Since August 2015, the ISKCON Disciples Course has been mandatory for all new initiates in ISKCON, and recommended for all devotees. Developed under the direction of the Guru Services Committee, it is designed to deepen devotees’ understanding of guru tattva (the meaning of guru) and guru padasraya (taking shelter of the guru). The poster for the Argentine ISKCON Disciples Course
So far tens of thousands worldwide have completed the course, which has inspired a family toge
From Christie Pits Park we took ten minutes for contemplation. Sanjit, Chris and I sat on a bench, tilted our heads back and did a bit of stargazing. The moon, Jupiter and Saturn were close to each other. Clouds, white ones, skirted by, obscuring those luminaries. The wind was just the best of breezes. It was a wind bath. “Of purifiers I am the wind,” Krishna states.
The morning began with contemplation on Krishna’s words from 13.21 of the Gita:
“Nature is said to be the cause of all material ca
“One should be more humble than a blade of grass.” OK, another “one should.” Becoming humble is difficult enough, what to speak of becoming humbler than a blade of grass. I know “I should”, but how do I actually do it?”
In this article I look at one often overlooked and extremely helpful way this is possible.
Do Not Resist
Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that grass doesn’t resist when it is walked on or thrown around. It doesn’t complain or scream out, “How dare you step on me or throw me here an
Rasa, when you talk about rationality. How to approach religion. Questioning assumptions. Faith. Debates, setting the terms of a debate.
Video: Click here
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=89058
By Radha Mohan Das
The Janmashtami festival held at Bhaktivedanta Manor was unsurprisingly not the usual with more than 30,000 attendance with tents, shows, exhibitions and plenty of free prasad. The temple did the best they could within the parameters of present government restrictions: They introduced a 'pre-booked ticket' system for darshan, spread over a number of days.
One of the highlights of the festival is always the drama on the main stage by the Bhaktivedanta Players..
This year the
“Govinda’s,” the dining facility, which some people call “the restaurant,” was open today for the first time since the Covid-19 closure, and patrons are back. It has been a patient wait for folks. Over the months past I’ve been approached plenty of times by Govinda’s fans, in the course of my evening walks. It has been tough to tell people, “We’re closed!”
But now, that’s over. We’re closed on saying “we’re closed.” The food (prasadam) is the big attraction, as well as the atmosphere being a spa
This year, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust released a free, downloadable PDF version of the annual international “Sri Vyasa-Puja” book, featuring a collection of homages to ISKCON Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada from devotees and temples all over the world.
Meanwhile ISKCON of Delhi, India notably compiled its own three-volume Vyasa-Puja book with offerings to Srila Prabhupada from an incredible 3,400 local devotees from all the temples and preaching centers in the Delhi Natio
The sleep was deep in the Prime Minister Suite and after that morning shower, which has become more or less ritual, my window to the south revealed a flowing, wide Saint Lawrence, shady trees and the balance of the inn’s structures—something out of early 1800s history books. From the veranda I was chanting my gayatri mantras when Nimai Nitai came to my side. It was time to go.
Where did we go?
After a stroll through Gananoque’s downtown and the ferry docks for the Thousand Islands, Nimai took me
(Adopted from the student handbook of Devotee Care Course)
1. Spiritual Life
“…if you take spiritual care, the bodily care is automatically done. Our main business is spiritual care.” (SP Morning Walk Bombay, 03/11/1975)
“These are the instruction in the Bhagavad-gita, everything [is] practical. If we follow Bhagavad-gita from all angles of vision—social, political, economic, religious, cultural—you will be perfect. This is Bhagavad-gita. We are therefore taken up this
mission, to preach Bhagava
We are happy to say that we have now successfully completed our purpose-built hall, the Sri Krishna Haveli, which will take the pressure off the main Grade II listed Manor building to provide a spacious environment that will allow you to fully appreciate your spiritual experience at Bhaktivedanta Manor. It is of course wonderful, much-awaited news, but like with many big projects there were some hurdles, heartache, and not to mention the pandemic, along the way.\
Read more: http://www.dandavats
By Madhava SmullenIn June, ISKCON’s GBC SPT Strategic Planning Support Unit released a Temple Re-opening Guide along with a decision-making toolkit to help leaders assess the right time to re-open their temple during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August, the Strategic Planning Support Unit (SPS) has followed up with a set of Safe Re-opening Guidelines containing safe practices for ISKCON leaders and devotees to use while visiting or doing devotional service at the temple, as well as while doing
More so than us becoming attracted to Krsna, let us do something that attracts Krsna to us!
