It was back in 1968 that Hare Krishna devotees first appeared on Canadian soil, at Phillips Square. The popular world Expo, which began the year before at Canada’s 100 year celebration, was extended over from ’67. Well, faithfully you will still see the Krishnas at that corner, the juncture of Sainte-Catherine and Union. Due to renovations, the Square is blocked off, hence our lively chanting troupe of today went kitty-corner in front of a heritage church.
What is really appealing about recent
Nurturing our faith helps ease the inevitable suffering of life in the material world.
I’m groggy. It’s early. I’m way too tired to go to work today. After nearly shattering my alarm clock, I slowly drag myself out of bed. I shower, worship my deities, chant my rounds, and head downstairs for breakfast. I glance at the newspaper that sits untouched on the kitchen table.
“Father Convicted of Killing Two Children”
“Young Couple Victim of Hit and Run”
“Infant Dies of Malnutrition After Abandonment
Some of the seniors at Stellenbosch University mentioned that the Hare Krishna film was to be shown at the Labia Theatre in Cape Town, about an hour from where I stay and where the Stellenbosch preaching centre is located (SPYS – Spirituality Philosophy and Yoga Society).
We were really excited and invited many of our members to join us. The night was ecstatic and worthwhile, but I had a desire to show the film to those who were unable to make the journey.
A year later Srila Prabhupada fulfille
How Lord Krsna's holy land was transported halfway around the world to the lake know as Inis Rath.
Govindadvipa, ISKCON's 22-acre island in Northern Ireland, has been home for the deities Sri Sri Radha-Govinda since 1986. I first laid eyes on Radha-Govinda in 1985, before They were formally installed in the temple, and from that moment on, They made arrangements to draw me into their service. I moved into the temple community on January 7, 1986. Radha-Govinda were installed soon after, and I wa
A young woman came to my book table and started turning the pages of Bhagavad-Gita. She then took a picture of the introduction, where it says, “the human being has two psychic divisions, to be the controller and to be the enjoyer.” She commented that it seemed so true.
When I offered her the Gita, she said, “Really, I could have this? This is for me?”
It turned out that a Vaisnava youth, Vraja, who lives in our community, had been explaining knowledge of Krishna consciousness to her and the o
It used to take a clear six hours drive to Montreal from Toronto, then add a half-hour for a refreshment/bio break. These days you can knock off one hour because the standard motorist moves at 110 to 120 km per hour up the Highway, known by commuters as the 401.
Gabriel was kind to use his fire-engine red car to take me to Pie IX Boulevard and the temple for ISKCON Montreal. It was a real pleasant cruise, so time flew by. We even managed to get a full hour Gita Chat in with host Vaishnavi from
April Fools’ Day is celebrated yearly on April 1, and today I thought of Srila Prabhupada’s instruction that we remain fools before the spiritual master, as stated in a room conversation in Bombay on August 16, 1976.
A devotee asked, “Even nitya-siddha has guru . . . Even the liberated soul, nitya-siddha?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Liberated soul never says that ‘I am liberated.’ As soon as he says ‘liberated,’ he’s a rascal. A liberated soul will never say that ‘I am liberated.’ That is l
Over the past year, I’ve had a few health issues, so regularly going on sankirtan was put on hold. Recently, though, I was able to do a book table at the Vegan and Art festivals for our Sankirtana Team in ISKCON Alachua.
I headed up a new party and drove more than an hour with two other ladies to the Vegan festival. When I arrived, I felt the effects of my tired material, miserable body.
Then, on top of that, I was having a hard time getting people to stop.
My teammate said, “Don’t worry. Just
Our 4th week started with a sad realisation that after all the practicalities are sorted and families settle a bit, it starts to hit them what actually happened. We were very proud to be able to provide work, accommodation and school for children in Walbrzych, Wroclaw, Krakow and Warsaw. For those who want to stay in Poland we got the registration sorted, waiting for some small government funding, of course that might take a while, but at least there is hope.
Then we started to hear reports of
March 29–As the conflict in Ukraine enters its second month, Niranjana Swami, GBC representative for Ukraine, addressed the Governing Body Commission (GBC) of ISKCON with a report on Ukraine, the devotees affected, and future planning. The following information is drawn from that report. For the purpose of this report, Niranjana Swami explained that due to the natural relationships with devotees currently sheltered in neighbouring regions, some facts on those areas, such as Crimea, would also b
ISKCON Mayapur is happy to inform you that the Government of India, through its National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) program, has approved the construction of Prabhupada Bathing Ghat in Mayapur, for which they have sanctioned nearly Rs 15.5 crores (USD 2 million).
The project would be built by Engineering Projects India Limited, one of the construction arms of the Government of India. EPIL is an experienced company that has constructed over 600 projects in more than ten countries to date at a
What did I learn today from sastra (scripture) or from the words of the guru?
In the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna asks Krishna appropriate questions, with all of them being answered, of course.
Another item that I read from the book Chasing Rhinos, by Shyamasundar, left me satisfied:
“Sometimes, just like the wild tiger, you have got to control by repression. But when the tiger is under control, there is no question of repression. You can play with the tiger; he becomes your friend. So, repression is
Govinda Ghosh was one of the three brothers Govinda, Vasudev and Madhav, who were all dear associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. According to Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (188), Sri Govinda Ghosh is a sakhi named Kalavati in Goloka Vrindavan, who beautifully sings songs composed by Srimati Vishakha Sakhi.
Govinda Ghosh, in Mahaprabhu’s lila as well, was a celebrated singer with melodious voice. He, along with his brothers, was present in the kirtans at Srivas Angan, in the ki
On encountering Hare Krsna devotees chanting on the street, people respond with every reaction from amusement to anger. Few understand what the chanting is all about. To many, it seems a frivolity, often inspiring the remark “Get a job!”
But there’s nothing frivolous about chanting the names of God. Srila Prabhupada had great faith in the transformative power of chanting. He told us that simply by chanting Hare Krsna we would become self-realized. He spoke from experience and on the basis of th
The greatest peace formula is simply this: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the beneficiary in all human activities. Men should offer everything to the transcendental service of the Lord because He is the proprietor of all planets and the demigods thereon.
BG 5.29, Purport: The conditioned souls within the clutches of the illusory energy are all anxious to attain peace in the material world. But they do not know the formula for peace, which is explained in this part of the Bhagavad-gītā. The greatest peace formul
The following reports have been sent to ISKCON News by the Share Your Care Team
1: Vraja Jivana Das and Yamuna Jivani Devi Dasi live in Oleshki in the Kherson region, which is presently blockaded and under Russian occupation. Currently, it is not possible to go in or out of the city and no humanitarian aid is allowed in. Due to this, stores ran out of provisions and have been empty for a couple of days now. The devotees are very grateful for the financial support that was gi
I belong to the road, at least the trail. That was the mood and spirit of our troupe that returned from the weekend Festival of India roadshow. We were reflecting on the fabulous time, grateful that we could be part of the journey. How can one ever repay the good opportunity given to us by the Supreme.
I sometimes wonder what or where I would be if not for those considerate monks I met, fifty years ago, on Elm St. in Sudbury. They changed my life, gave it purpose, principles and procedures. The
On a trip to Hawkes Bay, NZ, as part of our Every Town and Village project (ETV), I was at a book table at the Hastings Warehouse. A mature lady walked straight over and began looking at the books. She then spontaneously grabbed japa beads and asked the price. She wanted four strings of beads.
She said that she used to do a lot of meditation and wanted to get back into it. I encouraged her to also take books, as they will help her deepen the quality of her meditation and learn more about the cu
