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Chapter Ten: Spiritual Marriage and Balanced Training

“The soldiers in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must always possess physical strength, enthusiasm and sensual power. To keep themselves fit, they must therefore place themselves in a normal condition of life. What constitutes a normal condition will not be the same for everyone, and therefore there are divisions of varṇāśrama—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa.” (SB. 8.2.30, purport).

Śrīla P

I have seen time and again how devotees who have undergone brahmacari training, and who later take up the reins of householder life, enter the workplace with skills far above those of the average man or woman. It is not that the skills and mentality of the devotional training have no value in the work theatre. On the contrary, the training as given by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada raises the devotee to a level above that of others.

The first thing that a brahmacari must do is exerci

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Srila Bhaktivinode explains that by reading Vraja Vilas Stava we can learn how to appropriately conduct ourselves with the residents of Goloka Vrindavan.
Well, I read it, and it is indeed relishable.
But clearly I know that it is going to be many, many maha yugas till I associate with the residents of Goloka Vrindavan.
And, if ever I do have that association, it will happen only by the causeless mercy of Srila Prabhupada, who has liberally given us the process and goal of atta

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances.

My name is Ishvara das, the project manager for Eco Vrindavan Brazil. The goal of our project is to recreate the atmosphere of Vraja in Brazil and to create a spiritual city for sincere devotees, with auspicious conditions for living, service, preaching, and participation in eco-initiatives (goshala, permaculture, agroforestry).

We have already received the blessings and support of ISKCON spiritual masters, as well as initial funding. Now, we wis

By Gopaswami Das ACBSP

A historic turn of events took place in France the day before Radhastami. For the first time since Srila Prabhupada inaugurated this beautiful community and installed his beloved Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama, both the ambassador of India at UNESCO and the town’s mayor glorified Srila Prabhupada, New Mayapura community, and Iskcon with astounding words of praise. A first in France after many years of internal and external struggle!

After a first-class lunch prasadam was served

By Madana-gopala Dasa

In 1972, Idi Amin expelled more than 60,000 Indians from Uganda overnight. These were not just residents. They were the backbone of the economy, running businesses, supplying goods, and sustaining entire sectors of trade. Their removal caused Uganda’s economy to collapse, and half a century later, the country has never fully recovered.

I know this story intimately. I was born in East Africa in the 1970s, in the aftermath of Amin’s decision. I grew up witnessing the social a

By Atma Tattva Das

For the first time in more than thirty years, ISKCON UK organized a youth bus tour, reviving a tradition that left a deep mark on earlier generations. Over three weeks this summer, thirty young devotees traveled across Britain, blending outreach, pilgrimage, and adventure.

The tour carried echoes of the pioneering mood of the late Tribhuvanatha Dasa, who led similar journeys in the 1970s and 80s. For many participants, it became a life-changing experience that strengthened fri

The youngest of the aṣṭa-sakhīs, Chitra is gentle, graceful, and deeply artistic. With her hands she paints, with her eyes she smiles, and with her heart she surrenders. She silently serves Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī by capturing divine beauty in art and color, reminding us that devotion can be quiet — yet powerful.

Yesterday, as we celebrated her appearance day here in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpura, it marked not just her own festival but also the closing of this year’s month-long Aṣṭa-sakhī celebrations. From Aug

By Krsangi Radhe Dasi,

The Festival of Chariots in Maputo, Mozambique, is no ordinary spiritual event—it’s an annual miracle of devotion, grit, and grace. Organized by ISKCON Mpumalanga devotees from South Africa, this vibrant two-day Ratha Yatra (held in July) now draws thousands into the embrace of Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladev, and Subhadra devi, showering the streets with music, mercy, and prasadam.

Though Bhakti Caitanya Swami (the co-GBC for South Africa) had initiated preaching in the area

By Anuradha dasi,

Sometimes all it takes is one spark—one big inspiration that touches one small person—to set something extraordinary in motion. That is the story of how a seed planted in Butler, Pennsylvania, sixty years ago grew into the worldwide Hare Krishna movement. And yesterday, a group of devotees from New Vrindaban retraced that history, rediscovering both Srila Prabhupada’s first steps in America and the spirit of devotion that continues to ripple outward.

The journey began with one

April 6, 2003

Gargamuni: The background was very interesting because Prabhupada for some reason, I don’t know why, he made me treasurer. I guess he saw that I had business abilities. I used to keep my little office, which consisted of cashier’s books and vouchers, and I used to keep my little office in his room where he lived and translated. So while he was working, he would want me to sit there and do my accounting work. And if I had any questions I should ask him because it was very important

Verse: Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.12.15 Speaker: HH Varshana Swami Location: ISKCON New Vrindaban

agnau gurav atmani ca sarva-bhutesv adhoksajam bhutaih sva-dhamabhih pasyed apravistam pravistavat

TRANSLATION: One should realize that in the fire, in the spiritual master, in one’s self and in all living entities-in all circumstances and conditions-the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, has simultaneously entered and not entered. He is situated externally and internally as the full controller of eve

As we read the scripture and hear from the spiritual master, we will hear both easy and difficult instructions. We’ll naturally be attracted to those that seem easier to follow, but the two types of instruction have a unity of purpose.

One of the most encouraging verses I have found in Bhagavad-gita is 2.40: “In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.” A similar verse can be found in the ninth chap

By H.H. Mahavishnu Goswami
(Compiled from notes on lectures of H. H. Mahavishnu Goswami)

“Ashram doesn’t matter really, whatever ashram we are, we have to remember Krishna’s words.”

caatur-varnyam mayaa srstam
guna-karma-vibhaagasah
tasya kartaaram api maam
viddhy akartaaram avyayam

“According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet

Devotees often ask what the meaning of steadiness is: some consider that chanting sixteen rounds a day and following the four regulative principles means that one is steady, while others say it is steadiness in one’s service; yet others give different variations of what they consider steadiness to mean. But these things mentioned—regularly chanting and regularity in serving—are physical symptoms that may or may not indicate real steadiness.

Suddha-bhakti-cintamani deals with the subject of stea

The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) has announced a landmark initiative: a new series dedicated to the foundational literature of the Six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana. The series will feature meticulous translations enriched with the purports of previous Ācāryas, beginning with the release of a five-volume edition of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Members of Śāstra Maṇḍala will be among the first to receive this edition.

The project has been nearly a decade in the making and is being overs

From Back to Godhead

The Golden Avatar delivered the gold standard of spiritual practices for this age.

In general, people like gold. It represents wealth and success. A golden age refers to an era of goodness and plenty, acknowledged in Greek, Roman, and Indian cultures. If you have everything, you were born with a golden spoon in your mouth. The Golden Rule is the epitome of cosmic justice or fairness: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. As the saying goes, “As good as gold.”

In healthy families and communities, both male and female are valued equally. A flourishing child’s psyche is guided and protected by the father figure, while the mother figure nurtures growth and development. Without such a stable structure, children perceive a hostile world (lack of feminine nourishment) within an empty universe (lack of masculine direction giving meaning and purpose). Without proper relationship to mother and father, a suffering condition develops which tempts its subjects w

From Back to Godhead

“From the viewpoint of eternity, a life span of five thousand years is the same as that of five years: both are a flash, both temporary.”

Two summers ago when the Reforestation Department of the Sequoia National Park in California gave away excess baby Sequoia trees, I got four and planted them on our nine-acre property in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Sequoias don’t produce useful things like fruits or flowers. They simply live—for thousands of years. And t