Devotional service is about attracting Krsna. It is not just about us getting attracted to Krsna. In the beginning, we think that devotional service is about us becoming attracted to Krsna but we can think of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, who was standing a bit off to the side for the darshan in the temple of Sri Sri Gandharvika Giridhari in his head headquarters in Mayapur. He did not actuall
It was sweet going from home to home with Savyasacin, not by foot, but in his red Jeep, following the caravan headed by Jagannatha deities. It is the Covid version of the Chariot Fest and, because it is relatively small scale, executing this mini party is very doable. All that is required are mantras, rituals, musical instruments, some satvic food—gas in your tank—companions, and a lot of bhakti. Today it took place in the burbs of Milton and tomorrow it’ll be Kingston. With the heat it felt lik
The greatness and sweetness of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the right mood of approaching it
by Gauranga Darshan Das
A multitalented person could do many things alone and even simultaneously. But have you ever heard of a book that does multitasking like this? Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam does. Because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also a person, non-different from the
Supremely powerful Person Kṛṣṇa.
God descends to save the devotees, destroy the demons and reestablish dharma (BG 4.8). For these purposes, He appears as Ma
The School of Bhakti at the Bhaktivedanta Manor UK is excited to offer a variety of courses and workshops by qualified, respected teachers, to help “everyone come closer to Krishna”.
Over 10 new online courses will be run from Sep to Dec 2020 and the school’s purpose is to help everyone learn, understand and apply the wisdom based on the writings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. These include:
The Mysterious Synergistic Relationship of Radha, Krishna & Aum and The Demigo
ISKCON Communications, the agency charged with interfacing with the public on behalf of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, is undergoing a major makeover, including a new website at https://iskconcommunications.org/ with resources for the media and temple leaders, and a website redesign and rejuvenated social media presence for ISKCON News.The ISKCON Communications team in Italy in 2018
ISKCON Communications’ mission i
The sraddha-bindu, the drop of faith that we get from the devotees, is the greatest possession of a devotee. The main thing about a devotee is his deep faith in Krsna. As a result, he has no faith in anything else. Having strong faith in Krsna means that we lose our faith in the material energy. We do not believe anymore that the material energy will bring us the greatest benefits. No, when we have sraddha-bindu, when we have a drop of faith in Krsna consciousness, then all other faith will be d
The life of a monk is so much about building bridges and closing gaps. The endeavour one takes is to connect jivas to the Divine; bringing two worlds together.
I have always admired bridges—those who engineer, those who construct and also those who repair them—while on my walking travels. I had a flashback of men at work on bridges over the Fraser, in Hope, British Columbia, in the rain.
There are many kinds of bridges. One is for the mouth, as in dentures. At noon, over lunch, my temporary bri
In the Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.13 it is stated:
prausthapadyam paurnamasyam
hema-simha-samanvitam
dadati yo bhagavatam
sa yati paramam gatim
“If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.”
In the Varaha Purana it is mentioned that -
mamotsavesu sarvesu, srimad bhagavatam param,
srnvanti ye naraa bhaktya mama prityai ca suvrata
bastra alankara maihpuspair, dhupa
Recenly a friend gave a Bhagavad Gita to a person named Donald. From the beginning of his reading he liked it so much. Every day he was reading for two hours. He had smoked for thirty years but stopped, then he had stopped eating meat, and he felt a sense of being purified, all from reading Srila Prabhupada's books.
He contacted the devotees in Columbus, Ohio, and asked whether there was any way to get more books. It was during the pandemic so he wasn't working, meaning he was short of money. H
