Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=12226

Pocket Meditations.
As we settle into the rhythm of the New Year here are some pocket meditations to carry with us every day. These small reminders can bring quality to our lives and thus help us feel more alive. As the Joseph Campbell quote goes – “I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.”
For those practicing bhakti, that means being alive to our relationship with Krishna and others. It’s all about relationship. Nothing mystical in these meditations, but things that can surely, when applied to the practice of bhakti, bring us to mystical experiences.
Always Try to do Things Better
Life becomes interesting when we are aware of what or who we are working with and are asking ourselves how can I do this better, how can I be better. This doesn’t have to be all the time but enough of the time so that we don’t live in a lull – with a sense of comfort, thinking we are all cool or a sense of despair that things can’t be change, can’t improve.

Our life is ours to live and when we serve, when we do things for Krishna, be particularly attentive to quality. And to where our mind is at. These are good places to start when reflecting on how to do things better.

Don’t be Lazy

In a verse in the Srimad Bhagavatam, this tendency to be lazy is grouped with a few other qualities. “O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.” SB 1.2.12

We all have it and we should be careful. Where do I cut corners? Where do I give in? Where do I not hold strong because I am too lazy?

Commitments to vows, honoring time and managing it well, protecting what’s important and knowing your own bio rhythms can help keep laziness in its corner. Being lazy about our daily meditation on Krishna’s names is like trying to light a fire with wet wood. Not happening – and neither will any tangible and visceral spiritual growth and experience.

Watch our Words

This meditation is a reminder to do two things – watch how we speak to others and watch how we speak about others. Both can make or break relationships. In the word “namaste”, the well known Sanskrit greeting, is the understanding that we are honoring the Lord in the heart of the other person. We should remember that for the rest of the conversation too!

As bhakti yoga practitioners try to move away from harsh, critical, put-down, defensive and proving ourselves ‘right’ talk. We should watch our words, our tone, and practice kind, loving, trust-giving, and empowering talk. Listen more, don’t over react and don’t take things too personally. I know (personal experience) that this is easy to say and not so easy to do. And remembering that the mind and heart feast on words, spoken and unspoken, we can still make the choice as this Native American story shares:

A tribal elder tells his grandson that inside each of us there are 2 wolves doing battle. One wolf is growling with envy, greed, sorrow, anger, resentment, and arrogance. The other wolf is growling with love, joy, kindness, empathy, compassion, humility, and peace. The grandson asks, “Which wolf will win the fight?” And the elder responds, “Whichever one we feed.”

The practice of bhakti yoga, connecting with Krishna through mantra, study, and service, brings these pocket meditations to life. And the practice of these meditations strengthen our bhakti. It’s a win/win, so keep them close and apply them often.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=35231

By Janananda Gosvami

Hey that’s not what Prabhupada said. You’ve got it the wrong way round. He said ” resolution, then revolution, then dissolution—no solution!

What do you mean revolution? Another ISKCON reform, a changing of the guards, change the structure of the management, get rid of the tyrants at the top, throw out the guru system, bring in the uttama bhagavata, a philosophical revelation. Aha! An unveiling of the hidden mysteries of ISKCON history, the latest solve the problems technique. The real truth. A social upheaval. What’s he talking about?

I guess some think these are the solutions and would like to make resolutions about it. I ain’t got much of a brain for all the unending speculations and even sincere endeavours flying around, even though like others I get caught up in them only too often. I’m all for a revolution but rather one of conscious transformation.

Mahaprabhu certainly started a revolution, but it was one of transformation by spreading the Holy names. Prabhupada also was a revolutionary to the max.

Dear Sri Dhruva (Secretary to Sri R. D. Birla)
You will understand from the informations that this Krishna Consciousness movement is a major revolutionary renaissance specifically delineating social and religious conception of life based on authorized Vedic culture.

20 August, 1974
Dear Swami Jara Kumar,
In this age the spiritual revolution was recommended by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He demonstrated that the Yuga Dharma for this age is the Sankirtan – chanting of the holy names. If we want the degraded mass of people to be elevated, we must stop their sinful activity. To stop sinful activity one must purify the mind and the best process for purifying the mass mind is the chanting of the maha mantra Hare Krishna. This can be done in public where everyone has a chance to hear and be purified.
We experience that people are becoming more friendly and helping our movement in America simply because we are performing this sankirtana yajna. I hope you can understand this. This movement is authorized and confirmed by great acaryas as well as the sastras and also by Lord Caitanya Himself Who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, non different from Krishna.

