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In spiritual life, liquor is not really glorified like one of the material pleasures in life. It is rather condemned. It is placed in the same category as poison. Well, it is true that it is not nourishing the cells in the body. Each time you take some liquor, you are burning some brain cells and you begin to see it in the regular drinkers at the bars. Their faces are a bit puffed up. Some have red veins showing and their hands also are a bit swollen and reddish. And their brain is dull and not

By Yogesvara Gopinath das

Lord Jagannath showered his unlimited mercy on the streets of East London in the Annual East London Rathyatra on Sunday 25th September. It was truly a colourful and memorable Cultural event organised by devotees in East London and HG Parasuram Prabhu from Food for all.

This is a unique festival when Lord Jagannath comes out of the temple to give his mercy to everyone on the street once a year. This festival started thousands of years ago in Jagannath Puri in India. Th

I appreciate the chanting of sixteen rounds. It is the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that comes through these rounds. And that is the minimum, better if I chant more! I appreciate whatever service that I can do, whether I like that service or whether I do not like that service. Some services are nice and some appear to not be nice in itself. Some things are not so nice to do. Like I have had to go and fight Court cases. I do not particularly enjoy that, it is not my thing. It is a real auste

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

PAMHO. AGTSP.

We are happy to share with you that earlier today the Chairman of ISKCON Bureau, HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja, along with the ISKCON’s National Directors of Communications called on Honorable President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

The Hon’ble President recollected her visits to ISKCON temples in different parts of India. She was glad to learn about ISKCON’s spiritual, cultural, and philanthropic initiatives a

By Chandan Yatra Das

Shukratal is a tiny holy town about 2-3 hours (72 km) from Haridwar on the banks of Ganges River in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Srila Sukadeva Goswami spoke sacred Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana) to Maharaja Pariksit (the grandson of Arjuna and son of Abhimanyu), under a banyan tree 5000 years ago.

Here at a place called Sri Sukadeva Temple, there is a gigantic 5100 year old Banyan tree, also known as Akshaya Vat Vriksha, underneath where Sukadeva Goswami,

Bhagavat das: Prabhupada said, “Can you quote this verse?” The two of us looked at each other, and I thought, “Tamal Krishna Goswami will quote the verse,” but Tamal Krishna Goswami thought I was going to do it. Neither of us knew the verse. Prabhupada said, “Just see. You are not reading my books. Every day you have to read, study, and learn my books just like a lawyer learns the law books. You must know everything, chapter and verse. If you do not know, how will you preach? Unless you know my

Back to Lakewood Park, Kaustubha and I went for the sunrise. Unfortunately, from our viewpoint, the sun was peeking out behind the Cleveland skyline and not from the lake itself. All the same, it was a beautiful morning. Other admirers were doing as we were, and out of the lot three young “party animals” were curious about my sun-toned clothes.

“Would you be a monk?” said one, and my response was, “Yes, and you can be one too, for a day, a weekend, or a month. Or fifty years, like myself.” That

By Stephen Knapp

The original form of Lord Krishna is described briefly in the Laghu-Bhagatamrita (Chapter 5, verses 332-342) as the root of all forms of the Lord, which are endowed with good qualities. “The Lord appeared in the mortal world by His internal potency, yoga-maya. He came in His eternal form, which is just suitable for His pastimes. These pastimes were wonderful for everyone, even for those proud of their own opulence, including the Lord Himself as the Lord of Vaikuntha [Narayana].

Kaustubha and I were ambling along at Lake Erie’s edge in Lakewood Park when one of the many, shall I say, “worshipers” of the water and sun noticed my garb. “Oh! Monk! Yeah! I agree!” As he gives me a fist pump. Perhaps to say “worshiper” was a trait bit over the top, but in reality, people from this neighborhood and the greater Cleveland area come to the spot where massive and smooth concrete blocks have been placed as if stairways for giants; some kind of grandstand for viewing the sun setti

By Kamala Radha Devi Dasi

Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico hard on September 19th and many Puerto Ricans are still recovering from the destruction. As reported by NPR The category 1 storm devastated most of Puerto Rico’s plantain crops– a staple food.

