Chanting before Tulasi today, I recalled an incident with Srila Prabhupada in his garden in New Dvaraka, Los Angeles, in 1973. I was looking at him, and suddenly his face lit up, his eyes opened wide, and he smiled broadly, as if he were seeing a long-lost dear friend. When I turned around to see who had come, I saw that it was Tulasi, being carried by a devotee. “Just by her presence,” Prabhupada said, “Tulasi purifies the whole atmosphere.”
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As we look around the world, or watch and read the news, practically everywhere is affected by some kind of natural disaster. Floods are displacing millions of people, forest fires are destroying thousands of acres and burning out of control, earthquakes continue to force people to live in fear, and tornadoes and hurricanes have become more fierce and numerous than ever. And if that is not enough, droughts are causing massive crop damage and water shortages.
The fact is that nobody likes a loss
Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The Global Devotee Care Directorate is pleased to announce the launch of a new website www.iskconcourses.com for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada, and all the devotees.
Spiritual Care is one of the critical areas of Devotee Care. To facilitate this Spiritual Care element, we have brought together various online courses run by different ISKCON institutions in the area of Scriptures, Spiritual practice
By Madhava Smullen
Evoking a deeply affecting mixture of regret and hope, Gopagana Dasa’s new album “A Surge of Bhakti to the Heart” might be the perfect soundtrack to these difficult times for humanity.
Recorded in Vrindavana, India in early 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Gopagana produced the album with minimal equipment, programming all the instruments by himself on Garageband.
“I’m in the vanaprastha stage of life now, and my situation is more simple,” he says. “The kirtans I
I’ve known Corrado for a number of years, since he first started coming to our temple/ashram. He first met one of our exemplary devotees, Shyama Mohini, who has a passion for distributing the books of our guru, Prabhupada. This happened on a street in Toronto. Corrado is indebted to her for being his initial contact.
From then on, Corrado began attending bhakti-yoga gatherings, held at the Bhakti Lounge. He experienced a growing interest in the process of chanting, philosophizing, eating grea
By Sacinandana Swami
We have to wake up to the fact that our life is not in order. Yes, you might be liked by devotees. You might be a lecturer and other neophyte devotees may applaud you. Or mister guru! You may think you have so many disciples and thus you are successful in your life. Whoever we are, in whatever position or station of life we are, unless we wake up to the fact that “I really need Krsna”, we are emotionally invested in the wrong things. Our emotions should be with the real n
The Bhagavad-Gita is a theological and philosophical classic. In 700 concise verses, it summarises the conclusions of the Vedas, ancient scriptures written approximately 5000 years ago in the Sanskrit language. It covers topics ranging from religion to relationships, science to sociology, leadership to lifestyle management: the keys to all aspects of life, the universe and everything. For thousands of years, it has been a source of limitless inspiration for thinkers, leaders, and spiritual see
What I’m going to say I’m sure will sound familiar to you.
Someone I hadn’t seen for a while entered my mind view.
I reached Kensington on foot and the dude-in-thought manifest.
His name is Hanuman and it’s here that he rests.
“I’m glad to see you,” he said, “I like it here. I even kicked the habit of drinking beer.”
I cheered the tall but disheveled Hanuman, who has no home and no coins in his palm.
I gave him a pair of gloves last year for the winter.
I’m sure he forgot as his life has no ce
It was a pleasure, and always will be—a pleasure—to deliver classes on the science of bhakti. I am in my element as it brings me closer to guru and Krishna. We have begun a new chapter in the study of the Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapter 25, where Vasudeva, the father of Krishna, expresses the realizations that his two offspring, Krishna and Balarama, are actually Divine mystics; creators of the world, and pradhana—energies of the world. It was fun to explore this subject.
A second class, by way of
Corrado cycled over to Allen Gardens, with the mrdunga drum strapped to his back, and waited there for us walkers. This is a new strategy we’re trying. Each night, after our serenade of sorts (musical display at our stairwell facing the public), those on foot will reach a different park, get down on the grass and start chanting away. Corrado’s lugging the drum by his bicycle saves us time and a burden.
We reached the garden park, which is just across the street from our old temple/ashram, at 18
Video: Click here
By Nandapriya Nivedita Devi Dasi
Covid -19, a virus that has taken the world by storm, has inconvenienced many and has taken away precious lives. It continues to stay on giving newer challenges to the society at large. People all over the world are trying their best to cope with the new normal, continue to fight in solidarity and are earnestly looking forward to the older comfortable reality. In this time of uncertainty coupled with great fear, many people are looking for answers other than mo
sarvopaniṣado gāvo
dogdhā gopāla-nandanaḥ
pārtho vatsaḥ su-dhīr bhoktā
dugdhaṁ gītāmṛtaṁ mahat
(Gītā-māhātmya 6, cited in Bhagavad-gita, Introduction)
It is said that there is a herd of cows and these cows are all a personification of the upanisads. The gita-upanisad is the best of these upanisads. The cows are being milked by Gopalananda, being Gopal, the son of Nanda Maharaj. His pārtho, being Arjuna, is the calf that creates the milk. And sudhīr is the bhoktā, the wise person who is drinking
I broke away halfway through our morning sadhana while our monks were engaged in chanting, mantra-hearing and bhakti discussion, to meet and visit with a first cousin. Her name is Corry and she’s a social worker. Her husband, Eric, with similar credentials, also came by when we rendezvoused in Ramsden Park. We caught up on life, did some reminiscing and also discussed the world situation, which is far from bright. One area of total agreement within our discussion was the human need for a spirit
Dear Devotees
The medical team has reviewed Maharaja’s progress in the last 12 hours.
Maharaj remains continuously stable.
At this time the next milestone we are looking forward to is waking up of Maharaja as he has been on some medications to help him rest. This is a long process generally and during this, some fluctuations are expected.
Please pray intensely and wholeheartedly with intent for His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami during this time.
With devotion,
HH BCS Health care Team
Source: htt
Will it be enough? Will I dedicate myself enough that when the time of death comes, that I will really be anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ (Nectar of Devotion 1.1.11); free from any other motivation, and that I can just turn to Krsna and say, “Krsna I am yours and I have no other interest than your interest and as you desire”. Will I develop abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhir (Bhagavad-gita 16.1); develop that spirit of fearlessness. This fearlessness is required where we have to shift our focus and look at Krsna’s
There are three reasons for my being very content today. First of all, my brother, Jerry, drove an hour and a half from his home in Peterborough to drop off two boxes of old family photos for me to browse through. These pictures will go back a hundred years to my father’s childhood. There’s a substantial amount of stuff to go through. Another beautiful project to embark upon.
Secondly, a student/disciple, I hadn’t seen for years, showed up. Mahamantra is from Pickering, east of the city. He cam
Akruranatha dasa: The attached article below is by Riddha Dasa from South Africa
(To download it click here)
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=86725
By Dr Sahadeva dasa
Every reversal can teach us something. Every adversity has hidden lessons.
If only we are willing to listen! The times are changing. The world is changing. Question is are we going to change? This 200 years old industrial civilization is entering a decisive phase as the curtains of karma start coming down.
Party has been going on for too long and probably it’s time to go home and catch up on some rest. Our earth and environment can’t support this reckless living a minute lon
