By Thomas Haribol
The famous Cedars of Lebanon have been prized for thousands of years for their resiliency and strength. Most famously, they were used in the building of ancient houses of worship (temples). Today, the modern republic of Lebanon, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and Syria, is home to nearly four million people, including a pioneering devotee family who moved there in 2010. Like the Cedars of Lebanon, their service to Krishna has shown great resilience and strength through ma
I'm not the biggest fan for rain as a medium to walk through, but I do see that plant life is favorable. It shows in its colour – green, and it all gives off a shiny surface. My walking becomes constrained to the indoors, but no problem, at the New Vrindavana temple, there is this corridor system running at the building's perimeter that makes it conducive to walkthrough. That channel, I took advantage of until the 5:00 am arati service, which was wonderful. I mean, everyone was on a thump with
My first visit to this sacred land of New Vrindavan was back in the summer of ’73 at Janmasthami time. It was a real treat because for some months after joining, I had been a bit claustrophobic from being in the city of Toronto. For twenty years of my life, I was accustomed to country living which included getting up at 5:30 am to milk our family cow. But when I arrived here in the Appalachian destination with Toronto pilgrims, I found it to be as country and rustic as could be.
All the visitor
On May 19th, about 120 devotees participated in the second Ratha Yatra in Israel (and in the entire Middle East) held at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park, one of the largest parks in the country, with over 16 million annual visitors. Tel Aviv is also where the first preaching center was established in 1994.
In July 2022, the first-ever Ratha Yatra in the Middle East was held in the coastal city of Haifa, known for its openness to multiple religious traditions. In addition, Haifa is the worldwide headquar
By Visakha Dasi
Wanting to recognise and honour the contribution of diverse faith communities to modern Britain, as well as to encourage harmony amidst such communities, King Charles III of the United Kingdom featured leaders of different faiths in the regal pageantry of his coronation. In the history of British coronations, which date back a thousand years, it was the first time that faiths other than Christianity were included. As the representative of Bhaktivedanta Manor at this gala event,
We set out for a retreat to New Vrindavan, W.V., and it took a while. Our caravan of three vehicles arrived at the American border, Niagara Falls, and the hiccup was that two of our passengers were required to go for questioning at the building of doubt – Customs. No real problem, just time.
We picnicked at Goat Island near the falls, and one of our drivers misplaced the key to the car. A ranger was kind to return it when a pedestrian found it on the grass. No problem, just time.
After a long s
England
In no country is Krsna foreign. The chanting of God’s holy names is natural to every land. In the Bhagavad-gita, the Lord Himself declares, “I am the father of all living entities.” Therefore, since Krsna cannot be foreign or alien anywhere, it is not surprising that the chanting of Hare Krsna is attracting sincere souls all over the world. Because God consciousness is dormant in the hearts of all living entities, glorification of God is therefore the only totally universal movement.
By Padma Devi Dasi
Can knowledge of the three modes of nature shed light on the underlying causes of substandard environmental practices?
It may be safe to say that deterioration of the global natural environment is today no longer a contested issue. All nations acknowledge pollution, salination, deforestation, desertification, depletion of the ozone layer, the prevalence of toxic waste dumps, and more, as tangible, problematic issues. What remains a contested issue, however, is the exact fac
This is actually the goal of any saint, sadhu, holy man, or bhakta, to go through life and perform all of one’s activities while being absorbed in thoughts and awareness of God, like a constant meditation. This is the means of bhakti-yoga by which we are always thinking of Lord Krishna in some way. This is the way we reach the spiritual strata.
“A grass worm confined in a hole by a bee always thinks of the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply because of such remembrance. Simila
After a long time, someone has come forward to help the tribals in their area.
“Primitive, ignorant, jungle men, cannibals” – that’s what you call us. But you tend to forget that you and I live under the same sky, breathe the same air, and eat fruits from the trees that flourish on the same soil. We are the one’s trying to preserve this earth. Our preservation can help all of us survive, but the destruction and havoc you create in the name of modernization can lead all of us to perish.”
