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The king had many wives, but, 
strangely, he couldn’t have a son. 
What happened when he finally 
got one was even more strange.

There’s a saying that parents live on through their children. How often we hear, for instance, about a father telling his son, “You’ll be greater than I was,” or, “You should finish what I started.” But, ages ago, the great King Citraketu felt like dying he could not have a son.

Otherwise, while King Citraketu ruled the earth everything went beautifully. Fruit trees h

“I can remember being a young man, a boy, a baby. What was I before that what will I be next?” Mike Robinson of London Broadcasting Company interviews His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Mike Robinson: Can you tell me what you believe what the philosophy of the Hare Krsna movement is?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Krsna consciousness is not a question of belief; it is a science. The first step is to know the difference between a living body and a dead body. What is the difference? Th

Mrs. Sally Rawley, merchandiser: “When I’m nervous I find chanting very calming. I don’t get shaken up at little things.”

Bruce Kleinberg, executive secretary: “Chanting helps you see things in perspective. My outlook is a lot brighter.”

June Lahner, jewelry designer, with son Jason: “Chanting makes me more perceptive, more in harmony with everything and everyone around me.”

Dr. Donald R. Tuck, associate professor, Western Kentucky University: “I’ve noticed that as chanted progress from level t

What a treat!

I am referring to the live theatrical production of Mahabharata, a premiere of the company, Why Not? IT was my first time to see a production in the renowned Shaw Theatre at Niagara-on-the-Lake. I've passed by the theatre several times, and on my first walk in ‘96, it was right there at the edge of this iconic picture-perfect town.

What can I say? The performance was stupendous; Everything about it. Thus far, I viewed part one called “Karma.” Part two, “Dharma,” I'm hoping to see

Here we continue a conversation between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the mother of one of his students,
along with a Jesuit priest. It took place in the garden at Bhaktivedanta Manor, near London, England, on July 25, 1973.

Mother (to Srila Prabhupada): Yes, Father, I understand you are educated on a different platform, as you say no doubt a most sublime and spiritual platform. But aren't you still drawing upon your basic educational background for translating your

All of us–husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, children, students, and teachers have duties, and sometime we begrudge the performance of our duties because we think their execution will impede our personal happiness. But duty is duty, and duty must be done. Even in the cold of winter, one must bathe. And even in the heat of summer, one must cook.

Speaking on Bhagavad-gita 1.27, Srila Prabhupada gave a wonderful example of two heroic souls who adhered to their duties even in the most awkward circu

From Back to Godhead

“My exposure to the young devotees and to Swami Bhaktivedanta as well as the chanting of Hare Krsna has brought me moments of inner peace and has enabled me to live a little more spiritually with my family and in my profession. My two older children also spent some beautiful moments with the Swamiji times we will always treasure.
“It is not necessary to shave your head and to become fully absorbed in the teachings to absorb some of the spiritual vibrations which flow from t

Remembering Not to Forget: But if its amnesia you want, Krishna will give it to you

It’s funny how if you give Krishna, God, an inch, he gives you a mile. I remember in my earliest days as a devotee, I had left the movement for some time. I was home, watching TV with my family. All of a sudden, right on the screen there was an ad for the television station with a photo of New York City streets. There he was, my Godbrother Bhaktivinoda, with a close-up of the Channel Two logo below his chin. I h

At a temple I visit there is a nice devotee who previously was a gangster. While in jail he somehow received a Bhagavad-gita. He didn’t understand much, but enough to now be a devotee.

He recently told me that a friend of his is in a high security prison and is forced to do hard labor. The friend wrote to him, saying that he’d heard about his new life as a monk in a temple.

He said, “I need help. This place is driving me nuts. If I don’t get some type of help, I’m going to go backwards [take my

Sri Rama-navami
A Talk by Giriraj Swami
April 6, 2001
Ojai, California

The original Personality of Godhead is Krishna, and He manifests Himself in different forms. One such manifestation is Lord Ramachandra. When Krishna appeared in His original form He acted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas when He appeared as Rama He acted as the ideal king. In fact, the pastimes of Lord Rama display ideals in many ways. Lord Rama appeared as the son of King Dasaratha, and Dasaratha acted as the

Sri Ram Navami celebrations!

We wish you all a very auspicious filled Rama Navami 💥💥💥💥

Sri Rama Navami is always a bigger festival as it is just before the vyasapuja of HH Jayapataka Swami and thousands and thousands of devotees visiting Mayapur for Vyasapuja, come early to take part in Rama Navami also. In the afternoon, we will have an abhisheka to “Shaligram Shila” and arati, Pushpajali offered to Sri Ramchandra.

A very grand procession of Sri Ram, Lakshman, Sita and Hanuman in bullock chari

By Shyamasundara Dasa

For some people the episode of Rama exiling Sita to the forest, while she was five months pregnant, is one of the most disturbing and incomprehensible events in the Ramayana. It seriously tests their faith; and in some cases actually breaks it, leading some to even offend Lord Rama. They forget it is a divine lila and that the Lord has His own reasons for doing what He does, and that they are not always within the purview of our tiny understanding.

To read the entire artic

The Ramayana is one of the two main itihasa - historical epics – of India, along with the Mahabharata. It describes the activities of Krsna’s incarnation Lord Rama, including the kidnapping of His consort Sita by Ravana, King of Lanka, and the subsequent military campaign to release her. Since a substantial amount of the history takes place in Lanka the actual real identity of Lanka is important to Vaisnavas and devotees of Lord Rama in general. For hundreds, perhaps thousands of years the isla

Sri Ayodhya Dharma Yatra

The Abode of Lord Ramacandra

Situated on the banks of the beautiful Saryu River, Ayodhya, also known as Saket, is the birthplace of Lord Rama and was the capital of the ancient Kosala Kingdom. Here, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His quadruple expansion as Lord Rama, Laksmana, Bharata and Satrughna appeared as sons of Maharaja Dasaratha in Raghu dynasty in Treta-yuga.

Ayodhya was originally built by Vaivasvata Manu, who is the descendant of Svayambhur Manu, the

Today, in observance of Sri Rama-navami, we shall read a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Seven: “Scheduled Incarnations.”

TEXT 24

yasma adad udadhir udha-bhayanga-vepo
margam sapady ari-puram haravad didhaksoh
dure suhrn-mathita-rosa-susona-drstya
tatapyamana-makaroraga-nakra-cakrah

TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead Ramacandra, being aggrieved for His distant intimate friend [Sita], glanced over the city of the enemy Ravana with red-hot eyes like those of Hara [who wanted

‘Lord Rama (BG 4.10)’ by Radhanath Swami, in Mumbai

janma karma ca me divyam

evam yo vetti tattvatah

tyaktva deham punar janma

naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna

(BG 4.9)

One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.

PURPORT

The Lord’s descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the 6th verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of

Dated: March 21, 1969

Location: Hawaii

Letter to: Tamala Krsna

My Dear Tamala Krishna,

Please accept my blessings. Your letter dated March 18th by special delivery is in hand and it is so gratifying that you have already saved $600 for the improvement of the temple. So I am very much pleased. Go on working like this and Krishna will give you ample money—there is no scarcity. Regarding the change of altar, you can do it later on, but your making up the feast room you can take care of immediately

Sri Hanuman, a great devotee in the form of a monkey, prays, “Since Lord Sri Ramacandra is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, He is not attached to anything in this material world. He is the most beloved Supersoul of all self-realized souls, and He is their very intimate friend. He is full of all opulences. . . .

“One cannot establish a friendship with the Supreme Lord Ramacandra on the basis of material qualities such as one’s birth in an aristocratic family, one’s personal beauty,