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Speaking about Ratha Yatra during a July 12, 1973 lecture in London, Srila Prabhupada said, “Organize this all over the world. They will be saved. They will understand Krsna.” For the last fifty years, devotees have taken up this instruction with great success, and this 2023 season has seen record numbers at events across the globe.  New York City, in particular, saw a surprising number of participants at its peaceful procession down Fifth Avenue on June 10th. The event was even covered by a le

By Thomas Haribol

Astottara Sata Dasa, a native of Brunswick, Maine, USA, spent several years of his youth growing up at the ISKCON Gita Nagari Farm. Later, he graduated from Hampshire College and is currently a woodsman in the Maine woods.  This week, he will be sharing online about his extraordinary service and experiences in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Astottara Sata is the founder and president of Working Village International, a non-profit organization founded in 2005 with the missio

Kishor Mani Is celebrating his 20th wedding anniversary with a kirtan fest at his home. He got happily involved by calling some of the more noted leaders of kirtan (musical mantra meditation), So I agreed to the initial contact. On the list of fine musicians was Bhakti Brngha Govinda Swami (BB Govinda), Akinchana, and the Bhakti Brothers, Ananda and Yogi. They came all the way over from Vrindavan, India, to grace us with their presence on this first of a six day event.

A part of the major fest

By Atma Tattva Das

In the heart of the ancient country of Bulgaria, a beacon of spiritual enlightenment has emerged in the form of the Gauranga Yoga Institute. Led by the dedicated and talented Vraja Krsna Das, this preaching center is making waves and attracting people from all walks of life. With its unique approach to spreading the teachings of Krishna consciousness, the institute has become a hub for individuals seeking inner peace and connection with their higher selves.

Vraja Krsna, a dev

I'm back from travels to the Atlantic provinces of which there are four – Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. It was a glorious travel, as usual, for me. We have some really good leadership there. Since a year ago when I visited, I witnessed increased participation in the various communities, not multitudes, but a slow and steady growth. And although there was a rather steady overcastness and coolness, it kept mosquitoes down, as well as fires. It is always good

By Manmohan Singh 

It’s no doubt that long traffic hours, desk-bound jobs, endless chores, altogether lead to a complete mental and physical exhaustion. Owing to the overworked body, many people are unable to pursue their hobbies or find it difficult to indulge in any other form of exercise. All this is because of low energy levels and insufficient prana (vital force) in the body. Now, if you are wondering whether there exists any powerful solution to increase the energy, then the science of yo

By Thomas Haribol

On June 13th, a Food for Life – Odesa team arrived by police escort to serve the Ukrainians in Kherson who have been devastated by the ongoing military conflict and now face the challenges of extensive flooding caused by the recent dam breach.

Odesa devotees arrived in Kherson wearing body armor and helmets while being escorted by the local police. Rasagya Govinda Das, Bhaktin Irina, and their team of blissful devotees engaged the flood victims with both kirtan and prasada. 

W

By Thomas Haribol

On June 12, devotees returned to survey the condition of the ISKCON Kherson Temple in Ukraine, which was damaged during the ongoing conflict there.  The Kherson region has also been in the news this week because of the bursting of the Kakhovka dam the previous week.  The breach unleashed floodwaters across a portion of the war zone and has had devastating effects on thousands of area residents and animals.

“Over a year ago, the devotees had to leave their beloved Temple in Khe

I stumbled upon this freshwater lake that locals call ‘The Rez’ (short for ‘reservoir’), And it has this well-maintained trail that skirts around it. I was accompanied by birds on this walk. I spotted those striking goldfinches, deep red Cardinals, ducks, geese; most of them appeared as couples in their respective species. My favourite fowl of this morning was the loon coming in for a landing to contact the waters. He went solo, and he made his cool sound before splashing.

It wasn't the birds a

By Mahābhāva Dāsa

International Yoga Day is an eagerly awaited event that will be taking place in the picturesque location of Radhadesh, Belgium, on June 17-18th. With 100 participants expected to attend, these two days will provide a unique opportunity for individuals to relax and immerse themselves in various yoga practices.

