Blog

Sri Kavi Karnapura states in Gaura Ganodessa Dipika that in Vraja lila Gadadhara Pandit is the daughter of King Vrsabhanu-Srimati Radharani. Gadad­hara Pandit served as Lord Gaura’s chief assistant during His Navadvipa-lila. Sri-Sri Radha Krishna in Vrndavana appear as Gaura-Gadadhara to perform pastimes in Navadvipa in the forest groves beside the Ganges.

shri-radha-prema-rupa ya pura vrindavandeshvari
sa shri-gadadharo gaura-vallabhah panditakhyakah
nirnitah shri-Svarupair yo vraja-lakshmitay

By ISKCON Mayapur

gadadhara-paṇḍitadi — prabhura nija-sakti
tan’-sabara carane mora sahasra pranati

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto the internal potencies of the Lord, of whom Sri Gadadhara Prabhu is the foremost.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 1.41)

Sri Gadadhara Pandita is one of the five Panca-tattva, who along with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Advaita Acarya, and Srivasa Thakura descended to this world to teach pure devotional service and spread the chanti

In this material world, relationships are short-lived. Growing up many people have said to each other that they will remain together forever, but due to providence such relationships hardly last for years. But such a scenario was unseen in the life of Gadadhara Pandit. He was the most intimate companion of Mahaprabhu and was very dear to Him [Mahaprabhu].

Gadadhara Pandit was born in the village of Beleti Gram in the Chittagong district (modern Bangladesh) in the year 1486 AD. His father was Ma

Gadadara Pandit was a childhood friend of Nimai and both were students in the same ‘Tol’ or school. Gadadhar’s parents Madhav Mishra and Ratnawati were natives of Chattagram district but later on moved to Navadwip. Gadadhara Pandit was born in Navadwip.

In the Gaura-ganodesa-dipika, verses 147 through 153, it is stated: “The pleasure potency of Sri Krishna formely known as Vrindavaneshvari Srimati Radharani is now personified in the form of Sri Gadadhara Pandit in the pastimes of Lord Chaitany

On 25 January 2023, I was on book distribution in the basement parking area of a West Auckland mall. Books were going out slowly, and I noticed it was not as productive as the previous day at the same spot. As time went on, I was praying to Krishna, “Please send someone who can take books.”

Around 5 p.m. I was about to finish, but I thought I should stay a bit longer. A few minutes later, a white van stopped some distance from where I was standing, and the driver got out. As soon as I saw him,

By Thomas Haribol 

Fifteen members of the New Vrindaban community recently participated in an intensive four-day Devotee Care Education and Training Course led by Jai Nitai Dasa and his wife, Bhava Bhakti Devi Dasi. Previous to their Devotee Care service, the presenters served in the ISKCON London temple for 25 years. Fourteen of those years, Jai Nita served as Temple President.

The course is a ministry of Devotee Care International, an initiative of the GBC. Its goal is to “embed the culture o

His conclusions rest heavily on a thin surface of guesswork.
Real evidence supporting his theory is in short supply.

Over the past 150 years, the expanding role of science in almost every sphere of life has produced a revolution in ideas—a revolution epitomized by Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Although never proven more than a theory, it is accepted by millions as fact. In discussing the influence and implications of his theory, I shall suggest an alternative explanation of evolution th

By Thomas Haribol  

On March 30th, the “Building Peace around Ancient Cultures” forum was held in the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro in Mexico City, coinciding with the Rama Navami festival. The Federal Commission for Culture and Cinematography organized the joint gathering, chaired by Deputy Carlos Francisco Ortiz Tejeda, in collaboration with NIOS (the North American Institute of Oriental and Classical Studies). NIOS is an educational research institution at the service of ISKCON and was fo

By Chandni Raj

New Mayapur in Central France is working to implement Srila Prabhupada’s vision for rural farm communities where devotees can live in harmony with nature, while addressing the climate crisis. The aim is to build a Vedic village as outlined by Srila Prabhupada, where earth and her natural resources are protected, which is in perfect harmony with the modern day need for sustainability. Implementing his ideas for community living, based on Vedic wisdom, gives a lasting solution to w

I feel great. The weather is just perfect and I’m getting my avocados. What more can I want?