Puerto Rico has been severely impacted by Fiona, leaving many homes uninhabitable, communities under water and bridges and roads ruined. Early data points to a difficult road ahead as locals work to recover.

ISKCON News was quick to reach out to th

This morning a handful of Columbus congregants and I took to trekking along the Ohio River on Riverside. What was to be more of a chanting walk ended up being more of a chatting walk. The conversation hovered around the direct versus indirect sending of the message of the Gita to the world. The trail along the river, with fresh air and blue skies, made for that clear head experience and so I offered my opinion; that we need both.

Boat rowing was going on up and down the current of the Ohio as w

From Back to Godhead

A victim is a person who suffers from a destructive action. Often we think of victims as innocent and neither responsible nor accountable for what’s happened – for example, people who are randomly shot or children who are abused.

There are victims, however, who may not be completely innocent – for example, a chain smoker who’s a

Let us hear about “Srila Prabhupada Personifies Devotee Care” from a very close and a dear disciple of Srila Prabhupada, HH Giriraj Swami. He is being interviewed by HG Gauranga Das.

An interview with Giriraj Swami by the ISKCON Strategic Planning Office, July 9, 2020, via Facebook.

Gauranga Dasa: Hare Krishna. We welcome all the devotees who have joined this weekly care conversation, Vaishnava seva. This week we are very honored to have with us His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja. We welcome

Ai article in The Times of London, entitled "Slowing Down the March of Time," gave an update on research at an institute of experimental gerontology. According to a spokesman, "Some enigmas of aging are beginning to be unraveled by remarkable advances in medical research. . . . Growing old, in the traditional sense, is not inevitable. We are already developing ways to counter it" The author goes on to say that although research has been going on for a century, specific factors that cause aging

By Archbishop Eric Escala, Continuing Anglican Church 

The voice of the Shepherd, Archbishop visits Prabhupada’s House. 

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to visit the ISKCON temple in Buenos Aires, needless to say, it was a very nice experience.

I had read many books of His Divine Grace Abhay Caranaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda “The man who built a house that everyone can live in”.

I must say that it is very true.

Although we were few visitors, we were received with all the lov

By Khusboo Basan 

The viral infection has killed nearly 75,000 cattle in India and spread to more than 10 States and UTs, hitting Rajasthan the worst

The lumpy skin disease outbreak continues to affect dairy farmers, especially small cultivators in India and South Asia. The infection, caused by the capripoxvirus, is spread by blood-feeding insects. It is an infectious viral disease in cattle, which often occurs in epizootic form. The disease is characterized by the eruption of nodules in the ski

It was a drizzle of a morning but that was no roadblock for some enthusiasts to circum-ambulate the lake at New Vrindavan. There has been no conversation during the strolls around the lake, named Rada Kunda. When our mantra sessions were completed at today’s half-point, I had several devotees from various locations say that it was the first time they ever walked with a swami and just chanted those mantras. It is my hope at least some of them would return to their respective places and form japa

By Kadamba Kanana Das

Please follow this link for more photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CXSSKzJ7ygNFs8FAA

Bali is a world-famous Indonesian tropical island paradise famed for its sandy, picturesque beaches, blue oceans, volcanic mountains, paddy fields and lush tropical greenery. Bali is also known as the “Island of the Gods”. Each home is adorned with temples of various sizes and one can perceive the omnipresence of Balinese Hinduism in their everyday life

Inspired by HH Subhag Swami Maharaj,

By Bhaktin Leah Bielat 

The 8th annual Orlando Rathayatra was held on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, at the unique location on the campus of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida.

The Rathayatra took over the beautiful UCF campus and despite it being a weekday, a good number of devotees were present as well as many UCF students. Devotees and well-wishers pulled Lord Jagannath’s cart through the streets, led by a campus police car. Passersby were drawn to the procession by t

By Thomas Haribol  

After a three-year COVID-related hiatus, the hills of West Virginia were covered in colorful clouds again as locals returned to Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold for the 2022 Festival of Colors.

Guests enjoyed the musical stylings of Devananda Prabhu, NamRock, Ananda Groove, and Malini devi dasi, who also led participants in dance and yoga. Local Sarah R. of Wheeling, WV, said, “This was our first time, and we had a blast! We are definitely making this a yearly thing!”

Food was pl