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The Strange Story of Usika Das

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Swarup das (ACBSP): This story is from my memoirs (that I’ve been trying to consolidate into a book for the past few years).
I met Usika at the Henry Street, Brooklyn temple in ‘71. At the time his name was Ezekiel. He was initiated and given the name Usika in July of that year when Srila Prabhupada came to Brooklyn. Unlike just about all of us who were in our 20’s .. Usika was either just south or north of 50. He was crotchety, moody, cynical and impatient when it came to his dealings with “you

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By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi,

India’s Union Home and Cooperation Minister of India Shri Amit Shah visited ISKCON’s spiritual world headquarters at Mayapur (West Bengal) on February 18, 2026, as part of the yearlong celebrations commemorating the 152nd Jayanti of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. The celebrations are being organized by the Saraswata Gaudiya Vaishnava Association (SGVA), a confederation of over 50 Saraswata Gaudiya Vaishnava organizations across India. The event drew d

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By Rasika Ramana Dasa   

What kept an ancient civilization alive despite centuries of brutal invasion and subjugation? What gave its people the strength to remain chaste and faithful to their traditions even in a hostile and volatile political environment? And from the other side—how would their deep spiritual fervour appear to an invader from a foreign faith, curious yet unfamiliar with India’s spiritual pulse? Was there ever a possibility of dialogue between the two worlds?

These questions hav

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By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi,

The 21-Day Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Reading Challenge is an online scripture study initiative associated with Vedavarsity, an educational platform functioning under In Service of Srimad Bhagavatam (INSS). The program is structured as a three-week reading experience centered on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam beginning on March 18, 2026 and continuing for 21 consecutive days until April 7, 2026.

The initiative is the vision of Brajsundar Das, who, after traveling to 174 cities acro

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13402700086?profile=RESIZE_400xFrom Back to Godhead

By Guru Dasa (Gurudev D. Allin), a disciple of His Holiness Bhaktimarga Swami.

“Oh, God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.” Shakespeare’s Hamlet, 2.2 (First Folio) This line from Hamlet nicely sums up the absurdity of our delusions of self-importance. I wrote this meditation on the importance of humility as part of my effort to shake my own delusions of knowledge and significance.

Human nature seem

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31092937672?profile=RESIZE_584xBy Dina-Palika Devi Dasi

The Karuna Care Association is pleased to announce an upcoming online course designed especially for ISKCON leaders and those serving in community roles: Trauma Informed Leadership. This six-week program offers practical insight and spiritual context for understanding trauma and its impact on individuals, relationships, and temple communities.

As awareness grows around the effects of trauma on emotional well-being and spiritual life, leaders are increasingly called to re

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31092936681?profile=RESIZE_584xBy Prabhupada Ashraya Dasa 

ISKCON Aravade recently celebrated the 52nd anniversary of its annual Hare Krishna festival, a tradition that began in 1974 on the direct instructions of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada to his disciples.  

What started with just two devotees chanting and distributing prasadam in a small village has now grown into one of Maharashtra’s largest devotional gatherings, drawing nearly 25,000 participants from across the state.

Read more:  https:/

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Sri Govinda and City Palace by Ramai Swami

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There are many deities of our Goswamis in Jaipur. For example, Sri Govinda was originally installed in Vrindavan nearly 5,000 years ago by Lord Krishna’s great-grandson, Vrajanabha. Govinda is one of the four presiding Deities of Vraja-mandala, who was re-discovered and worshiped by Rupa Goswami.

Govinda was later brought to the city of Amber, near Jaipur, by Maharaja Jai Singh II to protect the Deity from destruction at the hands of the Muslim emperor Aurangzeb. Jai Singh’s grandfather had orig

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By Dr. J. Chakrabarty, Florida State University

The concept of evolution of species, generally attributed to Charles Darwin, actually had its origin thousands of years ago in ancient India, and formed the basis of the illuminating philosophy of the Vedas. Since Darwin lived at a time when the profundity of the Indian wisdom already made an indelible impression on the minds of the western savants, it is hard to imagine how Darwin could possibly have escaped the compelling influence of the Indian

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The world around us is changing at an ever-increasing rate. The notion of keeping up with the changing world may have relevance in devotional service. But is this perspective relevant in all areas of our practices of bhakti? Are there some elements of devotional service that must always be constant? Srila Prabhupada wrote:

The greatest danger to our movement will come when we manufacture and create our own process for worshiping the deities. … Whatever is going on, follow it just to the exact

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By Ananth Krishnan for the Hindu.com

In and around Quanzhou, a bustling industrial city, there are shrines that historians believe may have been part of a network of more than a dozen Hindu temples and shrines

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A panel of inscriptions of the God Narasimha adorns the entrance to the main shrine of the temple, believed to have been installed by Tamil traders who lived in Quanzhou in the 13th century. Photo: Ananth Krishnan

For the residents of Chedian, a few thousand-year-old village of muddy by

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By Praghosa dasa

Using the principle of unity in diversity as given by Srila Prabhupada, what might a more federal ISKCON model look like?

In essence, the global GBC would set the core non negotiable standards related to philosophy, teachings and principles, while allowing different regions to adjust other aspects of ISKCON life based on cultural considerations. All based on Srila Prabhupada’s desire for ‘unity in diversity’

Such an affiliate/federal ISKCON model would balance strict adherence t

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By Premanjana Das  

Mayapur Academy successfully concluded its International Diploma in Deity Worship on February 5, 2026, marking the completion of four months of immersive training for 52 students from 15 countries. The program, inaugurated on October 10, 2025, was launched to nurture a generation of pujaris dedicated to the loving service of Sri Krishna with purity, precision, and philosophical depth. The course emphasized that deity worship is not merely a ritualistic practice but a personal

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31092557265?profile=RESIZE_584xBy Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi, 

In a milestone for ISKCON’s archival and research efforts, the Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) has successfully completed the first phase of preserving and digitizing Śrīla Prabhupāda’s personal library, the books our Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, consulted while composing his transcendental works that have transformed millions of lives worldwide.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/brc-digitizes-and-restores-srila-

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Iskcon Jaipur by Ramai Swami

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After Mayapur, Vasusrestha and I traveled to Jaipur and stayed at our Iskcon temple there. Pancaratna, the temple president whom we know from the old days when he was in Australia, greeted us.

I hadn’t been in over twenty years so it was wonderful to see the big new temple and beautiful deities. We stayed in the guest house and had prasadam at Govindas restaurant. All in all it was a fabulous experience.

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Source: https://ramaiswami.com/iskcon-jaipur/

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Evolution Or Production? By Jnana Dasa

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From Back to Godhead

Implicit in current theories of evolution are two basic assumptions: first, that the myriad living forms have come into being exclusively by chance and the action of natural laws; and second, that consciousness and all life processes are nothing more than physiochemical interactions. In many arenas, both within and without the academic world, a debate is raging to determine the truth or falsehood of evolutionary theory and its implied assumptions. And for good reason. For i

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Chanting for Liberation

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By His Divine Grace ACBS Srila Prabhupada

A conversation about the Hare Krsna mantra between Srila Prabhupada and John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison

Montreal Star, June, 1969:
Reporter: Where do you get your strength?
John Lennon: From Hare Krsna.
Yoko: That’s where we get it from, you know. We’re not denying it.

In September 1969. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya (spiritual master) of the Hare Krsna movement, arrived as a house guest at Tittenhurst Park, the beautifu

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By Taraka Dasa

It is with deep sadness that we share the news that our dear Godbrother and friend Ekanātha dāsa, long-time servant of the Bhaktivedanta Archives, has suddenly departed from this world due to heart failure. His passing is a great loss for ISKCON and for all devotees who study and rely upon the teachings of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. I was just about to write to him when I learned that he passed away on Ekādaśī afternoon.
Many younger devotees may not kn

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HH Mahavishnu Swami – Health Update

31091449074?profile=RESIZE_400xKathmandu
Dear Devotees,
Recent reports indicate that Maharaj has tested POSITIVE for influenza, which could complicate his current condition (pneumonia and sepsis) if proper precautions are not maintained.
Maharaj kindly recorded this video message for all the devotees.
Please continue your heartfelt prayers and chanting for Maharaj’s recovery.
On the hospital’s advice, we humbly request all devotees NOT to visit the hospital for the next few days for the safety of Maharaj and your own, as this

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