As darkness descends upon the holy town of Vrindavan, thousands of devotees gather at the ISKCON Krishna Balaram Mandir to celebrate the auspicious month of Kartik. The temple complex comes alive with the warm glow of countless flickering candles, creating an ethereal atmosphere of devotion and spiritual enchantment.
Beautifully adorned deities of Radha-Krishna, decorated with intricate flower garlands and colorful ornaments, preside over the celebrations. The temple’s architecture is magnific
The 2nd International Gita Olympiad Workshop, hosted by ISKCON Kurukshetra in collaboration with Kurukshetra Development Board and Kurukshetra University, was a resounding success. Held at the historic site of Kurukshetra, where Lord Krishna delivered the timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, the workshop drew over 100 enthusiastic participants, with students traveling from various parts of the country. The event aimed to foster a deeper understanding of the Gita’s teachings among young minds.
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In this video, HH Sacinandana Swami shares insights on controlling and focusing the mind, especially during the practice of chanting the Holy Name. He explains that the mind, much like a vast storage of memories and distractions, must be “turned off” to focus solely on Krishna. Swami references various teachings from saints and scriptures on how to manage the mind: for example, Rupa Goswami encourages lovingly directing the mind towards holy topics, while Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur sugge
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Nectar Talks, a podcast hosted by devotees at ISKCON Alachua, has launched its second season following the success of its first. The podcast is dedicated to capturing and sharing the essence of devotees’ spiritual journeys.
In a recent conversation with ISKCON News, Amrita-keli Dasi, one of the podcast hosts, shared some exciting updates about the new season. Among the enhancements is upgraded equipment, which will significantly improve both the quality and ov
As part of the 2024 Bhadra Purnima campaign, the Badrinath/Haridwar Yatra distributed more than 150 Srimad Bhagavatam sets over a five-day period. It was yet another wonderful opportunity to reconnect, rejuvenate, and recommit to exploring one of the many channels that Srila Prabhupada continues to provide so that we can participate in his most cherished service—book distribution.
Around 650+ devotees took part in this campaign, visiting places such as Sukaratala, the very place where Sukadev Go
There were a lot of things “on the go” for me today. Before leaving for a frisky walk to Union Station to hit the commuter “GO train”, I was hearing the gory details of an abuse case that an acquaintance went through in Europe. (Details withheld). That was the third scenario. I heard this week for an hour long call.
Then I heard of some Hollywood scandal by a celeb, Diggy, whom I don’t really know - something to do with party abusiveness on minors and none. At this point it is not rumour, as
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय नौ परम गुह्य ज्ञान
समोSहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योSस्ति न प्रियः ।
ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ।। 29 ।।
समः– समभाव;अहम्– मैं;सर्व-भूतेषु– समस्त जीवों में;न– कोई नहीं;मे– मुझको;द्वेष्यः– द्वेषपूर्ण;अस्ति– है;न– न तो;प्रियः– प्रिय;ये– जो;भजन्ति– दिव्यसेवा करते हैं;तु– लेकिन;माम्– मुझको;भक्त्या– भक्ति से;मयि– मुझमें हैं;ते– वे व्यक्ति;तेषु– उनमें;च– भी;अपि– निश्चय ही;अहम्– मैं।
By Madhur Gauranga Das
The Damodara Outreach Program (DOP), initiated by the Congregational Development Ministry (CDM) in 2004 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, aims to spread the teachings and love of Lord Damodara during the sacred Kartik month, which spans from October 17 to November 15 in 2024. This initiative has grown from a small local effort to a global movement, attracting devotees eager to engage in acts of devotion.
Kartik month, revered for its spiritual significance, offers unique opport
In this video, H.G. Sankarshan Prabhu delivers a talk on Chapter 5, Text 16 of the Bhagavad Gita, focusing on the transformative power of spiritual knowledge. He explains how true knowledge, which comes from surrendering to Krishna, dispels ignorance like the rising sun and reveals one’s eternal connection with the Divine. He contrasts mundane and spiritual knowledge, sharing personal anecdotes about his own spiritual journey and encounters with false teachings. The talk emphasizes the importanc
By Atma Tattva Das
Mauritius recently commemorated the 49th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s historic arrival in the country in 1975 with a week of celebrations that honored his legacy as well as set the stage for next year’s highly anticipated 50th-anniversary event. From heartfelt gatherings at Krishna Balaram Mandir to a vibrant beach kirtan at Pointe aux Sables, the spirit of devotion and gratitude for Srila Prabhupada’s contributions was palpable.