Hawaii Jan 18th 1974 SB 1.16.22
So if you make a revolution of this sankirtana movement, everyone chanting and dancing, the government will be changed immediately. So push this movement.

A Revolution? The solution. Let’s make a resolution!
So what’s your solution? A simple formula. What did Srila Prabhupada himself follow on with in Mayapura in 76. What did Srila Prabhupada request as medicine in his last days. “Amala Harinama, amiya bilasa”.
Add the chanting of Hare Krishna more and more to our lives. Okay here’s the suggestion. Let’s go beyond the mechanical process of minimizing the chanting – 16 rounds finished. Thank god. Kirtan – maybe a few minutes a day. Harinama Sankirtan – forget it. Chant while I work – no way. In the bathroom, the car …. UUUh. No more – I did my bit this morning.
Come on that’s to simplistic. Agreed many practical mthings have to be dealt with intelligently. However Mahaprabhu has made the process simple in this age. Chant Hare Krishna. All of our activities should lead to our awaken of our attraction for chanting.

“But I’ve been chanting for 30 years and where am I?”. “Perhaps we have become a bit lethargic in our approach. It’s good that we are keeping the flame going but to cook the preparation we have to turn the temperature up. Prabhupada gave a lecture – trying to cook from 300 miles away. If we want to go forward maybe we have to go forward. We want change. Let’s make change

Chant more and more. The revolution starts at home – transform ourselves. Expose ourselves more and more to the Holy names. “The only reform required is to change our perception of the world by exposing ourselves to the transcendental holy names of the lord.” Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

Here’s the resolution – CHANT MORE. We don’t have to stop what we are doing even – just add the chanting.

“Chanting the holy name is the chief means of attaining love of Godhead. This chanting or devotional service does not depend on any paraphernalia, nor on one’s having taken birth in a good family. By humility and meekness one attracts the attention of Krsna. That is the verdict of all the Vedas. Therefore if one becomes very humble and meek, he can easily attain the lotus feet of Krsna in this age of Kali. That is the fulfilment of all great sacrifices, penances and austerities because when one achieves ecstatic love of Godhead, he attains the complete perfection of life. Therefore whatever one does in executing devotional service must be accompanied with the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.”
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 4.70-71

If people are simply induced to chant Hare Krsna mantra . . . Just see. Even a child, he is taking part. It is natural . . . they are dancing and chanting. So this movement is so important.
Somehow or other if you can engage them in chanting and dancing, the whole world will be united. (Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture, Bombay, December 27, 1974]

19 September, 1969
My Dear Tamala Krishna,
You write to say that you do not know what is my desire, but my desire is an open secret. I simply want all over the Western countries people may take this simple formula of chanting, dancing and eating Krishna Prasadam, and being happy. I am simply surprised that they should not accept this simple formula and be happy themselves. My only desire is that all people become happy and prosperous in Krishna Consciousness.

Hrdayananda Maharaja: “We don’t know how we can increase our desire for chanting.”
Prabhupada: “By performing sankirtana. Just like if a man drinks, and if he drinks and drinks, then he becomes a drunkard.” The example amused the audience, and they broke into laughter. “Drink more and more and you become a drunkard,” Prabhupada continued. “Similarly, chant more and more and you become-perfect chanter.”

“The Krsna consciousness movement has started performing sankirtana yajna in different places, and it has been experienced that wherever sankirtana yajna is performed, many thousands of people gather and take part in it. Imperceptible auspiciousness achieved in this connection should be continued all over the world. The members of the Krsna consciousness movement should perform sankirtana-yajnas one after another, so much that all the people of the world will either jokingly or seriously chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, and thus they will derive the benefit of cleansing the heart. The holy name of the Lord (harer nama) is so powerful that whether it is chanted jokingly or seriously the effect of vibrating this transcendental sound will be equally distributed. [Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.10, purport]

Okay I’m getting a bit carried away, but to be carried away in the waves of Nama Sankirtan is not such a bad thing.

Oh I almost forgot another part of the revolution. Another resolution, perhaps another solution. Think about it. Put more effort into coming together for the morning programme with the devotees and dance and chant together, chant japa together, hear class together, honour prasadam together..Oh! and go for Harinama sankirtan on the street with the sankirtan party.
United we stand…

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=4790

“For us, every day is a New Year. Nava-nava-rasa-dhamany. Our Krishna consciousness is so nice, the more you advance, the more you see new year, new year. That’s all. Nothing is old. People are seeing that ‘They are simply chanting the same old slogan, Hare Krishna.’ But we are feeling new pleasure in every moment. Take any other chanting, you cannot chant more than a few hours. But the Hare Krishna mantra we can chant perpetually. So, unless there is new enlightenment, how we can do that?”

