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Vaishnava Arts Council Reaches out to British Devotee Artists

An exclusive event in Bhaktivedanta Manor’s Theater this February 9th will launch the Vaishnava Arts Council UK (VAC), which aims to represent British devotee artists, and connect them with each other and with potential clients.

About forty devotees representing various areas of the arts will attend, including writers, musicians, actors, dancers, film-makers, producers, fine artists, illustrators, photographers, brand consultants, and

Lord Krishna's devotees are dear to Lord Shiva and Lord Shiva is dear to them

Jai Srila Prabhupada

Becoming Free from Sex Desire

By Stephen Knapp

            The greatest happiness for the soul starts with complete freedom: freedom from misery, unhappiness, suffering, freedom from the dictates of desires, and, ultimately, freedom from being trapped in a material body. But what keeps us ensnared in such a condition are the desires for sensual and mental pleasures. And the hardest freedom to attain is freedom from sex desire.

Yoga is for attaining this kind of complete freedom. However, this mea

While Europe, as if weary of its medieval concepts of God, turned with new interest toward man and the mundane, a spiritual revolution in India—destined to spread worldwide—was revealing the dynamic nature of the Absolute Truth.

Europe in the fifteenth century was undergoing that awesome social and cultural transformation that the historian Jules Michelet, looking back in reverence, named the Renaissance, the “rebirth.” That long medieval period, with its vision so entranced by splendid images of

10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer
Write.
Write more.
Write even more.
Write even more than that.
Write when you don’t want to.
Write when you do.
Write when you have something to say.
Write when you don’t.
Write every day.
Keep writing.

      Since past few years i am nursing a secret desire within my heart. I would like to confess today. I know I am no Hemingway or Shakespeare for that matter. But definitely i have been always a voracious reader of books. No wonder then when the thought came

BBT Sales Rebound in 2010

Despite a dire economic situation in the U.S., the North American branch of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust—ISKCON’s publishing arm—saw sales soar last year, its best since 2004.

Selling over $1 million worth of books on Krishna consciousness, the company, established by ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada in 1972, saw a thirty-two per cent increase in sales since 2008.

The BBT’s best years were 1973 to 1977, each of which yielded sales of around $4 million worth of books. Of

HARE KRISHNA -THE ELIXIR OF LIFE

    Oh people of this world who feel the hot sun of suffering burning down your head. Oh people of this world who have no one to turn to. Oh people of this world who are struggling to keep body and soul together. oh people of this world who have nothing to look forward in life. Oh people of this world for whom the beginning of each day is like a heavy burden on the head and who would prefer death then living. Who choose to commit suicide rather than face life head

"G u r u     m u k h     p a d m a     v a k y a"

Vaishnava aparadh: Krsna takes it so seriously ……………….Nectarean Mellows

So therefore Srila Prabhupada is giving us this very very vital instruction, that real non-violence is not just ceasing murder and bloodshed. That’s the grossest form of non-violence. But vaisnava aparadha that is violence not only of the body but can be violence of the mouth; speaking in such a way to hurt another person’s heart out of carelessness or out of envy or out of ego

namas te narasiḿhāya   
prahlādāhlāda-dāyine
hiraṇyakaśipor vakṣaḥ-
śilā-ṭańka-nakhālaye

 ito nṛsiḿhaḥ parato nṛsiḿho

yato yato yāmi tato nṛsiḿhaḥ
bahir nṛsiḿho hṛdaye nṛsiḿho
nṛsiḿham ādiḿ śaraṇaḿ prapadye

tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-śṛńgaḿ

dalita-hiraṇyakaśipu-tanu-bhṛńgam

keśava dhṛta-narahari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare

Lord Krishna is the central and most powerful God in the Hindu pantheon. He represents all aspects of Human emotion. He is also the creator as well as the destroyer. Lord Krishna is omnipresentin Hindu thought and philosophy. He is the most powerful of the Gods and his presence is all pervading. He is also a God who was a non-Brahman and the Bhagwad Gita or the Song Divine is attributed to him. The Bhagwad Gita lays down the essence of the Hindu faith and brings out the immortality of the soul.

T

By
His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami (Calcutta)

The word pada-yatra literally means to walk on foot. In early India people used to travel by chariot, horseback, elephant, bullock-cart, or palanquin. But saintly persons, having renounced such worldly comforts, would travel by foot. Their main concern was to teach the glories of God to the conditioned living entities and thereby deliver them from their miserable materialistic lives. Walking was the best means of contacting the common people and accom

ये रथ जा रहा किस ओर

कहाँ चले हे नंदकिशोर.

जा रहा क्यूं व्रज को तू छोड़

हमसे सारे रिश्तों को तोड़.

ज़रा बता दे गलती हमारी

हो गया क्या हमसे कसूर.

क्षण का विरह सहा नही जाता

जा रहा तू अब इतनी दूर.

दिन को बांसुरी बजा बुलाया

रात को संग में रास रचाया.

कैसी आग लगी मथुरा में कि

तूने आज वो सब कुछ भुलाया.

प्यार था तेरा या था छलावा

अपनापन का था वो दिखावा.

हम तो ठहरी गावं की ग्वालन

प्रेम समझ उसे सिर पे चढ़ाया.

व्रज के रक्षक कहलाते थे और

आज प्राण हमारे लिए जा रहे.

हम हुए थे तेरे सबको छोड़

आज जाके अपनी किसे कहे.

निकुंज की बा

Sri Radhe-Krsna's playful pastimes (vihara) - Kosi(Kosivana)

Once, Sri Krsna was so eager to meet Srimati Radhika that He knocked on Her door. From inside the house, Srimati Radhika asked,"Ko'si?(Who are You?)"

Sri Krsna replied," I am Krsna."
The word krsna also happens to mean "black snake". Radhika therefore said," If You are a black snake, then why come here? Do You want to bite me? Go to the forest. You have no purpose here."

"No Priyatama, I am Ghanasyama."
Radhika decided to take ghanasyama

The literal meaning of the Sanskrit word “prasadam” is mercy. So when we say “Krishna prasadam” we are referring to Krishna’s mercy.

To understand what prasadam is we need to clear up a common misconception. Generally we are under the impression that we are the owners of the things that we posses and these things are meant for our enjoyment. And t

Dear Vaishnavas, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Bhaktivedanta College Radhadesh has an opening for the position of Course Director for the new degree in Business Administration (BBA). If you want to be part of an enthusiastic team offering a vibrant service to Srila Prabhupada, in a well-established spiritual community, then please announce your interest. We would be happy to send additional information. This is a full time position, but we may consider oth

ISKCON Painters Feature Krishna in California Art Exhibit

Dhriti and Ramadas Abhiram are talking to one of the admirers of their art

Over one hundred people attended the reception for a new art exhibit by ISKCON artists Ramadasa Abhirama Dasa and his wife Dhriti Dasi, at the Exeter Courthouse Gallery and Museum in Central California this January 9th.

The show, entitled “A Marriage of Art,” included thirty-six landscape and figurative paintings by both artists, as well as ten of Vrindavana and fo