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An older man with whitish hair and beard has seen me passing by before, at least twice.  Once he offered a quick exchange of words, with a cigarette in his mouth.

“Hi! How are yah!”

Today was similar, “Hey, how’s it goin’?”

“Fine,” I said as I stopped.

“Yah I know, I met a holy man the other day as he was passing…”

“Is that right?” I inquired.

“And, he blessed me. Minutes later I found a $20 bill on the street.” He was chuckling.

“Lucky you! Well, God bless. Hare Krishna!”

“Yeah!”

“Have a good o

By Madhava Smullen 

Sometimes when we see a need, the solution is to step forward and fulfill it ourselves.

This is what Arjun Bhattacharyya, a young devotee known in ISKCON as a photographer and assistant to Deena Bandhu Das, realized when he decided to volunteer his own time to add the original Bengali script that had been missing from the digital version of Sri Caitanya-caritamrita.

The service meant a lot to Arjun personally.

“I am born and brought up in Kolkata,” he explains. “So Bengali is

अध्याय दो – हृदय में भगवान (2.2)

1 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने कहा: इस ब्रह्माण्ड के प्राकट्य के पूर्व, ब्रह्माजी ने विराट रूप के ध्यान द्वारा भगवान को प्रसन्न करके विलुप्त हो चुकी अपनी चेतना पुनः प्राप्त की। इस तरह वे सृष्टि का पूर्ववत पुनर्निर्माण कर सके।

2 वैदिक ध्वनियों (वेदवाणी) को प्रस्तुत करने की विधि इतनी मोहनेवाली है कि यह व्यक्तियों की बुद्धि को स्वर्ग जैसी व्यर्थ की वस्तुओं की ओर ले जाती है। बद्धजीव ऐसी स्वर्गिक मायामयी वासनाओं के स्वप्नों में मँडराते रहते हैं, लेकिन ऐसे स्थानों में वे सच

Today marks Sri Rama-vijaya-dasami (Dasara, or Dussehra), the day on which Lord Ramachandra vanquished the powerful tyrant Ravana. As described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.25):

vaksah-sthala-sparsa-rugna-mahendra-vaha-
dantair vidambita-kakubjusa udha-hasam
sadyo ’subhih saha vinesyati dara-hartur
visphurjitair dhanusa uccarato ’dhisainye

“When Ravana was engaged in the battle, the trunk of the elephant which carried the king of heaven, Indra, broke in pieces, having collided with the chest of Ra

अध्याय एक – ईश अनुभूति का प्रथम सोपान (2.1)

॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥

हे सर्वव्यापी परमेश्वर, मैं आपको सादर नमस्कार करता हूँ।

1 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने कहा: हे राजन, आपका प्रश्न महिमामय है, क्योंकि यह समस्त प्रकार के लोगों के लिए बहुत लाभप्रद है। इस प्रश्न का उत्तर श्रवण करने का प्रमुख विषय है और समस्त अध्यात्मवादियों ने इसको स्वीकार किया है।

2 हे सम्राट, भौतिकता में उलझे उन व्यक्तियों, जो परम सत्य विषयक ज्ञान के प्रति अन्धे हैं, उनके पास मानव समाज में सुनने के लिए अनेक विषय होते हैं।

3 ऐसे ईर्

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Jasomatinandana Prabhu, Prabhupada’s initiated disciple passed away at approximately 5 PM IST today, Saturday the 24th of October, 2020.As most of you know, he had not been keeping good health for the last few years. He had been infected with Covid-19 nearly two weeks back and had been admitted to the hospital in Ahmedabad. Jasomatinandana Prabhu who joined ISKCON in America was instructed by Srila

My dear Yasomatinandana,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter, and I am so much pleased to read it. Your letter is so nice that I am advising that it be published in Back to Godhead. In the meantime you can immediately begin translating all our books into the Gujarati language. All these translations will be published in series in our Gujarati BTG, and if you are serious about it, you can be the Editor. So immediately begin translating and regularly produce books in Guj

ISKCON opens a grand new temple in Ahmedabad
By Yasomatinandana Dasa

BY THE PURE desire and blessings of Srila Prabhupada, the Ahmedabad ISKCON center, which started in a humble rented space, now has one of the largest and most ornate temples in India.
Srila Prabhupada's venerable godbrother B. V. Puri Maharaja, religious speaker Murari Bapu, and the Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat led the celebrations this past April to inaugurate the temple. More than ten thousand Gujarati devotees joined in

Without love, nothing can sustain. If I do not love Krishna, I cannot surrender—it is not possible. Just like a small child—he is naturally surrendered to the parents because there is love. The child loves the parents. So without the basic principle of love—the more you love, the more the surrender is perfect. Just like a small child—you slap the child, he’s crying, yet crying with the words, “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy,” because there is love. Even in distress the child cannot forget. That is n

I take this project very seriously. “Krishna in the Mapleleaf” is a book project that details the earliest days of the birth and growth of Krishna Consciousness in Canada, during the period from 1967-1977. In these first ten years we will highlight the reflections of the different participants from that period. By the grace of God I am spear-heading the project and I am receiving much practical help from friend and devotee; Wade Wilson, from New Brunswick.