In this conversation in Los Angeles on January 3, 1974, Srila Prabhupada referred to a verse by Sri Yamunacharya:

yad-avadhi mama cetah krsna-padaravinde
nava-nava-rasa-dhamany udyatam rantum asit

“Since my mind has been engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, and I have been enjoying an ever new transcendental taste.”

May you all have a wonderful, Krishna conscious New Year.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=81253

How to Change this Year? You Need to Freak Out!

Our cultural conditioning tells us we should make resolutions for the new year. Of course, the perennial problem is that most of us haven’t followed through on our previous year’s resolutions. And it can even get depressing to think about how many times this has happened. So maybe it is better we don’t make any resolutions this year. This way we’ll have nothing to lament about in early February when we haven’t followed through.

Well, actually I think it’s a better idea to understand why we don’t follow through on our resolutions, since I doubt that we will ever lose the tendency to want to change things about ourselves and our lives that aren’t working well for us. So the important question is, “How do we permanently change our actions?”

It is said everyone wants to see change in others and the world; but nobody wants to change themselves. Why? Because it is difficult and uncomfortable. It seems easier to keep the status quo, even if the status quo is less than desirable.

The secret to change is to understand the process Krsna uses to change people and then willingly apply this process on ourselves. So how does He do it? Before I answer this question I would like to ask you to think about a time you changed something in your life. What caused you to change?

Next, think about something you told yourself you would change and never followed through on.

Herein lies the answer to change.

We change when we have to, either to survive, to prevent ourselves from extreme distress, or when we are really sick and tired of something in our life that we just can’t tolerate anymore. And we normally don’t change, even when we want to, when the above conditions are absent (unless, of course, someone is forcing us to change and making our lives miserable if we don’t, which is really a nuance of the same principle: we don’t change when we see the light, we change when we feel the heat).

Before I reveal the simple open secret Krsna uses and how we can personally apply it in our lives, we first must acknowledge that there are many things in our lives we have the power to change: our sadhana, relationships, health, abilities, or level of success, to name just a few.

But when does the change actually take place? We change when we make the decision that, “I have had enough, I must change.” If there is something we don’t change that we could change, then we need to acknowledge that we are deciding that changing is more painful than leaving things as is.

It is important to mention here that there are many more things we can change than we are willing to admit. Once we stop blaming others or situations for our shortcomings, it becomes clear that not changing is a choice to keep the status quo – which, of course, might be rooted in a belief that this is just the way I am. Anyway, no matter who you are, you can always be a better version of you.

In most cases, not changing is actually more painful than changing. But how do we realize this? Focus on results you are getting that you don’t want and the actions producing these. Then ask yourself this question: If I don’t change _____________ (fill in the blanks of a behavior or a result of a behavior you getting), then in ten years (when you are still reaping the negative results of not changing this behaviorv, belief, attitude, habit, etc.) how will you feel? Does thinking about living the rest of your life with the particular disability, belief system, fear, lack of self-confidence, inhibition, lack of relationship skills, level of health, finances, success, sadhana, service, etc. totally freak you out?

If not, keep meditating on it until it does! This is the key to change. Our present circumstances (which are caused by the behavior you need to change) have to become intolerable to us. If they are not, our efforts to change will fail. We will still be okay with how things are. 
“Okay” is really the enemy.

If you actually allow yourself to deeply meditate on this question, and allow yourself to feel the discomfort of answering the question, it can be powerful. Because until you say “I have had it” you probably will opt for the pain of continuing to not achieve the results and changes you need in exchange for experiencing the pain of not changing.

How can I says this? I have changed things in my life that were extremely difficult for me to change, some actions and thinking which I felt were wired to my nature. But living with the results year in and year out made life so unpleasant that one day I said, “That’s it!”

Sometimes it took me decades to come to this point.

I have seen people at japa retreats say “That’s it” about bad japa. In fact, if they don’t say this, they tend to eventually default to the bad habits they had before they came to the retreat. We can apply this principle to our service, marriage, finances, etc. As long as we are okay with okay we won’t change, because we won’t need to. When we are no longer okay with okay japa, an okay marriage, an okay sadhana, okay service, okay financial situation, etc. we will change.

The point is this: Resolutions must be goals connected with deep seeded needs to change. When the “I should” becomes “I must,” then we will change.

