Hearing Srila Prabhupada Solves All Our Problems
Srila Prabhupada once said that when devotees give up practicing Krishna consciousness it is ‘fifty percent their fault, and fifty percent ISKCON’s”. In this article I would like to explore what I perceive as a systemic problem contributing to our society’s fifty percent of the blame.
It is surely surprising that someone should get as far as seriously following the process of Krishna consciousness, only to give it up again. Most of us experienc
(An Excerpt from the book Mysteries of the Ancient Vedic Empire, by Sri Nandanandana dasa–Stephen Knapp)
As we look over the various cultures and religions of the world, we may ask if all religious systems are divine. Though they seem to conflict with each other on various points, still there are many areas of truth in which they all agree. Or you could say that some of the same essential truths can be found within each of them. And by a careful comparison, we can trace the essence of that trut
From Back to Godhead
What is the effect of chanting Hare Krishna?
The names of the Lord in the maha-mantra Hare, Krishna, and rama are invested with His full potencies. Singing God’s names, therefore, is to contact Him through the medium of transcendental sound. Thus, the effect of chanting is the same as the effect of directly associating with the Lord. The following beautiful verse, written by Lord caitanya, describes the seven effects the Hare Krishna mantra has on chanters.
ceto-darpana-mar
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Pranada Comtois, author of the book The Bhakti Trilogy, has launched a comprehensive new YouTube series called “Exploring Bhakti” to provide modern seekers with a systematic and accessible introduction to the philosophy and practice of Bhakti. The series addresses a significant gap in online resources for those seeking to understand Bhakti philosophy in a methodical, comprehensive manner.
Pranada explained that the inspiration came after noticing the lack of q
King Yudhiṣṭhira was known as ajāta-śatru, or a person who had no enemy. Therefore, when all the men, demigods, kings, sages and saints saw the successful termination of the Rājasūya-yajña performed by King Yudhiṣṭhira, they were very happy.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “My dear King Parīkṣit, your grandfather King Yudhiṣṭhira was a great soul. His congenial disposition attracted everyone to be his friend, and therefore he was known as ajāta-śatru, one who never created an enemy. He engaged all the m
By Yogesvara Gopinath das
Date: September 21, 2025, Location: Ilford, East London
Sunday, 21st September was a very special day as the East London Hare Krishna Community got an opportunity to organize the 12th Jagannath Rathyatra Chariot festival in Ilford.
This was the annual Chariot festival when the Lord of the Universe (Lord Jagannatha) shows his mercy on everyone. There had been a lot of planning and management going around for more than 3 weeks to make this festival a success and a joyful
By Radhika krpa dd
In the year 2020, our beloved Guru Maharaja gave me the divine target of 1000 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets for distribution. With his causeless mercy and the blessings of Srila Prabhupada, I with my Peacefood Devotional Family; the sincere souls connected to me humbly kept striving year after year:
Progression of Sets Distributed: • 2020 – 425 sets • 2021 – 525 sets• 2022 – 565 sets• 2023 – 626 sets • 2024 – 805 sets
The Peacefood Devotional Family is a gathering of sincere souls, c
Disagreement over issues is not as disruptive as disagreement over the importance of the disagreements
When we see disruptive disagreements among friends who share our faith, we feel distressed. Why? Because we practice our faith to experience peace, not strife. Indeed, the specter of religious conflicts drives fence-sitters towards agnosticism, atheism or even anti-theism.
Why do such disruptions occur? Not because of the disagreements themselves; we can live with disagreements, and we often
When 15-year-old Kavan Pandya looked around his temple community at ISKCON Houston, he saw a challenge—and an opportunity. Every week, mountains of disposable plates, cups, and food scraps piled up after meals at Govinda’s Restaurant and Gauranga Hall. But instead of despairing, he decided to act.
“I am honored to share that our temple has recently launched a full composting program, making sustainability a core part of our service,” Kavan shared with an audience of North American leaders gather
From Back to Godhead
When Krishna leaves Vrindavana to become the ruler of a great kingdom, He remains the same Krishna, the treasure of His devotees’ hearts.