This morning David and I headed for a t

Today Srila Prabhupadas beloved disciple, my dear godbrother, Jasomatinandan Das left his body in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, due to COVID-19. He is Srila Prabhupada’s eternal servant, and he will continue his service at Prabhupada’s lotus feet.

On a morning walk on Juhu Beach, Srila Prabhupada asked Dr. Patel why he was coming daily.

“I don’t know,” Dr. Patel replied. “I have got some . . .”

“We don’t pay you any fee.”

“I feel some sort of attachment to you. That is why I come. I don’t understand why I

अध्याय उन्नीस – श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी का प्रकट होना(1.19)

1 श्री सूत गोस्वामी ने कहा: घर लौटते हुए राजा (महाराज परीक्षित) ने अनुभव किया कि उन्होंने निर्दोष तथा शक्तिमान ब्राह्मण के प्रति अत्यन्त जघन्य तथा अशिष्ट व्यवहार किया है। फलस्वरूप वे अत्यन्त उद्विग्न थे।

2 [राजा परीक्षित ने सोचा:] भगवान के आदेशों की अवहेलना करने से मुझे आशंका है कि निश्चित रूप से निकट भविष्य में मेरे ऊपर कोई संकट आनेवाला है। अब मैं बिना हिचक के कामना करता हूँ कि वह संकट अभी आ जाय, क्योंकि इस तरह मैं पापपूर्ण कर्म से मुक्त

Candidasa was a devoted worshipper of Goddess Durga while his brother was a pure Vaisnava who would worship Shaligram. Candidasa was rich but his brother was poor. Candidasa had a very big and beautiful garden, he used to offer the flowers from the garden to Durga Devi. His brother too desired to offer these beautiful flowers to his Shaligram. And once he mentally offered a beautiful and colourful flower of the garden to his Shaligram. And it so happened that on that day Candidasa offered the s

The Sacred Ecology Forum – which facilitates environmental activism and spiritual growth rooted in the Krishna Bhakti tradition – is presenting a special Eco-Bhakti weekend from October 23rd to 25th on Zoom.

The weekend is presented in collaboration with the Bhakti Center (NYC) and the Hindu Life Program at Princeton University, with Allegra Lovejoy organizing on behalf of the Sacred Ecology Forum and Venkata Bhatta Das (Vineet Chander) organizing on behalf of the Princeton University Hindu Life

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/foodforlondon

This is London in 2020 as hundreds desperately queue for a meal

These pandemic days give us a golden opportunity to push the mission of Lord Caitanya.

The Watford Kitchen / the Jagannath Kitchen, will be a great resource.

Please feel free to enjoy the devotional experience, your service will be eternally appreciated.

Need cooks, devotees chopping veg, baking cakes, delivering Prasad, a bicycle team for delivering door to door for those in isolation.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said: “Of the nine processes of devotional service, the most important is to always chant the Holy Name of the Lord. If one does so, avoiding the ten kinds of offenses, one very easily obtains the most valuable love of Godhead.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 4.71)
One might ask, “Then why do we hear so many lectures on the Bhagavatam in our movement. Why don’t we simply sing and dance instead of listening to so many explanations?” The answer is: the other eight process

By Dimple Parmar

School of Bhakti, United Kingdom, will hold a virtual 30-day walkthrough of the mystical village of Vrindavan - the playground of God, where every step is a dance, and every word a song!

There will be daily morning videos, in which Sutapa das and Radhika-Ranjana Das will visit the sacred sites, sharing daily meditations and stories to inspire devotees’ hearts.  

Every evening there will have a special Damodarastakam video for everyone to sing along to and offer candles at their

Video: Click here

If your phone is a karmi phone, then you are with a karmi all day. If your phone is a devotee phone, then you are with a devotee all day. Make your phone a devotee!

Source: https://www.kksblog.com/2020/10/is-your-phone-a-devotee/

As part of the morning program in the ashram we sing a song to praise Krishna. There are many songs (bhajans) to choose from. We have an arrangement where we change up a select few on a weekly basis.

The following is called “Sri Nama Kirtana” and the translation is like so:

1) Sri Krishna is the beloved son of mother Yasoda. He is the transcendental lover in the land of Vraja, the delight of Gokula, Kana, the life and soul of the gopis. He steals the mind of even Cupid and punishes the serpent K

अध्याय अठारह – ब्राह्मण बालक द्वारा महाराज परीक्षित को शाप(1.18)

1 श्री सूत गोस्वामी ने कहा: भगवान श्रीकृष्ण अद्भुत कार्य करनेवाले हैं। उनकी कृपा से महाराज परीक्षित द्रोणपुत्र के अस्त्र द्वारा अपनी माता के गर्भ में ही प्रहार किये जाने पर भी जलाये नहीं जा सके।

2 इसके अतिरिक्त, महाराज परीक्षित स्वेच्छा से सदैव भगवान के शरणागत रहते थे, अतएव वे उड़ने वाले सर्प के भय से, जो उन्हें ब्राह्मण बालक के कोपभाजन बनने के कारण काटनेवाला था, न तो भयभीत थे न अभिभूत थे।

3 तत्पश्चात, अपने समस्त संगियों को छोड़कर, रा