And this is exactly how Krsna helps us become Krsna conscious. When we hit dead ends in our lives and the walls close in on us, we have to act differently. It is discomfort which moves us into different ways of thinking, being and acting. And when we act differently, we get different results. We can’t change by knowing we need to change, we change by acting differently. As long as we continue to act the way we always have, no amount of knowledge not acted up will change anything in our lives (other than maybe we can give some good lectures on how to change!)

Patanjali writes in the Yoga Sutras that attachment arises from remembering past pleasant activities. As we remember the pleasure of these activities, we become attached to doing them again. Detachment works in a similar way: we remember the pain of past activities and we thus detach from them. If your brain links pain with activity in the past, as well as in the present and the future (if I do that I will suffer) , you will give it up. It then becomes a neural response because you feel the pain in your nervous system. It is no longer information; you simply can’t act that way again.

We have often heard it said that we don’t really believe that material life and the material world is that bad, for if we did we would be completely surrendered. But we know the material world cannot satisfy us. This is why we became devotees. So, why are we still attached? It is because the conviction is only in our minds, not in our nervous system, not on the gut level where we look at an activity and say, That would be so painful that I could never do that again.”

So if you want to make a resolution for this year, you will need to associate so much pain with not following through that there will be no other option than to do it. This is how Krsna brought us to Krsna consciousness, and this is how Arjuna became Krsna consciousness. Using this same process we can make resolutions we actually follow through on.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=23163

By Giriraj Swami

“For us, every day is a New Year. Nava-nava-rasa-dhamany. Our Krishna consciousness is so nice, the more you advance, the more you see new year, new year. That’s all. Nothing is old. People are seeing that ‘They are simply chanting the same old slogan, Hare Krishna.’ But we are feeling new pleasure in every moment. Take any other chanting, you cannot chant more than a few hours. But the Hare Krishna mantra we can chant perpetually. So, unless there is new enlightenment, how we can do that?”

In this conversation in Los Angeles on January 3, 1974, Srila Prabhupada referred to a verse by Sri Yamunacharya:

yad-avadhi mama cetah krsna-padaravinde
nava-nava-rasa-dhamany udyatam rantum asit

“Since my mind has been engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, and I have been enjoying an ever new transcendental taste.”

May you all have a wonderful, Krishna conscious New Year.

Hare Krishna.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=81253

HH Niranjana Swami: The renewed inspiration devotees feel when going out to distribute books does not come from taking breaks, but from pleasing Srila Prabhupada by sharing Krishna consciousness. Book distribution naturally forces one to speak about Krishna, fulfilling Lord Chaitanya’s instruction to tell everyone about Krishna and “become a guru.” Even if books are presented in different ways to attract people, Krishna is present on every page, and even reading a single line can have spiritual impact.

Maharaj recounts teachings from Chaitanya Charitamrita, emphasizing that one does not need to abandon family life to preach; simply sharing Krishna’s message is sufficient and brings no obstacle to one’s duties. He highlights that although books can be distributed anytime, the current period (end of December) is especially auspicious. He urges devotees to report even small acts of sharing Krishna consciousness, as this is how Lord Chaitanya’s mercy spreads.

Addressing fear, he acknowledges that many devotees feel anxiety when approaching people, but reminds them of Krishna’s instruction “do not fear”—by surrendering to Lord Chaitanya’s desire, fear disappears and miracles happen. He then gives a practical note: videos uploaded to the website must be in MP4 format, not MOV, or they will not appear.

Finally, he speaks about Navina Nirada Prabhu, a long-time book distributor and author of Nectar of Sri Krishna Sankirtana, praising his lifelong dedication and encouraging devotees to read the book and look forward to his future contributions to the website.

By Murali Shyam Das, 

The two-day Navarasa Festival, held on December 20-21, 2025, organized by ISKCON Youth Forum Patna, unfolded as a vibrant celebration of spirituality, culture, and youth empowerment under the inspiring theme “Bliss of Bhakti.” The festival witnessed the enthusiastic participation of over 1,000 youths, all dressed in traditional dhoti-kurta and tilak, symbolizing cultural rootedness and devotional unity.

By Dr. Nitai Madhav Das,

The years 2026 and 2027 mark a significant milestone for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) —60 years since its founding and 50 years since the disappearance of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. These years provide an important opportunity not only for commemoration but for collective reflection, recommitment, and purposeful action.

The Indian Continental Committee (ICC) 60–50 Committee in India has been constituted to guide this national observance with a clear objective: to deepen Prabhupāda consciousness across the movement while strengthening ISKCON’s spiritual and institutional foundations. The emphasis is on ensuring that remembrance leads to lasting outcomes rather than remaining limited to ceremonial observances.

