Ocean of devotees (around 12000 ) with roaring harinam, carrying beautifully decorated Gaura Nitai deities, purifying the universe by performing Navadvip Mandala Parikrama, blissfully returned to Mayapur and had a great Maha-Milan Utsava ! Seven parties – two Namahatta Bengali groups, Gita study course party, International party, Russian party and newly added South Indian party, each group decorated Sri Gaura Nitai in special way, especially Gita course group made a golden temple replica of Ay
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The temple room at the ISKCON Centre is a sizeable space for worship and meditation. As is custom, men who live as monks, in the ashram section, rise early for the first devotional service at 4:30 a.m. We sing songs in honour of Guru and God. https://www.instagram.com/p/B9GTDbnAJ0H/?igshid=k7dp0n2qosjr
There are a good number of young monks living here; my wild guess is about forty. I asked one of these young and bright men, "How long do you plan to stay as a brahmacari (a monk)?"
With ha
A new ISKCON temple is set to open in the historic town of Velletri in the Castelli Romani hills, Italy, about an hour south of Rome city center.
Devotees have been working hard to convert the recently purchased building into a temple, in part with the help of a grant from the BBT construction fund. A tentative opening date has been set for May 1st.
ISKCON has owned a small preaching center in the center of Rome for the past decade, but the new temple will serve the need for a larger residenti
Krishna has given us a little independence, because we are part and parcel of Krishna. Krishna is fully independent. He does not depend on anyone. We have got independence to a certain extent, but under the control of maya. In the spiritual life there is also maya. That is called yoga-maya. And in the material life there is also maya. That is called maha-maya, Durga. So we, being very little . . . Just like a small child: he is given either to the mother for taking care or to the nurse for taki
I thought it to be a good sign when our plane landed in Delhi. Vistara Airlines, on my flight, was playing pop music over the loud speakers, with Louis Armstrong singing, "What A Wonderful World" which was segued by George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord." And as any music lovers from the 1960s know, that song ends with the maha mantra in a most joyous fashion. Good omen? Yes?
Our usually exuberant drama troupe began our rehearsals on "The Gita” today. Energy was low, but the spirit was willing
“Buy, Beg, borrow or steal. Somehow or other get a copy Sri Navadvipa Dham Mahatmya
HG Rajendranandana Prabhu
In a haste of enthusiasm, leaving their tents, throwing buckets of water on their heads and packing their bags within 5 minutes, the devotees hit the road.
“It seems that we are more than half way through, to complete Navadvipa Mandala. Have 5 days passed ? It feels like it started yesterday. Just when, we began to get used to it all, and even a little attached it , it is coming to and
“ We shouldn’t leave Parikrama the same person we were when we started it.”
-HH Bhakti Dhira Damodara Maharaj
Are you with us? The nectar is starting to overflow!
The mystical transformations which happen within the consciousness of a pilgrim of Navadvipa are indeed extraordinary and worthy of mention. As these few days pass which in ordinary life would most probably make no difference in one’s life, have brought about deep cleansing to all of us.
The story of today was something like this…
Th
Seechewal, also known as Eco Baba, is known for spearheading the anti-pollution campaign to save the Kali Bein river in Punjab and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017. Baba Sewa Singh of the Khadur Sahib gurdwara received the Padma Shri in 2010 for planting 346,000 trees along 382km of roads and 400 villages in Punjab. Singh began his mission in 1999 to commemorate the 500th birth anniversary of Guru Angad Dev.
Similarly, the Govardhan Ecovillage (a PoWR supporter) is a property of The Interna
Pushkar Tirtha invited the Parikrama at its banks. There 3 small boys from the Bhaktivedanta Gurukul, played the pastime which took place there few thousand years before Mahaprabhu’s appearance. As Pancharatna Prabhu narrated in dramatic ways the boys gestured and moved in pure sincere ways. Even though they were a little more than 1,20 cm tall they caught the attention of everyone. With a short practice about 10 minutes before the performance they brought us closer to this Holy Tirtha named Pu
The temple Hari Hara, was the first place to receive the devotees. HH Maha vishnu swami led the devotees into the adequate mood by singing the song : “ mahadeva panca mukhe rama rama hare hare”.
