Why did people get out and start walking along the free way? Why do some young folks get out of the car on that normally busy road to have a game of volley ball right there? Why did dozens and dozens of motorists go to the roadside creek for a #1 or #2 ?
A traffic jam ! People got desperate. It was an accident, death included, that held westbound traffic for over three hours along the 401 Highway near Brighton, Ontario. Mahadev, Annapurna and I were crawling, or at least, the van was. For mys
From Back to Godhead
By Chaitanya Charana Dasa
The final stage of the relationship between Vali and Sugriva, important characters in the Ramayana, provide important ethical lessons.
A poignant subplot in the Ramayana is the fratricidal confrontation between the two monkey brothers Vali and Sugriva. In the Mahabharata, fraternal animosity between the virtuous Pandavas and the evil Kauravas continues till the death of the Kauravas. In contrast, the Ramayana features a deathbed reconciliation betw
“In the insurmountable darkness of sorrow in this world, the only light of hope is the association of pure devotees and their instructions on devotional service. “
Once there lived a king named Citraketu in the province of Surasena. Owing to his piety and righteousness, his kingdom flourished. There was one problem though. The king had no issue. Although he married one bride after another in order to have progeny, nonetheless all of them tur
Determination is vital either in material or spiritual life. This determination exhibits a devotee’s hankering and sincere desire for attainment of the perfectional stage of devotional service. Lord Brahma, the original first living being was entrusted with the service of engineering the material world, based on the raw ingredients provided by the Lord, under His direction and empowerment. In the course of his creation, Lord Brahma faced five obstacles, from which we too can derive lessons that
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय पाँच कर्मयोग -- कृष्णभावनाभावित कर्म
ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दु:खयोनय एव ते ।
आद्यन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुधः ॥ 22 ॥
ये– जो;हि– निश्चय हि;संस्पर्श-जा– भौतिक इन्द्रियों के स्पर्श से उत्पन्न;भोगाः– भोग;दुःख– दुःख;योनयः– स्त्रोत, कारण;एव– निश्चय हि;ते– वे;आदि– प्रारम्भ;अन्तवन्त– अन्तकाले;कौन्तेय– हे कुन्तीपुत्र;न– कभी नहीं;तेषु– उनमें;रमते– आनन्द लेता है;बुधः– बुद्धिमान् मनुष्य।
भावार्थ : बुद्धिमान् मनुष्य दुख के कारणों में भाग नहीं लेता जो कि भौति
BEATLES/KRISHNAS: THE UNTOLD STORY!”
ZOOM TALK GIVEN BY SHYAMASUNDAR DAS AT AUGUST 2024 “BEATLESFEST” CONVENTION IN CHICAGO
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Hare Krishna!
My name is Shyamasundar das, the spiritual name given to me 57 years ago by my spiritual master, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. In 1967, Bhaktivedanta Swami brought to the western world the greatest secrets from ancient India, the most profound philosophy and process for understanding and loving god, or Krishna consciousness. All glories
By Satyaraja Dasa
How a leader in Indian shipping helped deliver the message of Lord Chaitanya to the western world.
In 1965 the Scindia Steam Navigation Company was one of the oldest, largest, and most respected shipping establishments in India. Its cargo consisted generally of food, clothing, farming equipment, and medical and educational supplies, which were packaged in boxes, cases, pallets, and barrels. In August of that same year, however, one of its cargo ships carried a passenge
By Taravali Devi Dasi
Almost 25 years after Sangita Devi Dasi, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, founded Vaishnavas C.A.R.E., devotees around the world are being invited to join a special “Reading Club,” hosted by the Vaishnavas C.A.R.E. International Team. The club will collectively read Sangita Devi Dasi’s “The Final Journey,” a complete and comprehensive hospice care manual written to help train devotees to assist Vaishnavas at the end of their lives.
All English-speaking devotees around the
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
As the auspicious occasion of Bhadra Purnima draws near, the global Bhadra Campaign, led by Vaisesika Dasa, has brought together devotees from around the world in a powerful and inspiring mission to distribute Srimad Bhagavatam. This united effort reflects the collective devotion and determination to share the timeless wisdom of the sacred text.
Vaisesika Dasa, sharing the campaign’s vision of distributing at least 68,000 sets of Srimad Bhagavatam worldwide, sa
Meet Arpita Hembram, a bright and determined young girl from the Santal tribe in Purulia, whose inspiring journey exemplifies the power of education and support in transforming lives. With her strong dedication and the guidance of ISKCON’s India Tribal Care Trust (ITCT), Arpita has broken barriers and pursued her dream of becoming a doctor. She is currently studying MBBS at Midnapore Medical College, a remarkable achievement for someone from a rural tribal background.