Long, l
By Sundarnath dasa, Brahmacari at ISKCON Amravati
My village Khairar is located in Odisha’s Nuapada district on the border of Chhattisgarh. People there had no idea about ISKCON. Then one day the fortune of our village shone.
A mataji heard a lecture by Lal Govind dasa, a Gopal Krishna Maharaja disciple, on YouTube. Having got knowledge about ISKCON she became inspired. She learned about devotional life and began chanting, but did not stop there. She encouraged other matajis of the village, and
By Sandipani Muni Krsna Dasa
Last month, devotees from the Harinama Ruci Team* completed a historic preaching tour across the Caribbean region, visiting nine far-off islands and countries rarely seen by the missionaries of Lord Chaitanya’s movement. The group’s members include Vicaru Das and Sandipani Muni Krsna Das from Harinam Ruci team, and they combined with Gopinath Das from Trinidad.
“After two years of waiting for COVID-19 to subside and several months of thorough research, I found the b
One person very respected in our community is a lady in her 80s who also happens to be one of the best cooks and lives near Fiesta Farms west of our ashram. I decided to take that pleasant walk through a fine residential middle-class family-friendly neighbourhood to pay a visit to Subuddhi’s. She is a student of Prabhupada.
While walking, I received on my phone a few dillies on the topic of walking and exercise. I took a few moments to relish my friend Tom from Windsor’s latest installment of j
People who want to go to heaven may not know exactly what they’re in for
One morning when going through an Indian daily, I came across the obituary section and a list of deceased people being fondly remembered by their close relatives and friends. Each departed soul was given the title svargavasi, “a resident of heaven.” Although modern secular education teaches nothing about life on other planets and knows nothing about it I was surprised to see that people still believe their departed relati
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-mahadavagni-nirvapanam sreyah kairava candrika vitaranam vidyavadhu jivanam anandambudhi-vardhanam pratipadam purnamrtasvadanam sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. All glories to the sankirtana movement. Param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when He was only a sixteen-year-old boy, introduced this sankirtana movement 500 years ago in Navadvipa, India. It was not that
By Atma Tattva Das
Laghuhari Das, a multi-disciplined artist passionate about creativity, believes that art is a universal language that can bring people together and foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for one another. Through his diverse artistic endeavors and his current focus on creating altars for devotees and temples, Laghuhari aims to empower fellow devotees and establish a training program that promotes artistic expression and community building within the greater ISKCON soci
Once, a friend asked me how it is to live in Mayapur. I answered that it is just like living beside a door that goes to the spiritual world. If we are attentive, we can listen to what is happening on the other side. We sometimes see other devotees crossing the door, and we hope our time to cross will also come.
Many devotees are attracted to living in Mayapur, Vrndavana, and Jagganatha Puri, and that’s because not only spiritual practice is indeed easier in these places. But it is also easier t
Behind me was the voice of a familiar Hindi word, “Hanji.” So, I turned around as I took it to be directed to me. There, in the dark, was the flower man whom I see from time to time. I stopped and let him come close when he spoke in English.
“The last time you saw me you said you would pray for my sister who has cancer.”
“Oh, I did, and I will do some more right now.”
“Is she doing better?”
“Yes. Here…” He handed me a twenty and asked that I please speak to Him on her behalf. I told him that he
By Jananibas Dasa Brahmacari
Let me first offer my obeisances to my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya 108 Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Gosvami Maharaj Prabhupada, the acarya for this age, who has opened my eyes with the torchlight of knowledge, having rescued me from the fires of material birth and death. Let me also offer my most humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of Sri Krsna Caitanya, who is more magnanimous than any avatara, even Krsna Himself,
By Thomas Haribol
ISKCON New York City will be hosting a Deity Worship Bootcamp from June 23-July 2nd, facilitated by Nṛsiṁha Kavaca Dāsa, ISKCON’s Global Minister of Deity Worship, and Murli Manohara Dasa, Deity Worship Ministry Representative for the UK.
The intensive course, typically taught over a period of three weeks at the Mayapur Institute, will give devotees a thorough introduction to the knowledge, skills, and values of deity worship that will help them to understand and appreciate th
