For ten years, we have printed Srila Prabhupada Tributes and sent a free copy to each devotee who wrote for it. But this year, the pandemic that struck made us uncertain about whether our printers could provide the book on schedule, or even if we could deliver the physical books to all contributors. And so, for the first time, we have produced the book in electronic form only.
By HH Danavir Goswami
All glories to Ramadasa Abhirama dasa Prabhu!
He was an offenseless, gentle soul, full of devotion for Lord Krishna. A complete artist: painter, singer, musician, etc. Although highly qualified in many fields, he was humble like a straw. His kirtans and paintings are a treasure for devotees now and always. His smile was as bright and welcome as the full moon. A dedicated and genuine disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, liked by all, and a res
Today is the appearance day of Lord Balarama, the Personality of Godhead who is the first expansion of Lord Krishna, the original Personality of Godhead. As Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita (4.7):
yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham
“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself.” Lord Krishna says, srjamy aham: “I manifest
Letter of Janmashtami Wishing Message from Honourable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi to ISKCON and to every devotee of Lord Sri Krishna.
By Parasuram dasa
Plague has a long history on the European continent, with evidence of the disease dating back to the Stone Age. Plague epidemics in Europe during the First and Second Pandemics, including the Black Death, are infamous.
Yet, Europe still experienced plague outbreaks during the Third Pandemic, which began in China and spread to India and then globally at the end of the nineteenth century.
On 23 September 1896, the first “official” case of the bubonic plague in India was reported
Ratha Yatra is usually a summer staple for ISKCON devotees, a chance to pull Their Lordships Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra on Their chariot through the streets, share Krishna consciousness, see old friends and connect. With the COVID-19 pandemic, of course, none of this is possible in person, and Ratha Yatras all over the world have been cancelled. But devotees are thinking creatively and coming up with virtual alternatives for the chariot festival.
From July 1st to 12
Lord Balarama carries a plough, used to prepare the ground for planting. Balarama is actually the one who prepares the heart. Krsna is the instructor, the speaker of the Bhagavad-gita, and He plants transcendental knowledge within the heart. “Bala” means strength and Balarama is the giver of spiritual strength. He has that strength because He is serving Krsna in unlimited ways: as His personal paraphernalia, His bed, His shoes and even the instruments we use in kirtana. Even the kartalas should
Every alternate Monday I am scheduled for a philosophy/family/friend session at Ramsden Park. Corry, my cousin, her hubby, Eric and young Victor come together. As I was making my way to the picnic spot a falcon swooped down and then swept up to perch on a convenient, substantial tree branch. He got our attention. If it was a hawk, it’s known to be a good omen. It represents focus and is regarded as a sign from the spirit world. Hopefully a falcon carries similar good fortune.
It was suggested th
Throughout the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada emphasizes again and again the importance of retiring from family life around the age of fifty. He clearly gives this deadline – again and again.
In the purport to SB. 3.30.14. Srila Prabhupada explains: “Family attraction is so strong that even if one is neglected by family members in his old age, he cannot give up family affection, and he remains at home just like a dog. In the Vedic way of life one has to give up family life when he is strong
Just like children only want to eat sweets, we only want kirtan. But we must not forget about the philosophy in Krsna consciousness because without this philosophy, we have no anchor. Without philosophy, we are on the waves of the three modes of material nature. The three modes of material nature exist inside of us and they exist around us too. And the two are not always the same – sometimes externally everything is very peaceful, however, there is a storm within us. So in this way, we can see
We are celebrating Jhulana-yatra, which is steeped in the moods of Vrindavan. When I first began reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, I was struck by the following description in the introduction to Teachings of Lord Chaitanya: “Actually, the Vrindaban on earth is as good as the spiritual Vrindaban, and therefore Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami says that underneath one of the desire trees of Vrindaban there is a nice throne decorated with valuable jewels on which Radharani and Krishna are seated. And H
It was early afternoon on a beautiful monsoon day. The clouds were Syama-colored and rumbled gently, but no rain came. They simply shaded Rupa Gosvami from the heat of the sun and encouraged the limitless peacocks on the banks of Radha-kunda to dance exuberantly and call out loudly for the rain to fall. Despite this cacophony of sound, his heart was absorbed only in the beautiful, all attractive syllables of Harinama. In ecstasy, he thought:
“I do not know how much nectar the two syllables “Krs
Gauridas Pandit was a great devotee of Lord Chaitanya that lived in Ambika Kalna near Navadvipa in West Bengal. Gauridas Pandit was Subal in Krishna-lila. From Puri, Gauridas had settled in Ambika Kalna.
Tradition reveals that Sri Sri Gaur-Nitai Themselves came to Ambika Kalna to pose for the deities that are to this day housed in the little temple. Pilgrims may also see Bhagavad-gita on palm-leaf there—verses that are said to have been written by Mahaprabhu’s own hand; the oar with which Mahapr
A thief while committing crime knows he will be punished if caught. And when he is caught and punished, he promises to himself and to the judge in the court that henceforth he will never steal. But as soon as he is out of jail he again begins stealing.
A student knows if he does not study, he will fail. An employee knows if he does not work sincerely, he will be fired. Many times we take a vow to not indulge in an act which may negatively impact us. But still we do it and we suffer.
We may wonde
By Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)
When the spiritual master leaves the body and moves on, it is naturally the worst day of the disciple’s life. Many times we have become accustomed to thinking of our guru in a particular way, serving him in certain ways, listening to his classes, waiting and longing for him to visit our town or local temple, engaging in special exchanges with him or her, and then suddenly all such prospects are gone. The depth of our despair can be unfathomable. So wha
The podcast boom has accelerated in the first half of 2020, perhaps partly due to the appetite for more streaming content while people stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. ISKCON devotees have also embraced the medium, and recently a new podcast, 5 Minute Meditations, has emerged as a digestible weekly slice of Bhagavad-gita philosophy, practically applicable to everyday life.
Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor.fm and Youtube, the podcast is hosted by ISK
Do not miss this opportunity to come closer to Srila Prabhupada and his disciples.
Join us for the first episode this Saturday at 5:30pm (IST) with HH Jayaptaka Swami Maharaj on ‘Initiating the Mayapur Project’.
This will be available on all Mayapur.TV platforms and also via Jayapataka Swami Facebook page.
Source: https://w
“What do you think about this scamdemic?” asked the cyclist who stopped upon seeing me.
Before I was to say something as a response I knew I was going to dialogue with a radical-thinker, who has his own views on Covid-19. I wanted to make sure to make a friend. That was the most important thing on my mind. After all I’m making some inroads toward pal-making on Bloor Street, mostly because of the fact that it’s the street I frequent as of late.
And so, for the dialogue, and my response:
“We are
This book distribution story needs a little background. It’s like many stories from so many devotees all over the world, which give us a sense of the unexplainable magic of book distribution.
Those deeply mystical points in time, those strange moments, when synchronicity only gives a vague explanation for what just happened. Points in time when you just know deep down in your soul that Paramatma, the Supersoul, is actually the person doing everything. He is in the heart of the distributor, He i