There the first katha was held. We had the special presence of HG Pankajanghri Prabhu. Several speakers flooded the devotees with nectar. Pankajanghri Prabhu told the story of how the devotees would come here and do two simultaneous kirtans one side was chanting prayers to Lord Shiva and the other was r
By Praghosa dasa
A big new phase for ISKCON Dublin was completed this Sunday with the reopening of the very popular Govindas restaurant on Abbey Street
With so many things happening over the last number of years our restaurant was a little neglected and as it was already a little jaded when we took it over 15 or more years ago, it really needed some tender loving care (and quite a chunk of laxmi!)
I think you can see from the pictures that it was a job well done and well worth the investment
A
In Juhu one evening Harikesa and Saurabha got to talking about Prabhupada’s plans for the Mayapur project. Harikesa, appreciating Prabhupada’s genius—how, from Mayapur, God-centered cities with temples, educational institutions, and proper social organization would spread around the globe—became so excited that he ran all the way from the construction office to Prabhupada’s apartment. He bounded up the stairs and, without even knocking, burst into Prabhupada’s room and threw himself on the floo
When the sun moves to touch the horizon, a recording of the beautiful shehnai begins. It's not the sound of a bird, but a magical-sounding horn accompanied by drone and tabla. When our guru attended this annual festival, which he inaugurated in the early ‘70s, he hired professional musicians to play and enhance the meditative spirit. He, Prabhupada, was very pleased with the sound of the shehnai. It was recorded. https://youtu.be/r9nVtgyZoyw
As that shehnai was projected over the loud s
It has come! It has come! After a whole year Sri Navadvipa Parikrama has come once again inviting all devotees to enter its prema filled islands.
Around 6 am, in the hazy morning of the 26th , vaishnavas and vaishnavis from all walks of life and of multifarious cultural and ethnical backgrounds gather at the Sri Yogapith.
The first of many kirtans to come began startling the hearts of all with vibrant earnestness, humility and courage. “Jiv jago Jiv Jago”
The procession of Gaura bhaktas headed
There is this nice devotee, Sujan, who loves the soil, water, plants and flowers. He spends hours outdoors, weeding, watering, curing and caring for the greens and the flowers. He loves his work.
Mayapura is a place of plants and flowers. It is not uncommon to receive flower garlands each day from well-wishers, no less than six. Of course, that may be so if you are a monk, expect one garland to wrap around the neck and embrace the chest. After one comes off, another one appears from som
Everything in Julie’s life had spun out of control. Her dream job as a hotshot corporate banker had turned into a nightmare. It kept her working late into the night. The heels and the power suit in the Sandton high-rise building felt no different to a prison suit in a jail cell. There just wasn’t enough hours in the day. “God, why?” she murmured to herself in frustration. “Why am I not in control?” Julie contemplated resigning from work.
But it filled her with guilt for the family she has to ta
Chanting Krishna’s name in mantra meditation is a concentrated effort. Although we remember Krishna here and there throughout the day, japa is a focused and full immersive experience in hearing the holy name.
The invitation to japa is to listen. To listen to the sound of the mantra through our own voice chanting it. Just hear, Prabhupada once said, Just hear yourself chant sincerely.
Our mind and body tend to get restless with extended listening to the mantra. The body may ache as we sit, or
We might wonder what is going on in the heart of the Lord when someone turns to Him. Any information about this would increase our desire to connect with Him manifold – but is there any reliable description, an example, a real incident?
This is very nicely answered in the following texts, where the Lord welcomes Gopa Kumara when he finally comes before Him.
The Supreme Lord said: “Welcome, welcome, My dear boy! I am fortunate – most fortunate – to meet you here. For so long I have been eager to
Prahlada Maharaja says, bharam udvahato vimudhan. Prahlada Maharaja, a great devotee, was offered a benediction by Nrsimhadeva: “My dear Prahlada, you have suffered so much for Me from your father’s side. He has chastised you in so many ways because you are My devotee. Now your father is killed. That is finished. Now you take whatever benediction you want from Me.” Prahlada Maharaja said, “My Lord, I have no problem, so why shall I ask You for anything? I have no problem.” Naivodvije para durat
Sages, avatars and the sacred texts called "Veda" all say the same thing, that the best action you can take in spiritual life is to embrace the company of spiritual comrades. And so that's what we did today, in a special way, as we do every year.
This year, two of our ladies in their mature years, arranged a lunch for those of the Canadian branch of our mission. But, wait a second, we had Americans in there too; one who qualified as a "Resister" or as we used to say "Draft Dodger". Yes, i
