I am in the sacred land of Mayapura. I started fresh for a day, and it is special. On our calendar for Hare Krishnas the world over, it is a day to honour one of our great luminaries. His name is Nityananda, responsible for, in a large way with his wife, Jahnavi Devi, spreading a consciousness of Krishna in the area of Bengal.
I took to a solo japa meditation walk towards the Tarampura Road where formerly you could see the two elephants. Unfortunately, they no longer reside there. Re
With the mild temps in the 70s in the evening, Gem Show attendees flock to Govinda’s patio to relish the prasad and spiritual vibrations.
In February, thousands of vendors and visitors from around the world descend on Tucson, Arizona, for the largest and most prestigious gem and mineral show in the world. For ISKCON devotees, the event is a rare opportunity to share our priceless philosophy, the gem of Govinda’s restaurant, and precious prasadam at the event itself.
Govinda’s of Tucson has been
Indradyumna Swami presenting the memoir to Prime Minister Modi
Indradyumna Swami’s memoir, Adventures of a Travelling Monk: A Memoir was released on April 24, 2024. It drew further attention on February 10, 2025, when it was presented to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During a gathering in New Delhi, Prime Minister Modi greeted Indradyumna Swami by saying, “Hare Krishna!” and enthusiastically accepted a copy of the book. According to an entry in his diary, Indradyumna Swami briefly descri
Beautiful quotes from Prabhupada:
“In the beginning there may be some failures. That is quite natural. Just as a child is trying to stand, he may fall down. But that does not mean he should give up the idea. Go on! A time will come when he will be perfect. A time will come when you’ll be perfect, Krishna conscious.”
“It is not only in India – all over the world. There cannot be peace unless you reform the whole social structure, and that can be done only by their Krishna consciou
From Back to Godhead
With proper guidance, anyone can turn ordinary food into a spiritual substance.
The phenomenon of something changing from material to spiritual is an extraordinary one, but it is something we as devotees are involved in daily—often several times a day. It happens when prasadam (unoffered food) becoming prasadam, or food sanctified by the Lord.
When I was a new devotee in Montreal, we arranged a program that was to be given on campus at McGill University. The leaflet adverti
By Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)
Many geneticists view that modern man developed and came out of Africa where they migrated across lands to settle in ancient India. From there they spread out in all directions, even into Europe. This is called the “Out of Africa” theory. This certainly helps contradict the Aryan Invasion Theory, which proposes that the Vedic Aryans were not indigenous to the region of India, but came from the Caucasus Mountains, bringing their culture in
From Back to Godhead
The following exchange took place after a talk by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada before the World Health Organization, in Geneva, on June 6, 1974.
WHO member: Your Divine Grace, do you have any suggestions for solving the worldwide problem of food shortages?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. My suggestion is that people should utilize all this vacant land for crops. I have seen so much land lying dormant. For instance, in Australia and also in America, there is
Salika Das (far right) at the World Interfaith Harmony Week in February 2025.
This February of 2025, Plateau State, Nigeria, hosted two significant interfaith events aimed at fostering peace and unity among diverse religious communities. The celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week on February 5 set the stage, followed by an engagement organized by the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COF) on February 13. Religious leaders from various faiths, including the International Society for
The TOVP has released the short documentary, “The Making of the Srila Prabhupada Legacy,” following the successful and spiritually envigorating grand opening of phase one of the Museum in Sri Mayapur Dham. Braja Vilas Das, Co-Chairman and Director of Development of the TOVP, guides viewers through some of the Museum’s highlights. Phase two will add an additional 6,000 square feet of display space.
Pure and Secure
Museum curator Daivisakti Devi Dasi emphasized, “There are two words we want to rea
Saturday is the day when devotees choose a town, congregate at the centrum, city centre, or city square to share that blessed blast of the Name with the public. On the way, I saw forests that I wasn’t sure existed in this below-the-sea level country. Most of the Netherlands was swamp and sea before man grabbed a hold of it. One thing I notice in the rural areas is the countless number of birds, herons, ducks, geese, swans, doves, pigeons, magpies, and more.
