From Back to Godhead
Not getting what you want? Perhaps that’s good for you.
“Please cancel my tickets,” I said to my friend on the phone. “I won’t be able to go.”
I hung up the phone and sank down onto my bed, my head in my hands. My friend had arranged my tickets for the trip to Jagannatha Puri and Mayapur I had been so eagerly looking forward to, and now I had to cancel. The past few weeks in my life had been very turbulent, so when my friends proposed a spiritual retreat to these two holy p
By Atma Tattva Das
The annual Cow Fest, or Go-Puja Mela, is a celebration with deep roots at ISKCON New Talavana, nestled in the peaceful countryside of Mississippi. Each year, this festival unites a diverse community to support the Krishna’s Cows farming initiative, an essential effort that sustains the sacred practice of cow protection, a vital aspect of the Krishna Consciousness experience. Lilavati Devi Dasi, a dedicated member of the festival management and organizing team, has witnessed th
By Suniti Devi Dasi
On Saturday, November 23, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EDT, the North American Regional Governing Body (NA-RGB) will host a transformative online workshop facilitated by Jai Nitai Dasa, the North American Representative for the ISKCON Devotee Care Office.
The insightful workshop will explore how the principles of devotee care can shape the future of ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada’s mission. In this session, participants will delve into the key values and principles underly
Introducing the Jaladuta Boat Cruise Services! 🌊🛥️
Hare Krishna dear devotees and well-wishers! 🙏✨
We are delighted to announce the launch of our brand-new website, www.gangacruise.in, on this auspicious occasion of Rasa Purnima! This launch is made possible by the special mercy of the Sri Mayapur deities, the crown jewel of our hearts.
Experience the divine and serene beauty of Mother Ganga like never before with our exclusive Jaladuta Boat Cruise Services. 🌅 Whether you seek a peaceful retreat
I was clearly camouflaged sitting there amidst the autumn foliage by the Rideau River. Seagulls water fanatics with wings flying about the lovely skies anticipating that anything human would be the source of morsels. I didn’t have anything to give them, only some attention. I actually find them entertaining. There are also squirrels scattered here and there, some rustling through the fallen leaves.
Whether on the ground or on the trees those yellow/orange soon to be compost, became as easy ble
bhagavan api ta ratrih
saradotphulla-mallikah
viksy- arantum manas cakre
yoga-mayam upasritah
Sri Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in all opulences, yet upon seeing those autumn nights scented with blossoming jasmine flowers, He turned His mind toward loving affairs. To fulfill His purposes He employed His internal potency. – S.B 10.29.1
On this most sacred and holy evening on the full moon night of the month of Kartik,in the forest of Vrindavan the moon starts rising on th
According to Vrinda-kunda Baba, Srimati Vrindadevi appeared on the full-moon night at the end of Kartik, or Damodara.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, in Sri Vrndadevi-astaka (6-8), glorifies her:
rasabhilaso vasatis ca vrnda-
vane tvad-isanghri-saroja-seva
labhya ca pumsam krpaya tavaiva
vrnde namas te caranaravindam
“By your mercy, people attain residence in Vrindavan, the desire to serve your masters’ lotus feet, and the desire to assist in the rasa dance. O Vrinda, I bow to your lotus f
By Vraj Patel
“The Hunger Free Zone” is a non-profit organization of ISKCON Baltimore with a mission to distribute prasadam to the community at large. With its own food truck, devotee volunteers go out every day, except Sunday, to distribute free vegan prasadam to the people of Baltimore City. Since its inception three years ago, the Hunger Free Zone has distributed over 167,600 free vegan meals.
Grateful recipients note that the food is delicious and shared freely with all. “I’ve partaken of t
Leo and I took to Highway 401 destined for Montreal when an idea came up. What if we pulled over on the ramp to get some walking in on the main street of Brockville. That would facilitate the need for air, exercise, sights and people.
