Sometimes there are tests and we do not pass them. It means that we did not do our homework! Before a test, if you did not do your homework then you might fail the test even if it is within your capacity to pass it. In that way, we may fail certain tests.
If we have the means and if we carefully take shelter of the process of Krsna consciousness, then we will not fail our tests. But if we are not careful, inattentive and do not take shelter properly of the process of devotional service, then we
By Bhakti Caru Swami
Hare Krsna,
We were discussing about Srila Prabhupada, my experiences and associations with Prabhupada.
So from Mayapur Srila Prabhupada went to Bombay. The main reason for Prabhupada’s going to Bombay was a big Pandal program in Cross Maidan. In the main city of Bombay there is a large park called Cross Maidan. A program was arranged for Srila Prabhupada for three nights in Cross Maidan. When Prabhupada arrived in Bombay the devotees drove Srila Prabhupada to his quarters.
By Madhava Smullen
A devotee-owned company, Ra Vino Industries, based in Mumbai has created a line of personal and home care products with Ayurvedic properties, using the panchagavyas – milk, ghee, curd, dung and urine – of indigenous cows.
Ra Vino was started as a regular personal care business by director Urukrama Gopal Das in 2008, named after his home Deities of Sri Sri Radha Vinodji.
A special line of products made with panchagavya, named Cowpathy, was introduced in 2012 on the request o
In preparing for the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies’ Consciousness in Science 2019 conference opening ceremony at the University of Florida’s Harn Museum on Friday 18th January, so much interest arose that it was necessary for the organisers to curtail advertising efforts. The 225 capacity auditorium would not suffice. Spilling out into an overflow room that was streaming the event live, a total of 400 consciousness and science enthusiasts, scholars and student
Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii has announced that she will run for U.S. president in 2020.
An Army National Guard veteran, Gabbard was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012. She is the first Hindu ever elected to Congress; and one of the first two female combat veterans ever to serve in Congress.
She will be 39 on Inauguration Day in 2021, which if elected would make her the youngest president in American history.
According to the website Vox, Gabb
My dear Vidura, I have summarily explained the causes of devastation. One who hears this description three times attains piety and washes the sinful contamination from his soul.
By Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
The last instructions of Srila Bhaktivinoda thakura is found in his Sva niyama dasakam:
Sri Sri Sva-niyama-dasakam
“12 Verses of My Own Self-imposed Regulative Principles”
by Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura
The 1st Verse
(The Objects of Devotion Birth After Birth)
gurau sri-gaurange tad-udita-subhakti-prakara ne
saci-sunor-lila-vikasita-s utirthe nija manau
harer namni presthe hari-tithisu rupanuga-jane
suka-prokte sastre prati-jani mamastam khalu ratih
No
Whenever I visit Melbourne temple I like to go to some home programs if possible. Fortunately, there are twenty seven Bhakti Vrksa groups (meaning fruit-bearing tree of bhakti) in the suburbs where regular gatherings take place.
The evening usually starts with kirtan, then lecture and prasadam. The program was hosted by Sridhar prabhu and everyone was quite enthusiastic in participating and asking questions.
By Chaitanya Charan Das
We all worry sometime or the other. And to some extent, worrying is just natural and unavoidable because so many things that are important for us are not in our control.
Still, if we consider the amount of mental time we spend on worrying, we will recognize that it is enormous – and enormously unproductive, in fact counterproductive.
While there are no quick fixes to the problem of excessive worrying, still we can progress towards a solution by appreciating that the same
By Chaitanya Charan Das
In our times, equality is considered one of the most cherished values. Few things provoke as much indignation as incidents of discrimination – or even allegations of discrimination. Such outrage is healthy, for it helps create a world where everyone has equal opportunities.
Still, what is the basis for our longing for equality? Intuition, we might say – we innately feel that everyone should be treated equally. Yes, but what is the basis of that intuition? In other words,
Surfers Paradise, a suburb of the city of Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. A vivid blue sky reflects in glass skyscrapers rising behind a beach of golden sand. Sparkling turquoise waves crash as cool young people ride the crest on their surfboards.
