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The king of elephants, Gajendra, found himself in a difficult spot. After spending some leisurely time in the water with his female friends, the fun stopped when one of his legs was locked by the jaws of a menacing crocodile. Recalling his habit of prayer from his former life as a human, he suddenly took to such supplication, calling on help from Vishnu. Vishnu responded to the devotional plea of the elephant and set him free from the perilous mouth of the reptile.

The above story, outlined in C

How did you come to Krishna consciousness?

Whilst growing up and into adulthood, I was extremely curious and interested to learn about Ayurveda, yoga and the philosophies of various religions. In my head, it was a big mess of different philosophies and teachings, but I was leaning more towards the learnings of various yoga systems from Indian gurus. A bit later, I stumbled upon the definition of bhakti yoga (devotional service). In the beginning, I felt like it wasn’t for me but my feelings sta

By Madhava Smullen 

Krishna Chandra Das of the ISKCON Daiva Varnashrama Ministry (IDVM) has been included in the World Book of Records for reciting all 700 verses of the sacred text Bhagavad-gita from memory in the minimum time of 73 minutes.

The record was originally achieved on January 27th 2020, from 5:12pm to 6:25pm in Bellary, Karnataka, South India, and was recognized at that time only in India by the India Book of Records. More recently, on December 31st 2020, Krishna Chandra Das received

By Bhaktimarga Swami

My first Zoom for today was with a new group from Windsor, Ontario headed by Kadambha Kanana, who resides there but is employed in Detroit. It is a nice group, or sangha, that gets together regularly. I was asked to speak on chapter 9 of The Gita, and concentrate on the term Mahatma. The definition according to The Gita is “one who is absorbed in spiritual energy, engaged in devotion, is active in glorification of the Great Spirit and is extremely focused in the practice of 

I worship that transcendental seat, known as Śvetadvīpa whereas loving consorts the Lakṣmīs in their unalloyed spiritual essence practice the amorous service of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa as their only lover; where every tree is a transcendental purpose tree; where the soil is the purpose gem, all water is nectar, every word is a song, every gait is a dance, the flute is the favorite attendant, effulgence is full of transcendental bliss and the supreme spiritual entities are all enjoyable and tasty,

The corner of Avenue Road and Roxsborough is notorious for auto accidents. I was sitting at my usual corner, inside what we call Prabhupada’s quarters, when I heard a slam/bang sort of sound. I looked outside to what I perceived as the source of sound and sure enough two vehicles clashed. Sad! Damage was done. Both motorists appeared unharmed. Police came very fast and efficiently. Paramedics too, just to see if there was a need.

From my view, glancing through the third-floor arched window, I co

“This idea of creating a database and collecting contacts at all our festivals and in any situation where we come in contact with the public is very important. I tried for a number of years to teach this to devotees and I fully agree with Jayapatäkä Mahäräja as to its importance. “We can follow up in so many creative ways when we have a list of people who we know are relatively favorable. There is a whole science to database marketing and every successful organization, including non-profit and r

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• Collect the names, addresses, email and phone of the interested people.

• Keep a clear, up to date record of: type of person ex: pious, philanthropist, jnani, religious, impersonalist, etc., books they have, their area of interest, hobby etc., important dates like birthday etc., financial possibilities, how much they usually give for the Mission, family members names and their attitude toward Krsna Consciousness, other…

• Follow up personally the people you met.

• Contact the

FOLLOW – UP CAMPAIGN

MAXIMIZE YOUR PREACHING IMPACT

Hundreds and thousands of books are distributed each year, all over the world. But we do not see hundreds and thousands becoming devotees right after that. One reason for that is, of course, not everyone is ready for it. Another reason is that no one contacted them after giving them the book. Hence often those who have developed some interest, can’t join.

In order to maximize our efforts, and make them fruitful. Instead of simply giving them a

Esa had his cremation today in Philadelphia. Memorial events will take place in both Philly and Port Royal, more specifically Gita Nagari, a rural community in Pennsylvania.

