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I got into cleaning again, tackling another corner of the kitchen. In truth, there’s too many items and too much clutter. However, it’s therapy. Cleaning anything in the temple/ashram is like cleaning the corners of your heart.

Included in the fun is being in the room with two younger, Bangladeshi devotees. One is cooking and the other cleaning the pots. I have to be careful not to be too isolated in my upstairs room. Lest it be perceived as an ivory tower. I feel the driving need to give time t

Sometimes we may question the suitability of the term “razor’s edge” when applied to the process of Krsna consciousness. Isn’t this too harsh? Shouldn’t Krsna be more kind and yielding to His devotees? Is there not a more suitable term that we could use?

That God displays features of unyielding and uncompromising hardness cannot be denied. In Bhagavad Gita Lord Sri Krsna says: “Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, I perpetually cast into the ocean of material exi

शिवजी के मना करने पर भी सती का अपने पिता के यज्ञ में आना तथा अपने पति के लिए यज्ञ का भाग न दिए जाने पर योगाग्नि से स्वयं को भस्म करना।  (4.4.3-27)

अध्याय चार – सती द्वारा शरीर-त्याग(4.4)

1 मैत्रेय मुनि ने कहा: सती को असमंजस में पाकर शिवजी यह कहकर शान्त हो गये। सती अपने पिता के घर में अपने सम्बन्धियों को देखने के लिए अत्यधिक इच्छुक थी, किन्तु साथ ही वह शिवजी की चेतावनी से भयभीत थी। मन अस्थिर होने से वह हिंडोले की भाँति कक्ष से बाहर और भीतर आ-जा रही थी।

2 इस तरह अपने पिता के घर जाकर अपने सम्बन्धियो

Today is a red-letter day—I received an advance copy of my book about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu: I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story. The volume is beautiful, and I felt humbled by and grateful for all the help I received in this effort.

Thank you very much.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Source: https://girirajswami.com/blog/?p=16720

By Gauranga Das

Do you know before the advent of proper paper, what was the substance on which people used to write? What are the types of manuscripts?
The Manuscript Mission team at Bhaktivedanta Research Centre has visited more than 50 remote corners of India and Bangladesh over the past decade. BRC now has over 1000 manuscripts preserved digitally and around 70 physical manuscripts.
There are three primary types of manuscripts:
1. Tree Bark – Birch bark manuscripts are documents written on p

ISKCON Temple of Greater Chicago is based in Naperville, a growing suburb of Chicago, Illinois, USA. The temple moved to its current location a few years back and since then, the community has been growing exponentially. Looking at the growth, there is need for a commercial kitchen, community hall along with additional space to conduct different programs for children, youth, devotees and other community members, and thus a new temple construction plan was in motion.

And then COVID came along! W

With folded hands, we thank all the Vaishnavas for participation in this year’s Kshetra Parikrama.  Irrespective of the pandemic and the bridge in physical association it has caused, in great numbers from all around the world, has tuned in daily to participate in the parikrama engaging our minds fully in Puri Dham.

This has proved to us that indeed we can systematically and devotionally engage modern day technology fully for the service of the Lord and how it can be used perfectly in this period

We had a full day of rain, then a full day of snow. Finally, on Tuesday, the sun reigned and dominated the skies.

After a session of cleaning in the kitchen and taking a small portion of kheer, a sweet prep quite renowned in our temple in Toronto, I laid down on the floor to bathe in the rays of the sun. What a comfort that was, receiving vitamin D in such a fine dose, along with the prana in the air due to having my windows open.

I heard the ringtone on my phone. It was Victor, my young Muslim

{ शिवजी का अपनी पत्नी सती को उसके पिता दक्ष प्रजापति के यज्ञ में जाने के लिए मना करना।  (4.3.18-25)}

अध्याय तीन – श्रीशिव तथा सती का संवाद (4.3)

1 मैत्रेय ने आगे कहा: इस प्रकार से जामाता शिव तथा श्वसुर दक्ष के बीच दीर्घकाल तक तनाव बना रहा।

2 ब्रह्मा ने जब दक्ष को समस्त प्रजापतियों का मुखिया बना दिया तो दक्ष गर्व से फूल उठा।

3 दक्ष ने वाजपेय नामक यज्ञ प्रारम्भ किया और उसे अत्यधिक विश्वास था कि ब्रह्माजी का समर्थन तो प्राप्त होगा ही। तब उसने एक अन्य महान यज्ञ किया जिसे बृहस्पति-सव कहते हैं।

4 जब यज

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Medical professionals and healthcare heroes across the country are going above and beyond in the fight against coronavirus. This week, GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) invites you to meet, hear and learn from Krsnadasa Kaviraja Das on how to responsibly play our part in this fight. He is one of the many unsung devotee heroes who have put t

By Madhava Smullen and Anuttama Dasa

The coronavirus pandemic, which has now claimed over 276,000 lives in the United States, and 1.5 million around the world, continues to be a major health threat. And ISKCON temples have not been immune to the challenge.  