Against this background, in downtown Surfers Paradise, is the Bhakti Centre, a small preaching centre located on the first floor of office building Trust House.
“Surfers Paradis
By Giriraj Swami
All of us–husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, children, students, and teachers–have duties, and sometime we begrudge the performance of our duties because we think their execution will impede our personal happiness. But duty is duty, and duty must be done. Even in the cold of winter, one must bathe. And even in the heat of summer, one must cook.
Speaking on Bhagavad-gita 1.27, Srila Prabhupada gave a wonderful example of two heroic souls who adhered to their duties even in the m
By Krishna Dharma Das
In its most recent survey on the subject of God, the National Centre for Social Research found that some ninety percent of us claim to be believers. One in five even said they had no doubts about God’s existence. Such statistics are perhaps surprising, given that education today tends to steer us toward more atheistic notions such as the’ Big Bang’ and evolution. Surprising also in the face of the widely touted suggestion that religion is the cause of most conflicts, a sug
A village was once attacked by wild boars.
Every day the wild boars would enter to rampage the food supplies of the village. The villagers tried various means to fight and chase away the wild boars but without much success.
One day a wise man approached the village headman to offer his advice. He told the villagers that they would need to follow all his advice and directions. Out of desperation, the villagers agreed. The wise man told the villagers to gather all the food from every household an
By Sunanda Das
2018 was a landmark year for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium both in terms of construction achievements and fundraising. And the entire TOVP Team is grateful to all the devotees worldwide without whom this would not have been possible. As our motto states, we are “Raising Lord Caitanya’s Temple by the hands of every devotee.” With only three years left to its scheduled completion and Grand Opening we call on all ISKCON devotees to keep their focus on this project and continue
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
There are many people all over the world who are adhering to some religion and are worshiping God! They speak about intimacy and about getting close. One day, I was preparing a seminar on the topic of prayer so I had researched different things on prayer. I looked on the internet to see if I could find something general on prayer and I found a quote by one Christian priest who said, “Whenever I pray, I realize how far away I am from God…”
When I read that, I was thinking
Vrndavana Vilasini was attached to a hippie life of independence but found that lifestyle to be no protection from painful events and the intense suffering they caused. In her travels around America, she met devotees, heard the holy name, and took prasada. Finally, she ended up back in Seattle, Washington, her hometown.
One day, I was visiting the Seattle temple when the president, Makhanlal, said to me, “Do you want to meet someone who loves God more than anyone else?” I said, “Sure!” A littl
By Sita Rama das
According to the ISKCON foundational document “Srila Prabhupada: The Founder Acarya of ISKCON” (The Founder Acarya) two ideas exist which are a rejection of Srila Prabhupada’s instruction for continuing the disciplic succession. One idea is to reject individual gurus, the other is to eliminate the GBC and have one acarya (p.24). ISKCON needs to foster both an “…intense common loyalty to ISKCON and the GBC…” and a deep “…full teaching relationship between individual gurus and di
Lord Krishna and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu come to just “one” Maha-yuga out of every 1000!
A very rare event because this means they both come just ‘’once’’ in a 24 hour day of Lord Brahma
Also all Maha-yugas happen during the day-time hours (between Sunrise to Sunset) of Lord Brahma’s day. So this means Lord Brahma’s day from Sunrise to Sunset equals 1000 Maha yugas, also known as a Catur-yuga and Divya-yuga which are -.
Satya Yuga is 1,728,000 human years,
Treta Yuga is 1,296,000 human years l
Looking back to 1987, I remember trying my best to counsel several weeping ISKCON Vaisnavas when they learned that their guru had just defaulted his position. Their guru was previously a dynamic, conquering her who shone like fire through preaching, making disciples, and leading the sankirtan movement. Yet, those weeping Vaisnavas sitting in my office would have traded all the joy they shared with him during the victories just to have him remain their own spiritually-healthy guru. These devotee
