By Giriraj Swami
On 30 September, 2017
Today marks Sri Rama-vijaya-dasami (Dasara, or Dussehra), the day on which Lord Ramachandra vanquished the powerful tyrant Ravana. As described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.25):
“When Ravana was engaged in the battle, the trunk of the elephant which carried the king of heaven, Indra, broke in pieces, having collided with the chest of Ravana, and the scattered broken parts illuminated all directions. Ravana therefore felt proud of his prowess and began to loi
There are numerous theories presented by modern scientists on what exactly the Milky Way galaxy is, how it behaves and how its behavior can be used to understand our universe. In fact, this galaxy is considered the pivot point for understanding other galaxies and the structure of the universe. Until now it is considered to be just one of the many other galaxies in the universe, albeit the closest one.
But a new study has opened doors to other possibilities and suggests
By Bhakta Aseem
Uttarakhand is famous as ‘Devbhoomi’ , ‘The Land of Demigods’. It has many beautiful and serene valleys. Definitely a heaven for the yogis! But we are not yogis, we are Krsna bhaktas! Srila Prabhupada’s Krsna Consciousness movement is so nice that any other process than bhakti yoga looks so petty for this age. Anywhere we preach and people are so much attracted towards this timeless philosophy i.e. The Science of Krsna Consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada says in one of his lectures:
The inter religious peace and environment forum held on Saturday September 30th 2017, at the Catholic university of East Africa’s main auditorium.
The Hare Krishna devotee community from Nairobi was fortunate to attend and an enlightening talk was given by Her Grace Manasiganga Mataji.
She spoke at length about oneness as God’s children irrespective of religion and creed and how every living entity is precious before God. In one of her points she emphasized on the protection and care of the env
By Mahatma das
Yamuna devi said in an interview on the film, Women of Bhakti, “When you live bhakti, you give bhakti.” It’s true. What you live is what you give.
I once attended a workshop facilitation training in which we were taught that many people will come to our trainings with the mindset of “I already know that.” They explained that they might know of it, about it, or are familiar with it, but they don’t know it unless they live it.
So if our audience thinks they already know what we wil
By David Briggs
"It is not easy to maintain self-esteem in an age where divisive politics and a wave of new forms of social media allow for mean-spirited instant judgments."
How would you feel if a loving God took a personal interest in you?
Pretty darn good, according to a growing body of research revealing the mental health benefits of having a close personal relationship with a caring divinity.
In one of the latest national studies, the more participants reported feeling God’s love, prese
By Madhava Smullen
The ISKCON Farm Conference celebrated its 10th anniversary during a major event at New Vrajadhama in Hungary this year, with conference and pre-conference activities running from September 11th to 17th.
The event showed how far ISKCON farms have come in networking and working together particularly over the last decade, with conferences now regularly organized in four continents by the GBC Ministry of Agriculture and Cow Protection.
Because the ISKCON Farm Conference began in
By Gauri Das
At a recent yoga class a student arrived wearing a black t-shirt that said in bold: Vegan. I later saw the same person passing in the street carrying a canvas bag printed with the word Vegan. It was an immediate turn off for me, even though I am now a vegan, an ahimsa vegan.
Back in the 2007, when the RSPCA killed our cow Gangotri, I campaigned against their policy of killing sick and abandoned animals, in both the UK and India. We received international coverage and ultimately
By Ramai Swami
Tuesday night kirtans at Govinda’s Asrama in Darlinghurst draws a wide variety of people from young to old. There are many regulars but about a third are newcomers.
I haven’t attended for over 6 months but was fortunate recently to head up the second half with ecstatic chanting. Everyone was enthusiastic and at the end, to everyone’s delight, a sumptuous dinner was served.
By Shyama Mohini Devi Dasi
on behalf of the BBT Marketing, Communications and Innovations Department
To make our books green we are keen on using paper made from controlled, sustainable forestry practices, and working with printers who use environmentally friendly inks, varnishes, and manufacturing processes.
While it’s not yet possible to make every book we print completely green (it’s more difficult when we print in Asia, for example), most of our books are FSC-certified. It’s no small thing
By Madan Mohan Mohini dasi
In 1997 one of our local friends approached me and asked if we (our Hare Krsna community in N.Carolina) would like to take part in the yearly Stokes Stomp. Without even asking what the Stomp was, I answered yes because it sounded like a nice opportunity to meet people.
Upon inquiry I found out it was a festival along the Dan River, just a few miles from our community, where the locals take part in an hour long, down-home parade the first day. (In the first years we to
It is your own soul that will guide you to remove your own darkness.
Arise, awake and do not stop until the goal is reached.
Sri Ramacandra Vijayotsava, or Vijaya Dasami is a festival commemorating Lord Ramacandra’s victory over King Ravana. When Ravana kidnapped Sita Devi, Ramacandra set out to Lanka to punish Ravana and rescue His beloved wife Sita, and this day marks the occasion of Ravana’s defeat.
In Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila, 15.32-35, it describes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mood during this festival:
“On the victory day celebrating the conquest of Lanka – a day known as Vijaya-dasami – Sri Caitanya Ma
By Kripamoya Das
In 1965 an elderly Indian gentleman boarded a steamship in Calcutta. He was a saffron-robed sadhu – a holy man – bound for America, a place he had never visited before, and a place where he had no friends. Almost 70, he had spent the last eight years in the sacred medieval town of Vrindavan, the home of Lord Krishna. In the last years of his life he wanted to give his spiritual message to the world, but at such an advanced age in a foreign country, and with no support, what cou
Srila Prabhupada: Our centers are like the oasis in a vast desert. In the desert there is no water, but occasionally if one is fortunate he may come in contact with an oasis and he is saved. Similarly in this material world we are drying up due to a lack of spiritual knowledge. Our ISKCON centers are meant to give relief to the dried up conditioned souls who are searching after the nectar of joyful life. Letter to Bhagavan, December 18, 1970.
By Achyutananda Prabhu
There were many swamis who came through New York in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Some of them were celebrity gurus, some were yogis, but they were all mayavadis.
They were clever but didn’t explain the entire nature of the Indian culture at all.
They’re what’s called “pancha-pasaka”.
They believe bhakti is only an artificial practice that you do until you merge.
At that time there were also some Buddhists.
I remember one Buddhist came through and there were macrobiotic restaurants
The Vrndavana-dhama: Vaisnava-seva community for Russian-speaking devotees continues its work in Vrndavana.
Our goal is to serve you as best as possible and make your experience of staying in the holy dham and communicating with it the most inspiring and memorable for you.
Those of you who repeatedly come to Sri Vrndavana-dhama know how often you needed someone’s help, but you could hardly get it.
Where to stay? What service can you get in the Temple? How to book a taxi or plane or train ticket
By Jaya Tirtha Caran Dasa
“Sripada Madhvacarya took his birth at Udupi, which is situated in the South Kanarada district of South India, just west of Sahyadri. This is the chief city of the South Kanarada province and is near the city of Mangalore, which is situated to the south of Udupi. In the city of Udupi is a place called Pajaka-ksetra, where Madhvacarya took his birth in a Sivalli-brahmana dynasty as the son of Madhyageha Bhatta, in the year 1040 Sakabda (A.D. 1119). According to some, he
