While on this day Americans are celebrating their Independence Day, those of us in the Canadian legion of ISKCON Montreal are joyfully occupied in our lord and master, Jagannath.
Yes, the Chariot Fest took off at the corner of Ste. Laurent and Sherbrooke as a procession and culminating in stage presentations with Bhaktivedanta Book Trust publications on display, a chanting tent, yoga, food, and bhakti accessories for sale.
Our dear monk from Mauritius was available for Q&A, Bhakti Sundara C
By Jananivas Das
Last evening, our home was filled with new and old faces, all gathered around the sweetness of Krishna’s name; it was an intimate, wonderful program. And afterward, I found myself wondering — what did they actually take with them when they left?
Not the words. Words are only the vehicle. Within a day, most of what was said about Krishna’s pastimes, His nature, His call to the soul — most of it will blur, paraphrase itself, or vanish entirely. This is simply how memory works. We
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi,
Bala Nimai Das has released Inside the Mind, a poetic children’s book drawn from the Fourth Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, accompanied by an original short film of the same name. The project distills teachings from one of the Srimad Bhagavatam‘s most detailed philosophical exchanges into accessible verse and imagery for readers of all ages.
A Project Born from Personal Study
The book’s origins lie in the author’s practice of writing poetry to deepen his enga
Last year a church property was purchased in the the Lynnwood area of Seattle, which is a family friendly suburb located 26 km north of the downtown area. It offers a practical, accessible alternative to Seattle’s steep living costs.
There are many devotee families close by and after renovating the building they starting kirtan, class and prasadam programs, along with teaching school to the children. Hari Vilasa and I visited to lead kirtan, class and encourage them in their devotional practices
The picture is stunning with compassion in his eyes. Our guru, the one we are indebted to for turning lives around. How can one forget the person who actually gave us life, in that I mean a purpose.
What is the business where we merely attempt to survive? The animals are employed in that process 24/7. We have been there. No need to play such old reruns when you have purpose.
With purpose there are principles. You have solid ground. You have an anchor. Otherwise it is a case of “a rudderless
Today is Hera-pancami or Laksmi-vijaya!
Lord Jagannath along with His siblings leaves for a vacation to His aunt’s place and His consort Mahalakshmi was left behind in the main temple. While leaving he had promised that He would return the next day, but time passed by and He never came back, nor did He give any information. After the 5th Day, she became impatient and hence decided to visit the Gundicha temple to see if everything was ok.
The Hera-pancami festival takes place just five days afte
By Chaitanya Charan das
“I am my worst enemy.” Some of us may have felt like this when we came under the grip of sudden, irrational impulses, and spoke and acted in ways that hurt others or ourselves or both. We make plans and efforts to change our illogical, uncongenial behavior, yet the heat of the moment often overpowers us. When we repeatedly succumb to the same self-defeating behavior, we may become possessed by the gloomy thought: “Maybe this is just the way I am; maybe this is my unchange
I always wondered why Srila Prabhupad said we are Krishna’s dog. This thought always bothered me why he chose a dog. Few days ago one of a very old friend of my family engaged himself and me in a long conversation. By Krsna’s unlimited mercy I am surrounded by souls who are extremely spiritual in various faiths. This uncle mentioned about qualities of Dog. He said a dog has up to 40 qualities; out of which one of the most important qualities is his humility. No matter how much you hit your dog,
By Atma Tattva Das,
Radhe Dasi, Communications Director for ISKCON South Africa, as chairperson. The appointment places the International Society for Krishna Consciousness at the head of a national advisory body for the first time since the movement’s founding in South Africa in 1975.
