Blog

By Yogesvara Gopinath das

Date: September 21, 2025, Location: Ilford, East London

Sunday, 21st September was a very special day as the East London Hare Krishna Community got an opportunity to organize the 12th Jagannath Rathyatra Chariot festival in Ilford.

This was the annual Chariot festival when the Lord of the Universe (Lord Jagannatha) shows his mercy on everyone. There had been a lot of planning and management going around for more than 3 weeks to make this festival a success and a joyful

By Radhika krpa dd

In the year 2020, our beloved Guru Maharaja gave me the divine target of 1000 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets for distribution. With his causeless mercy and the blessings of Srila Prabhupada, I with my Peacefood Devotional Family; the sincere souls connected to me humbly kept striving year after year:

Progression of Sets Distributed: • 2020 – 425 sets • 2021 – 525 sets• 2022 – 565 sets• 2023 – 626 sets • 2024 – 805 sets

The Peacefood Devotional Family is a gathering of sincere souls, c

Disagreement over issues is not as disruptive as disagreement over the importance of the disagreements 
When we see disruptive disagreements among friends who share our faith, we feel distressed. Why? Because we practice our faith to experience peace, not strife. Indeed, the specter of religious conflicts drives fence-sitters towards agnosticism, atheism or even anti-theism.
Why do such disruptions occur? Not because of the disagreements themselves; we can live with disagreements, and we often

When 15-year-old Kavan Pandya looked around his temple community at ISKCON Houston, he saw a challenge—and an opportunity. Every week, mountains of disposable plates, cups, and food scraps piled up after meals at Govinda’s Restaurant and Gauranga Hall. But instead of despairing, he decided to act.

“I am honored to share that our temple has recently launched a full composting program, making sustainability a core part of our service,” Kavan shared with an audience of North American leaders gather

From Back to Godhead

When Krishna leaves Vrindavana to become the ruler of a great kingdom, He remains the same Krishna, the treasure of His devotees’ hearts.

The Krishna deity worshiped at the Hare Krishna temple in Los Angeles, where I live, is named Dvarakadhisha, “the Lord of Dvaraka.” Dvaraka is the pristine island Lord Krishna rules in His adult years. (Although Krishna lived in Dvaraka when He was present on earth five thousand years ago, Dvaraka exists eternally in the spiritual world.

1 Sri Narada said: Asked by whom, and for what reason did Lord Krsna, the master of the universes, come to the earth? O best of the knowers of the Vedas, please tell.

2 Sri Narayana Rsi said: In ancient times, during the Varaha-kalpa, bearing a great burden and filled with grief, the earth took shelter of the demigod Brahma.

3 Accompanied by hosts of demigods, who were all unhappy at heart to be so troubled by the demons, she went to the assembly of Brahma, which is very difficult to attain.

4

Dear devotees,

We are happy to announce that The Jolly Swami – Wit and Wisdom from Sridhar Swami is now available in eBook format worldwide.
His Holiness Sridhar Swami, lovingly known to all as the “Jolly Swami,” captured the hearts of devotees everywhere with his warmth, humour, and profound wisdom. Whether speaking from scripture, guiding in personal interactions, or sharing light-hearted reflections, his words carried deep spiritual strength and touched countless lives.

This collection br

Some suggestions on how to stay inspired.

Somehow, it happens that our motivation in Krishna consciousness may falter. Usually that faltering comes in the form of lacking the desire to do some practical service, associate with devotees, or develop our spiritual practices, such as improving the quality or quantity of our chanting or of our reading of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Whenever this happens to me or a friend, I realize the urgency and fragility of devotional service and the importance of

The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) is set to host a special hybrid screening of Nature’s IQ, a visually striking documentary that blends science, philosophy, and art. The film is based on the award-winning book Nature’s I.Q.: Extraordinary Animal Behaviors That Defy Evolution by Īśvara Kṛṣṇa Dāsa (Dr. István Tasi) and Balázs Hornyánszky, and is directed by Kristina Danka, Ph.D. (Krishna Lila Devi Dasi).

