This morning I was reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam Canto Eight, Chapter 8, entitled “The Churning of the Milk Ocean”
“…how the goddess of fortune appeared during the churning of the ocean of milk and how she accepted Lord Viṣṇu as her husband. As described later in the chapter, when Dhanvantari appeared with a pot of nectar the demons immediately snatched it from him, but Lord Viṣṇu appeared as the incarnation Mohinī, the most beautiful woman in the world, just to captivate the demons and sa
The saṅkīrtana movement inaugurated by Lord Caitanya is a transcendental pastime of the Lord. “By it I live simultaneously to preach and popularize this movement in the material world.” In that saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya, Nityānanda and Advaita are His expansions, and Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa are His internal and marginal potencies. The living entities are also called marginal potency because they have, potentially, two attitudes-namely the tendency to surrender unto Kṛṣṇa and the tenden
HH Jayapataka Swami is in the Bhaktivedanta Hospital in Mumbai for routine exams. This didn’t impede him to give a class live, through skype, to a Malaysian convention in Penang where more than 1400 devotees were gathered
https://www.facebook.com/iskconmalaysia/posts/1184922354862851
What’s Your Mission?
“If we don’t change the direction we are going, we’re likely to up end where we are headed.” (Chinese proverb)
The reality is that you have already ended up somewhere. The question is, “Is this where you want to be?” If it isn’t, there are steps you can take to get somewhere else.
But first, of course, you must know where you want to go. So it’s important to ask, “What’s my life’s purpose? What’s my life’s mission?” Anyone on a spiritual path will say something like, “My
Spiritual life can be received in any state of mind. If the seed of bhakti is received when we are in ignorance, when there are unwanted activities, actions, etc. then these other “creepers” choke the “devotional creeper”. Even in the mode of passion, there are disturbances. We will become insensitive because of our selfishness; we exploit the world, other living beings and so on…
That is what is going on in the world today!
Madness is a result of uncontrolled senses and we get entangled in thi
Sri Haridas Thakur is an eternally liberated associate of the Lord. The associates of the Lord are worship-able wherever they make their appearance.
Just as Garuda appeared as a bird, and Hanuman as a monkey, Haridas Thakur appeared in a family of Yavanas. From his very birth he was very deeply devoted to the Holy Names of Sri Krsna and later became known as “Nama Acarya.”
When Lord Caitanya went to Jagannatha Puri, Haridas also went and took up residence there. Everyday, after attending Lord
There is only one religion - to love God.
Different denominations like Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, etc. and even denominations within these denominations present this one religion in different ways and to different degrees. Since people of this world are more or less selfishly (materially) inclined, every denomination presents its teachings considering the material conditioning of the people it is talking to. What's more, new denominations arise when new ways of materialism get mixed with ex
Suraiya Ali: I grew up going to many types of religious houses, but I had never been to a temple sanctioned by ISKCON. I had met the cowherd Lord in books and in my relationships, but now I was going to His house, for the very first time. So we dressed up, as my best friend said that evening, “there is no such thing as being overdressed to the temple, as you’re dressing for the pleasure of Krishna.”
In blue and pink hues and traditional Indian earrings, we ran into aarti about five minutes late
Living in a temple is nice – it is simultaneously the material world and the spiritual world. I compare temple life to a blanket. I travel a lot and have different blankets all the time and sometimes, the blanket is too long, too short, too thick or too warm. So in the same way, the external feature of the temple may also look like that. There may be many things about it which we do not like – people, facilities, food and so on… But that is all insignificant, all temporary and will change. BUT
Excerpt: Did You Know? By Vrindavani Briant. You may have noticed the two new buildings at ISKCON New Govardhana. These buildings mark the spot for the new and improved brahmacharini ashrama. Each building contains rooms with upgraded facilities for the brahmacharinis, including air conditioning and individual bathrooms. A third building will be erected to provide a common area that includes a kitchen and laundry facility, and verandahs will be added to all three buildings. Plans also include r
Discipline methods should be in harmony with our educational goals. And what is the goal of gurukula education? Many devotees have proposed their own objectives. Here are a few: to produce moral citizens, to produce “not hippies,” to produce productive members of the outside society who can maintain devotional principles, to produce book distributors, to produce temple devotees, or to produce varnasrama members.
To help us decide the proper goal of gurukula, let’s look at the often quoted desc
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Chapter 11.
Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir Kartika Parikrama Schedule
Kartika is glorified in the Puranas as very special for making spiritual
advancement and the best place to be in Kartika is Sri Braja Dham. In fact this
month is known as Damodar, since in the middle of this month, the Lord
performed His very enchanting Damodar Lila. Kartika month also represents
Radharani, and devotees perform special austerities to gain Her favor.
With great happiness in our hearts, we invite everyone to join in the
Hare Krishna!
I have developed an app called LetsDraw, its by Parul Rahul Agrawal.
It simplifies drawings & adds the spiritual knowledge in kids.
Its totally free, you may download it from google play store.. the link is
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mehul.pararules.letsdraw
icon of the app is white square including Dadhi's face!!
Please download it & help increasing KC in kids & everyone!!
The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple is excited to welcome Gaura Nataraj Dasa to our community. An exceptional dancer, Gaura Nataraj will be presenting a special series of classical Bharatnatyam dances during this upcoming Sunday Feast on Setember 18, 2016.
Gaura Nataraj das (Aleksey Furdak) was born in 1989 to Russian parents in Riga, Latvia and started learning Bharata Natyam at the age of 15.
His first teacher was Pille Roosi (Estonia) who was his guide in the world of Indian dance for over 10
Looks can be deceiving, and often far from the full story. It is said that one who laughs too much, even at small and insignificant things, may well be harboring dissatisfaction and sorrow within. A person who feels impelled to keep talking and communicating, could be experiencing loneliness and lack of meaningful camaraderie. The insensitivity and harshness that individuals exhibit, is likely connected to an internal weakness and existential insecurity. Some people seem to be compulsive critic
Appearance of an acharya in this world is by no means an ordinary thing. Such acharyas are some of the most confidential servants of the supreme personality of Godhead. They come for accomplishing certain missions. As oppose to worldly missions by many others based on personal likes and dislikes, missions carried out by acharyas are directly under the instructions and direction of God. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur was one such acharya who appeared on this planet in 18th century. His contribution t
As you walk towards the twin-towered Complexe Desjardins, in the heart of downtown Montreal’s popular festival district, just opposite the prestigious Place-des-Arts, you are beckoned by the elegant Bharatnatyam dancer on the 15 x18 ft. banner at the main entrance to come inside to explore the exotic cultural event of Sept. 2-3 : Journey to the Heart of India. Upon entering the impressive central foyer with its 80 ft. ceiling adorned with skylights and saffron/yellow flower umbrellas, you can g
