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The Brickworks is a big draw, especially with today’s temperatures at 22°C, or within the region of 71°F. Being a Friday afternoon, you could feel the joy for all the browsers in their haven of ponds, multiple goldfish, trees of fall colours and even an amicable beaver working at constructing its lodge.

The plan for me and other members of our drama troupe was to have our first take with filming our drama for virtual presentation. Like in all projects, hurdles do exist. One of our key actors has

By Rishi Kumara Das

October 31st, 2020

This is an emergency health update of HH Bhakti Madhurya Govinda Goswami Maharaja. Maharaja was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital, New Delhi for a critical surgery recently. Dr. HG Krishna Priya Pr who has been constantly coordinating with the Doctors has sent in this update.

The nerve blockage near the spine has now extended to the upper region of the spine. Maharaja continues to be unable to move both his arms and legs and the situation is critical.

By Madhava Smullen

ISKCON sannyasi Bhakti Madhurya Govinda Goswami Maharaja had recovered after being hospitalized some years ago; more recently, however, his spinal cord condition worsened. He is now once again in hospital and in a serious condition, with devotees around the world requested to pray to Lord Narasimhadeva for his recovery.

“The doctors had warned us that there was a high probability of Maharaja being paralyzed in the event of a surgery, even if successful,” says Rishi Kumara Das o

The ISKCON Connecticut Temple has been open in East Hartford for over 40 years. The temple has a small close-knit community, with about 50-60 regular congregation members visiting the center every Sunday. In 2017, they bought a new building in Glastonbury, a suburb near Hartford, CT, and renovation is underway. When the Deity altar and new commercial kitchen are complete, relocation to Glastonbury will take place.

When COVID struck, the temple community at ISKCON Connecticut, USA, was worried as

By Kadamba Kanana Swami

In 2018, His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami took us to Radha-kunda, which is described as the topmost place in the universe! We begin our eParikrama this year by revisiting this significant place and casting our mind to the meditations instilled in us by Maharaja. Check out Maharaja’s full kirtan and lecture below, along with a few photos, at Radha-kunda during Parikrama 2018.

We can remember that this is the place where Aristasura was killed. We recall that Radharani and t

“All my desires to work as an engineer seem to have dwindled by seeing your lotus face in New Vrindaban. I am enjoying the nectar of devotion more and more every day. I have been going on sankirtana every day for an average of six to eight hours, sometimes even fifteen, ever since I have been in this temple. I love to go out on sankirtana and distribute your books, and Krishna is rewarding me with unexpected pleasure.” (Letter from Jasomatinandan Das to Srila Prabhupada, 1973)

Remembering Jasoma

By Mathura Lilesvari Devi Dasi

The most auspicious month of Kartika month starts on Nov 1st. For years, devotees in ISKCON Malaysia have been bringing the opportunity of offering ghee lamps to Lord Damodara during Kartika to masses of people. This year, due to the pandemic, the Malaysian devotees are initiating a project like never before —  a virtual lamp offering aimed to set a record in the Malaysia Book of Records.  

The task is simple - they need at least 3,000 devotees and well-wishers fr

“To the supreme controller, who possesses an eternal form of blissful knowledge, whose glistening earrings swing to and fro, who manifested Himself in Gokula, who stole the butter that the gopis kept hanging from the rafters of their storerooms and who then quickly jumped up and ran in retreat in fear of Mother Yasoda but was ultimately caught – to that Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances. “- Damodarastakam

Day 2, Damodar month, Darshan Gallery

Source: https://www.mayapur.co

As you are aware, Damodar masa is here, and it is around this time of the year that His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami Maharaj leads his annual Kartik Parikrama in and around Braj. This year, however, due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Parikrama will not proceed in person. And as you are likely aware, Maharaj has recently tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently resting in Simhachalam, Germany. But this will not take away from the spirit of Kartik at all, as Maharaj has previous

Since past few years ISKCON has had a small temple in the heart of Varanasi, in Bhelupur and now the temple is expanding and evolving into the impressive ‘Sri Sri Radha Gopal Mandir Vedic Indian Cultural Center’ (VICC). The talented young devotees’ ensemble of the Temple envisions making ISKCON VICC the most attractive place in Varanasi succeeding the popular Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Ghats of River Ganga.

