The greatest challenge in performing Sadhana Bhakti is our attempt to serve the Lord with only the cognizance of Him being an almighty God. The immense distance between us and the Lord during the clearing process (Anartha Nivrtthi) is such that most Sadhakas face difficulty in maintaining steady service. This misfortune can solely be attributed to a lack of Sambandha Jnana or in other words due to forgetting who we are.
Most of our energy during the clearing process goes into fighting our previ
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Any contact with Krishna purifies our consciousness and gradually qualifies us for eternal loving exchanges with Him.
Pradyumna Dasa, Srila Prabhupada’s Sanskrit editor, begins reading The Nectar of Devotion, Introduction:
Invoking auspiciousness: Lord Sri Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, the reservoir of all rasas, or relationships, which are called neutrality, or passive adoration, servitorship,
By Madhava Smullen
What has kept the International Society for Krishna consciousness going for 54 years now, “systematically propagating spiritual knowledge to society at large” as Srila Prabhupada wrote when incorporating the movement in 1966?
Much has been down to the steady efforts of quietly dedicated devotees, doing their services day in and day out for decades – the pujaris, the teachers, the mothers, the cooks, the cleaners, the maintenance workers, the accountants, the book editors, the
The flight from Winnipeg on Air Canada was early, at 5:35 a.m. Usually at such an hour you can bet that passengers on a full flight like this will be fast asleep. Such was the case for all, except the pilot and flight attendants. I sat at the emergency exit seat, struggling to stay awake to fit in some japa meditation. It was hard. Fortunately, we are looking at a mere two-hour flight.
Nanda Maharaja Das picked me up in Toronto and zoomed me over to our Brampton ISKCON Centre.
“Happy Father’s D
After a two-year hiatus due to the global pandemic, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness of Harrisburg (ISKCON of Harrisburg) is gearing up to celebrate the 12th Annual Hare Krishna Festival of India on Saturday, July 9, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at City Island in Harrisburg.
The devotees of ISKCON of Harrisburg are extending their warm welcome to one and all to attend the festival. The unique, 1-mile long, 63-acre City Island, is conveniently located just across the walking b
SPECIAL 2-DAYS CONFERENCE & WORKSHOP
Today there is an increasing awareness of environmental and ethical dealings with the planet and the food production chain, there is a call to reintegrate with Mother Earth and bring spirituality to the heart of this understanding.
The introduction of positivism into science and technology has led to the widespread adoption of the paradigm of industrial agriculture. This type of agriculture currently represents 30% of the world’s food supply. It accounts fo
Bhaktivedanta Manor is a pivotal force for disseminating Krishna-conscious culture, and knowledge and building spiritual relationships in the community. The key to its success in these areas has been the quality and exemplary character of devotees that have spearheaded the community’s development. One such personality is Sutapa Das, a local lad born in Wembley west London, in 1981.
In a packed Haveli including a wide range of devotees and well-wishers from across Europe, on 26th June Sutapa Das
Lat week my travels led me to Quebec and before that the Maritimes, where all those places are mountainous, at least hilly, but today, after a good flight to the Prairies, I landed on ultra-flat terrain. A nice change. In fact, levelness reminds me of where I was born and raised, in southwestern Ontario.
With the fine arrangements of Vrnda and Visvambhar my greeting party at Winnipeg’s Airport brought me to the countryside in the town of Lorett, population 5000. Members of our Winnipeg communit
Protection is a need for everyone in every walk of life. We seek protection through wealth, doctors, military, insurance and many other sources. The protection offered through them is limited by time, space and ability. They cannot protect us completely and forever. One who has control over everything, one who is eternal and one who is conscious of us completely alone can offer us complete protection. Only the Supreme and All-Attractive God Krishna can only offer us such protection.
We can acce
Visvambhar mentors international students from India and they are receptive, indeed, to Krishna Consciousness. Each morning while in Winnipeg, being accommodated in a quaint temple at 124 Hazelwood Ave., a portion of those students embark on a walk in the area of St. Vital. It is one of those sections of Winnipeg settled by the French.
