I started packing early for next week's trip to South Africa in a room that is shared by a group of us in the ashram, particularly for reading and meeting. I was in the middle of adjusting contents in my luggage when in walks a group of readers, members of the Bhakti Academy.
Oh yes, it's already 3:30 pm, time for a group study on one of Prabhupada’s books. I moved over to the next room, my room, for getting some dictation done. Adjustments need to be quick. Adjustments are real. Covid taught u
Dear Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The *2022* GBC Resolutions have finally been released. Due to the global pandemic, it was not possible for the GBC Body to conduct in-person meetings and therefore the 2022 AGM was conducted online. The 2023 AGM, however, began as a regular in-person meeting in Mayapur and will continue online in the upcoming months.
The GBC met online weekly throughout 2022 (and continues to do so in 2023) to discuss matters o
“I can remember being a young man, a boy, a baby. What was I before that what will I be next?” Mike Robinson of London Broadcasting Company interviews His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Mike Robinson: Can you tell me what you believe what the philosophy of the Hare Krsna movement is?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Krsna consciousness is not a question of belief; it is a science. The first step is to know the difference between a living body and a dead body. What is the difference? Th
Mrs. Sally Rawley, merchandiser: “When I’m nervous I find chanting very calming. I don’t get shaken up at little things.”
Bruce Kleinberg, executive secretary: “Chanting helps you see things in perspective. My outlook is a lot brighter.”
June Lahner, jewelry designer, with son Jason: “Chanting makes me more perceptive, more in harmony with everything and everyone around me.”
Dr. Donald R. Tuck, associate professor, Western Kentucky University: “I’ve noticed that as chanted progress from level t
Here we continue a conversation between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the mother of one of his students,
along with a Jesuit priest. It took place in the garden at Bhaktivedanta Manor, near London, England, on July 25, 1973.
Mother (to Srila Prabhupada): Yes, Father, I understand you are educated on a different platform, as you say no doubt a most sublime and spiritual platform. But aren't you still drawing upon your basic educational background for translating your
All of us–husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, children, students, and teachers have duties, and sometime we begrudge the performance of our duties because we think their execution will impede our personal happiness. But duty is duty, and duty must be done. Even in the cold of winter, one must bathe. And even in the heat of summer, one must cook.
Speaking on Bhagavad-gita 1.27, Srila Prabhupada gave a wonderful example of two heroic souls who adhered to their duties even in the most awkward circu
Remembering Not to Forget: But if its amnesia you want, Krishna will give it to you
It’s funny how if you give Krishna, God, an inch, he gives you a mile. I remember in my earliest days as a devotee, I had left the movement for some time. I was home, watching TV with my family. All of a sudden, right on the screen there was an ad for the television station with a photo of New York City streets. There he was, my Godbrother Bhaktivinoda, with a close-up of the Channel Two logo below his chin. I h
At a temple I visit there is a nice devotee who previously was a gangster. While in jail he somehow received a Bhagavad-gita. He didn’t understand much, but enough to now be a devotee.
He recently told me that a friend of his is in a high security prison and is forced to do hard labor. The friend wrote to him, saying that he’d heard about his new life as a monk in a temple.
He said, “I need help. This place is driving me nuts. If I don’t get some type of help, I’m going to go backwards [take my
The story of Rama is divided into four parts:
1. Early life of Rama
2. Rama’s exile
3. Abduction of Sita (Rama’s wife) and
4. Slaying of Ravana, the abductor of Sita, and Rama’s coronation.
Dasharatha was the king of Kosala, an ancient kingdom that was located in present day Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya was its capital. Dasharatha was loved by one and all. His subjects were happy and his kingdom was prosperous. Even though Dasharatha had everything that he desired, he was very sad at heart; he ha
Today, in observance of Sri Rama-navami, we shall read a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Seven: “Scheduled Incarnations.”
