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Usually at this time of year I’m in Varadero, Cuba. I am typically at the beach, under the sun, making visitations to cities like Havana, Matanzas and St. Declaro. We hold kirtan sessions, give bhakti lessons, answer questions, walk the streets, etc. etc. I do miss the wonderful people there. I also miss the good company of another monk, a Swami from Spain. His name is Yaduananda Swami. He’s kind, cool and caring.

With everyone in the world being grounded, reminiscence becomes somewhat magnified

Rucira Devi Dasi: Himavati told me a story from the first trip with Srila Prabhupada to India. The devotees were living in tents and Hansadutta refused to sleep with her in their tent. All the other couples were sleeping together in their own tents. So she snuck into Srila Prabhupada’s room and slept in his closet.
The next morning she got up and snuck out. She said that day Prabhupada called her into his quarters. He said, “Himavati, you cannot sleep in my closet. This will cause rumors. People

By Giriraj Swami 

On October 28, 1972, in Vrindavan, Srila Prabhupada spoke on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17:

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
  punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani
  vidhunoti suhrt satam

“Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous w

I received my permanent bridge. It was installed in my mouth and it looks great. The word “permanent” may be deceiving. The only power that I understand to be of a lasting fixture is the soul. But, you know, I wasn’t about to have a dispute with my dentist on the use of the word. He even admitted it’s good for about 20 years.

The soul, the Supersoul, brahman, or the spiritual energy all around us, is eternal but that is not the same case for any dental office. The theme is “teeth” and such a cli

By Madhava Smullen

One of the catalysts for this was the 2017 Sanga for Gurus, GBCs and Sannyasis (SGGS) in Mayapur, West Bengal, at which it was felt that there should be a worldwide effort to increase reading amongst ISKCON members and leaders. Following this, ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission made a resolution in February 2020 to introduce an annual “International Sravanam Week.” The week ran from September 3rd to 9th and featured online study groups, webinars and daily Zoom interviews about

If you can draw a little attention of Krishna, yat karunya-kataksa-vaibhavavatam [Caitanya-candramrta 5]. Kataksa-vaibhavavatam, Prabodhananda Sarasvati says. If somehow or other you can draw a little attention of Krishna, your life is successful. Immediately. And how can you draw? Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Gita 18.55]: simply by serving Krishna. Take to the service of Krishna, as it is ordered by the spiritual master—because the spiritual master is the representative of Krishna. We cannot approac

Yogendra, The priest for the event, was all set up with his kund, a sacrificial apparatus for a fire ceremony in his home in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Etienne had his array of musical instruments—harmonium, mrdunga drum and hand cymbals—at his place in Moncton, New Brunswick, the next providence over. He was poised to play along with his daughter, Kunti. It was 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time in Toronto, where I sat in our temple on Avenue Road, prepared to be on the same Zoom network as them for de

We have been honoring the month of Damodara, Krishna who acts as a child in all frivolity. The following is a rhyming translation by Kalakanta for the song, “Damodarastaka”.
 

After you steal butter, Your earrings dance and shine.

As you flee Your mother in Gokula pastimes.

Though you are all blissful, all knowing, ever-new

Greatest of controllers, Your mother controls You.
 

She shows You the stick and she binds You by the waist.

You shutter and sob and Your necklace of pearls shakes.

As You ru

As conditioned souls, our deepest problem is that we have forgotten our relationship with the Supreme Lord, and we are engrossed in thinking of material activities. In order to transfer our thinking power back to Krishna, we have received the Holy Name and the Vedic literature.

A basic piece of the Vedic literature is Bhagavad-gita. It was spoken at the beginning of Kali-yuga, 5000 years ago, and it addresses the specific situation of the modern man. In Kali-yuga, people are short-lived, their e

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INSIGHTS, TAKEAWAYS & REALISATIONS

As Kartik comes to a close, we have the opportunity to reflect on the gifts that this special month has given to all of us. Sacinandana Swami will not only share his realizations and insights, but he will also tune us in to how we can carry on with the blessings we have received this month!

