By Dandavats Staff Writer

In 2024, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) celebrated several significant achievements and developments:

**Lifetime Achievement Awards for Stephen Knapp**: Stephen Knapp, known as Sri Nandanandana Dasa, a dedicated disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, received two prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards for his global contributions to spreading Krishna consciousness and Vedic culture.

**Launch of the 2024 ‘Live to Give’ Campaign**:

By Aseem Krishna Das

An event to glorify Srila Prabhupada, “Srila Prabhupada Smaran Utsav,” was organized in ISKCON Mayapur from December 21-23, 2024, on the occasion of the most sacred 85th Vyasa Puja ceremony of Subhag Swami. “Smaran Utsav” means a festival to remember, and thus, many esteemed disciples of Srila Prabhupada graciously attended the event. They shared treasures stored within their hearts gathered from their association with Prabhupada.

Subhag Swami inaugurated the grand festival

Devotees in Toronto, Canada, have been actively engaging in building relationships with government officials and faith-based organizations throughout 2024. Here are some of the events from the past year, shared by Vallabh Hari Das, who serves as Interfaith Coordinator for the ISKCON Toronto Temple, in addition being the Chair of Reimagining Rath Yatra, and Emcee for major ISKCON events across Canada.

Diwali and Bandi Chhor Celebration at Parliament Hill, Ottawa

Devotees were welcomed to a Diwali

In this YouTube Short, “4 ways to make the new year’s positivity LAST,” Chaitanya Charan Das uses “last” as a memorable acronym to offer practical advice for maintaining a positive mindset throughout the year. He emphasizes the importance of setting realistic goals, cultivating gratitude, surrounding oneself with positive influences, and engaging in regular self-reflection. These strategies aim to help individuals sustain the initial optimism that often accompanies the start of a new year. Click

From Back to Godhead

Providing inspiration for the world’s largest democracy.

“We say God’s on our side but the more important question to ask is are we on God’s side…” (George Washington)

Democracy is supposed to be ‘by the people, of the people, and for the people,’ but I fear it may soon be redefined as ‘buy’ the people, ‘off’ the people, and ‘far’ (from) the people,” exclaimed Suresh, a 25-year-old man I met while returning to the temple from an outstation program. He was disappointed tha

By Giriraj Swami

Today is the disappearance day of Srila Jiva Gosvami, one of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana, direct disciples of Lord Chaitanya. Srila Prabhupada writes, “Srila Jiva Gosvami composed and edited at least twenty-five books. They are all very much celebrated . . . After the disappearance of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami in Vrndavana, Srila Jiva Gosvami became the acarya of all the Vaisnavas in Bengal, Orissa, and the rest of the world, and it is he who used to guide them

“Sri Jagadisa Pandita is the savior of the world. He distributes the nectar of love of Krsna just like a dense mass of dark clouds in the sky distributes rainfall.” [C.C. Adi 11.30]

Sri Jagadisa Bhatta took his birth in the region of Gauhati. His father’s name was Sri Kamalaksa Bhatta, who was the son of Bhatta Narayana, who hailed from Goyghar Bandyaghata. Both the mother and father of Jagadisa were very devoted Visnu-bhaktas. After his parents passed away he came with his wife to live on the

Srila Jiva Gosvami’s Extraordinary Merit  

Appearing as the nephew of Srila Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis, Srila Jiva Gosvami  displayed all the charming features of a maha-purusa (divine person). He had lotus eyes, a high nose and forehead, broad chest, long arms, and a radiant golden body.

Srila Jiva Gosvami was the direct disciple of Srila Rupa Gosvami

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter Ten describes the branches of the tree named Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 1

sri-caitanya-padambhoja-
  madhupebhyo namo namah
kathancid asrayad yesam
  svapi tad-gandha-bhag bhavet

TRANSLATION

Let me repeatedly offer my respectful obeisances unto the beelike devotees who always taste the honey of the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If even a doggish nondevotee somehow takes shelter of such devotees, he enjoys the aroma of the lotus flower.

PURPORT

Srila Jiva Gosvami (CC Adi 10.85)
In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (195) it is said that Srila Jiva Gosvami was formerly Vilasa-mañjari gopi. From his very childhood Jiva Gosvami was greatly fond of Srimad-Bhagavatam. He later came to Navadvipa to study Sanskrit, and, following in the footsteps of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, he circumambulated the entire Navadvipa-dhama. After visiting Navadvipa-dhama he went to Benares to study Sanskrit under Madhusudana Vacaspati, and after finishing his studies in B

We are entering the New Year, and on such occasions we take stock of what and how we did in the previous year and what we want to do in the next. Studies have shown, and probably many of us have experienced, that most New Year’s resolutions are broken during the first week. Still more are broken in the first month, and almost all are broken within the first three months.

Why does this happen, and what can we do? We are creatures of habit. We have developed certain habits over however many years—

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=12226

By Janananda Gosvami

Hey that’s not what Prabhupada said. You’ve got it the wrong way round. He said ” resolution, then revolution, then dissolution—no solution!

What do you mean revolution? Another ISKCON reform, a changing of the guards, change the structure of the management, get rid of the tyrants at the top, throw out the guru system, bring in the uttama bhagavata, a philosophical revelation. Aha! An unveiling of the hidden mysteries of ISKCON history, the latest solve the problems techniq

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2) To see myself as a survivor rather than a victim.
3) To see how I truly am the architect of my own destiny and how my feeling, thinking and willing determine how my life takes shape.
4) I resolve to reaffirm my dedication to Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON with a view to take very seriously his statement that ISKCON is his body and become determined to heal that body or die trying.
5) I resolve to set my sights on the highest possible goal. Srila Prabhupada said he would know his mov

How to Change this Year? You Need to Freak Out!

Our cultural conditioning tells us we should make resolutions for the new year. Of course, the perennial problem is that most of us haven’t followed through on our previous year’s resolutions. And it can even get depressing to think about how many times this has happened. So maybe it is better we don’t make any resolutions this year. This way we’ll have nothing to lament about in early February when we haven’t followed through.

Well, actually I th

By Giriraj Swami

“For us, every day is a New Year. Nava-nava-rasa-dhamany. Our Krishna consciousness is so nice, the more you advance, the more you see new year, new year. That’s all. Nothing is old. People are seeing that ‘They are simply chanting the same old slogan, Hare Krishna.’ But we are feeling new pleasure in every moment. Take any other chanting, you cannot chant more than a few hours. But the Hare Krishna mantra we can chant perpetually. So, unless there is new enlightenment, how we c