In addition to the sad passing of some senior ISKCON leaders and congregational members, whole temples have been closed for a period of time to protect the community and other visitors. These have included ISKCON’s international headquarters

Usually at this time of year I’m in Varadero, Cuba. I am typically at the beach, under the sun, making visitations to cities like Havana, Matanzas and St. Declaro. We hold kirtan sessions, give bhakti lessons, answer questions, walk the streets, etc. etc. I do miss the wonderful people there. I also miss the good company of another monk, a Swami from Spain. His name is Yaduananda Swami. He’s kind, cool and caring.

With everyone in the world being grounded, reminiscence becomes somewhat magnified

इस भौतिक कल्मष से छुटकारा पाने के लिए भगवान की शरण ग्रहण करनी चाहिए जैसा कि भगवद गीता (7.14) में कहा गया है -- मामेव ये प्रपद्यनते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते।

सर्वश्रेष्ठ मार्ग यही है कि शाप तथा वरदान से ऊपर उठा जाये और भगवान कृष्ण की शरण ग्रहण की जाये तथा दिव्य स्थिति में रहा जाये।  तात्पर्य श्रीमद भागवतम 4.2.27  श्रील प्रभुपाद

अध्याय दो – दक्ष द्वारा शिवजी को शाप (4.2)

1 विदुर ने पूछा: जो दक्ष अपनी पुत्री के प्रति इतना स्नेहवान था वह शीलवानों में श्रेष्ठतम भगवान शिव के प्रति इतना ईर्ष्यालु क्यों था? उ

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By Indradyumna Swami

As you know Vaisesika prabhu is heading up a worldwide effort to distribute 2 million of Srila Prabhupada’s books during this Christmas Marathon. It’s very exciting! He asked me to address the samkirtan devotees in the first of his online presentations yesterday. Here is my address. 

Source: http://www.danda

By Chaitanya Charan Das

Suppose a plane flies from Los Angeles to New York. During 90% of its flight time, it is off-course. Why? Because of its own momentum and the atmospheric conditions.
How, then, does the plane get to its destination? By the pilot’s repeated reorientation.
During our life-journey, we are like the pilot and our mind is like our plane – it keeps going off-course. We may resolve to do something, but the mind proposes a hundred other things. And it proposes so subtly and swiftl

Rucira Devi Dasi: Himavati told me a story from the first trip with Srila Prabhupada to India. The devotees were living in tents and Hansadutta refused to sleep with her in their tent. All the other couples were sleeping together in their own tents. So she snuck into Srila Prabhupada’s room and slept in his closet.
The next morning she got up and snuck out. She said that day Prabhupada called her into his quarters. He said, “Himavati, you cannot sleep in my closet. This will cause rumors. People

 Across the world, COVID has, for better or worse, changed the way we do many things in our lives. Countless children have attended school, Sunday school and even 'camp' online this year. More than ever before, children live online - making new friends, developing established relationships, learn, recreate, etc. 

With the added stressors COVID has brought, it is no surprise that child abuse has increased, in person and online. It is important that as adults we recognize the ways that children co

By Giriraj Swami 

On October 28, 1972, in Vrindavan, Srila Prabhupada spoke on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17:

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
  punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani
  vidhunoti suhrt satam

“Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous w

I received my permanent bridge. It was installed in my mouth and it looks great. The word “permanent” may be deceiving. The only power that I understand to be of a lasting fixture is the soul. But, you know, I wasn’t about to have a dispute with my dentist on the use of the word. He even admitted it’s good for about 20 years.

The soul, the Supersoul, brahman, or the spiritual energy all around us, is eternal but that is not the same case for any dental office. The theme is “teeth” and such a cli

अध्याय एक – मनु की पुत्रियों की वंशावली (4.1)

1 श्री मैत्रेय ने कहा: स्वायम्भुव मनु की पत्नी शतरूपा से तीन कन्याएँ उत्पन्न हुईं जिनके नाम आकूति, देवहूति तथा प्रसूति थे।

2 यद्यपि आकूति के दो भाई थे तो भी राजा स्वायम्भुव मनु ने इसे प्रजापति रुचि को इस शर्त पर ब्याहा था कि उससे, जो पुत्र उत्पन्न होगा वह मनु को पुत्र रूप में लौटा दिया जाएगा। उसने अपनी पत्नी शतरूपा के परामर्श से ऐसा किया था।

3 अपने ब्रह्मज्ञान में परम शक्तिशाली एवं जीवात्माओं के जनक के रूप में नियुक्त (प्रजापति) रुचि को उनकी पत्नी आक