Sacinandana Swami, a spiritual teacher and monk in the Bhakti tradition, is known for his significant contribution to the practice of meditation and kirtan

Our sincere appreciation to all devotees for joining us yesterday being the first day of our virtual Kshetra Parikrama. The outcome of the first day was immensely overwhelming as the turn up was more than expectations, our zoom platforms hosting different groups were fully filled. Special Prayers to Sri Jagannath for bestowing His blessings and our gratitude goes to our hosts and all wonderful Vaishnavas who have tuned in.

If you were unable to join us yesterday, do not MISS THE MERCY of PURI DH

I’ve been wanting to get in a bit more exercise for my upper body. Although walking for me is rather a routine, and it is great for the overall physical self, I have been feeling the need to strengthen the arms and shoulders. Lo and behold my wishes became fulfilled. The pots in the kitchen had started to pile up and there aren’t too many extra bodies around due to the Covid virus forcing restrictions on helpers coming in.

I looked at the pile of love, perhaps the way we should lovingly glance a

Welcome to Puri Parikrama.

For those who have missed yesterday’s Adhivas of the Parikrama, we have uploaded Parikrama Videos in the below links.

Do not forget to join Puri Parikrama today!

LINKS FOR ADHIVAS VIDEO OF SRI KSHETRA PARIKRAMA

https://youtu.be/USsk5uCXHWQ – Tamil Parikrama Adhivas Link

https://youtu.be/8147eqU-c1I – Hindi Adhivas Link

https://youtu.be/KUJ0Z4froTc – English Adhivas Link

https://youtu.be/u5UjWzRWpNY – Bengali Adhivas Link

Please Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for mo

As Damodara masa comes to an end, so does our eParikrama this year. We wish to thank all you vaisnavas for your heartfelt prayers for Maharaja’s speedy recovery and hope that you received some inspiration out of Maharaja’s daily meditations here on KKSBlog from his previous Parikramas. We also thank you vaisnavas for your enthusiasm and engagement throughout the eParikrama.

2020 has been an unprecedented year, however it did not stop us from meditating on Sri Vrndavana dhama together. We meditat

Rain kept me inside, so I did some pacing on the indoor balcony. Services of the nature of “devotion” also had me indoors, along with administration, eating, bonding with resident monks, etc.

One of our discussions involved acknowledging that Covid has now clearly entered into our community, putting out the alert that anything can happen to those of us in the ashram/monastery. As of a week ago we have tightened restrictions on who can enter our building. Those of us who live together do so like

By Madhava Smullen

With the UK recording over 1.5 million coronavirus cases and 55,000 COVID-related deaths, the government introduced a second lockdown in England in early November, which is set to lift on December 2nd, although a three-tiered system of regional measures will follow.

Amid these tough times, devotee-run charity Food For All is doing its best to help, mobilizing volunteers and continuously increasing its output. The charity is now distributing 5,000 packaged prasadam meals a day

We end our eParikrama right here in the Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama Mandir in the heart of Sri Vrndavana dhama. We meditate on the holy dhama through the harinama and pray that we are able to evolve our consciousness so that we are always situated in Vrndavana. Check out Maharaja’s kirtans and lectures below, along with a few photos, from his many journeys to Vrndavana over the years.

We are in Vrndavana to collect some spiritual fortune. That is why we came. We need something to take back; somethin

By Giriraj Swami

My dear devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

In a letter to me dated December 1971, Srila Prabhupada wrote, “Go on increasing books, and go on increasing my pleasure.” December is a special opportunity to focus on Srila Prabhupada’s desire that we distribute books—and thus increase his pleasure. As he wrote in the same letter, “I am most pleased especially to hear that you are distributing many books.”

tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo
 

I think it’s just one of the best things the city has done—created a beautiful, slick but cozy dynamic on Bloor Street. The street is known for its expensive shops at the platinum strip, from Sherhbourne to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). It’s a stretch where people just move, never loitering, never stopping to say “Hello!” It is tainted with corporate culture, more so than a leisurely space of realisation.

So what’s different now?

They have these net-looking curved benches that light up at nigh

By Madhava Smullen 

After going part time with his communications service, ISKCON Communications Director for Australasia Bhakta Das is using his free time in “the latter part” of his life to realize an artistic dream years in the making.

He’s creating a series of twenty contemporary, expressionistic paintings, which will give an overview of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is chapter by chapter. At an impressively large 2 x 1.5 meters each, the astonishing pieces will go on a touring exhibition when the