Blog

By Madhava Smullen 

This year, as we celebrate the 125th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s appearance in 1896, an excellent way to become absorbed in the pastimes and teachings of the ISKCON Founder-Acharya is the latest, fifth volume of Memories: Anecdotes of a Modern Day Saint.

The series all began back in 1991 when Siddhanta Das, the devotee behind the project, was working with ISKCON Television (ITV) and tested out some new video cameras by taping Srutakirti Das, who had served as Srila Pra

Some restrictions becoming relaxed on Covid discipline has made it more possible for a flow of freedom in places like High Park. From noon until 4 pm, a small group of us bhakti yoga followers gathered at what Nick called “the Hill” for kirtan performance. It’s a great spot in a great park where people come to chill.

I managed to catch the last few minutes of the blissful chant before embarking on a trip (by car) north to Caledon and to a farm. Visiting this sixty-four-acre land in the rolling

As any activity is done with some aim or goal in mind, similarly, the VIHE study courses have been structured to meet the aims defined by the Vaisnava Training and Education. This kind of structured study does not only enhance the knowledge of the students, but also enables them to preach better, see the world from a sastric perspective, enhance their faith and conviction, cultivate vaisnava qualities and apply the sastric knowledge in their personal lives.

Special features of the course:

The V

May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Çrématé Çacé-devé be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.

⎯   Srila Rupa Goswami, Vidagdha-madhava 

Read more: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=72130

A new 37-minute documentary entitled “Seeking Shelter: The Life & Legacy of Bhakti Charu Swami” is set to premiere on ISKCON News and Youtube on July 24th, as part of the global celebration on the beloved ISKCON guru’s disappearance day.

“The pandemic has claimed millions of lives — ordinary humans, celebrities and saintly people alike — leaving loved ones grappling with the tragic loss and burning existential questions such as ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ and ‘Where do we find sh

21 June 2019 – Interactive Panel Discussion. 2019 Theme: Yoga for Climate Action. The fifth annual International Day of Yoga was celebrated at the United Nations on Thursday, 20 June 2019, with “Yoga with Gurus,” followed by a panel discussion on 21 June.
International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days pre

I had a great picnic with Parama, Rukmini and their young 19-month-old darling who was totally mesmerized by people, the dogs and the trees. It’s not that she hasn’t been to a park before. This one, Ramsden, according to her parents, is new and full of activity; something different.

The heat was on. That may account for the smaller than usual turn-out of people. Attendance did pick up in the evening, which was my second visit to the green space. At this point Nimai and Vishal joined me on the g

Hare Krishna dear friends of Vaishnavas Care! Please pray for the departed devotee, HG Akshara Prabhu, who left his body in a car accident in Cherkassy (Ukraine). He used to be a temple president and heart and soul of the Cherkassy Yatra.

Source: https://bit.ly/3cRutN1

On the full-moon day, sixteen days before Ratha-yatra, Lord Jagannath is bathed. He becomes sick and is confined to rest for fourteen days. He is then offered special care until He comes out for Ratha-yatra.

A special bath of Jagannath takes place on the Purnima of Jyestha month, to commemorate the appearance day of Lord Jagannath. According to Skanda Purana when Raja Indradyumna installed the wooden deities he arranged this bathing ceremony. This day considered to be the appearance day of Lord

What a treat it was on a Zoom call with 45 colleagues who are influential bhakti yoga instructors from different parts of the globe. It was a planned, three-hour seminar for gurus in the diksha category. Presenters such as Bhaktivaibhava Swami from Germany, Atmanivedana Swami from India and Ravindra Svarup from America, spoke marvelously on the topic of challenges for a guru.

There was a Q&A session and a portion of time given to breakout groups. I was asked to facilitate. I’m bashful with thes

If we are at all aware of how dependent we are on God—for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and our very ability to eat and drink and breathe, to think and feel and will, and to walk, talk, and sense—we will feel grateful and want to reciprocate God’s kindness. We will want to do something for He (or She or They) who has done, and continues to do, so much for us.

We often take things for granted until we lose them. I use my right hand to chant on meditation beads, and one

The Covid pandemic has affected ISKCON’s operations around the world, especially in regard to international travel. The New Govardhana devotee community usually has the Sacred Sounds festival in April every year, which devotees from around the world attend. However, the last couple of times a smaller local festival has been organised.

Nevertheless, around 500 devotees registered to come over the Queens Birthday long weekend and everyone was blissfully engaged in chanting the holy name of the Lo

I was a junior in high school and had one more year to go before I could be free of all my bad association, but the Laguna temple president Rsabhadeva recommended me to Prabhupada for initiation, so a letter went off to him.
So what did Krishna do while the letter went to Srila Prabhupada? My parents put me in the Santa Ana Psychiatric Center as a way of deprogramming me.
All of a sudden I wasn't coming to the temple, so Ratnanabha, who worked for the phone company, tapped my parents' phone and

By Madhava Smullen 

New paperback editions of Srimad-Bhagavatam: A Comprehensive Guide for Young Readers Cantos 1, 2, and 3 are now available on Amazon.com, along with the just completed Canto 4. The first three cantos in the series, compiled by Aruddha Dasi, were originally each released in two parts starting in 2016. However the new editions, redesigned by Raghu Consbruck, and featuring new illustrations by a variety of artists, have been revised into a single volume per Canto, making them mo

I was so happy to receive another submission from a godsister in Los Angeles. She had given her story of the early days in the movement in Canada, to add to the compilation of our upcoming book Krishna in the Maple Leaf. Her spiritual journey began at the young age of fifteen, when she heard about the Bhagavat philosophy. Interesting it is that the guidance counselor at her school encouraged her in her spiritual pursuit.

For myself it was just a pleasure to deliver two classes virtually for two

From doing things for Krsna to looking after people who were doing things for Krsna to looking after people for Krsna, all these things come up in devotional service. The mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu offers us a golden opportunity that if somehow or other, we can take advantage in the service we do for this mission and in our personal behaviour and in our dealings with the vaisnavas, then surely we can go back to Godhead. As I said, in my youth, I was sometime careless in my dealings with ot