This weekend will be the 9th time the tranquil surroundings of Radhadesh will welcome people from all walks of life to this annual celebration of yoga and mindfulness. Pa

By Khusboo Basan

Noted for her welcoming smile and joyful service as a book distributor, Malini Priti Devi Dasi (Meera Thuraisingam) is an exemplary disciple of HH Jayapataka Swami, serving locally in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but inspiring devotees worldwide. 

Raised in Krishna Consciousness, her first book distribution service started at fourteen during a Hindu festival called Thaipusam, celebrated for Lord Kartikeya. In addition to this, she served at BBT Malaysia for a few months after her co

Srila Prabhupada wrote me in Madras, “The fact is that I am the only one in India who is criticizing not only impersonalism and demigod worship but anything that falls short of complete surrender to Krishna. My Guru Maharaja never compromised in his preaching, I will never compromise in my preaching, and similarly, none of my disciples should ever compromise in their preaching. You must declare it boldly that people should not dream of world peace unless they are prepared to surrender to Krishn

While much of Canada is consumed in forest fires (and there are videos out there of a hazy New York skyline to prove it), wherever I have been travelling within the land of the Maple Leaf, I see nothing but water, whether it be the West or east. You certainly don't hear of blazing flames in the far north.

As Nakula and I make that drive South towards the south, we encounter clouds and rain, and for a fraction of the day, that welcoming sun bursts through. Global warming? Well, I don't see avoca

By Gauranga Darshan Das

“A brief outline of the twelve cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam that represent the bodily limbs of Lord Sri Krsna and present ten transcendental topics.”

Of all the sacred Vaisnava scriptures, Srimad Bhagavatam is considered the topmost. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu hailed the Bhagavatam as the spotless authority (pramanam amalam) amongst the Vedic literatures. Srila Rupa Gosvami, in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu declared that hearing Srimad Bhagavatam is one of the five most po

By Cintamani Dhama-dasi

Many devotees undergo so much material tribulation in life. Despite the fact that we have given up the four sinful activities and we daily engage in Sri Krishna Sankirtan…still we suffer from financial problems, severe health problems, relationship problems, political persecution….Why? In this exchange between the imprisoned kings and Lord Krishna we get an amazing insight why this is all actually the mercy of the Lord on His devotees:

“The time element is so strong that

People like to hear about other people’s problems. It’s fun for some. That’s the reason why some of the most popular magazines in the world just focus on scandals. Recently, a champion golfer got into some scandal. It’s like a rule in this world—that such news must be known to everyone, that such news must be the event on every television and news channel. That scandal was all that the people were talking about, for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks. Ironically, nobody cared that much when he

By Gandharvika Prema Dasi 

On May 20th, 2023, Hungary’s largest and only active ox-powered treadmill was inaugurated at ISKCON Krishna Valley. The treadmill is a power-generating machine that uses animal power rather than fossil fuels. Power generated from the treadmill will be used to press oil, produce wood chips, mill grains and fodder, and generate electricity for the community.

The inauguration of the treadmill house helped kick off the upcoming year of festivities marking the 30th anniver

I am certain that the saffron apparel stood out against the grey and gloomy atmosphere for motorists on their way to work. It's not a usual part of the landscape of residential North River Street in Charlottetown this morning. I was on a spriteful walk to Shoba’s home at 7:00 AM, racing with time to take part in a mini sadhana of chanting, shastra (scripture) Reading and a breakfast. Do try hummus on toast with fiddlehead sauteed in olive oil to top like we did.

Ambarish And I drove then to the

This morning I boarded the metro to go to my office, and it was more packed than usual. Almost all the seats were taken. As usual, I was reading the Srimad Bhagwatam during my journey. At Sikanderpur Station, the people sitting next to me left the train, and a new person sat beside me. He was gazing at my book. I could see from the corner of my eye that he was interested in knowing what I was reading. My station was still three stops away, so there was time to try to distribute books.

I told hi