A concise refresher on Lord Krishna’s immortal teachings.
In 1968 His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada published the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, which has since sold tens of millions of copies in dozens of languages. As a lifetime devotee of Krishna and a consummate Sanskritist, Srila Prabhupada spells out the clear conclusions of the Gita that are often obscured by arms-length commentators with their own agenda. Srila Prabhupada’s purports (commentaries) illum
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
The ISKCON History Archive Project, led by Lokarama Das, is an initiative endeavoring to collect memories and build an archive about ISKCON’s history following Srila Prabhupada’s departure in 1977, which has remained largely undocumented.
While the early years of the movement, under Srila Prabhupada’s leadership, have been well-documented by multiple books, including the multi-volume Prabhupada Lilamrita, the decades that followed were not, explained Lokarama.
We shall discuss the conversation between Sri Ramananda Raya and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, ramananda-samvada, recorded in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Eight: “Talks Between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya.”
TEXT 1
sancarya ramabhidha-bhakta-meghe
sva-bhakti-siddhanta-cayamrtani
gaurabdhir etair amuna vitirnais
taj-jnatva-ratnalayatam prayati
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is known as Gauranga, is the ocean of all conclusive knowledge in devotional servi
Five hundred years ago in the district of Puri, in the village of Bentapur adjacent to Brahmagiri Alalanatha, there lived a great devotee named Bhavananda Raya.
Bhavananda had five sons, the eldest of which was Ramananda. Descendants of this family-line are known as Choudhurya Pattanayaka. It is said that Lord Caitanya visited the birth-place of Ramananda in Alalanatha every year.
Ramananda was the Governor of East and West Godavari and a minister of King Prataparudra.
A great statesman of that
We continue our discussion of the conversation between Sri Ramananada Raya and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, ramananda-samvada, recorded in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Eight: “Talks Between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya.”
TEXT 1
sancarya ramabhidha-bhakta-meghe
sva-bhakti-siddhanta-cayamrtani
gaurabdhir etair amuna vitirnais
taj-jnatva-ratnalayatam prayati
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is known as Gauranga, is the ocean of all conclusive knowledge in de
Today is an auspicious day in Krishna consciousness. Of course, every day is auspicious in Krishna consciousness. When we first arrived in India, in Bombay, Srila Prabhupada was invited to a program on the lawn of an aristocratic gentleman’s house. Most of us went ahead, and Srila Prabhupada followed with a few disciples. When we arrived, our hosts told us, “It is very auspicious that you have come today, because today is a holy day.” We had never heard of the holy day and were somewhat doubtfu
SRI RAMANANDA RAYA
A MOST CONFDENTIAL ASSOCIATE OF LORD SRI CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU
Sri Ramananda Raya was the Governor of the Rajamahendri (present day Rajahmundry of Andhra Pradesh at the bank of river Godavari), Godavari Province of Kalinga-Utkala Empire under the King Prataparudra. When Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was setting out on his tour of South India, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya humbly requested his plea to Lord to meet Ramananda Raya. Ramananda Raya was one of the most intimate associates o
Enthusiastic devotees from ISKCON Surkhet recently placed copies of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is and the Krishna book in all the rooms of one of the city’s most beautiful hotels, the Siddhartha Resort.
Surkhet is located in a picturesque valley in the mid-western region of Nepal, about 600 kilometers west of Kathmandu. Known for its natural beauty and growing infrastructure, the city has seen significant growth in the past few decades, ensuring these books will be available to many
Perth, Australia — April 2025:
With hearts full of gratitude and spirits lifted in devotion, over one hundred devotees from across Perth gathered for the fourth annual Bhakti Vriksha Camp, organised by ISKCON Perth, held from April 19 to 21, 2025, at the scenic Bickley Outdoor Recreation Camp in Perth Hills. The retreat marked another profound milestone in the community’s shared spiritual journey.
The event was guided by His Grace Gokuleswar Prabhu, whose insights, compassion, and wisdom infused
In New Jersey the people are encountering a second day of full-on drizzle and rain. Haripad and I managed to sneak out of the house to do some walking around the lake. Again, I informed him of some plants that, like most of us, we don’t notice or ignore as weeds.
“There’s the horsetail plant, good for the nervous system and your bones. It can be used like a tea,” I explained. I also cautioned, “There’s poison ivy. Don’t touch! The rash you’ll get is very irritating. And there’s that i
A. Introduction
1. What is vanaprastha?
The word vanaprastha is composed of the words vana, meaning “forest” and prastha, meaning “to go,” so a vanaprastha is “One has gone to the forest.” Vanaprastha is an asrama in the Vedic varnasrama system. An asrama can be both a physical and mental place and refers to “a place where one cultivates spiritual life, where culture of the spiritual is foremost.”
The vanaprastha order is complete retirement from householder life, a time when one prepares ones
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-prac
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 erran
By Bhakti-lata Dasi
In January 2022, the prison system in the USA started the process of converting all inmate mail to an electronic system. The state of Florida was the first to transition, gradually followed by Texas, then Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In the near future, the other states will follow this trend as well.
This means that most of the inmates in those states are no longer allowed to receive paper letters, books, magazines, and newsletters. All snail
In the Srimad Bhagavatam 7 canto it is said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotee know how to use properly lust, anger, greed, illusion, pride and envy.
In the Bhagavad Gita 3.37, Srila Prabhupada says: “…Therefore the origin of lust is also in the Supreme. If, therefore, lust is transformed into love for the Supreme, or transformed into Krishna consciousness – or, in other words, desiring everything for Krishna – then both lust and wrath can be spiritualized.
Hanuman, the great
By Mohan Lila Das
Hema Malini is an Indian actress and politician currently serving as a member of the Lok Sabha, representing Mathura constituency, to visit ISKCON Naperville.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) of Naperville is delighted to announce a special celebration on Sunday, May 18, marking the second anniversary of the temple’s opening. This commemorative event will be an evening of inspiration, devotion, and community spirit, bringing together supporters and
By Purshotam Dasa and Nimai Devi Dasi
This year, the annual four-day ISKCON Communications Conference was held at Prabhupada Desh, Vicenza, Italy, from May 3–6. It expanded this year to include guests from around the world, as well as eighty participants from Europe.
“It was a great success, thanks to the high numbers of participants,” said Mahaprabhu Dasa, the ISKCON Communications Director in Europe. “Both the topics addressed and the quality of the presentations were interesting and engaging
16 years ago, after graduating from UCL with a management degree, I opted to leave it aside and embrace monastic life instead. Ironically, it’s all come full circle; dealing with people, projects and practicalities is a sizable section on the modern monastic menu. I must have some management karma to burn off. Balancing spiritual immersion and practical politics, however, is incredibly challenging.
You have to be alert, streetwise, tuned in, and sensitive enough to deal with the complexities an
I’m a firm believer that everyone should take a break from the man-made world, even if just for a few minutes every day. For the sake of sanity, the connection is essential. I recall from my visit to Sparta last year, at this time there is a nearby body of water, Lake Sparta. A walk around it is 1.12 kilometres. Notable are the natural elements. No wonder people have made their homes here. Luckily for walkers like me, no homes are built on the lake’s edge, and plentiful gaps of nature bet
As devotees around the world celebrate Nrsimha Chaturdasi, Director Ashwin Kumar announced the summer release date of Mahavatar Narasimha, a stereoscopic 3D film based on Lord Narasimha. The long-awaited film is set for theatrical release on July 25, 2025. You can watch a promo video here.
Recognized for its historical significance in Indian animation, the film was selected as one of the top five Hindi films at the 55th International Film Festival of India. Distributed by Hombale Films, it wil
