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Reflections on Bhagavad Gita, As it is Chapter 1, Text 19

“Translation

The blowing of these different conch shells became uproarious. Vibrating both in the sky and on the earth, it shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

Purport

When Bhīṣma and the others on the side of Duryodhana blew their respective conchshells, there was no heart-breaking on the part of the Pāṇḍavas. Such occurrences are not mentioned, but in this particular verse it is mentioned that the hearts of the sons of Dhṛt

By Chandrika Sarva Kanti Devi Dasi

Welcoming Our Beloved Residents

It is by the Lord’s Mercy that Krishna’s Home Assisted Living is now a sanctuary for four wonderful souls who have journeyed from afar to be in a Krishna-conscious home that supports their daily needs. As we reflect on the first month since our grand opening, it is with immense gratitude that we witness the harmonious transition of these cherished individuals into our care here in Tucson, Arizona.

A Refuge of Devotion

Many of o

ISKCON Toronto celebrated its much-anticipated 52nd annual Ratha Yatra festival this past month, marking the event as the largest in its history and in North America with over 60,000 participants.

Commencing on Friday, July 12th, the festivities kicked off with its famous 12-Hour Kirtan from 10am to 10pm. Participants from around the world flew in to be part of this epic day of dancing and chanting, led by renowned kirtan leaders. This year’s theme, “Spark your bhakti flame by chanting the hol

Caru from Utah, has been helping me a lot. He has been kind to facilitate my Gita zoom classes for this week including today’s which is the South African group. They showed particular interest in his Colour Fest, popular throughout the world and something he initiated back in 1995/96. Moreover, he is a good presenter of the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness and knows how to relate to all ages.

Meanwhile at the temple ashram, residents are little by little, or perhaps a lot putting all the ite

This week we discussed disgust. Or should I say we were discussing the phenomena of being disgusted. It seems that we all get disgusted by something – at least sometime. Some of us are disgusted by Brussels sprouts; for others it’s Marmite that brings on the feeling of nausea.

Disgust means: ‘A strong distaste; nausea; loathing, a repugnance caused by somethingoffensive; a strong aversion.’

That’s a pretty intense emotion, and for a good reason. Disgust protects us from eating the wrong things,

Sometimes people say that they want to see God, or that God is not perceivable. And this is confirmed in the Vedic scripture, but with additional points of instruction on how we can perceive the Supreme Being. The Svetasvatara Upanishad (4.20) explains “His form of beauty is imperceptible to mundane senses. No one can see Him with material eyes. Only those who realize, through deep pure-hearted meditation, this Supreme Personality, who resides in everyone’s heart, can attain liberation.”

Krishna

From Back to Godhead

Are we the makers of our destiny or is life pre-destined? Find out here . . . .

In the Mahabharata, Vidura explained to Dhritarastra, “Destiny determines the consequences of our actions, not our actions themselves.” This means that we are not like programmed robots that have no free will, or no choice. Our past karma does determine what will happen in our life, but it does not determine how we will react to it.

Destiny is something like a weather forecast on a journey. A we

August 2, 2024 UPDATE:

In our latest report from Partha Dasa, ISKCON News was told that residents were allowed back into the Valley for a few hours on Saturday to assess the damage. The fire has left a devastating impact, destroying three family homes and four smaller cabins belonging to single men. Tool sheds, fencing, outbuildings, cellars, and machinery were also lost. The community is in dire need of support to rebuild and recover from this tragedy.

How you can help
Today, the Saranagati Ve

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

On July 29, 2024, Her Grace Saranagati Devi Dasi, a disciple of Giriraj Swami, departed her body around 1 pm in Mayapur. She was cremated that evening at Prabhupada Ghat. She left her body while her spiritual master was speaking to her via video call. As Maharaja blessed and encouraged her by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, she took her last breath and quit her material body.

She had been diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, a cancer that was traveling t

In the text “Caitanya Caritamrta “ we read about a flood - the flood of love of God, that is. Flooding is always an interesting dynamic. More commonly a flood refers to an over abundance of water that comes as a sudden melt down of ice or snow, or a gush of water from the skies.