The 60–50 period is envisioned as a phase of conscious alignment and purposeful engagement across ISKCON in India. Temples and centers are encouraged to systematically focus on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings, instructions, and life, while strengthening Srimad Bhāgavatam culture, devotional standards, and Vaishnava conduct. The intent is to translate appreciation for the Founder-Ācārya into sustained spiritual focus, disciplined practice, and responsible service.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/icc-forms-60-50-committee-to-guide-iskcon-indias-2026-27-focus/

Since the new year is around the corner, it’s natural to talk about new year’s resolutions. You might be thinking about doing something you’ve put off or making some changes for the new year. You might even be making the same resolutions you made last year at this time. Or maybe you just don’t make them anymore because you never follow through on them anyway.

“There’s hope”

Do You Just Want It or Are You Committed to Get It?

Srila Prabhupada cites Dhruva Maharaja as a perfect example of determination. He says that we should be as determined to be Krsna conscious as Dhruva was to see Krsna. Dhurva was willing to undergo any austerity to see Krsna. We learn from this that there’s a big difference between wanting something and being committed to achieving it. This is the difference between determination in the mode of ignorance and determination in the mode of goodness. In the mode of ignorance determination doesn’t get past the dreaming stage. In the mode of goodness determination is unbreakable and sustained by constant self control.

Have you ever thought it would be nice to achieve something – but then not do much about it? If you have, you probably didn’t achieve it. However, have you ever committed yourself to achieving something no matter what the cost? If you have, it’s likely you succeeded. So if you make a new year’s resolution and are not committed to achieving it, there’s a really good chance you won’t follow though.

There can be many reasons why you wouldn’t commit, but one of the most common is to think you can’t do it. We often tend to minimize our own abilities and thus see many of our goals as difficult or impossible to achieve. Yet it’s more often the case that we are qualified to do it and either we haven’t tried hard enough or we simply haven’t learned how to do it (BTW, successful people as a class are not super talented and don’t have super high IQ’s).

“Determination”

Although there may be many obstacles on the path of the sincere devotee who is preaching the glories of the Lord, such obstacles increase the determination of the devotee. Therefore, according to Srila Jiva Goswami , the continuous obstacles presented by the demigods form a kind of ladder or stairway upon which the devotee steadily progresses back to the kingdom of God.

One of the common factors among very successful people is that they all had tremendous obstacles to overcome. It was the problems they had to overcome that drove them to greater and greater heights.

In 1982 I went to Johannesburg, South Africa to be the temple president. When I first arrived I quickly learned that things had not been going well. It was a constant uphill battle just to keep things from falling apart. After some time I was finding it difficult to maintain my enthusiasm. One devotee suggested that it would be beneficial for me to read the Prabhupada lilamrita. As I read about all the struggles that Prabhupada faced in establishing, maintaining and pushing on Iskcon, I understood that if I allowed myself to become deterred by obstacles I would never be able to achieve anything significant. I then felt strongly that Krsna had put Prabhupada through so many difficulties in order that we have his example before us. Prabhupada faced the greatest challenges. And these challenges simply made him more determined.

How do you react when you are faced with repetitive challenges?

“Walking on the Head of the Obstacle”

In the previous chapter it was explained that although the demigods place obstacles in the path of the Lord’s devotees, by the mercy of the Supreme Lord the devotees are able to place their feet on the head of such obstacles and thus pass beyond them to the supreme destination.

You can tell the caliber of people by the amount of opposition it takes to discourage them. Obstacles will look large or small to you according to whether you are large or small. Did you know that legal immigrants – most of whom have fewer advantages over native-born Americans – are four times more likely to become millionaires? Therefore, we shouldn’t pray that Krsna put smaller obstacles in our way, but we should pray that he give us the strength to overcome the obstacles.

When Prabhupada told devotees how to deal with their problems (which was always to be more Krsna conscious), he would often say, “What is the difficulty?” He meant Krsna consciousness is the easily available solution and the only difficulty is not taking this solution.

“Change Doesn’t Come Easy”

Following through on a resolution usually entails making a change – and change is not always easy. If we don’t like something, we want to change it. The problem is we desire change for everyone other than ourselves! Changing ourselves often entails changing long standing habits, and that can be difficult. Did you know that when Columbus set sail for new lands most people thought the world was flat and that he was going to fall off the end of the planet? Of course that didn’t happen, proving that the world wasn’t really flat. Yet people were so resistant to change that most everyone kept on believing the world was flat while the younger generation was being taught in school that the world is round.