TEXT 24
yasma adad udadhir udha-bhayanga-vepo
margam sapady ari-puram haravad didhaksoh
dure suhrn-mathita-rosa-susona-drstya
tatapyamana-makaroraga-nakra-cakrah
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead Ramacandra, being aggrieved for His distant intimate friend [Sita], glanced over the city of the enemy Ravana with red-hot eyes like those of Hara [who wanted
‘Lord Rama (BG 4.10)’ by Radhanath Swami, in Mumbai
janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna
(BG 4.9)
One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
PURPORT
The Lord’s descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the 6th verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of
Ram possesses all the qualities of a superhero
Royal traits of ultimate prince, monarch, or pharaoh
Reverent to all, eager to help and listen
With a service attitude acting on what's given
His build is admirable, countenance grave
Tasks he tackles meant only for the brave
He never moves suddenly at a reckless whim
No wonder his father, the emperor, adores him
Ram is the heartthrob for many a woman
He also has a striking brother, his name, Lakshman
Of all ladies, lovely Sita won Ram in a tourna
Dated: March 21, 1969
Location: Hawaii
Letter to: Tamala Krsna
My Dear Tamala Krishna,
Please accept my blessings. Your letter dated March 18th by special delivery is in hand and it is so gratifying that you have already saved $600 for the improvement of the temple. So I am very much pleased. Go on working like this and Krishna will give you ample money—there is no scarcity. Regarding the change of altar, you can do it later on, but your making up the feast room you can take care of immediately
Sri Hanuman, a great devotee in the form of a monkey, prays, “Since Lord Sri Ramacandra is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, He is not attached to anything in this material world. He is the most beloved Supersoul of all self-realized souls, and He is their very intimate friend. He is full of all opulences. . . .
“One cannot establish a friendship with the Supreme Lord Ramacandra on the basis of material qualities such as one’s birth in an aristocratic family, one’s personal beauty,
By NItai Gaurasundar Das
ISKCON devotees from France traveled to the Caribbean Islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe this past winter to perform Harinam in the streets. For some of the small towns, this was their first-ever exposure to Bhakti Yoga and chanting of the Holy Name.
The group was led by Jaya Bhakti devi dasi, a disciple of HH Guru Prasad Swami, who spent her own personal pension money to fund the pilgrimage. The harinam group consisted of Prasanatma das- a French Prabhupada disciple
You can feel spring in the air with the sun bright and any hints of snow now on a slow melt. When I step out the door, I know I have choices whether to turn left or right. Today’s choices turn right toward the Annex, the university (U of T), or just plain old Bloor Street, a favourite pedestrian-friendly avenue.
Once I got to the corner of Robert, a man by the name of Dan, 68, saw me and asked a common question, “Are you a monk?”
“Yes, I am. A Krishna monk.”
“I had a friend who worked with me i
By Vasant Pancami Das
Hare Krishna!
Dear Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Ai is the buzzword on everybody’s mind. I decided to use it as a powerful preaching tool. So I worked hard on it and came up with BhaktiAi a system within ChatGPT the most advanced and talked about Ai language model in existence today.
Microsoft has invested 10 billion dollars in the system. I invested time and conversational machine learning intelligence (because I don’t have
We’re spirits inside material bodies. If we do something about our own spiritual life—like find out who we really are and what we’re meant to do—life can only improve. We generally prefer consciousness to unconsciousness, except during surgery. Putting zero effort into finding our true identity and purpose while keeping our bodies and minds pleasantly occupied is like always stopping for gas but never eating. What good is keeping our car’s fuel tank full if we’re starving? How can we have a bal
By Thomas Haribol
Springtime in New Vrindaban is like stepping into a colorfully painted landscape, and Mother’s Day weekend will unite its beauty with some of our movement’s most talented artists, musicians, writers, and creators in the second annual Vaishnava Arts Festival, May 12-14th, 2023.
Fittingly, the idea for the event came through the creative collaboration of HG Kalakantha Prabhu and HG Anuradha Dasi. “Coming from a background of Waldorf School’s pedagogy, I’m always looking for w
A very enthusiastic marathoner, Nitai Priya, spent hours on restructuring and redesigning a slide presentation for our much-needed Kirtan Standards Workshop. 40 to 50 attendees sat to listen, observe, and interact in this 4-hour seminar on how to approach and deliver the practice we almost like to do dash chant. The themes of this presentation are what our guru, Prabhupada, desired in the realm of sharing mantras, and secondly, inclusivity.
When we say ‘inclusivity’ in the matter of kirtan enga