The Krishna deity worshiped at the Hare Krishna temple in Los Angeles, where I live, is named Dvarakadhisha, “the Lord of Dvaraka.” Dvaraka is the pristine island Lord Krishna rules in His adult years. (Although Krishna lived in Dvaraka when He was present on earth five thousand years ago, Dvaraka exists eternally in the spiritual world.
1 Sri Narada said: Asked by whom, and for what reason did Lord Krsna, the master of the universes, come to the earth? O best of the knowers of the Vedas, please tell.
2 Sri Narayana Rsi said: In ancient times, during the Varaha-kalpa, bearing a great burden and filled with grief, the earth took shelter of the demigod Brahma.
3 Accompanied by hosts of demigods, who were all unhappy at heart to be so troubled by the demons, she went to the assembly of Brahma, which is very difficult to attain.
4
Some suggestions on how to stay inspired.
Somehow, it happens that our motivation in Krishna consciousness may falter. Usually that faltering comes in the form of lacking the desire to do some practical service, associate with devotees, or develop our spiritual practices, such as improving the quality or quantity of our chanting or of our reading of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Whenever this happens to me or a friend, I realize the urgency and fragility of devotional service and the importance of
The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) is set to host a special hybrid screening of Nature’s IQ, a visually striking documentary that blends science, philosophy, and art. The film is based on the award-winning book Nature’s I.Q.: Extraordinary Animal Behaviors That Defy Evolution by Īśvara Kṛṣṇa Dāsa (Dr. István Tasi) and Balázs Hornyánszky, and is directed by Kristina Danka, Ph.D. (Krishna Lila Devi Dasi).
Scheduled for Saturday, September 27, at 1:00 PM EST, the event will take
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi,
ISKCON Australia’s Women’s Minister, Krishnarupa Devi Dasi (ACBSP), was recently invited to serve as a faith-based project advisor for the “Faith as a Strength: Prevention of Violence Against Women” initiative. The program, launched by Australia’s peak body for preventing violence against women, Our Watch, in collaboration with the Nossal Institute for Global Health at Melbourne University, brought together religious leaders from diverse traditions to develop
As devotees, we don't realise the great fortune of being able to wear the attire of a Vaishnava, apply Tilak on our forehead, wear Tulsi beads on our neck, chant the Holynames of Krishna, associate with His wonderful devotees, engage in His service, honour His prasadam, visit His holy dhamas, circumbulate Tulsi, see His holy deities, hear His Katha, participate in His festivals, read His words in the scriptures. These are by no way ordinary activities. These are blessings of an immeasurable kin
From Back to Godhead
False Prestige heads a list of weeds, such as Lust, Greed, and Anger, that block the growth of the vine of Bhakti.
Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita metaphorically describes love of God as a creeper, or vine. The following story is based on that metaphor.
I reared my head like a cobra, not to strike at someone but to catch the sun. Holding a jumbo glowing flower at the top of my green leaves, I dominated the garden with my presence.
My name is False Prestige, and I call myself an
Lord Kapila was very much satisfied by His mother’s questions because the answers stimulate one’s desire for liberation from the conditional life of material existence. Such questions are called apavarga-vardhanam.
Those who have actual spiritual interest are called sat, or devotees. Satam prasangat. Sat means “that which eternally exists,” and asat means “that which is not eternal.” Unless one is situated on the spiritual platform, he is not sat; he is asat.
The asat stands on a platform which
By Shyama Krsnapriya Devi Dasi
The School of Rupanugas is offering three upcoming online courses in Hindi this fall to help deepen devotees’ spiritual understanding and strengthen teaching capacity within the movement. The ISKCON Disciples Course, Teachers Training Course 1, and Teachers Training Course 2 will all be conducted online, making them accessible to participants across India and beyond.
The ISKCON Disciples Course held from September 29 to October 3 is designed to help devotees bette
From Back to Godhead
There are at least 300 books available at your online bookseller dealing with anger. Many of them just contain pop-culture variety of self-help advice on the dangers of uncontrolled anger. Anger is just one letter short of danger as these experts remind us. Lord Krishna, in the very beginning of the Gita encourages Arjuna to control anger and praises someone who has successfully done it as “a sage of steady mind.” It is quite natural to see many people today disbelie
