Hera Panchami is a unique festival associated with famous Rathayatra of Puri. ‘Hera’ means to ‘see’ and ‘Panchami’ means the ‘fifth day’. It is celebrated at Gundicha temple on the fifth day from the start date of the cart festival.
This festival is dedicated to Goddess Mahalaxmi. The temple of Lord Jagannatha is known as Sri Mandira. “Sri” means Laxmi, so the name of the temple as “Srimandira” signifies the fact that Mahalaxmi is the principal Goddess of the Grand Temple. This ritual highlight
Water is life.
The shortage of water gravely endangers the ecology of our planet. To address this impending threat exacerbated by climate change, the need for adaptation strategies, innovative and sustainable water management solutions are paramount.
Gokuldham, a unique and picturesque eco-village near Belgaum Karnataka, India, uses simple, effective and environmentally friendly methods of conserving and recharging ground water, that align with ecotheology.
Scaling up and replicating such proje
Devotees from around the UK, including the Hare Krishna Festival Team, Food for All and monks from Bhaktivedanta Manor joined forces to make most welcome presence during the famous Glastonbury Festival.
Devotees cooked and distributed 2500 plates of prasad (sanctified vegetarian for) a day, sang kirtan for 6 hours every day followed by a 2 hour hare Nama procession around the huge site. If that were not enough, over 1000 copies of Srila Prabhupada’s books were distributed to interested festival
Priya Gopinath Das, General Secretary for ISKCON Mayapur, has released the following urgent request to devotees: “I am writing to seek prayers from around the world for Myanmar. The country has been facing a severe crisis due to political and armed conflicts for over two years. This turmoil has displaced millions and has now been compounded by natural disasters, including the devastating flooding in Myitkyina, Kachin State. Many devotees from the ISKCON community have also become victims of t
By MAN-Tra Team
Mark your calendar, tell your friends, and prepare for a memorable weekend this September 20-22, 2024, for the Annual MAN-tra Men’s Retreat in New Vrindaban, West Virginia. The popular annual event promises to be a spiritually uplifting gathering for all devotee men. But don’t wait too long, as early bird registration ends on July 31st.
What can you expect at this year’s retreat? Special guest presentations and workshops by Sri Prahlada Das, Prasannatma Das, Yadunatha Das, and B
Well, it was my first time ever to take a swim in the Vancouver Island outdoors. It was a pleasure to get a relief from physical stress based on my irregular schedules, the flying and all that. Gadadhar, Manohorini and their wonderful pooch, Yogi, that headed for the Chemainus River at a spot ideal, humanless. It's waters come from the mountains and before they hit the ocean, we has our moment.
This is indeed downtime.
Where that waters of people came in for today was at the Unity Hall, now re
By Radha Mohan
On behalf of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Nila Madhava das officially presented “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” to the Speaker of the House of Commons Rt. Hon. Sir Linsey Hoyle MP and Mr Shailesh Vara on Friday 24th May 2024.
This copy of the Bhagavad-Gita, with translations and purports by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, can now be used in the House of Commons for when Hindu MPs swear in and take a Parliamentary Oath, following their election.
“…It is with grea
By Atma Tattva Das
ISKCON’s Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture will be holding its next “Taking Care of Krishna’s Cows” course beginning July 15th, 2024. Kalakantha Das, its global minister, emphasized the importance of this course, stating, “The goal is to standardize cow protection practices in ISKCON and provide guidance to our goshalas. This training will also serve as a valuable resource for new devotees interested in this activity.”
The course, which spans six weeks with bi-weekl
On June 26, 2024, ISKCON community members from all over the world gathered in Ujjain to honor the departure of His Holiness Rupa Raghunath Swami Maharaj, a disciple of Lokanath Swami and a revered ISKCON sannyasi who passed away on June 22, 2024, in Bhopal, India. The ceremony was filled with devotion and deep respect, reflecting Maharaj’s profound impact on his followers and the ISKCON movement.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/honoring-the-departure-of-rupa-raghunath-swami/
By Gopika Radhika Devi Dasi
The year was 2009. A fledgling library and research center were inaugurated on June 28th by Jayapataka Swami, Bhakti Charu Swami, Jananivas Dasa, and Hari Sauri Dasa. Fast forward to 2024, and it has expanded to three thriving centers in Kolkata, Pune, and Mumbai, as well as branches in Puri, Govardhana, and New York. Its sphere of activities has expanded exponentially, with various prestigious collaborations and several awards recognizing its contributions.
