As I turned the corner at Yonge and Bloor, on my evening walk amid corporate giant edifices, I was drawn to the actual writing on the wall of one of them. Below street level, where now exists a bustling commuter train called the subway, was an underground non-denominational cemetery called Potter’s Field. It’s hard to believe that just less than 200 years ago was a sprawling 2.4 hectares of this burial ground where 6, 700 people were buried at what was then the edge of “The Woods.”
It’s a good
From Back to Godhead
By Sacinandana Swami
This little-known holy place played a major role in the inauguration of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's sankirtana movement.
During the month of Karttika, which falls across October and November in the lunar calendar, devotees of Lord Krishna are advised to increase their concentration on His worship by dedicating their daily devotional hearing and chanting to Srimati Radharani, His eternal consort. This advisory for Karttika is best carried out in a secluded
Section 700: Gurus and Disciples
701.2 ISKCON Spiritual Masters Conditions for Second-generation Diksa-gurus — 2019 [Governing law]
Whereas ISKCON Law 7.3.2 now reads: “As taught by Srila Prabhupada, the etiquette of not initiating in the presence of one’s diksa-guru will be upheld in ISKCON. However, Srila Prabhupada and historical precedents also teach us that disciples may sometimes initiate in the physical presence of their diksa-gurus, if so directed by them. In such a case, the disciple s
Dear Devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The 2021 GBC Resolutions have finally been released. Due to the global pandemic, it was not possible for the GBC Body to conduct in-person meetings and therefore the AGM 2021 was conducted online. Similarly, the 2022 AGM will also be conducted online.
To ensure online resolutions become final and binding, two resolutions were passed to change the GBC’s Rules of Order. These are included in the Resolution file.
D
The area outside ISKCON Mayapur campus is underdeveloped and has no waste management system. Owing to this, Murari Mohini Devi Dasi has taken up this initiative and started Mayapur- Clean And Green. She supervises groups that clean the streets of Mayapur, collect the garbage, and transport it to the waste and recycling areas.
Source: https://iskconnews.org/mayapur-clean-green/
Nature did us a wonderful favour when she dumped tons of snow on the ground, on rooftops, trucks and automobiles as well as on snow. Yes, snow upon snow. It engulfed the north-eastern front of the continent. Perhaps for the first time in months the public had a break from hearing about covid and omicron. What came more in the minds of motorists, in particular, was, “Will I get home safe in this storm?”
From my window, I could see people stuck in deep snow and others with tires spinning, but the
"Everyone must perform sacrifice," Lord Krsna says. And He comes
as Caitanya Mahaprabhu to show us how easy it can be.
A lecture in London on September 5, 1973
yajna-dana-tapah-karma
na tyajyam karyam eva tat
yajno danam tapas caiva
pavanani manisinam
"Acts of sacrifice, charity, and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity, and penance purify even the great souls." (Bhagavad-gita 18.5)
There are four stages of spiritual life: brahmacarya [celibate stude
By Sunanda Das
Prabhupada Placing Ananta Sesha in the TOVP Foundation Pit, 1972
1972 was a year in Sridhama Mayapur filled with many beginnings. The Radha Madhava Golden Jubilee Festival from March 2 – 5 commemorates four of them. These include:
In a
Someone sent me a question asking about the status of coco. The sender found out that some Vaishnavas of the bhakti tradition consume chocolate. “So where do we stand?” was his basic question, a question worthy of asking his guru.
My answer to him was that our guru, Prabhupada, was not favourable to chocolate because of its caffeine content. When Prabhupada heard that some of his disciples were consuming hot chocolate in the evening as things were winding down, he wanted a stop to it. My good f
Last week I was asked, “What’s the most important practice for advancing in spiritual life?” Srila Prabhupada said chanting of Hare Krishna is most important. Some have suggested that devotee association is more important because without it, most of us wouldn’t have the strength to chant Hare Krishna.
I agree. But I think there is a principle even more fundamental than this.
OUR VERY DESIRE TO ADVANCE IN SPIRITUAL LIFE IS THE CORE CONDITION UPON WHICH OUR ADVANCEMENT IS BUILT.
