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The dream came true! We hit the road for Czech Padayatra again, for the 27th time. It was an absolutely nectarian and merciful highlight of the year. We left the gray comfort zone of our average troubled daily lives – which are full of danger at every step. Danger in the form of forgetting Krishna, Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, and the ocean of mercy of traveling Lords Chaitanya and Nityananda. There are no glimpses of forgetfulness during Padayatra as all are protected here. Wandering from town to

Both the Gregorian and Vedic calendars comprise twelve months. But whereas the number of days in each month varies in the Gregorian calendar, the Vedic months are all of the same duration: about fourteen days from the new moon to the full moon and from the full moon to the new. The day of the new moon is known as amavasya, and the full-moon day is known as purnima. And just as the Gregorian calendar is periodically adjusted during years known as “leap” years, the Vedic calendar is also adjusted,

My feet didn’t go far today but, on a set of wheels, I did venture to Oakville. We were going to have our first ISKCON Oakville gathering but due to the number of Covid-19 victims rising, that was canceled. It was regrettable, however, Kasyapa and Panchami saved the day. This couple, who have successfully run a centre in Saskatoon for eight years, are back in the Greater Toronto Area, and they opened up their home for a smaller group event.

I asked them if I could bring Cameron, Chris, Nick and

ॐ श्री गुरु गौरांग जयतः

श्रीमद भगवद्गीता यथारूप 

अध्याय सत्रह - श्रद्धा के विभाग

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgcaQbH-afM

1 अर्जुन ने कहा— हे कृष्ण! जो लोग शास्त्र के नियमों का पालन न करके अपनी कल्पना के अनुसार पूजा करते हैं, उनकी स्थिति कौनसी है? वे सतोगुणी हैं, रजोगुणी हैं या तमोगुणी?

2 श्रीभगवान ने कहा— देहधारी जीव द्वारा अर्जित गुणों के अनुसार उसकी श्रद्धा तीन प्रकार की हो सकती है — सतोगुणी, रजोगुणी अथवा तमोगुणी। अब इसके विषय में मुझसे सुनो।

3 हे भरतपुत्र! विभिन्न गुणों के अन्तर्गत अपने अपने अ

You can tell when someone is reading Srila Prabhupada’s books:
So this actress looking middle eastern lady and her young son parked their Porsche, walked past my book table and went inside the grocery store. I actually remembered meeting them in the past and how she was kind of puffed up, so I didn’t expect much.
When they came out of the store, they walked straight towards me with a big smile and the boy was holding a $20 bill to give me. The mother was so warm this time and all happy to see me

We celebrate the auspicious occasion of the 85th birthday of our dear Rose Forkash.

When Srila Prabhupada first arrived in America, it took some time—almost a year—before people began to take his message seriously. But gradually, after he moved to New York, some young men and women did join him. And after starting the first center, on Second Avenue, Srila Prabhupada sent some disciples to San Francisco. Soon thereafter, he went, too, and it was there that he inspired and celebrated the first Rat

When our children grow into teens, many of us find that inspiring them in Krishna consciousness becomes much harder. They are no longer enthusiastic to imitate us or join in with the devotional activities we initiate. I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about what we can do to keep them close and hopefully inspired. Here are some of my thoughts.

The first priority is always to take care of the relationship. As the saying goes—they may not remember what we say, but they’ll always remember h

Some of us will never forget this date—September eleventh—a sad day in human history. On a positive note, it is also the date that marks the birthday of a dear follower of Krishna. His name is Keshava and I remember this day of his, not because he is a terrorist, by any stretch. He is a kind-hearted Malaysian Canadian. I wish him well. Very well!

I walked to Saint Jamestown, to a clinic, to intimate a medical check-up for next week. A queue of people were standing in the hall, waiting for the gr

ॐ श्री गुरु गौरांग जयतः

श्रीमद भगवद्गीता यथारूप 

अध्याय सोलह - दैवी तथा आसुरी स्वभाव

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRbu5iyv2dc

1-3 श्रीभगवान ने कहा— हे भरतपुत्र! निर्भयता, आत्मशुद्धि, आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान का अनुशीलन, दान, आत्म-संयम, यज्ञपरायणता, वेदाध्ययन, तपस्या, सरलता, अहिंसा, सत्यता, क्रोधविहीनता, त्याग, शान्ति, छिद्रान्वेषण में अरुचि, समस्त जीवों पर करुणा, लोभविहीनता, भद्रता, लज्जा, संकल्प, तेज, क्षमा, धैर्य, पवित्रता, ईर्ष्या तथा सम्मान की अभिलाषा से मुक्ति—ये सारे दिव्य गुण हैं, जो दैवी प्रकृति