Human relationships in this modern world are scary. There is so much fear whether a relationship will last. For instance, will a marriage work out or not?  Why have we changed? 

This is because of the culture that we live in and the changes in the Western world and in the modern world that we witness around us. Previously, holding marriage as sacred was a very serious social thing. And if one wanted to break a marriage, it was considered as a disgrace, to the extent that the entire society an

Materialistic society teaches us to be aggressive and calculating so we can push our way through. In Vaisnava culture it is opposite – we offer respect. The reason: when you give respect without expecting something in return, you open yourself up to the power of divine blessings.

Imbibing a culture of respect, where you are deferential towards others in general but especially towards elders and vaisnavas, brings a tremendous potency to you that cannot be accessed otherwise. The driving force of

A look at what the Srimad-Bhagavatam has to say about time, a concept that has challenged philosophers for centuries.

Time is a little difficult to define. Philosophers and theologians have tried for at least twenty-five centuries. Albert Einstein remarked, in the midst of slightly more esoteric statements regarding physics, that time was what his wristwatch measured. St. Augustine said that he knew what time was as long as no one asked him to explain it. And sounding a note of frustration in

In an inspiring display of dedication and endurance, 75-year-old Sivarama Swami, the former GBC of Hungary, successfully swam across the largest lake of the country, Lake Balaton, on July 20th to support an important translation project. This event is a celebrated annual swim, attracting thousands of participants from various parts of Hungary and beyond.

A historic and spiritual journey

The Hungarian Balaton cross-swim, which began in 1979, has grown into one of the largest open-water swimming

The Governing Body Commission (GBC) has released its latest Meeting Highlights Report for July 24th, 2024. The report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the online GBC meeting highlighting the key topics discussed. You can read the report here or watch a video report on their YouTube channel. You can also follow the GBC on their Facebook page.

Source: https://iskconnews.org/highlights-report-from-july-24th-gbc-meeting-released/

There is never, ever a dull moment in Krishna Consciousness. The internal fire alarm bell went all blaring out repeatedly until the fire brigade came. I was doing my announcements at 5am when the incident happened. The fire panel indicated the source of possible smoke or flames was coming from the main floor. Six men came in full fire fighter gear. One attempted to open the panel. The alarm kept scorching. No source found. The panel was re-set with a host of fire fighters and our own men (a doz

By Nama Prabhu Dasa

5 April, 1974

Seattle

Dear Sukadeva,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter, undated, and I have noted the contents…

One of the symptoms of a devotee is that he is kind, so if our Godbrother becomes ill it is our duty to help him get the proper medicine and treatment so that he can recover…. So there is no question of ill treating of our own Godbrothers simply because they are sick, nor should you allow such neglect to go on. So long we have

Some time ago I forgave four devotees who were responsible for causing great pain and frustration in my life. Actually I didn’t forgive them of my own accord. I was asked to forgive them – for my own benefit. First I focused on the ways these people hurt me. Then I was asked to look at them in a different light; to consider that they were just doing the best they could in the particular situation they were in. Next, I was asked if I would be willing to forgive them, not with the hope that they

On July 16, 2024, Nilachal Vedic Village (NVV), ISKCON Talasari, hosted an event dedicated to supporting local villagers and children and promoting environmental sustainability. Nataraj Gauranga Das, under the guidance of Radhika Kanai Das, coordinated the event in collaboration with the Inner Wheel Club of Borivali.

The club’s visit to the NVV started with a feeding visit to the cows at the farm, followed by participation in a sacred Gaupuja. After the Gaupuja, the members had a darshan of the

History was made on July 27th, 2024, when the first-ever Slovak Rathayatra Festival was held at Freedom Square in Bratislava, Slovakia. In addition to the joyful procession through the heart of the city, a successful festival was held, sharing prasadam, spiritual literature, kirtan, and other cultural programs. The hundreds of local guests who gathered in the country’s capital also received information about the three Hare Krsna centers and restaurants in the country.

Devotees from the United S