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From Back to Godhead

God is a person, and out of His infinite kindness He allows us even in
our present condition to render Him personal service.

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the devotee Prahlada Maharaja, a great spiritual authority, says, “Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia, and pastimes of Lord Visnu [Krsna], remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship …, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming H

1. Who is a guest?

The Sanskrit word atithi means ‘not scheduled’. An ‘unscheduled’ or unexpected guest is considered a representative of the Supreme Lord, since his arriving unannounced is just what the Lord might do to test His devotee and see how ready he is to serve Him in any situation. With this understanding, we should offer the unexpected guest full hospitality.

Members of the general public, invited guests, life members, V.I.P.s, visiting Vaishnavas, relatives of Vaishnavas all should

I learned how to chant in Krishna last night. So I guess I can say that I am a mild member of the religion. I wrote this, I’m not sure if it’s a monologue or what, just to get my thoughts out, based on not only how I was led to His wisdom and away from the standards of my area, but also the aggravating community service I involuntarily volunteered for six days.

It doesn’t have a title yet, and I guess it might be a continuing piece, based on how I am in the religion of Krishna. And I needed som

[Note: as of today, only 30 homages have been sumbitted from around the world, and the deadline ends in two weeks]

Dear follower of Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

NOTE: This year a new team of devotees will be producing Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja book. Therefore please do not send your homage to Dravida Das at dravida108@gmail.com but rather to Ananda Tirtha Das at Ananda.Tirtha.pvs@pamho.net.

Kindly submit your homage to Srila Prabhup

HG Anuttama Dasa, Minister of ISKCON Communications, will hold a Communications Course at Bhaktivedanta College/Radhadesh on May 12-15th, 2023. The four-day course is a rare opportunity to learn about approaches and techniques for communicating with key audiences such as interfaith groups, media, politicians, Hindu communities, academics, and our internal ISKCON community and members. “Many past participants have shared that the skills they learned were helpful not only in terms of professional

The ICE EC Team is preparing for the upcoming international ISKCON Communications Conference at Villa Vrindavana, Italy to be held May 27th – 30th, 2023.  About 60-70 ISKCON leaders, senior devotees, and devotees engaged in communications service from Europe and other parts of the world are expected to participate.

Many important topics within ISKCON and the broader society will be discussed. Several ISKCON scholars and experts, as well as Italian Professor Massimo Introvigne, have prepared pap

I started packing early for next week's trip to South Africa in a room that is shared by a group of us in the ashram, particularly for reading and meeting. I was in the middle of adjusting contents in my luggage when in walks a group of readers, members of the Bhakti Academy.

Oh yes, it's already 3:30 pm, time for a group study on one of Prabhupada’s books. I moved over to the next room, my room, for getting some dictation done. Adjustments need to be quick. Adjustments are real. Covid taught u

Dear Devotees,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

The *2022* GBC Resolutions have finally been released. Due to the global pandemic, it was not possible for the GBC Body to conduct in-person meetings and therefore the 2022 AGM was conducted online. The 2023 AGM, however, began as a regular in-person meeting in Mayapur and will continue online in the upcoming months.

The GBC met online weekly throughout 2022 (and continues to do so in 2023) to discuss matters o

“I can remember being a young man, a boy, a baby. What was I before that what will I be next?” Mike Robinson of London Broadcasting Company interviews His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Mike Robinson: Can you tell me what you believe what the philosophy of the Hare Krsna movement is?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Krsna consciousness is not a question of belief; it is a science. The first step is to know the difference between a living body and a dead body. What is the difference? Th

Mrs. Sally Rawley, merchandiser: “When I’m nervous I find chanting very calming. I don’t get shaken up at little things.”

Bruce Kleinberg, executive secretary: “Chanting helps you see things in perspective. My outlook is a lot brighter.”

June Lahner, jewelry designer, with son Jason: “Chanting makes me more perceptive, more in harmony with everything and everyone around me.”

