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By Achyut Gopal Das
“We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but CONNECTED in the deep.” – William James
Today morning as I was walking and chanting, I saw an ant crushed under someone's feet, struggling to survive. I bent low to see the struggle of this ant, I could feel it's pain. It was the same kind of pain, I would go through. I felt CONNECTED. Somehow, the world is such that pain connects us to each other more than pleasure.
Today morning as I was walking and chanting, I saw an ant crushed under someone's feet, struggling to survive. I bent low to see the struggle of this ant, I could feel it's pain. It was the same kind of pain, I would go through. I felt CONNECTED. Somehow, the world is such that pain connects us to each other more than pleasure.
And again, in the evening while traveling
By Kelsey Watlington
On Saturday March 23, 2019, ISKCON of Richmond received an inspiring visit from National Convenor for National Ganga Mission, Dr. Snehal Donde, who gave a talk entitled “The Agony of Rivers”. Dr. Donde is the research officer at Bhaktivedanta Vidyapeeth Research Centre in Govardhan Eco Village in Mumbai. She works closely with His Holiness Radhanath Swami and His Grace Gauranga prabhu to advise in water conservation practices in the center. Dr. Donde has more than twenty-fo
Tom, Billy, Connor and I took to the ravine. It did not come as a surprise to us, that we would be dealing with several-months-old snow that’s on its way out. I personally deliberated on the curious stages of snow, from the freshly fallen, to the layers that pack down, to periods of melting and then freezing. Now in the final stages of a winter season's duration, it is soaking the trail, and some of it has merged into the creek, to be later precipitating, and then falling as rain, hail or s
This morning, I ventured along through the Yorkville district, and it was early—1:30 a.m. Parties were just subsiding and the few stragglers, you might say, observed my monk apparel. I mention this just as a comparison to the night before when I was in regular civies, civilian clothes. There is a difference in people's response. So for this morning, in posh Yorkville, I got this, “Are you with a party?” look.
For me, it's fun. It makes walking that much more adventurous.
To Brampton I we
The teachings of Srila Prabhupada, his books and his lectures, are like our anchor. We also get more information from the previous acaryas. In this way, we get a general idea of what to do in our lives. In the Eleventh Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam it is said that one must apply knowledge with one’s own intelligence.
Sometimes we judge circumstances, we have our own opinions and we have some doubts about that opinion. We may not immediately buy into some things so we put them on the shelf bec
By Achyut Gopal Das
Reading this topic, our mind naturally challenges - How can a pure devotee have defects? Shouldn't he, be free from defects? The 100% perfect person! The Mr. Perfect!
The point is that a pure devotee can't be seen with material eyes and material logic. Just like Lord Krishna can't be seen with material eyes, so also His pure devotees. You need spiritual vision to appreciate God, His abode, His name and His devotees. Thus Bhakti Vinod Thakur, one of the greatest spiritua
The point is that a pure devotee can't be seen with material eyes and material logic. Just like Lord Krishna can't be seen with material eyes, so also His pure devotees. You need spiritual vision to appreciate God, His abode, His name and His devotees. Thus Bhakti Vinod Thakur, one of the greatest spiritua
By Kaishori Dasi
The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust has just released a new Krsna book app with the full text in English, Russian, and German, with more languages being prepared.
The text is fully – and quickly! – searchable in each language. Easy-to-read with many customizable features, including the ability to bookmark, highlight, and make notes. Full Sanskrit diacritics on the text and a glossary, just as in the print edition.
Switch easily from one language to another – you can compare the Russ
Stanford University
We all know that Mahaprabhu was born on February 18, 1486. It is also a well-known fact that for twenty-four years Lord Caitanya lived in the gṛhastha-āśrama in Nabadwip (CC Ādi 13.10, CC Madhya 1.15). Afterward, He accepted the renounced order of life, sannyāsa, and resided for twenty-four years more at Jagannātha Purī (CC Ādi 13.11, CC Madhya 1.17). “Of these last twenty-four years, He spent the first six continually touring India, sometimes in South India, sometimes in B
The story of Lord Brahma going to visit Krishna at Dvarka is one of my favorite stories for reminding me of my insignificance. I think of this story when I am confused with other Karnamritas. I get email for Karnamrita dasi the singer, and I get asked if I wrote the biography of Gaura-kishora das Babhaji, or other books. I am reminded of my dear friend Dr. Garuda who has to distinguish himself from another Garuda who is active on-line.
