By Mayesvara Das
Any parent who has raised a child knows they will sometimes get into mischief that may even be dangerous or problematic. In my case, I drove my mother crazy because I loved to play in the water. It was readily available in the stream that flowed down behind the neighbor’s house and in a swamp located on the other side of the church parking lot. Simply telling me not to play in the water with my Sunday clothes on was never as dissuasive as my Dad calling me to go with him downt
By Karnamrita Das
Studying the meaning of words (semantics) whether in Sanskrit, English, or our native language and their deeper implications in our lives is a useful endeavor in our introspection and personal growth, which I see as part of the work of “anartha-nivritti,” or retiring our unwanted, spiritually unhelpful mental and physical habits. Become free from these anarthas is an interim goal, not the end, but it is meant to lead to “artha pravritti,” or the ultimate goal of loving service
Ananda Vrindavaneswari Dasi: There are big truths and small truths and truths that are true just for some and not for others.
There are also absolute truths - those that are for everyone. Dying is one of those. Old age another. No matter what we call them or how we try to avoid them, they come with the territory of the world.
These absolute truths, shared by all of us, are also powerful. Power, by this definition, is something that is stronger than us and can control us. Besides things like tim
Nadeem Khan and Zorabia Naqvi from Jaipur, Rajasthan, have broken all language barriers by winning the State Level Bhagavad Gita competitions for Essay Writing and Sloka Recitation respectively.
Born to Muslim parents, the students hail from families that speak Urdu. However, their love for the Sanskrit language did not hold them back in any capacity. And the Class 10 student Nadeem stopped at nothing to learn Sanskrit.
No one in my family knows Sanskrit. We speak Urdu at home. I decided to lea
By Purushottam Nitai Das
I was reluctant. What will be new in it? “I know the story, have seen multiple videos about him and moreover it will be available on youtube in few months.” But none of my arguments cut the ice with my wife, she was so eager to watch the “Hare Krishna!” movie that I had to finally relent. Also our third marriage anniversary was just few days later so did not want to disappoint her. We reached Kolkata’s Mani Square Mall, which has PVR theatre, before time.
Ladies in thei
By Karnamrita Das
In the lives of great persons there is always opposition and apparent road blocks in accomplishing their goals or mission in life. Whether through another person, an accident, their own body or mind, or some natural disturbance, what appears on the surface to be an impediment is passed through and the glory of the person is revealed.
Practically we can see that great success in any undertaking or field is not accomplished without passing through many setbacks and even failure.
By Bhaktimarga Swami
In Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.16 purport, Srila Prabhupada says that Lord Krishna’s first business is to give all comfort to the cows and the brahmanas. In fact, comfort for the brahmanas is secondary, and comfort for the cows is His first concern. The ISKCON Mayapur Goshala is located in the south-east corner of the Mayapur campus, and is a beautiful eight to twelve minute walk from the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir and Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. The Mayapur Goshala is a very peaceful and s
Giridhari Swami: On the fourth day of our Govardhana Parikrama, we journeyed to Radhakund. In his Upadesamrta, Srila Rupa Goswami describes the sanctity of this holy place thus: “The holy place known as Mathura is spiritually superior to Vaikuntha, the transcendental world, because the Lord appeared there. Superior to Mathura-puri is the transcendental forest of Vrndavana because of Krsna’s rasa-lila pastimes. And superior to the forest of Vrndavana is Govardhana Hill, for it was raised by the
By Giriraj Swami
Speaking in Los Angeles about the qualities of a devotee, Srila Prabhupada said, “Sympathetic. We should be very much sympathetic. If any of our fellow men fall sick, we must take care of him, give him help. Because, after all, we have got this body, sometimes we may fall sick. So we should be sympathetic. And friendly. Everyone’s friend. As Krsna is friend of everyone, suhrdam sarva-bhutanam, so if we are Krsna’s representative, how I can be enemy of anyone else? I must be fri
By Gangadhara das
Definitions
1. I meditate upon Lord Sri Krsna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes… (Srila Vyasadeva; Srimad-Bhagavatam [SB] 1.1.1).
2. Satyam, truthfulness, means that facts should be presented as they are, for the benefit of others (Srila Prabhupada; Bhagavad-gita [Bg] 10.4 purport [pp]).
3. If one does not know what is honesty, how can he be honest? But if you know what
As the Hare Krishna Society builds a lavish new temple in India, it is struggling to control a faction in the city where the religion was born.
Weekdays at Govinda’s Vegetarian Lunch, a cafeteria in the basement of Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir, the Hare Krishna temple located in the rapidly developing area of Downtown Brooklyn, is a peaceful affair. Outside, there are cranes, scaffolding and cement trucks. But inside and down a few stairs, there is faint, dulcet chanting piped through speakers.
By Sophia Nguyen
Distant are the days of Annie Hall, when Woody Allen resigned himself to a plate of alfalfa sprouts and mashed yeast. Over the years, vegan eating has gone from tasteless to trendy to making inroads into the mainstream. One sign of the times: in 2016, Tyson Foods, the largest meat processor in the United States, bought a 5 percent stake in the plant-based protein producer Beyond Meat. (The company’s best-known product, the Beyond Burger, is pinkened with beet extracts and repor
Traditional Indian Art Paintings By B.G. Sharma
“Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.”(Bhagavad-gita 18.78)
“Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please ins
Hare Krishna!!
Friday,15th of December 2017 was a memorial day for all ISKCON devotees in India, as it marked the release of the Hare Krishna! movie - a documentary on Srila Prabhupada's life - which released simultaneously across 700 screens in 50 different cities of India.
The movie has received a resounding success all over India. However, special mention must be made of Kolkata, the birthplace of Srila Prabhupada. Here the movie had run for a week in all the PVR Cinemas across the city. The
The winter holidays from Christmas till the New Year attracts lakhs of people every year from across India to the ISKCON Chandradaya Temple, Mayapur, the spiritual headquarters of the institution. During this time all the guesthouses, lodges and hotels are stuffed and every road leading to Mayapur is seen bustling with tourists and revellers. To reach out to this huge bunch of people with an aim to inculcate spiritual values among people and thereby promote peace, harmony and well-being, the de