Dr. Donald R. Tuck, associate professor, Western Kentucky University: “I’ve noticed that as chanted progress from level t

Here we continue a conversation between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the mother of one of his students,
along with a Jesuit priest. It took place in the garden at Bhaktivedanta Manor, near London, England, on July 25, 1973.

Mother (to Srila Prabhupada): Yes, Father, I understand you are educated on a different platform, as you say no doubt a most sublime and spiritual platform. But aren't you still drawing upon your basic educational background for translating your

All of us–husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, children, students, and teachers have duties, and sometime we begrudge the performance of our duties because we think their execution will impede our personal happiness. But duty is duty, and duty must be done. Even in the cold of winter, one must bathe. And even in the heat of summer, one must cook.

Speaking on Bhagavad-gita 1.27, Srila Prabhupada gave a wonderful example of two heroic souls who adhered to their duties even in the most awkward circu

Remembering Not to Forget: But if its amnesia you want, Krishna will give it to you

It’s funny how if you give Krishna, God, an inch, he gives you a mile. I remember in my earliest days as a devotee, I had left the movement for some time. I was home, watching TV with my family. All of a sudden, right on the screen there was an ad for the television station with a photo of New York City streets. There he was, my Godbrother Bhaktivinoda, with a close-up of the Channel Two logo below his chin. I h

At a temple I visit there is a nice devotee who previously was a gangster. While in jail he somehow received a Bhagavad-gita. He didn’t understand much, but enough to now be a devotee.

He recently told me that a friend of his is in a high security prison and is forced to do hard labor. The friend wrote to him, saying that he’d heard about his new life as a monk in a temple.

He said, “I need help. This place is driving me nuts. If I don’t get some type of help, I’m going to go backwards [take my

Sri Ram Navami celebrations!

We wish you all a very auspicious filled Rama Navami 💥💥💥💥

Sri Rama Navami is always a bigger festival as it is just before the vyasapuja of HH Jayapataka Swami and thousands and thousands of devotees visiting Mayapur for Vyasapuja, come early to take part in Rama Navami also. In the afternoon, we will have an abhisheka to “Shaligram Shila” and arati, Pushpajali offered to Sri Ramchandra.

A very grand procession of Sri Ram, Lakshman, Sita and Hanuman in bullock chari

By Shyamasundara Dasa

For some people the episode of Rama exiling Sita to the forest, while she was five months pregnant, is one of the most disturbing and incomprehensible events in the Ramayana. It seriously tests their faith; and in some cases actually breaks it, leading some to even offend Lord Rama. They forget it is a divine lila and that the Lord has His own reasons for doing what He does, and that they are not always within the purview of our tiny understanding.

To read the entire artic

Sri Ayodhya Dharma Yatra

The Abode of Lord Ramacandra

Situated on the banks of the beautiful Saryu River, Ayodhya, also known as Saket, is the birthplace of Lord Rama and was the capital of the ancient Kosala Kingdom. Here, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His quadruple expansion as Lord Rama, Laksmana, Bharata and Satrughna appeared as sons of Maharaja Dasaratha in Raghu dynasty in Treta-yuga.

Ayodhya was originally built by Vaivasvata Manu, who is the descendant of Svayambhur Manu, the

Today, in observance of Sri Rama-navami, we shall read a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Seven: “Scheduled Incarnations.”

TEXT 24

yasma adad udadhir udha-bhayanga-vepo
margam sapady ari-puram haravad didhaksoh
dure suhrn-mathita-rosa-susona-drstya
tatapyamana-makaroraga-nakra-cakrah

TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead Ramacandra, being aggrieved for His distant intimate friend [Sita], glanced over the city of the enemy Ravana with red-hot eyes like those of Hara [who wanted

‘Lord Rama (BG 4.10)’ by Radhanath Swami, in Mumbai

janma karma ca me divyam

evam yo vetti tattvatah

tyaktva deham punar janma

naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna

(BG 4.9)

One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.

PURPORT

The Lord’s descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the 6th verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of