By Karnamrita dasa
So which Karnamrita am I? That is a grea
TEXT 19
tan aham dvisatah kruran
samsaresu naradhaman
ksipamy ajasram asubhan
asurisv eva yonisu
samsaresu naradhaman
ksipamy ajasram asubhan
asurisv eva yonisu
SYNONYMS
tan—those; aham—I; dvisatah—envious; kruran—mischievous; samsaresu—into the ocean of material existence; naradhaman—the lowest of mankind; ksipami—put; ajasram—innumerable; asubhan—inauspicious; asurisu—demoniac; eva—certainly; yonisu—in the wombs.
TRANSLATION
Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various demoni
By Achyut Gopal Das
Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts." - Edward R. Murrow
No two people react to the same situation in a similar way. Here are examples of two great personalities who were faced with a very similar situation, but their responses were completely different.
This is a comparitive study between Bhisma and Jatayu. Both, of them were faced with seeing exploitation of women. One chose to try to protect the victim and the other chose to be a mute spectator of the cr
The Bhakti Center in Manahattan has launched a Kirtan School, offering comprehensive step-by-step training in the devotional art.
The Center has always offered sporadic kirtan programs. But recently two things happened that set the course for a more “proactive, intentional and strategic approach,” according to Kirtan School director Doyal Gauranga Das.
First, devotees taught a three-hour “kirtan camp” in November 2017, which sold out immediately, revealing a strong public desire to learn kir
By Bhaktimarga Swami
Bloor Street, west of University Avenue, is what it always has been for decades, and coming back, after a month's stay in India, let's me see that it has persisted. For all but the iconic Honest Ed's economy market - which has been razed and will be replaced by a towering condo unit—the coffee shops, book stores, exotic artifact joints and Korean town and their two or three story buildings will be here to stay. I hope.
It's a charmer of a street to walk at any time of th
I'm all for direct flights—India to Canada—and that was our (Connor and myself) intent. You've heard the saying, "Man proposes. God disposes." There is this problem with the Pakistani airways, and so our flight, like many, had to divert and land in Copenhagen to refuel.
I've learned that if you accidentally chance upon a bear on the trail, you may stand your ground or walk around. With politically hot issues involving citizens in the air, fly around and away from the troubled zone. Don't
By Madhava Smullen
The ISKCON of D.C. temple in Potomac, Maryland will be one of twelve faith-based organizations to receive grant funding from the Faith-based Facilities Security Operating Grants program.
A total of $200,000 has been approved by the local Montgomery County Council as a one-time grant to support County faith-based religious institutions’ efforts to enhance security staffing and planning.
The funds are administered by the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security
By Baladeva Das
In February 2019, a Bhaktivedanta Library Seminary was held with a great success in the farm of Nava Gundica dham, Mendoza, Argentina, with the idea of focusing on the service to the scriptures "sastra seva", promoting the vision of bhakti by studying and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books.
Mendoza is in a strategic place for the educational development of ISKCON in South America, since it is the midpoint between two great historical places that have generated "brahmacari
By Achyut Gopal Das
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle
I generally don't like to speak about myself, I am a very shy person in that sense. But here, I would like to share a small story from my life just to make an important point. You see, most lessons we need to learn are stored in our past, we just need to visit it once in a while to refresh the lessons learnt without getting caught up in it.
THE EXPERIENCE OF EXCELLENCE
I star
By Bhaktimarga Swami
It is the full moon. On this day every year, by lunar movement, we celebrate the birth of the most outstanding mobile monk, Sri Chaitanya. He was born 533 years ago in Bengal and made a point after his ordainment into the renounced order, to travel and inspire people into the kirtan culture.
This morning, the temple of Krsna Balaram was just dense with people, and reports tell us that at Chaitanya’s birthplace the temples were similarly packed with people chanting.
I stepped into the Krsna Balaram temple and was asked to lead a kirtan. I took great pleasure in doing so. After that kirtan for honouring the guru, a person came up to me—a familiar face. It was a British monk whom I travelled with in Ireland, when I trekked the country from Belfast in the north, to Cork in the south. It was good to see him again.
Knowing that I just completed a production with a group of actors, he told me of a role he volunteered to play. It was anger personified.