“One’s devotion a
One of the people who comes on board for the Thursday Gita class, sourced from Alachua, Gainesville, is a Godsister by the name of Sankalpa. She is one of the rock pillars of our weekly group, which is a closely-knit group that enjoys each other’s company. Sankalpa is European, married to American born Janmasthami, and they have two boys (of marriageable age), Prahlad and Devala. I’ve engaged both boys in dramas in the past. She is a saintly person and lives a responsible life. In a picture tha
Understanding Different Perspectives of Srila Prabhupada’s Statements
Recap of ISKCON Communications Global Conference
More than 100 leaders and devotees doing communications services from around the globe including India, the US, the UK, South Africa, and Europe joined the online conference on Saturday, January 22nd.
The headline event for the conference, “Reconciling Different Perspectives on Srila Prabhupada’s Statements”, by Radhika Raman das (Utah State University Professor, Vaishnava scho
Ancient Vedic texts address the notion that no amount of material accomplishments can deeply satisfy us. Our consciousness has been affected by the material atmosphere, and as we try to exploit resources, we are in fact getting more and more entangled in mundane complexities. Vedic wisdom attributes this condition to a lack of spiritual awareness. The Vedic scriptures share with us that we are all spiritual beings and that we can elevate our c
The material world is toxic, always was and always will be. The Vedas speak of the three energies (modes) that trigger this confusion (Bhagavad-gita 7.13). The cause of this misfortune and its sustainability is also stated in the Gita, text 7.27. Verse 9.12 reveals that those who are bewildered arrive at whimsical conclusions. Hence toxicity continues.
I observe more and more that people are nasty to each other. The trying times of COVID are bringing out the worse in people, especially through
Social trends are currently moving toward traditional family values. Ms. Faith Popcorn (that's really her name), president and founder of BrainReserve, a Manhattan firm specializing in detecting consumer trends, attributes America's return to Mom-and-Pop ethics to a backlash from the excesses of the recent past The fear of AIDS is the coup de grace, prompting a return to stable, long-term relationships. But in a PhiladelphiaInquirer interview, Ms. Popcorn warns that as soon as an AIDS cure is
On January 10, my beloved disciple Palika Dasi left her body in South Africa. Kindly read Madri Dasi’s beautiful description of this wonderful devotee.
Bitten by the Krishna Bug: Honoring the Life of Palika Dasi
By Madri Dasi
A few days ago, I heard of Palika’s transitioning from this mortal world. I did not want to cry because her life was over, but I smiled.
Palika was always “on the go.” During recent calls with her illustrious children and other family and friends to offer my condolences, we
Prabhupāda: So you all become bhagavad-dūta, bhagavad-dūta, messenger of God. That is perfection of life. Otherwise you shall be obliged to become the servant of the senses. Go-dāsa and gosvāmī. The bhagavad-dūtas are gosvāmī, and the servants of the senses are go-dāsa. Unfortunately the go-dāsas are claiming to be gosvāmīs. That is the cause of falldown of Indian Vedic civilization. One has to become gosvāmī. Gosvāmī means refuse to follow the dictation of the senses. Simply he has to follow t
By A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
On the 16th of February 1957 a meeting was held at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan to discuss the above subject matter. Distinguished gentlemen from different categories spoke on the subject, but practically nobody could give us a definite direction as to what actually the matter was that was troubling the whole situation. This feeling of pinching in the existence of our life is a good sign for progress. It is an urge for enquiry what is the wrong in the world
This is the annual UK Sankirtana Festival, recognising everyone who distributed either one book or a thousand books during the Srila Prabhupada marathon! We hope you will enjoy the appreciation of all those devotees and of course all the fun that comes with this festival!
Watch it here: https://schoolofbhakti.zoom.us/rec/share/tLbjHESV6M0j2qb9aDk7BOF59AMj48kN90QHCjZ_XDVfgaelHfFK_7obz2If-3bX.0Bt22k9w0c0eXKUy
Access Passcode: Z7t!Sx=5
Source: https://dandavats.tumblr.com/post/673357541148868608/
Empowering Leaders Across USA and Canada
ISKCON North America Leadership Annual Conference
More than 140 leaders from across the US and Canada attended the weekend conference held last weekend January 14-16th to network, share resources and empower leaders to serve their respective communities.
The first day of the conference the mood was one of initiative and support. New projects were introduced from the work of the past two years “ISKCON 3.0” initiative that brought together next generation