This short video is a talk given by Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp) called “The Power of the Ramayana,” given at the 2nd World Ramayana Conference held in Jabalpur, India, in January 26-29, 2020. He was a special invited guest for the conference, and his talk explains from the Valmiki Ramayana the different ways it helps uplift humanity from the ordinary miseries of life, up to and including liberation or freedom from material existence altogether. At 17:53 in the video, it shows Dr. Akhil

Once one engages in criticising Vaisnavas, it becomes part of one’s nature. One will do it again and again until ultimately one offends Krsna!

Once one engages in criticising Vaisnavas, it becomes part of one’s nature. It sets in and one will do it again and again and again until ultimately one offends Krsna. He who offends Krsna, how can such a person approach Krsna? Such a person removes himself from Krsna and comes to a greater distance from Krsna. This is great misfortune. Raghunatha Bhatt

A brahman (priest) had just finished dealing with the call of nature, and took a quick look at what had come out of his system, remarking, “You are so disgusting!” His output responded back saying, “I was a sweet ladhoo until I entered your company for a few hours.”

That was, perhaps, a lesson in gross humility.

I was chatting today with the foreman overseeing the renovations going on in our ashram. He was speaking about the sewage pipeline in our building. “This building, which is well over 100

From Back to Godhead

Which way does one go in moments of despair?

LORD KRSNA HAS TWO ENERGIES, material and spiritual, but they can be used interchangeably if one knows how. Just as the same electricity can be used to heat or cool a building, so Krsna’s energies can be used for different purposes according to the living entity’s desire.

That doesn’t mean that the living entity can control Krsna’s energies, only that he can use them. When a conditioned soul wishes to exploit the material nature,

ॐ  श्री गुरु गौरांग जयतः

श्रीमद भगवद्गीता यथारूप 

अध्याय पन्द्रह पुरुषोत्तम योग

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e33nvksOLbo&t=34s

1 श्रीभगवान ने कहा— कहा जाता है कि एक शाश्वत अश्वत्थ वृक्ष है, जिसकी जड़ें तो ऊपर की ओर हैं और शाखाएँ नीचे की ओर तथा पत्तियाँ वैदिक स्रोत हैं। जो इस वृक्ष को जानता है, वह वेदों का ज्ञाता है।

2 इस वृक्ष की शाखाएँ ऊपर तथा नीचे फैली हुई हैं और प्रकृति के तीन गुणों द्वारा पोषित हैं। इसकी टहनियाँ इन्द्रियविषय हैं। इस वृक्ष की जड़ें नीचे की ओर भी जाती है, जो मानवसमाज के सकाम कर्म

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=89324

When we start our devotional practices it is possible to keep them up for a while out of a sense of duty. For a while it is possible to practice devotional service mechanically out of a sense of “I have to do this.” But in the end we are not machines! We cannot practice for a long time, if we only do it mechanically, and not experience the taste of it. We can only continue steadily if we get a genuine taste for it – the sweet and relishable taste of bhakti.

You must know that there are two form

Let us try to learn the fundamentals of chanting of the Holy Name from Srila Prabhupada as our founder acharya explains its importance, the dos and don’ts and also the remedy if we commit offenses while chanting.

How should we do chant the Holy Name?

It is recommended that such chanting be performed very loudly. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Nārada Muni says that without shame he began traveling all over the world, chanting the holy name of the Lord. Similarly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised:

tṛṇā

When I was young we spent time at our aunt’s farm in the south of Ireland. She had 5 milking cows, all had names, and when she sat and milked them in the morning and evening, great conversations would be had. With the cows that is.

It was there I learned to milk a cow, to hear the sound of the swish-swish into the bucket. To see the bucket fill up with white goodness, and to marvel at the natural wonder of cows and milk. It was there I saw the connection between human and animal as I watched my

From Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and Gaudiya history, it seems that there has always been a tension between two kinds of followers of Lord Caitanya’s mission—the preachers and the reclusive practitioners. These are known as the gosthy-anandi (GA) and bhajan-anandi (BA), respectively. The debate between the two centres around how they realise the confidential essence of Lord Caitanya’s teachings, Vraja-bhakti, and the failings that each sees in the other’s practice. GA see that BA neglect Lor