“From the Inside Out”

Unless you make a change within it’s unlikely that you will make a change without. One of the difficulties we face in changing is that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are. When you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.

“Act like the person you want to become. Before you can do something, you first must be something.” (Goethe)

That can be scary. We tend to cling to what we know, even if we are not satisfied with it. Fear holds us back. Yet the only way to overcome the fear is to go out and do the very thing we are afraid of doing.

If you make new year’s resolutions, realize that you probably desire improvement – yet at the same time resist change. The problem is you cannot get one without having the other. The reality is that change is possible only if you want it bad enough. You are the way you are because that’s the way you want to be. If you really wanted to be any different you would be in the process of changing right now.

“Continually Commit”

One of the most important things to understand is that committing to change is not a one time affair. You must commit continually. I think a lot of us make the mistake of thinking we have committed to something when what we did was make a decision to change or commit, but not a decision to commit daily.

“Focus on Solutions”

If you make a resolution and have trouble following through and then start to become discouraged, you can do one of two things – and the one you choose will color your perspective. You can look to place the blame or you can look at yourself to discover your opportunities. The choice is yours. Life is usually 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it. So think what you can do, not what you can’t do. The more you hit roadblocks, the more you need to devise ways to get around them. Keep trying if something doesn’t work.The more you think about solutions, the more solutions you’ll come up with (dadami buddhi yogam tam).

Success is really just the ability to solve problems. Overcoming an obstacle is simply solving a problem. Every person has to face obstacles, make changes, and deal with problems. Successful people are just better than the average person at dealing with the same kinds of problems you and I face everyday.

So if you are dealing with difficult problems, imagine yourself sitting in front of Srila Prabhupada as he instructs you to be more determined to follow Krsna consciousness and then asks you, “What is the difficulty?” That one question can make the biggest problems appear insignificant.

“Exercise”

Here are some questions to answer that will help you move forward.

1) What specifically is holding you back from making or following through on a resolution?

2) What must you do to overcome what’s holding you back?

3) Which of these will you pursue, what will you do, and when (write down on your a calendar or daytimer what you will do and when you will do it)?

4) If you don’t get anywhere, go back to question one.


Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=5031

By Sesa Das

OK, I admit it. I’m a junkie, a New Year’s resolutions junkie. Every year I make so many resolutions, and every year I fail to keep them. I know I am not alone in this. Is there a support group out there?!

This pesky little urge to make a commitment to a project or to reforming a habit to mark the beginning of each New Year is not new and seems to be quite universal. Brooke Williams’ article, The History Behind New Year’s Resolutions, published in The Colonnade, The Official Student Newspaper of Georgia College and State University, gives this history, “…the tradition of the New Year’s resolution was created by the Babylonians 4,000 years ago. The first day of the year for this ancient civilization was March 23 and one of its popular resolutions was to return something borrowed from a friend during the previous year…The Romans celebrated the New Year on Jan. 1 and shared a similar tradition with the Babylonians. A common resolution in ancient Rome was to ask forgiveness from enemies of the past year. The Chinese New Year has been celebrated for thousands of years as well. Their New Year is somewhere between late January and early February, one of their resolution customs is housecleaning, which tops many modern-day New Year’s resolution lists. Whether or not these civilizations took their resolutions seriously and always achieved what they resolved to do is unknown. Today many resolutions are made with the best intentions, but the majority are not actually met.”

Yeah, I know all about the failures. According to a recent survey conducted by Quirkologist (one who studies the curious science of everyday lives) Richard Wiseman, as reported on www.quirkology.com, which tracked over 3000 people attempting to achieve a range of resolutions, including losing weight, visiting the gym, quitting smoking, and drinking less, “At the start of the study, 52% of participants were confident of success. One year later, only 12% actually achieved their goal.”

These statistics tell only half the story. Please understand, its not that I am just looking for help in a support group, I have years of experience that may help others. Here are a couple of things I know.

First, the reason why most people even try making resolutions is a the cyclical chain of dissatisfaction followed by the consuming desire for a fresh start in some area of their lives, and The New Year provides a great opportunity to remake ourselves. The problem is that most, why most, all, people are concerned only with an external conception of themselves, and thus their resolutions focus of superficial changes. The US government’s Office of Citizen Services and Communications reports, “The most popular resolutions in the Western world include to quit tobacco smoking, stop excessive drinking of alcohol, lose weight, and get physically fit.” Such external changes will never satisfy the real you, and keeps you locked in this repeating cycle of making and breaking resolutions.

