While people on the streets were seriously engaged in dancing and ghoulishly attired to the tune of “Thriller”, at the temple practitioners of the bhakti movement were swaying and singing to the great mantra, “Hare Krishna”. Two celebrations were going on- Halloween and Diwali. Those attend the Diwali New Year were at their best dress and best form singing and also listening to the pastimes of Rama and his victory over tyrant , Ravana. It was an unexpected number who came to worship Rama and Kr
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Sometimes people think that the ancient Vedic literature no longer has any real usefulness in this day and age. That it is little better than an antique of foregone days. However, this article shows the universal and ever-relevant nature of the Ramayana, and how it explains the symptoms of society when there is no ruler, or when there is an unqualified leader. This is from the discussion between Markandeya and the great sages and Visishtha when they urge him to install a proper king onto the th
From Back to Godhead
Taking into account the many descriptions of Godhead found in ancient books, scriptures and the eternal wisdom heard by disciples from their venerable masters, the Absolute Truth may be defined as follows: He is by Himself and for Himself; He has all knowledge, strength, opulence, fame, beauty and renunciation; He is the Fountainhead of limitless energies and the Fountainhead of infinite qualities all of which are identical with Himself. He has infinite forms, all of which
Our lives are like canvases that we are meant to paint on. And just as with painting, from time to time, it helps to step back and return with a fresh perspective.
The great painter, thinker, and scientist Leonardo da Vinci expressed this in Renaissance Italy:
“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work, your judgement will be surer; since, to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgement.”
Answers to questions I persona
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय अठारह उपसंहार -- संन्यास की सिद्धि
य इदं परमं गुह्यं मद्भकतेष्वभिधास्यति।
भक्तिं मयि परां कृत्वा मामेवैष्यत्यसंशयः ।। 68 ।।
यः- जो;इदम्- इस;परमम्- अत्यन्त;गुह्यम्- रहस्य को;मत्- मेरे;भक्तेषु- भक्तों में से;अभिधास्यति- कहता है;भक्तिम्- भक्ति को;मयि- मुझको;पराम्- दिव्य;कृत्वा- करके;माम्- मुझको;एव- निश्चय ही;एष्यति- प्राप्त होता है;असंशय- इसमें कोई सन्देह नहीं।
भावार्थ : जो व्यक्ति भक्तों को यह परम रहस्य बताता है, वह शुद्ध भक्ति को प्राप्त करेगा और अन्त
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय अठारह उपसंहार -- संन्यास की सिद्धि
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज ।
अहं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा श्रुचः ।। 66 ।।
सर्व-धर्मान्- समस्त प्रकार के धर्म;परित्यज्य- त्यागकर;माम्- मेरी;एकम्- एकमात्र;शरणम्- शरण में;व्रज- जाओ;अहम्- मैं;त्वाम्- तुमको;सर्व- समस्त;पापेभ्यः- पापों से;मोक्षयिष्यामि- उद्धार करूँगा;मा- मत;शुचः- चिन्ता करो।
भावार्थ : समस्त प्रकार के धर्मों का परित्याग करो और मेरी शरण में आओ। मैं समस्त पापों से तुम्हारा उद्धार कर दूँग
At Mayapur Academy, we recently concluded the Jewelry Making Unit for the Deities, skillfully facilitated by Her Grace Hariballabhi Devi Dasi.
As part of the course, each student was tasked with designing and creating a choker, a waist belt, earrings, bracelets, armlets, and a long mala for the deities. Remarkably, none of the students had prior experience in beaded jewelry-making. However, through a week of focused practice and dedication, they successfully crafted and submitted exquisite p
We had the good fortune of going for Darshan of Sri Sri Madan Gopal with some friends
He’s just so very beautiful and looks amazing for 1700 years old!
This is in Belpukur, a big 20 minutes from mayapur, and where Saci Mata grew up. This deity of madan gopal belonged to Mahaprabhu’s maternal grandfather Nilambar Chakraborty
The last photo is of saci Mata’s very own 600 year old deity of krishna which she brought from Bangladesh
If you look closely, you can see His slippers!
— with Kripanidh
Since many of our ISKCON congregational members are of South Asian Indian descent and may be interested in participating in this program described below, we are publishing this story. We recognize it’s not relevant or open to many of our readers. However, because a sizable number may be interested in this opportunity to visit India (with many expenses paid for by the Indian government), we share this as a “public service announcement.” ISKCON News does not recommend or endorse this program, but
On November 19, 2024, Guruttama Dasa, one of the managers of ISKCON Finland, attended an important meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, hosted by the President of Finland, Mr. Alexander Stubb. The gathering brought together religious leaders from different faiths in Finland. The meeting offered a platform for discussion on various important topics: importance of religious practice, promoting the inter-faith dialogue and efforts to combat racism and discrimination.
