By Madhava Smullen
In ISKCON today, we typically call everyone who joined the movement “the first generation.” We call all the children of those who joined “second generation,” no matter their age, and all their children “third generation.”
But now the gurukuli pioneers who first coined the phrase “second generation” have come forward to say that continuing to use the term to describe everyone across a thirty-year timespan is confusing and problematic.
In the late 1980s, those who had atten
By Chaitanya Charan Das
We all have certain abilities that enable us to make a contribution and gain satisfaction.
When we use our abilities properly, we get a sense of self-worth and specialness. But sometimes those talents can also make us proud because we may feel superior to those who do not have such talents. To avoid such pride, we need to see our abilities appropriately. Gita wisdom explains that our talents are not our entitlements, that is, we are not entitled to have these talents. E
Visakha dasi ACBSP: Think of a topiary. A topiary is a shrub clipped to create a particular shape. When we look at a topiary, we don’t see the plant’s natural shape but the shape that’s been imposed on it. Topiaries may be visually entertaining, but when that “clipping” is applied to people and they are forced to function in ways that may be artificial for them, it leads to misery. To prevent someone from serving Krishna according to his or her personal proclivities is a kind of violence. No on
We read from Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Chapter Three: “Karma-yoga.”
TEXT 41
tasmat tvam indriyany adau
niyamya bharatarsabha
papmanam prajahi hy enam
jnana-vijnana-nasanam
TRANSLATION
Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bharatas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.
PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada
The Lord advised Arjuna to regulate the senses from the very beginning so that he could curb the g
Please come and chant with us…..in japa as well as in kirtan.
* Deepen your relationship with the Holy Name.
* Spend these days in seclusion in beautiful Ekachakra – away from all usual distractions.
* Hear about the glories of the Holy Name in the association of like- minded devotees and practically apply what you have heard in kirtan and japa.
* Experience a different reality – associate with Krsna in person, through His Holy Name.
* Open your heart and allow the Holy Name to do His mysterio
By Vaisesika Dasa
Journalist Thomas Paine in 1776 sparked the American Revolution by writing and widely distributing his pamphlet, Common Sense. Fidel Castro – while in a Cuban prison – crafted his speech History will Absolve Me, had it smuggled it out of the prison and distributed to the masses. The result? The Cubin public overthrew the government and installed Castro as their leader.
And for thousands of years, our own acaryas have invested their time and energy to write and publish transcen
By Gauranga Darshan Das
It’s best to act appropriately in a situation rather than regret later!
It’s better to regret for one’s poor response rather than justifying it!
It’s worse to justify one’s impulsive act and deny responsibility for its result!
Did someone ever mistreat you? Did you ever hurt someone? How had been your response in either case? A sensitive heart regrets when one fails to respond sensitively. Having said or done something that pained someone or yourself, one often thin
Geeta Bhandari: Yesterday someone walked past me and said, “You’re a beggar, you’re nothing but a beggar”. He then walked off. His comment was said with malice yet I knew he was sent by Caitanya Mahaprabhu to remind me that yes I am a beggar, a beggar begging for the mercy and love of God. I also realized that as a book distributor I’m on the streets begging myself and others to awaken our spiritual identity in order to be able to relate to each other in the mood of pure selflessness so that we
“Topmost Yoga System” Just one of Srila Prabhupada’s books sufficient to change a life forever!
In 1970, I was a young man visiting friends in Montreal. I had just come to the surface of the city after a ride on the subway (underground) when a very enthusiastic devotee approached me with a copy of *Topmost Yoga System*. The friend I was with tried to discourage me from taking anything, but I was curious, gave the devotee a donation and took the book. Apparently, that was the end of the day for
HARE KRISHNA.
Please click the link to know the Evidences from Scriptures that WHO IS SRI KRISHNA CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU ?
By Madhava Smullen
The Manor Preschool, located on the campus at ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Manor in England, has received an “Outstanding” grade after a recent Ofsted inspection.
