70th Vyasapuja celebrations of HH Jayapataka Swami celebrated in a very grand and loving way by his disciples and well-wishers at ISKCON Mayapur. Over 14000 disciples congregated at Mayapur to glorify their beloved Gurudeva. Sri Mayapur and Jayapataka Swami are synonymous. Maharaja once said, I know only three things- Mayapur, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Congregation preaching. His love for Mayapur dhama is no surprise as it is confirmed by Srila Prabhupada that “He is an associate of Sri Cait
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By Achyut Gopal Das
"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." - Theodore Roosevelt
CAREFUL
In my nearly two decades of being an active member of the preaching engine in ISKCON, I have seen so many people come and go - very few people remain committed, year after year. As responsible members of the organisation, we should see this partly as our fault that, we are not able to create systems to take care of them. We should feel sad for them that they have lost a
CAREFUL
In my nearly two decades of being an active member of the preaching engine in ISKCON, I have seen so many people come and go - very few people remain committed, year after year. As responsible members of the organisation, we should see this partly as our fault that, we are not able to create systems to take care of them. We should feel sad for them that they have lost a
By Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)
It is natural that at some point in our lives we ask, “Why is there suffering?” Or “Why am I not happy?” “Why can’t we simply go on with life and not undergo so many trials and tribulations? Why can’t God make a universe or world where there is no suffering?” Well, my answer to that is He already has, but we are simply in the wrong one.
Let me explain it a little more fully. First of all, we are all spiritual beings within material bodies. Most people at
By Madhava Smullen
Plans for a major new ISKCON temple in Columbus, Ohio have been scaled back slightly to push the project forward, and the process of construction drawings and hiring construction companies has begun.
The temple size has been cut back from 45,000 square feet to 30,000, while the price tag has fallen from $10 million to $7 million -- $4.5 million of which has already been raised or pledged.
Recently, engineers have been hired, and this month construction company Thomas & M
Thursday afternoon. It's sunny. People are out. It's winter-coat weather, but not for me. I feel lucky, rather free. Here on Bloor Street, at a time when the westerly sun streaks through, all appears so perfect. People are out and about.
Not all carry happiness with them, though. Some look glum. An elderly woman struggles with every step, with stick in one hand and hope in the other. Some are aware of their surroundings. Others are in a chat with someone elsewhere, with wires protr
By Achyut Gopal Das
"In the end we only regret the chances we didn't take."
A few weeks ago, I was doing a training program for our devotees at our ISKCON center in Siolim. My theme that day was to highlight the need for devotees to find their hidden potential. I was explaining, how important it is for every devotee to feel successful in life; how the growth of every organisation depends on the growth of the individuals within the organisation. I explained to them, how in the name of growth of
“Notre Dame is damaged; The Holy Name shines on.”
Some thoughts on the recent burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
I remember when I was a child, from five to nine, walking into Notre Dame while holding the hand of Esther, my Mexican nanny at the time – a devout, black-haired Catholic lady who would tuck me into bed every night by having me recite the “Padre Nuestro” (“Our Father”) prayer out-loud. She took me to Notre Dame regularly. Inside the Cathedral, where silence enveloped the air th
Bollywood beauty Shilpa Shetty took divine blessings of Lord Krishna along with her family. She visited the ISKCON temple in Juhu, Mumbai and was accompanied by mother Sunanda, son Viaan and sister Shamita Shetty.
The Shetty fam jam looked gorgeous in traditional Indian attire and Gopi Chandana or Tilaka on their foreheads. They worshipped Lord Krishna at the temple and sought his blessings.
Shilpa Shetty looks stunning in her mustard silk saree and gold jewellery. The Shetty family celebrated
Sri Rama Navami is always a bigger festival as it is just before the vyasapuja of HH Jayapataka Swami and thousands and thousands of devotees visiting Mayapur for Vyasapuja, come early to take part in Rama Navami also. In the afternoon, we had an abhisheka to “Shaligram Shila” and arati, Pushpajali offered to Sri Ramchandra.
A very grand procession of Sri Ram, Lakshman, Sita and Hanuman in bullock chariot , went around the campus for an hour amidst kirtan & dancing. The Lord accepted bhoga lovi
By Madhava Smullen
Sacinandana Swami’s famous Living Name Retreat – a deep and inspirational dive into japa and kirtan – is coming to New Vrindaban, West Virginia for the second time.