VICC aspires to become a source of enlightenment for spiritual seekers and a cultura

It was a typical October day, I mean to say, perfect for walking. The wind, a cloud and the sun were above and around, not only me but everyone. I was walking west on Dupont and at one crossroad, at Davenport, also known as the Ancient Trail used by the Huron for centuries, I met one road worker. His name is Jordan, he left his tools and came down.

“Hare Krishna!” said Jordan. “We’ve met. I know Phil, who is in Hungary now at the farm community… I do chant and follow some of your classes on Zoom

Uttama-adhikari is living in a close relationship with Krsna. The uttama-adhikari is always thinking about Krsna in every moment. And every moment is dedicated to Krsna. This devotee is not wasting a single moment on anything else.

kṣāntir avyartha-kālatvaṁ
viraktir māna-śūnyatā
āśā-bandhaḥ samutkaṇṭhā
nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ
(Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya Lila 23.18-19)

When the seed of ecstatic emotion for Krsna fructifies, many symptoms manifest in one’s behaviour. One of them is a taste for chanti

I walked to “Theatrics Plus” and the friendly clerk found for me what I came for, a prop for the virtual drama that a group of us are putting together. “Rolling the Dice” is the name of the play. The highlight of the story focuses on some shady gambling from the “Mahabharat.” The props I purchased were dice, four of them at $2.50 a crack. They look good, roll nice, sound good when you shake them and are made in China. According to the epic, the iconic dice are supposed to be made of the bones of

Drizzle! Drizzle! That is the sum and substance of weather conditions today and tonight. My encounter with it was in the evening. I didn’t mind. My full day was indoors, where it was rather dry. The important thing is one’s state of mind, regardless of the situation. Krishna is within and without. So let the rain come down.

I received a call from someone in Edmonton. He, like many, are quite affected by the fear culture installed by Covid-19. My response to him was to not get over-exposed to the

Appearing near Katva, Krishna Dasa Kaviraja left for Vrndavana after Lord Nityananda told him in a dream: are are krishnadasa, na karaha bhaya, vrndavana yaha tanha, sarva larya haya, “0 my dear Krishnadasa, do not be afraid. Go to Vrndavana. For there you will attain all things.” (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 5.195)

Krishna Dasa took diksa from Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami. He lived a renounced life at Syama-kunda near Manasa Pavana Ghat, Radharani’s midday bathing place.

Sri Jiva Gosvami, as per his cu

By Madhava Smullen 

The cabin where Shyamasundar Das, one of ISKCON’s earliest pioneers, worked on his ‘Chasing Rhinos With the Swami’ trilogy burned down last month in the Lionshead wildfire in Oregon, USA.

The wildfire began on August 16th and has burned 204,469 acres, making it the sixth-largest fire of the past 100 years in Oregon.

“By Krishna’s grace, I managed to escape with my computer and all my research material,” Shyamasundar says.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/shyamasundar-dass-w

The Sacred Ecology Forum – which facilitates environmental activism and spiritual growth rooted in the Krishna Bhakti tradition – is presenting a special Eco-Bhakti weekend from October 23rd to 25th on Zoom.

The weekend is presented in collaboration with the Bhakti Center (NYC) and the Hindu Life Program at Princeton University, with Allegra Lovejoy organizing on behalf of the Sacred Ecology Forum and Venkata Bhatta Das (Vineet Chander) organizing on behalf of the Princeton University Hindu Life

It was 7 PM. I was in my room just wrapping up on a zoom call with Argentina when David came to my door.

“Are you coming?” David asked in anticipation of our nightly staircase kirtan.

“Yes,” I responded. “By the way, I have to go!” I told the people on the Zoom call. “Good-bye!” I said, as did they. Along with an appreciative, “Gracias!”

We hit on a good topic—the theme of Achintya-bedabeda-tattva, which translates as “the inconceivable, simultaneous principle of oneness and difference.” Also, s