Ofsted (The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) is the government organization responsible for inspecting all schools and nurseries in the UK.
Arriving unannounced so as to see the Manor Preschool as it is, the Ofsted inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors a
On 9th December afternoon, ISKCON Youth Forum Gaya celebrated UDGAAR (An expression of goodness & Joy) festival on the topic “The Joy of De-addiction” at ISKCON Gaya premises. About one thousand youths from various universities, Gaya Engineering college and academic institutes of Gaya attended the festival. Festival started with video show on ISKCON achievement and Srila Prabhupad’s glories. Jagdish Shyam Das (General Manager, ISKCON GAYA) gave the inaugural address and objective behind the fes
Odana Sasti Festival was celebrated in a grand manner at Sri Rajapur Jagannath Mandir on 13 Dec. The deities Sri Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra devi were offered a very beautiful outfit with gorgeous flower decorations. HH Jayadvaita Swami, HH Chandramouli Swami, HH Bhakti Nityananda Swami, HG Jananivas Pr, HG Pankajanghri pr and many senior devotees from ISKCON Mayapur attended the festival and enlightened us with the special Odana Sasti pastimes and also Rajapur Jagannath’s slapping pastime
By Aseem Krishna Das
Pandharpur Sadhu Sanga 2018 with HH Subhag Swami
This year’s annual Sadhu Sanga program with HH Subhag Swami was held in Pandharpur Dham from 26thNovember to 1st December 2018. Around 200 devotees from all over India participated in the program. Every year devotees wait with anticipation for this program where they get a chance to associate with like minded devotees and glorify lord Krishna in a holy Dham. Such programs provide a nice opportunity to enhance our devotion to
By Giriraj dasa
Is God unfair ?
“Why God has made somebody so opulent and why somebody so poor?” This is the general question we hear. Does God discriminates between different souls? Srimad Bhagavatam clears the doubt
naiñä parävara-matir bhavato nanu syät
jantor yathätmä-suhådo jagatas tathäpi
saàsevayä surataror iva te prasädaù
sevänurüpam udayo na parävaratvam
“Like the ordinary living entity, my Lord, You have no such discrimination, thinking like ‘He is my friend; he is my enemy, he is fav
By Praghosa Dasa
A few weeks ago I bumped into someone I hadn’t seen for nearly 40 years, way back then he was an old school friend of mine and he had some interesting thoughts on all things Hare Krishna!
He began by letting me know (in colourful language), that at the time he thought I was ‘nut-job fruitcake’ when he heard I had become a Hare Krishna devotee, however now he considers that it was not so strange after all. His logic went something like this – it now seems that half the people
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2008, South Africa, South Coast Retreat)
We must go deeper in our meditation. Chanting is to be accompanied by meditation, so we must meditate on who Krsna is. I make it a point that I always meditate while I am chanting, in the sense that when I read something about an aspect of Krsna that strikes me, the thought continues to travel in my mind while I am chanting. So I am always trying to remember Krsna while chanting, which is very important. The more we remember Krsna,
By Chaitanya Charan Das
Many people adopt a materialistic lifestyle without thinking about its implications. A materialistic worldview implies that we have come from nowhere because we didn’t exist before birth; we will go nowhere because we won’t exist after death; and while we live, we are successful if we get more things than others. And even if we do succeed, still, life ultimately ends in failure because we lose everything at death.
This conception of life is so gloomy as to be unbearable.
By Subhag Swami
Bhaktivinoda Thakur boldly proclaims, ‘sad-anga saranagati hoibe janhara,’ one who follows these six paths of surrender strictly, the result is ‘tahara prarthana sune sri nanda-kumara’. Krsna will respond to our prayer. Why is this so? Because Bhakti is cit-tattva. Devotional service, the Lord and His devotees do not belong to this material world but are of another.
Cit means cognition. The spiritual world is cit jagat; a realm full of perception. You will pray and get the resp
