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I like to offer a little analogy of a group of people who were living in an oasis in the middle of a desert. One day, a stranger appeared there. This stranger brought very exotic fruits, very nice and tasty, something they had never tasted in the desert, something extraordinary. So everyone was impressed because desert life is limited to some dates, dried fruits and some camel milk. What else do they eat in the desert? Maybe some stewed cactus! But all in all, it gets a little bit limited after

I just wanted to share a letter that Prabhupada, our guru, wrote 50 years ago about the right attitude and the right action. So much of our spiritual advancement depends on attitude. Written to his disciple, Jayapataka Swami, but applicable to all.

“Yes, the co-operative spirit of working together without any argument is especially prominent in Mayapura, more than other places in India. Therefore, you are successful, and the work is going on quickly to completion. That is because all of you wor

Hare Krishna. Many devotees and friends are asking how they can help the devotees caught in the middle of the deadly and devastating fighting in Ukraine.
ISKCON has over 3,000 initiated devotees in the country, over a dozen temples, and three beautiful farms. I have attached a few photos of the main temple in Kiev.
ISKCON’s international governing body is in regular, daily contact with the Ukrainian devotees. Because of the very delicate and dangerous nature of the situation, we cannot say more

As of this morning, March 3rd, 2022, 8:30 AM EST it has been reported that some of the Kyiv devotees are traveling to ISKCON Farm(s), other cities, and other areas of the country for their safety.

• Some devotees are still staying at the temple, others are remaining in their homes near the temple in Kyiv. We continue to ask devotees around the world to pray for their safety.
• The account that was shared on ISKCON News where donations can be sent to help the Ukrainian devotees is still active and

UPDATE: March 2nd, 2022 7:30 AM EST

This Report has been confirmed by Anuttama Das through Ukrainian devotees who are involved. 

Vamsi Madhava das, who was shot on February 26th, is ok and is recovering fine. He was able to be taken to the hospital the next day and is recuperating now.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/breaking-news-ukrainian-devotee-shot/

Gabriel is from a small town in Ontario – St. Mary’s – and he now resides in Toronto while making the effort to be with us on a daily basis, in the morning. He comes in through the door after leaving his shoes in the designated shoe room before entering the large temple room. He then offers his prostrations before the deity of Prabhupada, our guru.

After fetching a sitting mat, he plants himself firmly on it; sitting squarely in a close-to-lotus position. With beads in a bag, he fingers through

Saturday, March 5 to Sunday, March 6 2022

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a worldwide religious community and confederation of over 500 temples and cultural centers, will conduct Chant for Peace events during the weekend of Saturday, March 5th, 2022 around the globe to pray for all people affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and surrounding areas. ISKCON devotees all over the world promote the uplifting process of chanting the Holy Names of God as well as th

Mayapur Academy under the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry presents THE GAYATRI COURSE I for the devotee community of ISKCON.

The Course offers a program designed to help improve the quality of Brahmanas within ISKCON in order to promote the long-term wellbeing of Srila Prabhupäda’s Society and its members.

The program is based on the teachings of Srila Prabhupäda and his followers and gives reference to the current ISKCON Laws and writings from the broader Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition.

Subjects inc

By Anuttama Dasa

Correcting False Reports Re: ISKCON Ukraine Food Relief and Sheltering

Misinformation has been circulating on social media and other media outlets (not ISKCON News) that fifty-plus ISKCON temples and centers in Ukraine are providing food relief and shelter for the public.

ISKCON News has confirmed that this information is false. According to ISKCON authorities on the ground in Ukraine, there is only one prasadam distribution program operating at this time. It is located in the

Devotees have started to provide food for those displaced by the conflict

ISKCON Hungary is actively participating in helping those displaced by the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. In addition to keeping up the everyday distribution of food, the Hare Krishna Food For Life program is always ready to help feed the masses who arrive from disaster areas.

To organize the catering operation, devotees have contacted the relevant government agencies and other charities and have already started the food dis

Don’t live in a house, live in a bhajan kutir!

We are cultivating our Krsna consciousness by building up a whole Krsna conscious world around us. That nourishes us and that is important because it is easier to remember Krsna. When we have pictures of Krsna in our house, that will remind us of Krsna. So, we have to build a bhajan kutir. Don’t live in a house, live in a bhajan kutir! Make that house a holy place. A place where we are worshipping Krsna. Let me tell you a story of Mr Gupta. He ha

It is always encouraging to see young folks coming around, showing interest in the science of bhakti yoga; particularly the Bhagavad-gita. I had two students from George Brown College come to conduct an interview for their school project. Circumstantially they arrived rather late due to the protests still going on, hence, blocked traffic was an issue.

Regardless, they liked the interview because it came out as rather candid. They asked about my personal participation as a monk:

“How, when and w

Dear Devotees,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

As conflict heightens in Ukraine, we understand that your hearts are filled with concern about our dear devotees in the region and offer you a brief report on their situation.

The devotees wake up to a changed reality — tanks rolling through the streets in some places, explosions in their neighborhoods in others, and thesound of gunshots in the distance. While the tendency for a living entity in such a situatio

From the Gita, 11.42, “Thinking of You as my friend, I have rashly addressed You ‘O Krishna,’ ‘O Yadava,’ O my friend,’ not knowing Your glories. Please forgive whatever I may have done in madness or in love. I have dishonoured You many times, jesting as we relaxed, lay on the same bed, or sat or ate together, sometimes alone and sometimes in front of many friends. O infallible one, please excuse me for all those offenses.”

Before I went off on my evening trek today, the Gita Chat group on Thur

Statement of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness on Ukraine
ISKCON Ministry of Communications
February 25, 2022

As members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), we offer our prayers for all persons who are victims of the evolving situation in Ukraine. We earnestly pray that no more innocent people may suffer and that peace will soon return to that region.

We are especially heartbroken that thousands of devotees of Lord Krishna are living in the areas i

By Anuttama Dasa

Special Report: Devotees in Ukraine Continue On Despite Fears, Instability

February 25, 2022  3 PM EST

Members of the Governing Body Commission (GBC) were given a report by leaders aware of the Ukrainian situation earlier today. What follows are selected highlights of that report, with additional information provided by other devotees familiar with the current circumstances.

Thousands of devotees of Lord Krishna live in Ukraine, and they worship at approximately twenty ISKCON c

A group of us were talking about addictions. We all know of people or are self-confessing victims of addiction, which can range from hoarding of things to substance-taking, pornography-gazing, to sex addition, cell-phone usage, coffee consumption, etc. The range is broad and broadening more with the advances of materialism and enhancement of Kali yuga pleasures.

I opine that with the lowering of spirituality in one’s life, the tendency to grab for things over God simply increases. Once you bri

From Kapila Dev Das:
How much knowledge do we actually need in order to serve the mission of Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu? What if we are complete fools – can we still act as divine instruments?

For some years, I was managing a theatre company in South Africa called “The Bhaktivedanta Players” We would perform all the standard ISKCON plays, like “The Touchstone”, A-Class prisoner, C-Class prisoner” “Boatman, Boatman”. Then we started getting into more serious theatrical productions like serious por

From Back to Godhead

By Mayapur-shashi Dasa

In the May 5, 1956, issue of Back to Godhead, Srila Prabhupada published his article “Lord Buddha: The Emblem of Theism.” The opening paragraph informs us of the transcendental poet Sri Jayadeva Acharya’s worship of Lord Buddha. Srila Prabhupada then quotes the poet’s Sanskrit prayer to the ten incarnations of the Personal