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By Suresvara Prabhu

When I grew up in Krishna consciousness—in the 1970s—we were very sympathetic to the Vaiṣṇavas in the former Soviet Union. After all, they were persecuted, jailed, and tortured by the KGB. Yet, they remained seemingly indomitable and could not be broken. We would hear their stories and think, “Wow, this is amazing.”

In 1991, however, the Soviet Union disbanded, and we soon received word that the first group of Russian devotees would come to India.

Keshava Maharaj was one of t

We shall discuss the conversation between Sri Ramananda Raya and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, ramananda-samvada, recorded in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Eight: “Talks Between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya.”

TEXT 1

sancarya ramabhidha-bhakta-meghe
  sva-bhakti-siddhanta-cayamrtani
gaurabdhir etair amuna vitirnais
  taj-jnatva-ratnalayatam prayati

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is known as Gauranga, is the ocean of all conclusive knowledge in devotional servi

Today is an auspicious day in Krishna consciousness. Of course, every day is auspicious in Krishna consciousness. When we first arrived in India, in Bombay, Srila Prabhupada was invited to a program on the lawn of an aristocratic gentleman’s house. Most of us went ahead, and Srila Prabhupada followed with a few disciples. When we arrived, our hosts told us, “It is very auspicious that you have come today, because today is a holy day.” We had never heard of the holy day and were somewhat doubtfu

SRI RAMANANDA RAYA

A MOST CONFDENTIAL ASSOCIATE OF LORD SRI CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU

Sri Ramananda Raya was the Governor of the Rajamahendri (present day Rajahmundry of Andhra Pradesh at the bank of river Godavari), Godavari Province of Kalinga-Utkala Empire under the King Prataparudra. When Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was setting out on his tour of South India, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya humbly requested his plea to Lord to meet Ramananda Raya. Ramananda Raya was one of the most intimate associates o

Enthusiastic devotees from ISKCON Surkhet recently placed copies of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is and the Krishna book in all the rooms of one of the city’s most beautiful hotels, the Siddhartha Resort.

Surkhet is located in a picturesque valley in the mid-western region of Nepal, about 600 kilometers west of Kathmandu. Known for its natural beauty and growing infrastructure, the city has seen significant growth in the past few decades, ensuring these books will be available to many

Perth, Australia — April 2025:

With hearts full of gratitude and spirits lifted in devotion, over one hundred devotees from across Perth gathered for the fourth annual Bhakti Vriksha Camp, organised by ISKCON Perth, held from April 19 to 21, 2025, at the scenic Bickley Outdoor Recreation Camp in Perth Hills. The retreat marked another profound milestone in the community’s shared spiritual journey.

The event was guided by His Grace Gokuleswar Prabhu, whose insights, compassion, and wisdom infused

A. Introduction

1. What is vanaprastha?

The word vanaprastha is composed of the words vana, meaning “forest” and prastha, meaning “to go,” so a vanaprastha is “One has gone to the forest.” Vanaprastha is an asrama in the Vedic varnasrama system. An asrama can be both a physical and mental place and refers to “a place where one cultivates spiritual life, where culture of the spiritual is foremost.”
The vanaprastha order is complete retirement from householder life, a time when one prepares ones

Rasamandala dasa has offered us this article to help clarify some of the concerns and reservations that many of us may have with educational approaches to Vedanta and Hinduism. He reassures us with his positive treatment of the subject and with his obvious experience in the field of teaching Hinduism and Vaishnavism in British schools. He has systematised our objectives very well and marries this to the difficulty in interpretation experienced between members of the tradition and those non-prac

Every civilized person is familiar with the concept of seva or service. Service can be of different types and of different qualities. At home, every member of the family is serving everyone else. Traditionally, the father traditionally earns for the family and is therefore known as the “breadwinner,” while the mother takes care of the home itself by cooking, cleaning, and creating a comfortable and congenial atmosphere. The children obey their parents and perform basic chores or run minor erran

By Bhakti-lata Dasi

In January 2022, the prison system in the USA started the process of converting all inmate mail to an electronic system. The state of Florida was the first to transition, gradually followed by Texas, then Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In the near future, the other states will follow this trend as well.

This means that most of the inmates in those states are no longer allowed to receive paper letters, books, magazines, and newsletters. All snail

By Mohan Lila Das

Hema Malini is an Indian actress and politician currently serving as a member of the Lok Sabha, representing Mathura constituency, to visit ISKCON Naperville.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) of Naperville is delighted to announce a special celebration on Sunday, May 18, marking the second anniversary of the temple’s opening. This commemorative event will be an evening of inspiration, devotion, and community spirit, bringing together supporters and

By Purshotam Dasa and Nimai Devi Dasi 

This year, the annual four-day ISKCON Communications Conference was held at Prabhupada Desh, Vicenza, Italy, from May 3–6. It expanded this year to include guests from around the world, as well as eighty participants from Europe.

“It was a great success, thanks to the high numbers of participants,” said Mahaprabhu Dasa, the ISKCON Communications Director in Europe. “Both the topics addressed and the quality of the presentations were interesting and engaging

As devotees around the world celebrate Nrsimha Chaturdasi, Director Ashwin Kumar announced the summer release date of Mahavatar Narasimha, a stereoscopic 3D film based on Lord Narasimha. The long-awaited film is set for theatrical release on July 25, 2025.  You can watch a promo video here. 

Recognized for its historical significance in Indian animation, the film was selected as one of the top five Hindi films at the 55th International Film Festival of India. Distributed by Hombale Films, it wil

By Atma Tattva Das

On King’s Day 2025, Amsterdam’s canals, museums, and bustling vrijmarkt transformed into a vibrant sea of orange as 250 ISKCON devotees led an eight-hour Maha Harinam procession through the city. While nearly one million visitors flooded the streets for the national holiday, it was the impromptu kirtan, chanting, dancing, and prasadam distribution that truly captured hearts and reminded everyone of Kadamba Kanana Swami’s enduring vision to “do something” for spiritual outreach

Fifty years ago, I was arrested along with two companions for distributing or selling religious books without a permit.  It was standard for brahmacharis (monks) to end up so in the early day s of ISKCON in the US.  The three of us spent a night behind bars.  We went to court.  The judge through the charge out thought it ridiculous and we were set free after a colourful night and day in prison in a town in North Carolina.

Before Lord Caitanya appeared He sent His eternal associates like Sri Advaita Acarya, Sri Jagannatha Misra, Saci Mata, Madhavendra Puri, Isvari Puri to earth. Sri Madhavendra Puri took initiation from Sri Laksmipati Tirtha in the Madhvacarya sampradaya.

He had many but Sri Advaita Acarya and Sri Isvara Puri were the chief disciples of Madhavendra Puri. In one way or another, all the Vaisnavas in Bengal and Ksetra mandala (Jagan­natha Puri) were connected with Sri Madhavendra Puri. After Lord Ca

May 7 – Appearance of Srila Madhvendra Puri

“Sri Madhavendra Puri, a great devotee and acarya in the line of devotees, says, ‘O Lord, in my prayers three times a day, all glory to You. O Bathing, I offer my obeisances unto You. O demigods, O forefathers, please excuse me for my inability to offer you my respects. Now wherever I sit I am able to remember the great descendant of the Yadu dynasty, Krsna, the enemy of Kamsa, and therefore I can get myself free from all sinful bondage. I think this