By Vishakha Priya Devi Dasi
Shortly before passing away in Vrindavan, a devotee requested her spiritual master to establish a “Back to Godhead” clinic there for Srila Prabhupada’s followers.
In his book Mathura Mahatmya, the great devotional scholar and acharya Srila Rupa Goswami states, “They who die in the area of Mathura and Vrindavan become perfect and attain the supreme destination.” But most devotees do not reside in Vrindavan, and until recently, even those who had sufficie
Giriraja Swami: After hearing so many complaints from so many devotees, Srila Prabhupada called a meeting of all the devotees. Practically all the devotees in the temple came into Srila Prabhupada’s room, and he listened very sympathetically to what every devotee had to say, and he was really concerned and wanted to improve things.
At one stage the GBC for India protested: “Srila Prabhupada, my only intention was to execute Your Divine Grace’s will.” And Prabhupada replied a little sarcasticall
By BB Govinda Swami
Sound is the most powerful energy we will contact in our lives. It is powerful because it affects our consciousness. Whether we remain immersed material sound or spiritual sound will determine the development of our consciousness.
Immersion in spiritual sound awakens the spiritual understanding that we are parts of Krishna, the absolute truth, endowed with an eternal individual nature filled with knowledge and ecstasy.
In the way an alarm awakens us in the morning, by heari
Many ISKCON devotees around the world are now aware of the conflict and court cases that took place over the past few years regarding managerial authority of the Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn, New York City.
The conflict arose when the former board and temple president attempted to sell the property without consulting the congregation and ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission, and against their wishes. (Read more: https://iskconnews.org/gbc-opposes-brooklyn-temple
By Mahatma das
What are your expectations for a guru? A psychologist to solve your emotional issues? A father to run to whenever you have a problem, or to replace the loving father you never had? Do you expect him to be someone who will always do what you need or want him to do, or make time for you whenever required? Do you expect him to be so self-sacrificing that he will give up his own needs for you? Do you expect him to answer every email you send within a few days, or even answer at all?
By James Cooper
In 1786 Sir William Jones, a Welsh philologist and judge of the supreme court of Bengal, sent shock waves throughout Europe with the following speech he gave in his address to the Asiatic society of Bengal.
“The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and the forms of grammar, than c
If a devotee child grows up to be a non-devotee, is this evidence that the parents mood at the time of conception was anything but Krishna conscious? Are the parents to be blamed, or are there other factors that determine this outcome?
Is it possible that in spite of the parents best interest and loving Krishna conscious attention given to their children, that such children can turn their backs altogether, to pursue life, as they desire most? Would there have to be a major problem for this to o
By HH Sacinandana Swami
A gift that the Lord has given to everyone is the opportunity to choose, and especially to make enlightened choices that bring us out of the dark periods of our lives back to a life of enthusiastic Krsna consciousness. It is never appropriate to say “I am a victim of circumstances.” I have seen in my life: no matter the circumstance we can always take shelter in Krsna. You may not always find relief, but you can always find shelter. What do I mean by that? When we are ti
A group of forty devotees have completed the first one-year GBC College Course in Latin America, which included online classes and two residential courses, preparing them to become ISKCON’s future leaders.
The program began in April last year, and the second residential course, lasting fourteen days, just concluded on April 27th.
The men and women participating ranged in age from twenty-five years old up to their mid-fifties, and hailed from Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, Chile,
Srimad-Bhagavatam
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Fifth Canto, Chapter 18, Text 9
svasty astu visvasya khalah prasidatam
dhyayantu bhutani sivam mitho dhiya
manas ca bhadram bhajatad adhoksaje
avesyatam no matir apy ahaituki
svasti—auspiciousness; astu—let there be; visvasya—of the entire universe; khalah—the envious (almost everyone); prasidatam—let them be pacified; dhyayantu—let them consider; bhutani—all the living entities; sivam—auspiciousness; mithah—mutual; dhiya
Sri Radha Nila Madhava Satsang
ISKCON – Trivandrum
14th Annual Rathyatra was celebrated with pomp and splendor in the state capital. Hundreds of devotees pulled Sri Jagannath Rath with loudly reverberating Holy names. Sri Vimal, Asst DGP inaugurated the Rath. Inaugural ceremonies took place in SFI union building, which is a landmark. HG Vaishnava seva prabhu (ISKCON Rajkot TP) and HG Kalachakra prabhu inaugurated the ceremony.
Hundreds of Srila Prabhupada’s books were distributed during the pr
In this presentation, Hari-dhama dasa discusses an important social issue for the Society: that of providing care for the terminally ill in the movement. Since Vaisnava hold very dear the hope of dying in the association of devotees and at a place of pilgrimage, ISKCON faces a challenging task in providing this facility and care for its members. The author argues that both spiritual care and medical care should be available to patients, be they in a secular hospice or in a religious institution
By Madhava Smullen
Muslims and Vaishnavas celebrated the tenth anniversary of their long-running interfaith relationship in Washington D.C. with their tenth annual dialogue in the city on Saturday April 20th.
At each meeting over the past decade, volunteers from each tradition have presented a paper on a chosen topic, one sharing the Vaishnava perspective, and the other the Muslim perspective; followed by an open discussion.
Topics discussed over the years have included “The Name of God”;
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
The development of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness is very interesting. Srila Prabhupada at an old age was very mature and brought everything – the perfection of spiritual life, the maturity of age and his vision and experience. All his followers were in their twenties with an exceptional one in his thirties. By the time Prabhupada left there were a number in their thirties, but basically there was a fifty year gap. We are looking at a fifty year gap, a
