I was at the street corner of Ave & Dav (Avenue Road and Davenport) with Harakumara, our treasurer, when an elderly gentleman hurriedly ran up to us and in a childlike excitement said, “I’m the one who rings the bell at the Church of the Redeemer. Do you ring the bell at your temple?”
Both Harakumara and I didn’t expect that remark. He was enthusiastic. We didn’t have the time to explain that we don’t have a bell to ring in our belltower. He continued, “A friend of mine also rings the bell
What is the use of a bowman’s arrow or a
poet’s poetry if they penetrate the
heart but do not cause the head to spin?
What is the use of a bowman’s arrow or a
poet’s poetry if they penetrate the
heart but do not cause the head to spin?
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Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=116511
I was born into a vegetarian family. They practiced yoga and followed the philosophy of con men, an impersonal philosophy but rooted in yoga and principles like not eating meat. That was my upbringing. At the same time, I attended a Roman Catholic school. So from a young age I was exposed to both yoga, the idea of having a teacher and that whole atmosphere because of my parents’ practices.
Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=116514
A beautiful cultural event themed around Diwali was arranged by the devotee community in Basingstoke, in collaboration with devotees from Bhaktivedanta Manor.
In the arts faculty at Queen Mary’s College in the town, the Bhaktivedanta Players’ continued their 40th anniversary celebrations with a special version of The Ramayan.
As a prelude, the Ladies’ Ashram lead a soulful kirtan, followed by a talk about Diwali by Godruma das.
The audience thoroughly enjoyed the event and the feedback was t
By Sankirtana Das
A recent article from America: The Jesuit Review describes an official church statement from Bishop Scott E. Bullock of Rapid City and the De Smet Jesuit Community of West River entitled “A Faithful Response to the Wounded Knee Decision.” Their response objects to an announcement by the current Secretary of Defense (or War) honoring a group of soldiers who received medals after brutally killing an estimated 300 Lakota women, children, and men (the majority women and children).
All the unmarried gopīs in Vṛndāvana used to daily worship goddess Kātyāyanī early in the morning after taking a bath in the river Yamunā. Kātyāyanī is another name for goddess Durgā.
The goddess is worshiped by preparing a doll made of sand from the bank of the Yamunā. The gopīs used to prepare the deity of goddess Durgā and worship it with candana pulp, garlands, incense, lamps and all kinds of presentations—fruits, grain and twigs of plants.
The unmarried girls used to pray with great devo
When you are a participant in devotional life, the guru comes to mind very regularly. There are the principles of vani and vapuh when it comes to guru. Vani refers to the message that such a teacher has left, and vapuh applies to the guru’s physical presence. Of the two, vani and vapu, the message or instruction is more important and significant.
We had the golden opportunity to give some attention to everyone’s guru, Srila Prabhupada, by walking down a trail he walked in June of 1976 at T
By Giriraj dasa
There so many benedictions for the month of Kartika and we get constant reminders via email, messages on mobile and so many other mediums. The list grows only bigger by the day.
“In the month of Kartik, which is very dear to Sri Hari, one who bathes early in the morning attains the merit of bathing in all places of pilgrimage. Anybody who offers the Lord a ghee lamp in the month of Kartik, O brahmana, becomes free from all kinds of sins, such as killing a brahmana, and he goes to
bhagavan api ta ratrih
saradotphulla-mallikah
viksy- arantum manas cakre
yoga-mayam upasritah
Sri Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in all opulences, yet upon seeing those autumn nights scented with blossoming jasmine flowers, He turned His mind toward loving affairs. To fulfill His purposes He employed His internal potency. – S.B 10.29.1
On this most sacred and holy evening on the full moon night of the month of Kartik,in the forest of Vrindavan the moon starts rising on th
According to Vrinda-kunda Baba, Srimati Vrindadevi appeared on the full-moon night at the end of Kartik, or Damodara.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, in Sri Vrndadevi-astaka (6-8), glorifies her:
rasabhilaso vasatis ca vrnda-
vane tvad-isanghri-saroja-seva
labhya ca pumsam krpaya tavaiva
vrnde namas te caranaravindam
“By your mercy, people attain residence in Vrindavan, the desire to serve your masters’ lotus feet, and the desire to assist in the rasa dance. O Vrinda, I bow to your lotus f
This lecture continues the series on the divine pastimes of Radha and Krishna, focusing on Krishna’s playful and mischievous nature during the month of Kartik. The episode recounts a humorous and spiritually rich story where Krishna disguises himself as the son of an elder gopi, Pavati, to escape punishment for stealing butter. Through divine trickery and mystic power, Krishna not only avoids reprimand but also instills awe and reverence in the hearts of the villagers, reinforcing his transcend
ISKCON Almvik in Sweden hosted a vibrant joint celebration of Govardhana Puja and Diwali on October 19, welcoming His Excellency Mr. Anurag Bhushan, Ambassador of India to Sweden, as the guest of honor. The event brought together around 400 devotees and friends from across Sweden, uniting members of both the Indian and Swedish communities.