Second, following on the first point, is something I learned in the school of hard knocks. Success is about priorities. Success will only come when you have your priorities straight.

There is an interesting lesson about priorities in the Srimad Bhagavatam. As the story goes, Lord Vishnu in disguise as Vamanadeva, a dwarf brahmana, goes to beg charity from Bali, the conqueror of the entire universe. Coming fact to face with Bali, Vamanadeva makes a strange request. He asks for only three paces of land, and that according to His footprints. Bali scuffs at this puny request and tells Vamanadeva he can offer his planets or all the wealth in the universe. Bali chides Vamanadeva, saying He doesn’t know either his (Bali’s) power, or His (Vamanadeva’s) own best interest. In reply Vamanadeva gives the following instruction that is relevant to all those who make New Year’s resolutions.

“One should be satisfied with whatever he achieves by his previous destiny, for discontent can never bring happiness. A person who is not self-controlled will not be happy even with possessing the three worlds.

Material existence causes discontent in regard to fulfilling one’s lusty desires and achieving more and more money. This is the cause for the continuation of material life, which is full of repeated birth and death. But one who is satisfied by that which is obtained by destiny is fit for liberation from this material existence.”

Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 19, Texts 24-25

The lesson: understanding the nature of this material world, the nature of the real self as being spirit soul naturally different from the dissatisfactory experiences of the material world, and striving by means of internal change for lasting spiritual satisfaction, are the real priorities for everyone. Everything else will follow.

Now, obviously this is easier said than done. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be looking for a support group. Fortunately, I do have an idea where to find my support group. They gather daily at the local Hare Krishna temple for classes on Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. So this year my New Year’s resolution is going to be to attend Srimad Bhagavatam class every morning.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=92526

1) ( omitted )
2) To see myself as a survivor rather than a victim.
3) To see how I truly am the architect of my own destiny and how my feeling, thinking and willing determine how my life takes shape.
4) I resolve to reaffirm my dedication to Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON with a view to take very seriously his statement that ISKCON is his body and become determined to heal that body or die trying.
5) I resolve to set my sights on the highest possible goal. Srila Prabhupada said he would know his movement was successful if even one of his disciples became a pure devotee. My chances to satisfy this desire of my gurudeva are about as good as a snowflake in hell. Nonetheless I resolve to try or die trying.
6) I resolve to see how any apparent setback or difficulty in my life is there by Krishna’s arrangement and is really just an opportunity for me to rededicate myself to Krishna Consciousness and simply become more serious about my service to guru and Gauranga.
7) To decrease my eating and sleeping and learn to control my tongue by giving more attention to the quality of my chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
8) To make myself more available to anyone who wants support or encouragement in their effort to serve the devotees.
9) To do more to help the devotees distribute Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental literature all over the world.
10) To deepen my faith in the words of Srila Prabhupada and internally challenge and ultimately eradicate any tendency to minimize or neglect his orders.
11) To be strict with myself and always lenient with others.
12) To engage in more interfaith dialogue with members of a wide variety of approaches to God consciousness.
13) To be more effective in my efforts to present the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness to family members.
14) To be more vigilant in my efforts to use every waking moment to advance in Krishna Consciousness.
15) To eat only Bhagavat Prasad and be less distracted by mundane news and worldly events.
16) To become absorbed in Krishna Katha.
17) To fully curtail any tendency to engage in gossip or rumor.
18) To arrange my schedule so I can attend all temple programs without fail.
19) To participate more in Krishna Conscious festivals.
20) To be more gentle, peaceful and kind in all my dealings with my Godbrothers and Godsisters and Godnephews and Godnieces.
21) To always feel and voice my gratitude for the remarkable and rare opportunity I have to engage in Krishna Consciousness and actually develop love for God.
22) To see that anyone I take to be a demon is really only the external manifestation of some anartha or aparada that I have not yet eliminated from my sadhana.
23) To only use my natural built-in fault finding propensity to find fault with someone who is not yet chanting Hare Krishna, knowing full well that the minute anyone says Hare Krishna even once, they are well situated on the path to enlightenment and can no longer be subject to criticism.
24) To avoid my tendency to try to enjoy Krishna Consciousness and redirect any increase in energy back into my devotional service.
25) To seriously practice seminal continence and properly manage my ojas shakti in order to develop brahma tejas and, in that way, be a more effective preacher.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=5043

“Maintaining the prominence of Srila Prabhupada in ISKCON.”