Arpita’s pursuit of an MB
Lorenzo and I ambled along in the area of the Iskcon Centre, an area where you find a massive Catholic Church every two blocks, some of which are not doing well, attendance wise. My good friend Anubhava, earlier on pointed out to a towering church that is physically falling into decline. Personally it hurts to see these things going on. I would like to see various forms of spirituality succeeding even though these other denominational approaches are slightly different.
As love as they teach l
By Payal Shah
(Adapted from ‘Japa Affirmations’ by His Grace Mahatma Dasa)
Ancient Vedic texts address the notion that no amount of material accomplishments can deeply satisfy us. Our consciousness has been polluted by the material atmosphere, and as we try to exploit resources, we are in fact getting more and more entangled in complexities. Vedic wisdom attributes this condition to a lack of spiritual awareness. These Vedic wisdom texts share with us that we are all spiritual beings and that w
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय पाँच कर्मयोग -- कृष्णभावनाभावित कर्म
विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि ।
श्रुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ॥ 18 ॥
विद्या– शिक्षण;विनय– तथा विनम्रता से;सम्पन्ने– युक्त;ब्राह्मणे– ब्राह्मण में;गवि– गाय में;हस्तिनि– हाथी में;शुनि– कुत्ते में;च– तथा;एव– निश्चय ही;श्वपाके- कुत्ताभक्षी (चाण्डाल) में;च– क्रमशः;पण्डिताः– ज्ञानी;सम-दर्शिनः– समान दृष्टि से देखने वाले।
By Arya Devi Dasi
The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) is convening a conference that will explore topics related to theories of biological evolution; their scientific, philosophical, theological, historical, and metaphysical bases; and their relevance to devotional practices, faith, and scriptures in the 21st Century. The conference will take place at our BIHS headquarters in Gainesville, FL, from January 17-20, 2025, with a post-conference workshop from January 21-23.
Promine
By Rasasekhara Dasa
Inspired by the Sri Sri Radha Kalachandji temple in Dallas and with the blessings of senior Vaishnavas, an expanding community of devotees from North Dallas, Texas, recently kicked off a new project to construct a grand Hare Krishna temple named “Gita Mandir” in the heart of Frisco, TX, an area of the state that has seen phenomenal growth.
On September 7, 2024, devotees from various North Dallas areas, including, but not limited to, Frisco, Little Elm, Plano, McKinney, Prosp
By Partha Dasa and Uttama Dasi
After 109,512 arotikas, 328,560 sticks of incense, and over half a million food preparations offered, Sri Sri Radha Madana-mohana marked the 50th anniversary of Their installation in a grand 3-day festival in Vancouver, Canada.
On Saturday morning, courtesy of Golden Dancer (Caitanya Mahaprabhu) Tours, devotees took a historical bus tour of the early temple locations in Vancouver.
At the site of one of the first temples in Vancouver, Bala Krsna Dasa related how sa
The Radhastami festival this year was an unforgettable experience! The temple hall was fully packed with devotees, and the atmosphere was buzzing with joy and devotion as we all came together to honor Srimati Radharani’s appearance day. There’s no doubt that Radha is truly merciful. As Srila Prabhupada once said, “If you approach Krishna directly, He may be hard to reach. But if you go through Srimati Radharani, she will recommend you to Krishna, and Krishna cannot refuse her.”
This year’s Radha
My travelling companions, Mahadev and Annapurna, are splendid to work with. After a good night’s rest in Gonanogue Inn, we decided some footwork is necessary and that time be given to at least an hour of walking. I started at the 1000 Islands Casino (I didn’t go in) and headed east on highway 2. The couple drove ahead at the 5 km mark, stopped, got out of the van heading in my direction. We met, walked towards the parked van at an old church. I couldn’t resist taking a pic of the two standing by
From Back to Godhead
“Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest idea what it means. —Bertrand Russell
Throughout human history, philosophers and seekers of knowledge have sought to discover a single fundamental cause underlying all the phenomena of the universe, Since the rise of Western science in the late Renaissance, many scientists have also felt impelled to seek this ultimate goal, and they have approached it from their own characte
From Back to Godhead
God is a person, and out of His infinite kindness He allows us even in
our present condition to render Him personal service.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the devotee Prahlada Maharaja, a great spiritual authority, says, “Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia, and pastimes of Lord Visnu [Krsna], remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship…, offering prayers to the Lord, becomin