Scheduled for Saturday, September 27, at 1:00 PM EST, the event will take

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi,

ISKCON Australia’s Women’s Minister, Krishnarupa Devi Dasi (ACBSP), was recently invited to serve as a faith-based project advisor for the “Faith as a Strength: Prevention of Violence Against Women” initiative. The program, launched by Australia’s peak body for preventing violence against women, Our Watch, in collaboration with the Nossal Institute for Global Health at Melbourne University, brought together religious leaders from diverse traditions to develop

As devotees, we don't realise the great fortune of being able to wear the attire of a Vaishnava, apply Tilak on our forehead, wear Tulsi beads on our neck, chant the Holynames of Krishna, associate with His wonderful devotees, engage in His service, honour His prasadam, visit His holy dhamas, circumbulate Tulsi, see His holy deities, hear His Katha, participate in His festivals, read His words in the scriptures. These are by no way ordinary activities. These are blessings of an immeasurable kin

From Back to Godhead

False Prestige heads a list of weeds, such as Lust, Greed, and Anger, that block the growth of the vine of Bhakti.

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita metaphorically describes love of God as a creeper, or vine. The following story is based on that metaphor.

I reared my head like a cobra, not to strike at someone but to catch the sun. Holding a jumbo glowing flower at the top of my green leaves, I dominated the garden with my presence.

My name is False Prestige, and I call myself an

Lord Kapila was very much satisfied by His mother’s questions because the answers stimulate one’s desire for liberation from the conditional life of material existence. Such questions are called apavarga-vardhanam.

Those who have actual spiritual interest are called sat, or devotees. Satam prasangat. Sat means “that which eternally exists,” and asat means “that which is not eternal.” Unless one is situated on the spiritual platform, he is not sat; he is asat.

The asat stands on a platform which

By Shyama Krsnapriya Devi Dasi 

The School of Rupanugas is offering three upcoming online courses in Hindi this fall to help deepen devotees’ spiritual understanding and strengthen teaching capacity within the movement. The ISKCON Disciples Course, Teachers Training Course 1, and Teachers Training Course 2 will all be conducted online, making them accessible to participants across India and beyond.

The ISKCON Disciples Course held from September 29 to October 3 is designed to help devotees bette

By Bhaktin Vrinda and Bala Govinda Das,

On Saturday, 6 September, the auspicious disappearance day of Haridasa Thakura, the first-ever Nauka Vihar Utsava (Boat Festival), was joyfully celebrated in the Netherlands. 
Hosted by ISKCON The Hague Sri Krishna Dhaam, the event brought together uplifting katha, ecstatic kirtan, and delicious prasadam. More than a hundred devotees from across the country gathered for this unique occasion, marking an unforgettable milestone in ISKCON Netherlands’ history

From Back to Godhead

Variety is said to be the spice of life. Imagine a life where you eat the same vegetables daily, wear the same clothes, meet the same people, and visit the same places. So boring, right? This world is full of varieties seasonal changes in the form of summer, winter, autumn, spring; periodic appearance and disappearance of the sun and the moon; cultural differences among people of different nations; the language, the dress, and the eating habits in different parts of the wor

To honor Srila Prabhupada’s historic arrival at Boston Harbor on September 17, 1965, Inner Voice Productions has created a 12-minute film featuring rare footage and dramatic recreations of his 1965 voyage aboard the Jaladuta and his first month in Butler, Pennsylvania, with the Agarwal family. The video premiered today, September 17th, on the YouTube channel Hare Krishna Film Classics.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/cTOlD7o_5dU   

Source: https://iskconnews.org/new-short-film-celebrates-prabhupad

By Gopaswami Das

A historic turn of events took place in France the day before Radhastami. For the first time since Srila Prabhupada inaugurated this beautiful community and installed his beloved Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama, both the ambassador of India at UNESCO and the town’s mayor glorified Srila Prabhupada, the New Mayapura community, and ISKCON with astounding words of praise. A first in France after many years of internal and external struggle.

After a first-class lunch prasadam was served in

By Ananda Jita dasa

On Saturday, September 6th, the auspicious disappearance day of Haridasa Thakura, the first ever Nauka Vihar Utsava, the Boat Festival, was joyfully celebrated in The Netherlands. Hosted by ISKCON The Hague Sri Krishna Dhaam, the event brought together uplifting katha, ecstatic kirtan, and delicious prasadam. More than a hundred devotees from across the country gathered for this unique occasion, marking an unforgettable milestone in ISKCON The Netherlands’ history.

Spirit of