The res
I landed in Vancouver at 10:35 am. My boarding time for Nanaimo on the Island was for 10:35, hence the rush was on for a mere 10 minute flight. Gadhadar was there to greet me in style with a kurta top and green dhoti bottom with gold trim. Walking off through the Nanaimo terminal, the tinniest you could imagine, the two of us were a sight from another world.
A lunch appointment was set for the home of Tamalie and Walter. Walter we met at the beach at Departure Bay and, there, at a majestic
By Rasanand Das
Nature of this material world is suffering: Everyone from a lowest level of living being up to mankind in this material world is suffering. Lord Krishna has declared in Bhagavad-Gita dukhalayam asasvatam (BG 8.15), that the nature of this world, when we are in ignorance of our true self, is suffering. Since everything is emanating from the Lord, it cannot be denied that there is no enjoyment in this material world, but the enjoyment of this material world is temporary, flickerin
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
74/06/27 Melbourne, Bhagavad-gita 3.27
(Town Hall)
Srila Prabhupada: (leads chanting of “om namo bhagavate vasudevaya”)
prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]
Krsna says that all these living entities… We are all living entities… Actually, every one of us is spirit soul, living entities. It does not matter whether I am a human being or other than human being, lower animals, birds, b
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Art of Kirtan, launched in May 2024, is an online music school and heritage project. The initiative is headed by Bada Haridas, who has been leading and teaching kirtan for the past 50 years and is a professionally trained musician and composer. His wife, Kosarupa Dasi, manages the project, marketing, and fundraising, with assistance from their two adult children, Sri Gaura Mani and Nitai Sharana.
Bada Haridas and Visvambhar Sheth are the founding teachers of th
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Food for Life Vrindavan (FFLV) has been empowering thousands of girls in Vrindavan and surrounding areas for years. Recently, one of the students, Nandini, won the prestigious “Student of the Year Award.”
Nandini said, “I’m thrilled to get the Student of the Year award! Thanks to my school and teachers for believing in me and giving me the chance to shine. Receiving this award is like a dream come true for me. It’s not just my success; it’s a victory for ever
One of the main purposes for being on Vancouver Island is to honour the marriage of a fine couple - Tony and Jennifer. Jennifer has a Sanskrit name that I gave her some years back - Nitai Priya, which means "one who is dear to Nityananda, the saint." I wrote them a poem.
A Wedding
There is this very sweet wedding
Arranged in a host heavenly setting
Two people both quite special
Stirring up a joy festival
Both decided it's about time
To hear the bells chime
And tie the inevitable knot
To
Many joyful adventures took place daily while traveling with Srila Prabhupada. So much nectar flowed from the regulated activities of personally serving our glorious Gurudeva. Who could imagine anything more wonderful than cooking, massaging and tending to the needs of His Divine Grace, except for being present when His Divine Grace exhibited ecstatic symptoms? It was the rarest of treasures. These exceptional events invariably took place while Srila Prabhupada sat on his Vyasasana in the templ
Free will expressed in a "two-way" exchange of loving reciprocation, is the real basis and meaning of personalism and surrender, meant for the individual jiva-souls to be always voluntarily engaged in loving service to Krsna eternally.
On the Vaikuntha planets of Viṣṇu/Narayana, and Krsna’s central Abode of Goloka Vrindavana, personal voluntary contributions (service) expressed through free will, are always encouraged by Krsna to create diversity and a two-way reciprocal relationship of loving ex
Whether we are neophytes or advanced, association of pure devotees is crucial for our spiritual progress.
The pure devotees of the Lord carry the message of Godhead in order to deliver the fallen souls, and therefore the common man who is bewildered by the influence of the external energy of the Lord should avail himself of their association.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.5.4, purport)
The Science Behind Krishna Consciousness
Srila Prabhupada often referred to bhakti-yoga as “the science of Krishna con
Loving Krishna means loving everyone because Krsna is in their heart. Conversely, applying that logic backwards, if you don’t love everyone, it means that you are not loving Krsna. Using the root and leaves example, if the leaves are looking healthy, it is to be understood that the root is receiving nourishment.
In SB, eleventh canto, it is explained that only the kanishta or neophyte sees Krsna in the temple, but not in the hearts of all, and fails to respect and develop loving relationships w