Around 150 devotees are expected to travel in from all over the USA as well as from Europe and other locations for the retreat, which will run Mother’s Day Weekend from May 10th to 12th.
The idyllic, tranquil countryside of New Vrindaban, away from the noisy and fast-paced cities many of us live in, will be the
By Bhaktimarga Swami
A conversation like this does take place from time to time when trying to pull someone out of the world of maya, matrix, illusion.
"But the taste is so good!" says the newcomer.
"What taste?" I ask.
"The meat. I like it. I've grown up with it all my life."
"That may be, but do you know that you are killing, and you are implicating yourself in negative karma?"
"What do you mean?" he asks.
"You are taking a life. There's violence. You are in the market of de
By Achyut Gopal Das
"There is only one happiness in life - to love and be loved."
Probably one of the most frequently used word in human dictionary is - love. The number of books, novels and movies made with this theme are unlimited. But most often than not what we consider to be love is not love but lust disguised as love. You see, on the surface both love and lust appear to be similar but in reality both of them are galaxies apart. Here are few thoughts which show the stark difference between
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
Everyone is an agent of the Lord. Everyone is part of the plan of the Lord. Some understand it, and some do not. The demons do not understand that they are actually also agents of the Lord’s destructive and oppressive force. They do not see that they are simply instruments of the Lord, and they resist being His instrument.
Bali Maharaja was a daitya. He was the grandson of Prahlada Maharaja. Somehow or the other, although Hiranyakasipu was a demon, Prahlada was a devotee
By Bhaktimarga Swami
I should have asked for his name. He was precious. Connor and I were on a mid-afternoon walk through Rosedale when an elderly gentleman in a trench-coat and hat, and carrying two bags of light groceries, came to a full stop to look at my monk's clothes.
"That must be really warm," he assumed.
"Well, yes it is and walking keeps me warm." I handed him a Walking Monk card.
"Where are you coming from?" he asked.
"From an ashram, a monastery."
"Well, I'm 99, and I
By Achyut Gopal Das
"At the end of the day I would rather be humbly sitting at God's feet than proudly bowing down to illusion." - Mahatma Das (Author, Spiritual master and Lifestyle trainer)
Better to be a servant in the spiritual world than a King in the material world because the King of this world also has to call it a day. As the Italian proverb goes - "Once the game is over, the King and the pawn go back in the same box." That's why all the scriptures and saints from all traditions impl
By Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)
While visiting Madurai and the surrounding area, it is easy to catch the early morning train for Ramesvaram. It is a relaxing ride (about six hours) as we head toward the coast. The first time I went there, it was a pleasant train ride all the way there, but the second time several years later everyone had to jump off and change trains about half-way there. Ramesvaram is a tropical island surrounded by coral reefs and sandy beaches with coconut palms and
From Back to Godhead
By Vishakha Devi Dasi
To ensure the health of our spiritual life, we must transform material hope into spiritual hope.
Hope—the recognition within the human heart that something better is attainable—can mean the difference between life and death. In Man’s Search for Meaning, Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl writes that the rate of deaths in the concentration camp increased after Hanukkah, even though there was no change in camp’s already horrible conditions. Why did more di
By Chaitanya Charan das
Question: Is the Ramayana, comprising as it does stories from ancient times, practically relevant today?
Answer: Yes, it is relevant because the stories, though from an ancient setting, embody timeless values.
From “me” to “we”
One of the primary values that it conveys – selfless sacrifice – is especially relevant in our present times that are characterized by obsessive selfishness. Contemporary culture largely glamorizes the “me” paradigm, which impels people to seek th
By Sri Nandanandana das (Stephen Knapp)
As of late, in the year 2007, the idea of whether Lord Rama exists or not has been called into question, by no less than some of the politicians in India. So it is a wonder how such persons can be accepted as leaders of the people of India who should be concerned with preserving and protecting the culture of the country. Obviously, they are neither concerned nor aware of the depths of information that can be found in support of the traditions for whi
By Madhavananda Dasa
“A brahmana sees through the sastras.
A king sees through his spies.
A cow sees through its nose. (to detect eatables)
And, an ordinary man sees through his eyes.”
Canakya Pandit
The above quote (also quoted at the beginning of Shyamasundar prabhu’s article) would very firmly establish that Sri Lanka IS the Lanka of Ramayana as there are innumerable shastric references to confirm this fact. I feel that the main premise for Syamasundara prabhu to not accept Sri Lanka as