The only thing that becomes a bit heart pressing is the absence of some of the swamis I used to meet. My dear friend, Kadambha Kanana Swami (Dutch born) passed away last month stricken with cancer. He was a regular feature at Durban’s Chariot Fest and was loved for his classes and chanting, but his presence is no more.

I also recall being here during the time when another beloved monk, Bhakti Tirtha Swa

By Devakinandana Das and Devasri Radhika Devi Dasi 

The following letter from two ISKCON legal experts explains the current effort to seek input from ISKCON devotees worldwide in formulating a Constitution for ISKCON.  ISKCON News encourages all devotees to open the link, review the draft, share their thoughts, and help build the foundation for our society’s future. 

ISKCON Constitution – Your Chance to Participate!

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the Int

Sadhana (spiritual exercise) is so vital for achieving the human obligation. For traditionalists, such daily practice begins before the sun peeks over the horizon. That time of the day is so conducive for meditation and prayer. One thing I’m so grateful to our guru, Prabhupada, for is this morning program which includes a one-hour hearing or speaking from the Bhagavatam. Today it was my turn to deliver and conduct a Q&A on the topic of the honey which comes from the focus on the divine feet of

Since we don’t hear of a demon named Madhu in Krishna’s pastimes, why does Arjuna address Krishna as “the killer of Madhu”?

Madhusudana. The name always seemed curious to me. Where did it come from? In the Bhagavad-gita, one of our most sacred texts, Krishna is referred to as Madhusudana, or “the killer of the Madhu demon,” no less than five times (1.35, 2.1, 2.4, 6.33, and 8.2). And yet, Krishna didn’t kill a demon named Madhu. I looked through the vast storehouse of Krishna’s pastimes over an

By HG Radha Mohan Das

The Law Department of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is pleased to announce its third annual Global Law Conference, which will be held from May 19 to May 22, 2023, at Bhaktivedanta Manor near London, UK. The Conference will address critical legal issues encountered by ISKCON and the worldwide community of devotees and friends of Krishna.

 The ISKCON 2023 Global Law Conference will bring together devotee attorneys and legally minded devotees an

By HG Ananda Pradayini Devi Dasi 

The Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education (VIHE) is delighted to announce the upcoming courses for the year 2023.

1) On-site Bhakti-śāstrī course: 21 June – 11 November 2023

Special features of the course:

The VIHE onsite Bhakti-śāstrī course is an intensive course with two classes (of up to 2 hours each) per day, Tuesday to Friday, and 1 class on Mondays and Saturdays. The course includes classes, sloka memorization, essays, and exams. There are also japa s

The property at ISKCON Durban has many treasures in the form of green. You have trees and bushes – champak, peepal or banyan, siddha bakul, ashoka, gardenia, parijata, and more. Mogra is particularly a beautifully scented flower. The ashoka shoots straight up as a tree and reminds me of the grove where lusty King Ravana held Sita, princess of Videha, captive.

Madhu means sweet. It means honey. Krishna is also called Madhu. In this material world there is one type of honey and in the spiritual world there is also a type of honey. The sweet honey in the spiritual realm is the real honey which we should hanker for. In this material world there is Kandarpa (Cupid) but in the eternal world, Madan (Cupid) is Krishna and everyone is attracted by Him.

The holy name and Krishna are non different. Even great personalities such as Brahma chant the holy name in

In this video, Jagattarini Dasi shares the background to Leaves Of Love, her latest artistic project at The Sacred India Gallery in Perth, Western Australia.

For more information and to support the project, please visit www.sacredindia.com.au/leavesoflove

Leaves Of Love from Sacred India on Vimeo.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=107562

With a fond farewell, the ISKCON News team says goodbye to our Managing Editor from 2020-2023, HG Kamala-Radha dasi. Kamala was an asset to the growth and development of ISKCON News, especially in the area of its social media and other internal processes. She is a wonderful devotee and advocates for inclusivity reporting for ISKCON News. In addition, she is an end-of-life care consultant and social media professional who will continue her service in those areas after leaving ISKCON News. We app