The CRL Rights Commission is a Chapter Nine constitutional body tasked with protecting cultural, religious, and linguistic rights. CRL Chairperson Thoko Xaluva Mkhwanazi presided over the lau
Bhaktivedanta Manor marked ISKCON’s 60th anniversary with a joyful community celebration honoring Srila Prabhupada’s extraordinary journey from arriving alone in America in 1965 to establishing a worldwide spiritual movement. The program featured the unveiling of permanent plaques displaying ISKCON’s Seven Purposes, historical dramas by the Junior Bhaktivedanta Players and Bhaktivedanta Players depicting Lord Jagannath’s appearance and Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in America, a nostalgic multimedi
This year’s Jagannatha Rathayatra in Seattle was a grand success. The devotees told me there were more than a thousand who attended the parade and between 12.00pm and 7.00pm around nine thousand came through the park.
Of course, the favorite stalls were the ones serving free prasadam, especially the ice-cream and jelebi. The main stage, which had kirtan and dance, was always packed and the cows and calves were very popular as well. Many books and other products were sold and everyone was in a jo
With my reconnection to the bus tour group I am happy to be of that regimen again. The drivers of the two buses and the passengers which I described earlier are from different countries and continents. The young men and women are kept engaged, setting up the Festival of India tents at Jean Mance Park, plus there’s kitchen work and a number of other tasks.
My job is of a different nature. It has some flavour of the clerical. While the heat wave persists I can keep somewhat busy in catching up
On the auspicious day of Jagannatha Ratha-yatra in Puri, two of Lord Chaitanya’s most confidential associates, Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Srila Sivananda Sena, left this world to return to the supreme abode.
The inner moods of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, especially in Puri, were not easy to understand, and they were unknown to most devotees. Only Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, who was the most intimate associate of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Puri, could really understand them, and by his gra
Today is Ratha-yatra day.
It is a great honor, privilege, and pleasure to be here on the auspicious occasion of Snana-yatra. The first deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra in ISKCON were discovered in San Francisco in 1967. One of Srila Prabhupada’s early disciples, Malati dasi, saw a small figure in an import store, Cost Plus, and brought it to him. When Prabhupada saw the figure, his eyes opened wide. He folded his palms and bowed his head in respect. Then he said, “You have brought
HH JAYAPATAKA SWAMI, MERCY ON WHEEL, SRI JAGANNATH E RATHA YATRA ADDRESS, SRI MAYAPUR DHAM, INDIA
Mukam karoti vacalam pangum langayate girim
Yat kripa tam aham vande sri gurum dina tarinamc
Paramananda Madhavam Sri Caitanya Isvaram
I offer my obeisances to His Divine Grace Abhay Caran Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada! Lord Jagannath is a very special deity in Rajapur. Radharani created the Navadvipa dhama for the pleasure of Lord Krsna. And Krsna gave the blessing that all the holy places will
“I request…that everything in the Temple should be kept nice and clean… We should always remember that Krishna is the purest & similarly only the pure can associate with Him. Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”
– Letter to: Nandarani, Krsna Devi, Subala and Uddhava, Delhi, 3 October, 1967
Srila Prabhupada always emphasised the importance of cleanliness, and said that cleanliness is essential for making advancement in spiritual life: “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” In Sridhama Mayapur, the
The observance of Gundica-marjana, the washing and cleansing of the Gundica temple, takes place on the day before Ratha-yatra, in preparation for the arrival of the Lord.
The history of Ratha-yatra goes back thousands of years, to a previous age, but the specific significance of the Ratha-yatra and the cleaning of the Gundica temple for us was shown by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu when He was residing in Jagannatha Puri five hundred years ago. In the transcendental mind of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, t
A new Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program launching this fall seeks to help address what many see as a growing need for professionally trained Vaishnava and Hindu chaplains.
While chaplaincy has become an established profession in hospitals, hospices, universities, prisons, and military settings throughout North America, there remain relatively few Hindu chaplains serving in these environments. Within the Vaishnava community, the number of professionally credentialed chaplains is even smal
Today we are observing the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Sri Gadadhara Pandita. I first learned of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura when I visited the Boston temple. At that time there were only two published books in ISKCON—the abridged edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, published by Macmillan, and Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, published by ISKCON. And at the front of Teachings of Lord Chaitanyawas a series of very dignified black-and-white photographs of Srila Prabhupada, Srila