Guruttama Dasa expre
He’s 24. He drove me around to places I needed to go such as Brampton and Uptown Toronto, and he didn’t say anything about it being his birthday. That’s humility, I would think. Moreover, he’s funny and always smiles. He has a keen love for kirtan and like to serve those in the mission. He has a respect for all, whether the men or the women in the Bhakti Academy. He also has a knack for distribution of the books published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
The above is a list
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय अठारह उपसंहार -- संन्यास की सिद्धि
मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु ।
मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे ।। 65 ।।
मत्-मनाः- मेरे विषय में सोचते हुए;भव- होओ;मत्-भक्तः- मेरा भक्त;मत्-याजी- मेरा पूजक;माम्- मुझको;नमस्कुरु- नमस्कार करो;माम्- मेरे पास;एव- ही;एष्यसि- आओगे;सत्यम्- सच-सच;ते- तुमसे;प्रतिजाने- वायदा या प्रतिज्ञा करता हूँ;प्रियः- प्रिय;असि- हो;मे- मुझको।
भावार्थ : सदैव मेरा चिन्तन करो, मेरे भक्त बनो, मेरी पूजा करो और मुझे नमस्कार
By Sankirtana Das
ISKCON’s North American Leadership Conference was held October 4-6th at New Vrindaban, West Virginia, gathering over 120 leaders from across the continent. Sankirtana Dasa, a long-time resident of NV, reflects on its relationship to Srila Prabhupada’s mood and mission, his experience and realizations attending some of the sessions, and insights from interviews with leaders over the multi-day gathering. He also includes participant feedback on the conference and the host communi
When three of our young men from Bhakti Academy came into Prabhupad’s quarters to do an interview with me, they were quite impressed. Not having been in this sitting quarters before when I was present, one of those men asked, “Is this your room?”
“No, this is our guru Prabhupad’s room. Then I showed the next room, the bedroom where His Divine Grace had his rest for three nights in June of ’76. “Is this your room?” came the question again.
“No, this is Pra
By Drutakarma das
In the news currently there are many reports about mastodon bones found in San Diego, California. Their age challenges current scientific ideas about the peopling of the Americas. I wrote about these discoveries in 2005 in one of my columns for Atlantis Rising magazine (the column’s name is The Forbidden Archeologist). Here is that column:
California Dreaming: The State Highway 54 Mastodon Blues
By Michael A. Cremo
Atlantis Rising
In 1992 and 1993, paleontologists of the San D
By Sitalatma Das
Part of our ISKCON folklore is a story of early devotees wondering who were those māyāvādīs Śrīla Prabhupāda always rallied against – because no one knew any particular māyāvādī at the time, and then it hit them – they (we) are the māyāvādīs! Not by our professed ideology but by our attitudes and by the quality of our relationships, which were often very impersonal in nature. A lot of Bhāgavatam classes were spent on uncovering impersonalism in our lives afterwards. Otherwise a
From Back to Godhead
Reciting Shlokas that glorify Lord Krishna can awaken the soul to eternal knowledge.
Today, as I came by bus in the morning,” reported our ethics lecturer, “a person was repeating a Shloka. What is the purpose of such muttering? What is the use of such repetition of words such as modaka hasta (with the modaka sweet in hand)? This is a silly practice.”
This statement came as a real surprise to me as I had been taught many Shlokas as a child and I enjoyed chanting them too wh
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय अठारह उपसंहार -- संन्यास की सिद्धि
ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारुढ़ानि मायया ।। 61 ।।
ईश्वरः– भगवान्;सर्व-भूतानाम्– समस्त जीवों के;हृत्-देशे– हृदय में;अर्जुन– हे अर्जुन;तिष्ठति– वास करता है;भ्रामयन्– भ्रमण करने के लिए बाध्य करता हुआ;सर्व-भूतानि– समस्त जीवों को;यन्त्र– यन्त्र में;आरुढानि– सवार, चढ़े हुए;मायया– भौतिक शक्ति के वशीभूत होकर।
भावार्थ : हे अर्जुन! परमेश्वर प्रत्येक जीव के हृदय में स्थित हैं और भौतिक शक
By Radha Mohan
On the auspicious occasion of Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, Srila Prabhupada’s disciples from throughout the UK were invited to Bhaktivedanta Manor to worship Srila Prabhupada, make offerings of gratitude to him, and receive a special gift.
The gift, made by devotees in Russia headed by Madan Mohana das, was a small deity of Srila Prabhupada in a box that opened into an altar.
Srila Prabhupada’s disciples were delighted to receive this treasured form of Srila Prabhupada a
By Atma Tattva Das
Kirtan, the sacred practice of chanting and singing the names of The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, is a profound tool for meditation and self-expression. For Premanjali Dasi, kirtan is not only a complete devotional activity but also a transformative experience she aims to make accessible to all. Through her innovative Learn Kirtan initiative, she has opened the doors for individuals—particularly those new to bhakti—to embrace the art of kirtan as a means of med
