and disciplined systems if they are to grow. So it is with organic movements of people.

Yet the vitality that runs through such an organization, that gives it its very life, must be goodness, compassion, understanding and love. Nothing else will keep a spiritual organization factually spiritual. The proof that this is happening will be that people are coming forward to become devoted to Krishna – and remaining so.

The steady growth of ISKCON can be attributed to Srila Prabhupada’s deliberate founding of his Society as an organized mission dedicated to systematic propagation; an international body of spiritual practitioners who reach out to others to deliver his teachings. By the dedication of the early followers, his movement became established in hundreds of cities. The great challenge to ISKCON now, wherever it has spread in the world, is to ensure that both the practice and the outreach are continued through the next generation and beyond.

For this to happen, Vaishnava philosophy and culture must be understood and practiced within the homes of its members, by committed families; and the children must grow as Vaishnavas. If practised by individuals, the individuals must reach out to others and bring them to the Vaishnava life. Where, by our strategies and efforts this happens, we help to create growth. Wherever this does not happen, the results of our considerable initial efforts will be reduced.

Temples are places of serious learning for the newcomer, and permanent residences for the celibate and the retired. They function as places where joyful worship is conducted, and where rites of passage are celebrated. But in the task of saving souls, and the longer-term mission of establishing a culture over three generations – the test of sustainability – they can only be truly considered successful if all that is taught and celebrated is then reproduced in the homes of the congregation – both those who live nearby and those who live at a distance.

How do we know when our preaching is successful? As Srila Prabhupada said, our aim is simply to increase ‘the members of Krishna’s family’. If we are looking for measuring the success of our mission it must be this. Ultimately, the number of Vaishnavas created is a permanent and important measurement of the success of all our efforts – and the endurance of our tradition.

Srivasa’s niece was only four years old. Her name was Narayani. She was just seating peacefully in the corner of the room. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu cried out “Narayani! Chant Krsnas name and cry in ecstatic love.” And little Narayani called out “Oh! Krsna, oh! Krsna, oh! Krsna…” and tears just irrupted from her eyes profusely, soaking her body, her limbs trembled and she felt to the ground just crying out “oh! Krsna.” But the devotees saw that they understood the power of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He gave the ultimate perfection of prema Bhakti to a four-year-old girl by just chanting the name of Krsna. And then Srivas Thakur, he got up, he raised his arms to started dancing and he said “my Lord I give up all fear even when you come as the supreme destroyer of the entire universe and as time personified I see that you are destroying all the fourteen worlds, I will raise my arms fearlessly and chant your Holy Names.” And then Srivas Thakur with all of his servants, maidservants, friends and relatives saw Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu manifest His Vaikuntha form. And Vrindavan das Thakur explains in this connection ”just see the power of a Vaishnava, any one who serve the Vaishnav, anyone who pleases a Vaishnava become so dear to the Lord. Even the servants and maidservants of Srivas attained the ultimate perfection of seeing the Lord of Vaikuntha before their eyes. This is something that even Brahma, Shiva and the greatest yogis can not see. There is no higher religious principle than becoming dear to the Vaishnavas.”
So this Narayani is the mother of Vrindavan das Thakur. It is said that Srivas Thakurs elder brother Sri Nalina Pandit. And his wife gave birth to Narayani. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu would regularly give her the remnants of His food. Sometimes, Lord Caitanya would personally with His own hand feeds this little girl the food that he had eaten. And therefore, a little Narayani became famous throughout the entire Vaishnava society as she who receives the remnants of Lord Caitanya. When she was young, she was married to a great brahmin who came from Srihatta or Silet, his name was Vaikunthanath. She became pregnant. While she was carrying her child, her husband passed away. She was a widow. And the child was born. That illustrious child is Vrindavan das Thakur. Some say he was born in Mamgachi. Some say he was born in Kumar Hatta. Narayani, who was only about fifteen-year-old at the time, she was a young girl and a widow. But in Mamgachi she was given shelter by most compassionate devotee of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Vasudev Datta. She would take care of Vasudev Datta’s, help him with his deity worship and performed so many nice chores for him. And Vasudev Datta protected and cared for Narayani and especially helped to raised little Vrindavan das.
So Vrindavan das Thakur was in that environment of Srivas Thakur, of Vasudev Datta and all the Vaishnavas. This was the association he was raised in. And it is said that he was the last disciple, was initiated by Nityananda Prabhu. Personal associate of Nityananda Prabhu. And Lord Nityananda prabhu ordered his disciple Vrindavan das Thakur to write the life story of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So, he took that order as his very life and soul. According to historians, Vaishnavas, Vrindavan das Thakur took birth, I believe it was about four years after Lord Caitanya had already taken Sanyas. And as a young man taking the order of Lord Nityananda prabhu on his head, he went to a place called Dhenur. Dhenur is not very far from Katwa, where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took Sanyas and there he made his Bhajan kutir, his home. And it was there in Dhenur that Vrindavan das Thakur wrote Sri Caitanya Bhagavat.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=74371

