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
ISKCON New Vrindaban has started its festival season, which runs from May to September, and draws pilgrims, gives inspiration and association to visiting devotees, helps to maintain the temple, and provides engagement and financial support for devotee staff.
During the pandemic, New Vrindaban, with its 2,200 acres, spacious temple room and strict following of Covid protocols, has been a popular destination for devotees looking to safely experience the deity darshan and temple
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
Prabhupāda: So the devotees are protected by the Viṣṇudūtas always, constantly. They are invisibly wandering all over the universe. We may see or not see, because we cannot see spiritual body with these material eyes. So even we do not see, the Viṣṇudūta is always protecting the devotees from the enemies.
As I have explained yesterday, devotees will have enemies. Kṛṣṇa had enemies. This world is such: envious. Ordinarily, they are envious. The whole world is full of enviousness. Even the greate
"So I am so much pleased upon all of the boys and girls in Los Angeles and all over the world who are understanding and appreciating this unique quality of our transcendental literature and voluntarily they are going out to distribute despite all circumstances of difficulty. By this effort alone they are assured to go back to home, back to Godhead. In order to change this materialistic society and prevent them from gliding to hell, first thing is to educate them. All decent men want to give ser
The sun is always shining, always existing, but we can’t always see it—it’s dark half the time. There's night and day. The sun does rise on schedule, though, so we’re not condemned to live without sunlight. You can predict when it will rise.
Krishna is the same way. He always exists. He also has a regular schedule for appearing in this world, which is mentioned in the Vedas.
Just as biological life depends on sunlight, our existence depends on the Absolute Truth, Who is ultimately a Person, the
By Madhava Smullen
Lord Jagannatha is coming.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 was the first year without a New York Ratha Yatra parade in 45 years – instead, Lord Jagannatha was driven down Fifth Avenue in a minivan, along with a virtual online celebration.
This summer, things are beginning to look different. The number of new coronavirus cases in the US has plummeted from a seven-day average of more than 250,000 a day in early January, to a daily average of less than 14,380 during the past
Video: Click here
Questioning modern theories on the history of evolution on the basis of available evidence, to determine without predjudice, how old the human species is.
By Parijata Devi Dasi
The Devotee Care Directorate, together with GBC SPT is endeavoring to extend tribute to all the devotees in ISKCON who have unfortunately departed in the current pandemic due to Covid as well as non-Covid related death during this period (over the last year).
As part of this initiative, the Devotee Care team is compiling a consolidated list of these departed devotees from across the world; their names and photographs, and will display them on the official site: www.devotee
I met Mother Balai through my sister Padyavali, who lived in Kinross in the Eastern Transvaal. Whenever I visited Kinross I would do as much sankirtana as possible, and soon, through the effort of the devotees, a nama-hatta was established.
Padyavali regularly brought prasadam for Mother Balai and her family, and soon Balai; her good husband, Lenny; and her children, Shamenderan and Priyenderan, took up the process of Krishna consciousness.
Mother Balai and the devotees, including two devotees
The tussle between “freewill” and “destiny” has been primordial. There is one famous Greek play titled “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles. The main character Oedipus has the tragic destiny of marrying his own mother revealed to him by the soothsayer. Shaken by the revelation, he decides to escape his fate by leaving his royal parents and his kingdom, but ironically the more he tries to give a slip, nearer he gets to the prediction. Finally the fate takes the better of him. He later learns of the commis
By Madhava Smullen
In a five-day festival from May 22nd to 26th, ISKCON of Sydney, Australia celebrated the 50th anniversary of the installation of their presiding Deities Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha, Who were installed by Srila Prabhupada on May 10th, 1971.
The first Deities in Australia, the beautiful Sri-Sri Radha Gopinatha have a unique history. In February 1970, two devotees sent by Srila Prabhupada – Bali Mardana Das and Upendra Das – opened the very
By Madhava Smullen
Ireland’s main temple, on the Hare Krishna island of Inis Rath – also known as Govindadwipa and located on Lough Erne in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland – is set to undergo major renovations. These will include new deity worship facilities for the presiding deities of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda and new cottages for resident pujaris. Bedrooms in the temple will also be converted into guestrooms, set to open for retreat-goers in August 2022.
Inis Rath Island was originally owned
Hare Krishna Dear Devotees,
Due to the severe cyclonic storm, sea water has entered the ISKCON Gangasagar temple. The storm winds were not devastating, but due to the storm surge the sea level is at a height of at least 6-7 ft. The temple has become flooded with sea water. Gaura Nitai and senior devotees have shifted to a safer place. Please review the above details of what has occurred in the temple. Support is greatly needed now to restore the temple to functioning order. We need your prayers
The following is a partially edited transcription of a lecture on SB 10.58-8-10, given in Chowpatty. Radhanath Swami’s lecture is also included.
tam aha prema-vaiklavya-
ruddha-kanthasru-locana
smaranti tan bahunklesan
klesapayatma-darsanam
“So overcome by love that her throat choked up and her eyes filled with tears, Queen Kunti remembered the many troubles she and her sons had endured. Thus she addressed Lord Krisna, who appears before His devotees to drive away their distress.”
tadaiva kusal