Not too many cows that I’ve seen ex
The Mayapur Institute (MI), the leading educational center dedicated to sharing the timeless wisdom of Vedic scriptures, celebrated its Silver Anniversary recently with a grand pandal program in Sri Mayapur Dham. Guests from all over the world participated in the spiritually uplifting two-day event entitled “Celebrating 25 Years of Spiritual Legacy,” which was held on February 15-16th. The joyful gathering was not only to honor its legacy and celebrate the devotees, instructors, and students wh
ISKCON leaders cutting the Nityananda Trayodashi cake.
On February 10th, 2025, ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Gita Academy (BGA) Kolkata hosted the world’s largest indoor Nityananda Trayodashi celebrations at the prestigious Nazrul Mancha Indoor Auditorium. The grand event was directed by Bhakti Purushottama Swami and organized by Lakshmi Govinda Das and his team, drawing an overwhelming 4,000+ devotees from across the region. The celebrations lasted the entire day, from 9 AM to 6 PM, marking a spirituall
For some time now, I was wondering if I would ever be able to find someone who might be able to pull of an acting portrayal of Sri Chaitanya, the monk avatar who ignited the culture of kirtan in India, and who, in his latter part of life, demonstrated his ecstasies of bhava. The performance by Naman (now initiated as Namacharya) was something he nailed quite well at a venue near Amsterdam where the devotees meet weekly. The drama, which was not named at introduction time, was a special treat f
From Back to Godhead
The metaphysical technologies listed here are simple yet profound tools that you may want to incorporate into your management style. To reap the greatest benefits from these principles, you can include meditation on these ten technologies in your daily regimen.
1. What is it? What for? So what?
This meditation is designed to help us realize that many illusions can influence or enslave us. Leo Tolstoy once wrote about a transition in his life when he began to question ev
Nedzad was born in a family of practicing Muslims in the city of Tuzla in present day Bosnia in the year 1965. His father was from Tuzla, but his mother was born in Montenegro. His father was not very strict in his practices and was into music. But his mother was a very strict Muslim and she had attended Muslim school. “My mother was from a strict family tradition wherein the girls were trained in high standards. They were much regulated with no illicit sex even in mind and they knew even as a
It’s natural to be angry with a person who hurts us. If the pain caused by someone’s actions is too severe, one might even consider punishing them. But how appropriate is it to condemn or punish an entire community or family for one person’s mistake? Here are some examples from Srimad Bhagavatam to explore more on this topic.
Overstepping While Avenging Brother’s Death
Once, king Dhruva’s younger brother Uttama went on a hunting excursion and was killed by a powerful Yak?a in the Himalaya Mount
God is one. Moreover, according to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that one God is Krishna, the cowherd boy of Vrindavan, who chooses to expand Himself unlimitedly still remain the same one Supreme Person, just to increase His own pleasure. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.28) designates this original Godhead as svayam bhagavān: Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has three primary energies. The first is antarańga–śakti, or the internal potency. The second is known as taṭastha–śakti, the m
The 17th Annual Radhadesh Mellows welcomed 1600-1700 Kirtan enthusiasts from over 50 countries and five continents to their annual event, which was held in the new Prasadam Hall at ISKCON Radhadesh Temple.
In addition to those who were fortunate enough to participate live in the sold-out weekend gathering, over 60K tuned into the livestream. In the coming months, the videos from the event typically get over a million total views. Radhadesh Mellows continues to set the standard for these kinds o
The popular film “HARE KRISHNA! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami Who Started It All” continues to reach a growing audience worldwide through multiple online platforms. The latest exciting news is that the film is now free on YouTube in a shorter version of just 47 minutes instead of the full 90 minutes. According to co-creators Yadubara Das and Visakha Dasi, it is meant especially for schools, universities, and other venues with limited time slots.
The ground-breaking documentary was first
Today in Sri Mayapur, the air is filled with devotion as Srila Prabhupada Connect Day began with the heartfelt association of his dear disciples, senior devotees, and sannyasis. The Festival Registration Booth is now open, welcoming all who wish to immerse themselves in the upcoming Gaura Purnima celebrations. A special joy filled our hearts as we witnessed the grand opening of the Srila Prabhupada Museum, a sacred space preserving his legacy for generations to come. With every passing day, Maya