Dedicated volunteers from Bhaktivedanta Manor were recently honoured with an invitation to the annual King’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.

Hosted each year by the British monarch, the prestigious event recognises individuals who have made outstanding contributions through public service, community engagement and charitable work.

Among those invited were Ketan Patel and Ashok Parmar, accompanied by their wives, in recognition of their many years of devoted voluntary service.

“Ketan Patel has long supported the community through his involvement in Radharani’s Bakery, Sunday kitchen cooking, the Volunteers Care Council, and ticketing services at Bhaktivedanta Manor,” explained Krishna Purna dasi. “His steady and humble service has benefited thousands of visitors and devotees over the years.

“Ashok Parmar dedicates much of his week to organising and supporting prasadam distribution, coordinating volunteers for serving, and preparing the temple room for smaller events. Serving no fewer than six days each week, his commitment and reliability have made him an invaluable member of the community”.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=118044

By Team IGST ISKCON NAVI MUMBAI

As the global student community faces unprecedented levels of academic stress and digital distraction, ISKCON Navi Mumbai is stepping forward with a unique synthesis of education and experience. We are proud to announce the International Gita Scholarship Test (IGST) 2026, a program designed to transform how youth engage with the timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita.

A Revolutionary Approach to Learning

The IGST 2026 is far more than a standard examination. It is an invitation to step away from the screen and enter a sanctuary of focus. This year, the program features an Immersive 2-Day, 1-Night Spiritual Retreat, allowing participants to live the philosophy they study.

The Retreat Highlights:

• Residential Stay: Students will experience a comfortable paid stay at the Temple Guest House, located directly within the serene and sanctified premises of ISKCON Navi Mumbai.

• Sanctified Dining: The retreat includes complimentary Prasadam at Govinda’s Restaurant, ensuring students are nourished by the finest Satvic cuisine.

• Immersive Itinerary: The program is meticulously planned to include:

  • Mantra Meditation & Yoga: Techniques for mental clarity and stress reduction.

  • Interactive Philosophy Workshops: Deep dives into the Gita’s practical application for modern leadership.

  • Exam Preparation Seminars: Guided sessions to prepare for the scholarship test.

Examination & Registration Schedule:

The scholarship test is designed to be accessible yet rigorous, rewarding those who truly internalize the teachings.

• Examination Schedule: Tests will be held on four consecutive Sundays, starting from May 31, 2026.

• Registration Fee: In the spirit of making wisdom accessible to all, the registration fee is a nominal ₹101/-.

• Final Deadline: Enrollment for this international event closes strictly on June 11, 2026.

A Global Invitation

While hosted in the vibrant hub of Navi Mumbai, the IGST 2026 carries a global vision. We invite devotees, parents, and students from all over globe, and beyond to support this initiative. This is an ideal opportunity for students & all Individuals to gain the internal strength required for academic and personal success.

How to Register

The entire process is digital. Interested participants can find the registration link on our official Site or visit the temple’s information desk.

Secure your spot in this life-changing journey of wisdom.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=118042

By Sevananda Caitanya Das, 

What began as small home gatherings among a handful of devotees has grown into a thriving, organized, and deeply committed devotional community now known as ISKCON of Charlotte.

At first glance, the story feels familiar—kirtan, shared prasadam, and intimate gatherings. But spend time here, and a different picture emerges. This is not just growth in numbers, but growth in depth, coordination, and vision.