My meals are provided by congregants, which I am grateful for. The zonal supervisor within ISKCON Zone 1 (Canada and six northern states) is Vrnda, a sincere and
ISKCON Baltimore reported to North American officials that four to five people attacked an Arkansas Hindu temple, a Buddhist temple, a local Kali temple, and a few others. This group was also believed to be traveling to the Baltimore/ D.C. area. It was also reported the Potomac temple had an attempted robbery but the alert presence of a pujari made them flee.
ISKCON Denver temple was visited by women who entered the pujari room wearing shoes during the afternoon time when the Lords are resting.
Abhi is my stalwart helper. He accompanies me on the morning walks and takes me around to various locations, all places for speaking, chanting, associating, and honouring prasadam, sacred food.
My first visitation took me to the residence of Aravind, a Punjabi Sikh gentleman, kind and caring and involved in business. Members of his family relished the kirtan. One of the women asked me, “Please give us some jñāna (wisdom).”
My short version answer was, “We are gifted humans, so we must be in ser
Some devotees seldom use the word ‘mystical’ when describing other worldly subjects, due to obscure hazy connotations; preferring instead to use terms like inconceivable, transcendental or spiritual. Srila Prabhupada quite often used the word in the context of performing sincere devotional service, and the benefits derived from Bhakti.
It is known that Srila Prabhupada had a number of mystical experiences which he would tell to his close friends. Being aware of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s order to
Let us try to get a glimpse into Krishna’s heart today. How lovingly He reciprocates with His devotees and what makes Him obliged to His devotees. There is an underlying sweet mellow in Krishna’s exchange with His devotees. These mellows in Krishna’s heart are revealed to us by the acharyas, they know Krishna’s heart.
Now, the Lord comes to deliver the devotees (paritrāṇāya sādhūnām), but it is clearly stated in Bhagavad-gītā that a devotee transcends the material qual
On the bank of the Ganges, a young devotee of Krsna showed a
death-bound king the way to immortality.
King Pariksit was cursed to die within seven days. Yet he took it all as Krsna’s will, and at once he went to the Ganges to fast till the fatal moment. On hearing the news, great sages came from all over the universe to witness his passing.
“Please tell me,” the king asked, ” what is the duty of one who is about to die?”
Before the sages came to any consensus, a sixteen-year-old boy arrived, a
While distributing books in Wellington, New Zealand, I met a middle-aged lady from Finland. For many years she lived in north Finland, which she described as being remote and mountainous.
Somehow or other, she felt inspired to journey to the Himalayas and learn about yoga. Amazingly, while participating in a Himalayan yoga retreat, her teacher recommended that she read Bhagavad-gita and also that she visit the Bhakti Lounge in Wellington to learn more about spiritual life.
So our Finnish friend
It was with great pleasure that I could see Daruka, my support person for my fourth walk across the country, and also the second half of the third trek. This meeting with Daruka was very special, in his home area of Winnipeg/Transcona. His parents, especially his mother, wanted to meet me. Sometime in the past, I prayed for her when Daruka told me of her physical challenges. That touched her, even though I never met her. Although skeptical about her son getting “involved in a cult” years ago, s
Prof. George Wajackoyah speaks to journalists at his Karen offices on February 17, 2022
On Sunday, June 19, Prof. George Wajackoyah, a presidential candidate for the Roots Party, revealed that he is an ISKCON devotee and priest.
Wajackoyah acknowledged that he was a priest in the Hare Krishna movement in an interview with Tanzanian journalist Millard Ayo. His initiated name is Krishna-Balaram Dasa and received initiation from Srila Prabhupada in Nairobi.
“I am a High Priest at the Hare Krishna
You have all heard the saying, “Stop and smell the roses.” It’s a phrase that was used often in the ’60s (not sure if it had anything to do with hippie flower power). The message is hurry and worry less. Simon and Garfunkel, the exceptional duo singers, put it this way in their piece Feelin’ Groovy. “Slow down, you move too fast. Yah gotta make the mornin’ last.”
In any event, whenever I trek with the boys through the residential neighbourhoods, where great pride is displayed in individual lan