The festival, organized primarily by the ISKCON Almvik youth under the coordination of Shyamasundara, highlighted the enthusiasm and creativity of the next ge
By Madhavi Kirti devi dasi
Alachua Learning Academy (ALA), founded by members of the ISKCON Alachua community, has recently earned national and state honors recognizing its academic achievement and service to the community.
National and Statewide Recognition
U.S. News & World Report (October 2025) ranked ALA Elementary as the 15th best and ALA Middle School as the 17th best in Florida, out of over 2,300 schools. The honor was covered by the local Gainesville press. These accolades highlight AL
DAY 5 GLOBAL PREACHING STRATEGIES & COMMEMORATIONS Morning Session: Praghosa Dasa led brainstorming on “Reflections on the Eve of ISKCON 60.” Focus: Reinventing outreach for the modern world, building stronger congregational engagement, and leveraging technology (e.g., podcasts, QR codes in books).
Suggestion: Every temple to follow up personally with book recipients and use media tools to strengthen local outreach networks
(Skip ahead to 40:05 to watch the presentation)
Source: https://www.dan
A few years ago, the words “Bhadra Purnima” may not have meant anything to devotees at all. Now, after seven years of organized campaigns run by the BBT Marketing, Communications, and Innovations Team, those two words remind devotees of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Through this campaign, the distribution of Srimad Bhagavatam is being integrated slowly but surely into the fabric of the international society of Krishna Consciousness.
Devotees all around the world put pedal to the metal and “taxed their
The last 5 days of the month of Karttika are traditionally known as the Bhishma Panchaka or the Vishnu Panchaka. Grandfather Bhisma fasted for these five days, preparing to give up his life.
In the Hari Bhakti Vilasa, it is said that if one is capable, one should observe fasting from certain foodstuffs on the Bhishma-panchaka for the pleasure of the Lord. This is optional. “The fast should begin by remembering Bhismadeva on the Ekadasi day and should end on Purnima [the full moon].
The Padma Pur
Paramahamsa Srila Gaura Kishore Das Babaji Maharaj was born into a vaishya family on the banks of the Padma River in Bagayan village in Faridpur district in what is now Bangladesh. His given name was Vamsi Das. He was born sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century. He is important to us because he was the diksha guru of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada. Vamsi Das’s parents had him married at an early age according to the custom of the time, but he always remained detache
By Giriraj Swami
Today is the disappearance day of Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja. Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was a great devotee - a maha-bhagavata. He was a disciple of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and was very renounced. He had lived for many years in Vrindavan, roaming the twelve forests, chanting the holy names of Krishna, eating by begging alms, and sleeping under trees. Later, after Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discovered Lord Chaitanya’s birthplace in Mayapur, Srila Jagannatha da
There are signs that indicate we are growing. What I mean by that is we, as a society and culture, are expanding, at least in Canada and the southern-most part of the country, also in sections of the USA, India, Eastern Europe, and I’m sure there are other locations. This is glorious.
Nityananda drove me to North York to meet some businessmen from our community to make an offer for a larger building in the eastern section of Toronto-Scarborough. What we have currently for weekend functions
Dear Devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The Annual General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society will begin in February 2025. Following the ISKCON GBC Society’s Rules of Order, the GBC Secretariat requests proposals, duly sponsored by two GBC members, to be submitted by January 1, 2026. Note that no proposals will be entertained after this date.
Please follow the format for GBC Proposals, attached as a fillable PDF (https://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/upl
