Blog

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 Achyut Gopal Das

"In the end we only regret the chances we didn't take."

“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 Achyut Gopal Das

"There is only one happiness in life - to love and be loved."

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 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 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

By Giriraj Swami

“Although the sight of Lord Ramacandra is naturally blissful, when He is with His beloved Janaki, with Laksmana, and with His best servant Hanuman, His beauty increases manyfold, and whoever sees Him becomes immersed in the most exceptional ecstasy. This picture of Lord Ramacandra together with Sita, Laksmana, and Hanuman depicts the Supreme Lord in His especially compassionate mood.” (Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta 2.4.259 commentary)

We pray for their loving, compassionate glance.

H