By Madhava Smullen
Govardhan Eco Village (GEV), ISKCON’s 100-acre farm in the foothills of the Sahyadri mountain range in Maharashtra, recently completed the final fourteen rooms for its 42-room Mahavan guest building using energy-efficient mud block building technologies.
The same techniques are also currently being used to build the 9,000 square foot Bhajan Ashram, a retreat facility for senior brahmacharis and sannyasis, which will be completed by the end of the year.
The Eco Village will
There is an expected rule for covid restrictions and therefore we have limited attendance for our extended festival of Govardhan, here in the province of New Brunswick. Nevertheless, those who came to the location, the home of Kadamba Priya, had a sweet time. Now, today, Sunday, November 7, we take on dutifully an event to honour our world teacher, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who passed away in 1977. It is an anniversary celebration today and we will remember him, sadly
One of Lord Krishna’s most delightful pastimes occurred when Mother Yasoda caught Him stealing butter and took a rope to bind Him. We may wonder, “Is it possible to bind the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead?” Yes, but a rope alone is not enough…. (From the Srimad-Bhagavatam, translation and commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.)
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=91074
Series: Srila Prabhupada-Our Preeminent Siksha Guru – Day 02
Speaker: Vaisesika Das
Occasion: Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day Special
On Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival , here are some lesser-known facts related to ISKCON Founder acharya Srila Prabhupada by Vaisesika Prabhu.
GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) is pleased to invite you to the Day 2 of our 3 day series celebrating Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival reflecting on the role of Srila Prabhupada as our preeminent
Krsna’s plan unfolds in our life and we have to allow it to do so. Over time, our destiny will become clear and we begin to see Krsna’s plan. We are all in one sense family members of Krsna now that we are part of the Acyuta-gotra. The Acyuta-gotra is the infallible family lineage of Krsna. Before I was in Krsna consciousness, I went to Gaya and I stayed in a dharmasala. The manager asked me, “What is your gotra (family lineage)?” I said, “Well, in my country we do not really have that.” So the
At the MANtra retreat today, brilliant presentations were made, for instance, by Partha regarding marriage and the topic “Making an Ally,” referring to relationship development. Yadunatha entertained us with his skits. He is just great at getting us to laugh at ourselves and our habits, which could sometimes come across as fanatical. Dravida blessed us with his MANTRA RAPS. Anuttama took hold of a panel discussion, all under the umbrella of “The Hero’s Journey.” One that I really relished, prese
Last year there was an incident where I received a major chastisement because of not having properly understood the unique position of Srila Prabhupada. Well, I thought I understood his position but unknowingly and subtly I got led in way that would have meant exactly the opposite! The repercussion for me was polite but very grave, something I had never experienced in my spiritual or even in my material life. It was something I would carry whole life as it taught me a little what is meant b
GBC SPT: Our team is pleased to invite you all to our bi-monthly series of interviews on the topic of Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON’s pre-eminent Siksha Guru. We are kicking off the series with one of Srila Prabhupada’s most dear disciples HH Giriraj Swami.
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88775
By Madhava Smullen
With the recent COP26 climate conference in Glasgow a current hot topic of discussion, ISKCON will be holding the Felication Ceremony for its biggest Value Education Olympiad yet on November 22nd. There it will recognize hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren from across India and the world who studied environmental values based on the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita.