Thats a state I really enjoyed walking through. Lots of farms, lots of hills. The Appalachians. The Amish. It was in 2015 in the autumn, so the colors were just stunning. Temperatures were just perfect — a bit on the cool side in the morning but that is ideal for walking. New England was pretty too.

In reflecting on the rest

When I first encountered the Holy Name, it was in a musical situation. There was a workshop in Amsterdam, some jam session with a piano player named Burton Green. He still lives there, in Amsterdam. We somehow or other had a jam session. Burton said, “let’s try to do some ragas.” I had been to India, had gotten some sitar lessons so I learnt a few ragas and played guitar. So we were going to do some ragas. Next moment, he says, “let’s do some mantras.” I said, “Yes, why not.“ Ragas, mantras and

I heard the beautiful drone sound, and a voice of sincerity accompanying it, both leaking through the door where I was solemnly sedentary. The music compelled me to get off my seat, take approximately eight steps to the door with an anticipation to eavesdrop.

To get to the source, one floor down under the balcony of the temple room, I quietly made a decent on the stairs and finally stepped onto the same level. Almost tippy-toed, I went with a camera in hand. The sound was mesmerizing and I know

ISKCON Leadership Sanga, Sri Dham Mayapur. Gaurapurnima 2020, Day 7. Conference Conclusion by the ILS Team, Afternoon Plenary Session

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Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=92913

Tuesday afternoon is a fairly bland time and the evening can be even more so. I had the fortune to at least get some walking in. That in itself is an adventure even though minimal.

Midway through my walk a call came from Texas. The caller was reaching out with some questions. That alone put a little spark or sparkle into the night. Questions are always welcome. They stimulate the brain or activate the intelligence.

Now, I’m not going to tell you what those questions were because our conversation

“Please accept my respectful humble obeisances at Your lotus feet. I beg to introduce myself as an Indian monk…”
A letter dated 3 August 1968, to His Holiness The Pope, Paul VI Vicar of Jesus Christ State of Vatican City Rome, Italy

“If you make some of the big Government officials interested in our movement then our strength will increase. Because we are in the material world sometimes we require that help. Another point is that if a government officer becomes our admirer or member then many o

By Praghosa dasa

ISKCON Leadership Sanga, Sri Dham Mayapur. Gaura Purnima 2020, Day 1. Respectful Dialogue not defeatism debate • Vada, not vitanda or jalpa ▪ In cooperation, Krsna appears. Assuming that there is a right answer (and that you have it). Assuming that others have pieces of the answer and that together you can craft a solution.
ISKCON Leadership Sanga, Sri Dham Mayapur. Gaurapurnima 2020, Day 1

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Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=92893

By Acarya dasa, All-India Padayatra leader

On November 15, 2020, Govardhan-puja day, padayatra was in Lodhva in Gujarat’s Junagadh district, the village of Bhakti Vikas Maharaja disciple Prabhu Krupa dasa. When he got the news that padayatra was coming to his village, Prabhu Krupa was delighted for he had a strong desire that the padayatris should stay at his house. However, as there was insufficient space at the house, we ended up staying in a school.

ISKCON was conducting a six-day Gita cours

By Siddha Hari das 

Bibek Debroy, Chairman of India’s Prime Minister's Economic Council has launched Sidharth Chhabra (Siddha Hari Das) and Madhavendra Puri Das’ upcoming book on the Bhagavata Purana. 

Srila Prabhupada frequently asserted that the Puranic accounts are historical facts, although labeled mythology by modern man. In their book, the authors use rigorous scientific evidence to support Srila Prabhupada's words. 

Summary of our Book: 

The Big Bang and The Sages covers a research into

The streets in Rosedale are not necessarily running on a grid. There are some curves that make it interesting for a walker, a driver or a cyclist. The fox in the neighbourhood, with their shared companions such as squirrels, skunks and raccoons, have little appreciation for our trails. Laneways, lines of landscaped shrubs are more like their forte. However, at least some of the urban wildlife enjoy upward mobility with vertical trees. You see the occasional curious head pop out of a hedge or a f