The festivities kicked off on September 29
The latest poem: The Game The Gamble
When Krishna was an adult
His response to the Earth’s insult
Was to sit in deliberation
And dismiss the current administration
He saw the world was rotting
Essential values were forgotten
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय नौ परम गुह्य ज्ञान
यत्करोषि यदश्र्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् ।
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ॥ 27 ॥
यत्– जो कुछ;करोषि– करते हो;यत्– जो भी;अश्नासि– खाते हो;यत्– जो कुछ;जुहोषि– अर्पित करते हो;ददासि– दान देते हो;यत्– जो;यत्– जो भी;तपस्यसि– तप करते हो;कौन्तेय– हे कुन्तीपुत्र;तत्– वह;कुरुष्व– करो;अर्पणम्– भेंट रूप में।
भावार्थ : हे कुन्तीपुत्र! तुम जो कुछ करते हो, जो कुछ खाते हो, जो कुछ अर्पित करते हो या दान देते हो और जो भी तपस्या करते हो, उसे मुझे
Udhava came to see me. “Obeisances ! Do you want to go for a walk?”
“Yes ! Now ?”
“Now ! Yes !”
We burst out the door, may our way down on Avenue. Inside, I was rejoicing that the city is finally doing something about the street’s narrow sidewalk just north of Davenport St. It looks like the sidewalk is going to be widened. This is sweet for pedestrians, sad for motorists. The concrete blockades are pointed bright colours with animal themes. I guess its one way to put some ease on motori
The Better India platform shares positive stories happening across India “uncovering the tales of everyday unsung heroes, community change-makers, groundbreaking innovations, and remarkable ideas often overlooked by mainstream media.”
One of its recent spotlights was focused on the city of Chennai which is posed to become “India’s first gender-inclusive city, thanks to a Gender Lab set up by the Greater Chennai Corporation.” The GCC is focused at providing women safe access to public spaces and
The annual World Holy Name Festival (WHNF), organized by the ISKCON Kirtan Ministry, concluded its 2024 edition with great success, uniting temples and devotees from across the world. This festival, observed from September 17 to September 23, celebrates Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental journey to the West, which marked the beginning of ISKCON’s worldwide mission to spread the glories of the Holy Name.
The 2024 theme, “Srila Prabhupada Wants You to Chant for Love and Peace,” was more than a mess
The Sacred Glories of Radha Kunda
The holy city of Mathura holds a position of spiritual supremacy over Vaikuntha, the transcendental world, because it is where the Supreme Lord appeared. Yet, even greater than Mathura is the transcendental forest of Vrindavana, renowned for the divine rasalila pastimes of Lord Krishna. Superior to Vrindavana is Govardhana Hill, uplifted by Krishna’s divine hand and the site of His many loving pastimes. But above all, the superexcellent Radha Kunda reigns suprem
Wherever in this world there were great manifestations of love between Radha and Krsna, not only was it an extraordinary experience for those who were present there, but actually that entire place also became transformed.
Various places in Vrindavan, where Radha and Krsna had great exchanges of love, are very potent with powerful mercy that becomes available to us as well. The appearance of Radha-kund, the lake of Srimati Radharani, is a most special occasion, as it is said that Radha kund is t
Kartik is very auspicious for spiritual advancement. Another name for Kartik is Urja-vrata. Urja means power. The supreme power, the original power, is Srimati Radharani. So Urja-vrata, or Kartik-vrata, is for Srimati Radharani. Many important pastimes took place in the month of Kartik. On the full-moon night, Sri Krishna played upon His flute and enjoyed the rasa-lila, which is considered the best of His pastimes. Also during Kartik, Krishna saw that the residents of Vrindavan were preparing to
krsnasyoccaih pranaya-vasatih preyasibhyo ’pi radha
kundam casya munibhir abhitas tadrg eva vyadhayi
yat presthair apy alam asulabham kim punar bhakti-bhajam
tat premedam sakrd api sarah snatur aviskaroti
“Of the many objects of favoured delight and of all the lovable damsels of Vrajabhumi, Srimati Radharani is certainly the most treasured object of Krishna’s love. And, in every respect, Her divine kunda is described by great sages as similarly dear to Him. Undoubtedly Radha-kunda is rarely att