Kuladri Prabhu’s talk centers on Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON’s founder-acharya and eternal link, emphasizing the extraordinary magnitude of what one pure devotee accomplished in a short lifetime. Rather than philosophical analysis, he shares historical reflections and personal reminiscences to illustrate Srila Prabhupada’s surrender, determination, humility, and empowerment.

Key themes include:

Srila Prabhupada’s early life: his birth just after Krishna Janmashtami, his father’s deep devotion and prayers that his son serve Srimati Radharani, and early signs of leadership such as organizing childhood Ratha-yatra festivals.

Meeting Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in 1922, receiving initiation in 1933, and accepting the order to preach in English, print books, and spread Lord Chaitanya’s message without waiting for material qualifications like wealth or political change.

Renunciation and perseverance: living simply in Vrindavan, translating sacred texts under austere conditions, publishing Back to Godhead, and realizing that fulfilling the guru’s order was his sole purpose in life.

Journey to the West: traveling penniless on the Jaladuta at an advanced age, enduring heart attacks at sea, offering heartfelt prayers of surrender, and arriving in America with no apparent success for nearly a year.

Establishing ISKCON: gradual connections, early disciples, adapting preaching for a Western audience, creating devotional art, forming a society where none existed, and eventually spreading Krishna consciousness globally.

Personal service stories: Kuladri Prabhu recounts intimate moments caring for Srila Prabhupada during illness, learning lessons in compassion, attentiveness, humility, and “doing things nicely,” as well as experiences related to temple construction, altars, and preserving Prabhupada’s lotus footprints.

Legacy and empowerment: Srila Prabhupada’s worldwide impact—temples, books, devotees, festivals like Ratha-yatra on Fifth Avenue—and his tireless compassion as the personification of divine mercy.

The talk concludes with heartfelt glorification of Srila Prabhupada as a fully surrendered servant of Krishna, an eternal associate empowered to deliver the holy name across the globe, and the indispensable link through whom devotion to Krishna is received.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=116923

2nd Generation

“I have built the skyscraper skeleton, now you all intelligent American and European boys and girls fill in the spaces nicely in good taste. Do not deviate from our high standard.” (Letter to Sridama, 22 Dec 1971)

3rd Generation
• If the second generation has created the basis for unity, the diversity should now be explained and harmoniously formulated. • Direct witnesses of the founder’s activities arc disappearing.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=116930

In society in general there is not much focus on God. We find so many different traditions of faith but none of them give a deep understanding of our real purpose or a proper process for spiritual advancement. Vaishnava devotees feel very indebted to Srila Prabhupda for giving crucial answers to life’s questions. In this film we hear devotees in Bergamo, Italy talking about how they feel inspired by Srila Prabhupada and how he has given them so much solace in their lives. It was a nice experience to go there and make a film about their society.

“If we want to unwrap the real meaning of Christmas, then we need to look beneath the tinsel and feel grateful to the Giver of all things before even opening the box.” – Rukmini Devi Dasi.

In this reflective talk, Rukmini Devi Dasi explores gratitude as a transformative spiritual practice that brings happiness, deeper relationships, and a richer sense of meaning in life. Drawing from her decades of service within ISKCON and her experiences across cultures, she frames gratitude not as a sentiment, but as an awakened way of seeing—recognizing life itself as a series of divine gifts. Speaking during the Christmas season in India, she connects the spirit of giving associated with Christmas to the universal principle of appreciating divine mercy. To watch, click the image below.

As the visionary founder of the Urban Devi Collective, Rukmini Devi Dasi has established a vibrant platform that resonates with seekers from all walks of life.  Rukmini serves on the Board of Directors of the Bhakti Center and the Board of Trustees of the Bhaktivedanta College in Belgium, and is a member of the esteemed SABHA, an international committee that advises the Governing Body Commission of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

This was originally published on Rukmini’s website. To read more of her reflections and learn about upcoming events, click here

 

In Expert Take: When the Supreme Court Reopens What Appeared Closed, Advocate-on-Record at the Supreme Court Vibhav Mishra discusses the rare decision by India’s Supreme Court to reopen a case long thought finally decided. The article centres on a 25-year dispute over the control of the Hare Krishna Hill temple in Bengaluru.

In May 2025, a Supreme Court bench ruled in favour of ISKCON Bengaluru, ending the decades-long battle. That judgment seemed to close the matter — until a review petition filed by ISKCON Mumbai led the top court to reconsider, after a split opinion among judges prompted the Chief Justice to refer the petition to a three-judge bench for open-court review.

You can read the whole post here.

Source: https://iskconnews.org/when-final-isnt-final-supreme-court-revisits-iskcon-case/