The Olympiad, organized by ISKCON of Punjabi Bagh, Delhi, is presented by Govardhan Eco Village and ISKCON in
By Madhava Smullen
After being virtually free of Covid-19 for most of the pandemic, New Zealand instituted a lockdown in August after discovering its first case in six months. Auckland, the epicenter of the outbreak, has remained in lockdown for over 90 days now, while most of the rest of the country has been living with minimal restrictions. Domestic borders around Auckland are set to reopen from December 15th for fully vaccinated people and those with negative test results. Meanwhile, ISKCON
One of the Gita Zoom calls for this Tuesday night is located in Owen Sound, Ontario, where our host, Sudhama, resides. Some of us decided to be there physically, so we drove up, a two-and-a-half-hour drive north west. Mahadeva was behind the wheel while his good partner, Annapurna, and I were passengers. To break up the drive we decided to hit a trail off of Hwy 10. A rails-to-trails pathway appeared to our right just prior to Holland Centre, a tiny hamlet, so this then became our down-time, a o
A Gorakshya (Cow Protection) Perspective by Syamasundara Das
I am submitting a response to an article I read very recently by Jennifer Mishler in Sentient Media. Plant-Based Companies Call Attention to ‘the Cow in the Room’ at COP26 (https://sentientmedia.org/plant-based-companies-call-attention-to-the-cow-in-the-room-at-cop26/)
In Jennifer Mishler’s article she mentions ‘environmental harms of animal agriculture, often left out of climate change discussions—and most importantly—not addressed in
Be Very Careful, If one does not chant Hare Krishna, Sarasvati ”Maharaj” may give you a ”Slap”, and ”Sarasvati, is preaching, “Do you know Krsna?”………..
Prabhupada: This girl, Sarasvati… Some boy said, “Oh, why you are chanting? This is not very good.” She gave[him] a slap. Just see. Naisthiki. How firmly she is fixed up, although she is a small child. Bhaktir bhavati naisthiki. Nobody can deviate [her]. A pure devotee of Krsna cannot be deviated. You cannot cheat him. No. He’ll give you a slap.
By Madhava Smullen
This year’s MAN-tra Retreat, held from November 12th to 14th, explored “The Hero’s Journey,” a common story template that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a crisis, and comes home transformed. The retreat applied the template to the life of devotees, who often see a similar awakening or call to adventure, followed by trials and transformation.
There were over 100 registrants from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries for th
By Madhava Smullen
About 170 book distributors, temple presidents, GBC members, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust staff and devotees in general viewed the 12th Annual BBT Africa Conference, held online and broadcast at https://www.youtube.com/c/BBTAfrica on Saturday November 6th.
Speakers from Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Mauritius participated in the three-hour conference, which is a platform for an exchange of ideas and strategies on all matters of book distribution, publication, and innovation. Insp
Every trail is unique. Every rock is distinct. Every cloud in the sky is different. Every tree has its own character. And today, I am viewing a waterfall which stands out from any other.
The water from the Sydenham River flows as cascades at Inglis Falls, a lovely drop of rushing H2O. It is one of four waterfalls in the Owen Sound district. Its gorgeousness was the reason for a second stroll for Mahadeva, Anna Purna, and I, but here we were accompanied by local friends who are all nature lovers.
Series: Srila Prabhupada-Our Preeminent Siksha Guru – Day 01
Speaker: Badrinarayan Swami
Occasion: Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day Special
Video: Click here
On Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival , here are some lesser-known facts related to ISKCON Founder Acharya.
GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) is pleased to invite you to the Day 1 of our 3 day series celebrating Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival reflecting on the role of Srila Prabhupada as our preeminent Siksha Guru wi
By Madhava Smullen
The new Devotee Care Team started in New Vrindaban, West Virginia in April 2021, is providing resources, assistance and association for residents of the large rural community.
The team is run by Lilasuka Dasi, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada who first moved to New Vrindaban in 1980 and has served there as a day school teacher, communications director and handcrafts store owner; and Beverly Nava, who came in 2016 and has served as restaurant manager and HR representative.
While
There are many limbs of devotional service, 64 to be precise. By engaging in these 64 aspects, we can make so much spiritual advancement. The first is guru-padasraya – taking shelter of the lotus feet of the spiritual master. The second one is to accept initiation and receive spiritual instructions. The third is serving the spiritual master with love.
Before we reach love, we may serve out of fear. Why? Well, the sastras create a lot of fear in our hearts as it is very clear that we cannot disob
By Niranjana Swami
I was recently inspired. It was the 2nd day of our GBC meetings. I was completely absorbed the whole day, which for me is not something very easy. I am not so inclined to meetings, but on this 2nd day of our GBC meetings, there was only one subject, and that was book distribution. It was affirmed by other GBC members with whom I spoke that this was the most enlivening day ever spent in a GBC meeting because the subject matter was just about Srila Prabhupada’s books.
We got the
