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Gopiparanadhana Dasa, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) Sanskrit editor and translator for more than 25 years, addresses the difference between Western and Eastern approaches to textual authority. By examining texts from Srila Prabhupada’s commentaries he highlights the difference between Western ideas of plagiarism, and the primacy of originality, and Eastern notions of ensuring the safe passage of traditional thought. He also looks at how in Indian traditions the qualification for authorship is
Om Sri Surabhyai Namah!
The book MODERNITY is KILLING CIVILIZATION analyzes the negative and highly destructive effects of industrialization and modernism tracing their source to the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth century focusing primarily on three areas of gross neglect related to animals (especially the cows), agriculture and modern education.
The author, a 45 years practitioner of the Vaisnava tradition, presents the Vedic dharmic perspective of sociology by introducing the scient
By Bhaktimarga Swami
For years I’ve been conducting satsangs or home programs which feature kirtan, talks and Prasadand often walking to the place of action. Ananda is an excellent tabla player who accompanied me on 34thStreet in Edmonton. The sky was a grey-blue, the hue that let us know it’s not going to stay. A partial rainbow, meaning not fully-arched to our vision, made an appearance in that sky.
Generally these satsangs occur in the evening and are culminated with a meal. However, up
By HH Sridhara Swami
Through bhakti-yoga we can finally reunite with the person we’ve wanted all along.
The Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, discusses dhyana-yoga, or meditative yoga. Texts 13-14 say: “One should hold one’s body, neck, and head erect in a straight line and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life.”
Srila Prabhupad
We understand Krishna by the grace of Krishna’s devotees. We cannot approach Krishna directly. It is by His own sweet will that He has arranged. Krishna wants to give credit to His devotees, He wants to bestow His mercy through His devotees. It is only through the mercy of Vaisnavas that we can understand what is Krishna, what is the Holy name, what is Vrindavana, what is the purpose of life beyond just greed and egoism.
I would like to briefly narrate a few personal encounters in my life in re
By Giriraj Swami
Ekadasi is one of the regular celebrations in the Vaishnava calendar. It is observed eleven days after the full moon and eleven days after the new moon of every month. Even in the thirteenth, or leap month, called adhika-masa or purusottama-masa, which comes every three years, during which no other festivals are celebrated, Ekadasi is observed. Ekadasi is known as “the day of Lord Hari” and is said to be “the mother of devotion.” Of the sixty-four items of devotional service li
Homebase: Sridhama Mayapur
Camp: Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai
By Srila Prabhupada’s and the Lord’s mercy and with your and all the devotees’ prayers, I survived the stroke. Then, they found that when I was attacked in Madrid Airport by a crazy person in 1989, they had given me a blood transfusion to make up for the lost blood and that contained Hepatitis C virus. They postulated that the virus was from there because when they did the genetic workup of the virus, it was found to be a
Caturatma das: I have been asked to inform the Vaishnava community of the sad news of the departure from this earthly realm of Yamaraja dasa. Yamaraja dasa was the renowned ISKCON photographer and layout artist, design artist and proof reader of Back To Godhead for decades. He left this world this morning, Friday June the 22nd during the brahma muhurta time listening to Srila Prabhupada chanting japa. His departure was expected as he was in the final stages of cancer. Today is the highly auspic
“The waters of the Ganges are always carrying the flavor of tulasi offered at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, and as such the waters of the Ganges are ever flowing, spreading the glories of Lord Krishna. Wherever the waters of the Ganges are flowing, all will be sanctified, both externally and internally.”
–Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Chapter 7
Thousands of years ago, during a time of conflict between the demigods and demons, the demigods were forced to retreat as the demons rained terror onto the h
“The waters of the Ganges are always carrying the flavor of tulasi offered at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, and as such the waters of the Ganges are ever flowing, spreading the glories of Lord Krishna. Wherever the waters of the Ganges are flowing, all will be sanctified, both externally and internally.“
–Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Chapter 7
Thousands of years ago, during a time of conflict between the demigods and demons, the demigods were forced to retreat as the demons rained terror onto th
After a dental visit, Nanda took me to a park, Chinguacousy, and I sat to write by the pond. To the surprise of both of us, this red-winged black bird came darting at us. “Oh Krishna!” It must have been its nesting area, but in our minds this was our resting area, or at least relaxing zone before the Bramalea Mall opened.
But it got more serious. Our feathered friend came right at our heads, flapping its wings. No beak penetration occurred, like in the scenes from Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”
Andre Brown: Radhanath Swami gave an amazing talk about Yamunacharya & Rama Mishra. He quoted a lot of verses, but this one in particular stuck out to me:
premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṇa Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotio
Iskcon Youth League members slice a Youth Day cake.
The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) Youth League held a short programme to commemorate Youth Day on Saturday at the Maha Gayatri Temple in Forderville.
A handful of family members looked on as their children conducted a service. Veerasha Bahau welcomed all those present after which song items were offered as praise and worship.
Iskcon Estcourt members gather at Maha Gayatri Temple to celebrate June 16.
President o
From her childhood Princess Sachi devi, the daughter of King Naresh Narayana of Bengal, showed unalloyed devotion to Lord Sri Krishna. She even refused to marry on account of her genuine attachment to Krishna. After her father’s demise she ruled the kingdom. But she soon renounced it to find a bona fide spiritual master. Princess Sachi devi met Shri Haridasa Pandit, a leading guru in Vrindavana, and began performing devout bhajana to Govindaji. Although she became frail from undereating, she wo
Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana (Sri Govinda Dasa) appeared in the 1600’s near Remuna, Orissa. In his youth, he mastered Sanskrit grammar, poetry, and logic. After carefully studying the commentaries of Sankara and Madhva he took initiation in the Tattva-Vadi disciplic succession of Sripad Madhvacarya. Baladeva Vidyabhusana became a dig Vijaya Pandit (conqueror of all opponents) and began visiting the holy places. Wherever he went he defeated the local sages, scholars, and sannyasis.
The exact time
By Damodar das
At the Sunday program at Laguna Beach, Indradyumna Swami initiated Madhav Gharmalkar, son of Sri Vallabha dasa and Ananda Vrindavan dasi, and gave him the name Nilamadhava dasa, and Giriraj Swami gave Jivan-mukta dasa second initiation.
This Sunday 24th June marks the 50th ISKCON London Ratha Yatra festival.
The procession will leave South Carriage Drive, Hyde Park at exactly 12 noon and arrive at Trafalgar Square by 2pm. Festivities will continue until 5pm.
“The first London Rathayatra was held in 1969,” said London Ratha Yatra coordinator Titiksu das, “Six pioneering American devotees came to London to establish a temple to bring others to Krishna by the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra.
“In the early months of 1969, befo
Have you ever looked out the window to see, before your very eyes, a storm, not brewing, but suddenly hammer its way through? I did. It was on this very day. I would say there was no physical warning. It just came, turbulently.
I was in the chair looking at the trees from our second storey. Suddenly those trees swayed in such a way that I didn’t know they could bend like that.
Of course, some didn’t bend. Some older growth just snapped and crashed. The winds with rain moved easterly, an
By Prahlada-Nrsmha Das
What is the goal?
To present Srila Prabhupada’s books nicely and to provide powerful research tool for their study.
Brief history
Before the Online Vedabase project came there already had been attempts to present Srila
Prabhupada’s books online (e.g. vedabase.net, vanipedia, …) but my desire was to give Srila Prabhupada’s books in more presentable way and in multiple languages.
First contact with BBT for permission to allow me to make this project was in middle of year 20