Tapasya Dasa, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, with more than five decades of experience in the movement, who has been regularly visiting the community, described our community: “In all my years of traveling and preaching, I have rarely seen such a combination of purity, sincerity, and practical organization. They are not changing anything that Srila Prabhupada taught—they are simply applying it with full conviction in today’s world.”

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/a-growing-spiritual-community-in-charlotte-finds-its-home/

By Udayananda

During the 1976 festival in Vrindavan, there was a whole schedule one day that started at mangal arotik and went all the way until midnight at a pandal program celebrating the Appearance of Lord Ram and attended by over twenty thousand people.
It was very impressive.
For me the day started blissfully as I got to go on a morning walk with Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada walked for a very long time preaching vigorously.
At the beginning of the walk I was at the rear of the devotees, but after about an hour I finally ended up right next to Srila Prabhupada.
At this point Prabhupada had to pass water so he turned and handed me his cane.
I took his cane and Prabhupada was handed a bottle of water to wash his hands.
He went down into a little gully and did what nature called.
In the meantime, I put the cane in my left hand and put my right hand in my japa bag to chant my rounds.
When Prabhupada returned, he reached for his cane and like a fool I started to hand it to him with my left hand.
Prabhupada said, “Left hand?”
Immediately I thought, “Oh, I am an idiot, aren’t I?”
So I put it in my right hand and handed it to Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada said, “Always right hand.”

Immediately after the hour and a half walk, Prabhupada spent the rest of the afternoon with dignitaries who had come from New Delhi, such as the governor and state representatives.

I was hanging outside Prabhupada’s room listening and was amazed at how he was like a lion amongst lambs preaching vigorously.

Then without rest, Prabhupada went to Mathura to give a lecture at the pandal program to the twenty thousand or so people.

Prabhupada started the lecture by saying, “Because there are so many people here to hear Krishna’s pastimes, and they may not speak English, I am going to speak in Hindi, and I apologize.”

Prabhupada actually said, “I apologize to my English speaking disciples”, as if he ever had to apologize to us.

What amazed me was not only Prabhupada’s humility when he apologized to us, but my realization about the scene I observed while Prabhupada preached about Krishna and Lord Chaitanya.

I looked around at the thousands of people there and the contingent of devotees from Africa, England, Australia, America, South America and remembered Bhaktivinode Thakur’s query,

“When will Americans and Englishmen and Germans come with their hands raised high and say, ‘Jaya Sachinandana, Gaura Hari?’

When will that day come?” I thought, “The day has come!”

I was thinking, “Prabhupada, you did it! You have done this and now you’re preaching to twenty thousand people and you were preaching to all these dignitaries all day long.

You’ve done it! You don’t have to do anything else! You’ve done it.

You can just rest on your laurels.

You don’t need to push! You’ve done it! You’ve done it all!”

With Prabhupada’s accomplishment, there was fanfare because he did an amazing, miraculous thing.

The fanfare, however, had no affect on him, nor was he interested in that type of glorification.

He was just interested in glorifying Krishna.

By the time we got back to Fogel Ashram it was close to midnight.

Everyone was completely exhausted.

I felt like a zombie and on top of that I had gotten a little sick because I ate some jalebis in the marketplace and came down with a violent case of diarrhea.

Every time I laid down to sleep, I had to go back to the restroom.

It was really hellish.

This went on for quite a while so I thought I might as well just stay up to chant my japa.

I went down to the temple and it was close to two o’clock in the morning.

I was the only person around except for one devotee who was doing the twenty-four hour kirtan and he was laying on the mridanga barely hitting the drum and just muttering Krishna’s name.

I came out the front of the Krishna-Balaram temple and I started to circumambulate.

As I came around the back of the temple, I was right next to Srila Prabhupada’s room where I saw a light on.

I reflected how Prabhupada had been preaching tirelessly since four o’clock in the morning and now it’s two o’clock in the morning the next day.

In his room, he had his dictaphone and I heard him say, “Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakur says in his explanation of the Gita…” Prabhupada was translating the Bhagavatam.

I’m thinking, “Why? You’ve already done it all.

You’ve done everything.

You’ve done this big festival, there’s no one around seeing you do this.”

But he was there translating the Bhagavatam, and he was doing it for us.

I got to witness Srila Prabhupada’s tireless pursuit of giving Krishna consciousness to this planet, to this world, to this universe.

And that’s why he’s the spiritual master of the universe.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=54078