Apart from Brockville being quite a Loyalist town, it also displays a history of patriotism. From the town which has that nice touch of Victorian architecture, banners are hung from lamp posts of service men and women who fought in the nasty wars of Ⅰ and Ⅱ. Som
We shall read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Seven: “Scheduled Incarnations.”
TEXT 32
gopair makhe pratihate vraja-viplavaya
deve ’bhivarsati pasun krpaya riraksuh
dhartocchilindhram iva sapta-dinani sapta-
varso mahidhram anaghaika-kare salilam
TRANSLATION
When the cowherd men of Vrndavana, under instruction of Krsna, stopped offering sacrifice to the heavenly king, Indra, the whole tract of land known as Vraja was threatened with being washed away by constant heavy rains for s
Dear Devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The Annual General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society will begin in February 2025. Following the ISKCON GBC Society’s Rules of Order, the GBC Secretariat requests proposals, duly sponsored by two GBC members, to be submitted by December 31, 2024. Note that no proposals will be entertained after this date.
Please follow the format for GBC Proposals, found as a fillable PDF here:
https://gbc.iskcon.org/wp-cont
From Back to Godhead
For a long time scientists have been asking,
What’s going on? And some of them
have tried to find out,
What’s behind it all?
Sir Isaac Newton once made a remarkable model of the solar system. Thanks to a clever hand-cranking mechanism, all of the tiny spinning globes orbited a small “sun.”
On entering Newton’s study, one of his colleagues, a materialist, couldn’t help noticing the model. He was flabbergasted.
“Dr. Newton,” the man stared, “who made this wonderful cont
By Nandini Devi Dasi
As most ISKCON readers know, Saranagati Village was evacuated on the evening of July 17th, 2024. During our three-week absence, some devotees lost their homes, and others lost their wood sheds, outbuildings, storage structures, and equipment like chainsaws, the community plow, and sander.
We are not able to get insurance as we are an off-grid community, and so we have to cover the costs of cleanup and rebuilding. The government helped with our basic needs while we were eva
Bhakti Center NYC celebrated its seventh annual Diwali Festival on November 1st, attended by over 1,000 people. The popular evening event included kirtan, food stalls, dance, drama, and children’s activities like henna and face painting.
Several well-known publications, like the Gothamist, list the Bhakti Center as the number one place to celebrate Diwali in the city. Local print and television media covered the event, most notably CBS New York, which broadcast a live report from the event. You
By Yudhisthira Dasa
This article aims to open the door to an emotionally and spiritually healthier attitude toward our ongoing journey of self-realization. This approach stands in stark contrast to the sectarian and fear-based renunciation that many of us in the first and second generation of ISKCON have experienced, albeit generally with no detrimental intent. After all, we took birth in human bodies for a purpose, not to deny it, but to see our human experience as an opportunity to learn bet
By Ananda Tirtha Das
The Annual General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society will begin in February 2025. Following the ISKCON GBC Society’s Rules of Order, the GBC Secretariat requests proposals, duly sponsored by two GBC members, to be submitted by December 31, 2024. Please note that no proposals will be entertained after this date.
To submit a proposal, please use the fillable .pdf here. Once completed, the proposal should be emailed here.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/gbc-releases-proposal
Paramahamsa Srila Gaura Kishore Das Babaji Maharaj was born into a vaishya family on the banks of the Padma River in Bagayan village in Faridpur district in what is now Bangladesh. His given name was Vamsi Das. He was born sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century. He is important to us because he was the diksha guru of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada. Vamsi Das’s parents had him married at an early age according to the custom of the time, but he always remained detache
By Giriraj Swami
Today is the disappearance day of Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja. Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was a great devotee - a maha-bhagavata. He was a disciple of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and was very renounced. He had lived for many years in Vrindavan, roaming the twelve forests, chanting the holy names of Krishna, eating by begging alms, and sleeping under trees. Later, after Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discovered Lord Chaitanya’s birthplace in Mayapur, Srila Jagannatha da
