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Went for a night walk
Stepping through every block
With street lights lit
I passed by he and she
Appearing happy to be
Then saying that magic word
Sweeter than the best bird
In this chill of early spring
Warmth is slow to bring
And pedestrians are but few
Faces worn in a mood of blue
Why if you have all
Can't you pass a bright ball
Why the air of being down
Why the look with a frown
If you have the right spirit
The world is fine, don't fear it
But bankrupt are some
I'm passing a sign for CHUM
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Is God Partial?

By Gauranga Darshan Das

How would you feel if your parents are partial towards your sibling? Would you be comfortable when your teacher is biased towards your classmate? It is natural to expect from one’s superior or guardian a similar treatment as one’s equals receive. Any discrepancy in that leads to disappointment. Perception of partiality is painful and could demotivate people and slacken their spirits. What if one sees partiality in God?

Isn’t God Equal to All?

Yes. God is equipoised. He i

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Earth Day

By Giriraj Swami

Anticipating Earth Day, I thought of a prayer that resonated with me in my youth: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For He has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in His holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord.” (Ps

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Sri Balarama’s Rasayatra

By Deena Bandhu Das

From 5th Chapter of Bhakti-ratnakara

Balarama, the son of Rohini performed his rasalila in Ramaghat. This place is situated quite a long distance from where Krishna had his rasalila.

Balarama was the second body of Krishna himself and the depth of his real self was like the depth of a million oceans. He came to Vraja from Dvaraka and stayed during the two months of Chaita and Vaishakh to console Sri Nanda, Yasoda and the others. He pleased his sakhas in various ways. There a

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Activism
 
By Madhava Smullen

The ISKCON temple in Nyali in Mombasa, Kenya has recently completed the second phase of its construction – an apartment building to help care for the congregation and cultivate their spiritual lives.

The four-storey building includes ten apartments. Four of them are nearly 2,000 square feet each with three bedrooms; four are 1,600 square feet with two bedrooms; and two of them are 800 square feet each with one bedroom. All apartments also have their own kitchens.

In addit

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The Six Waves of Time – Part 1

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By Kadamba Kanana Swami

So the Lord is described as kāla-srota – waves of time. It is very interesting these waves of time. We see how it is described as the ṣaḍ ūrmayaḥ – the six waves. Actually everything comes into being, it grows, flourishes, and it gives off some by products. It begins to dwindle and then it ceases to exist. So these are also known as the six transformations – the ṣaḍ-vikāra. So the waves of time they follow a script which is the script of the Supreme Personality of Godhea

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Swans, Stars and Shakespeare

By Bhaktimarga Swami
 
It was an opportunity for one of those Tuesday excursions, when Jay had a day off and he could be the driver and companion for Connor and I.  Today's mission was to visit the Patels in Stratford, in their recently secured "Festival Inn" and then venture through some of the downtown shops of Victorian grandeur.  Maybe we could sneak by the Festival Theatre where Shakespearean dramas have entertained audiences since 1953, situated along the Avon River.
 
Well, we did those t
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By Achyut Gopal Das
 
"It may be possible to gild pure gold but who can make his mother more beautiful" - Mahatma Gandhi
 
We all exist because of our mothers. We owe our entire existence to them. But the scriptures explain that we have not one but a couple of them. Being connected to them is the way we can fill our life with love, nourishment and a sense of security. 
 
MOTHER OF BIRTH
A few days ago, while I was traveling in the train from Mathura to Delhi, I saw a young mother with her lit
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Gratitude for God’s Gifts

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By Giriraj Swami

If we are at all aware of how dependent we are on God–for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the very ability to eat and drink and breathe, to think and feel and will, and to walk, talk, and sense–we will feel grateful and want to reciprocate God’s kindness. We will want to do something for He (or She or They) who has done, and continues to do, so much for us.

Often we take things for granted until we lose them. I use my right hand to chant on meditat

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What is essential anyway?

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By Niscala Dasi

There are many things which we aspire for and even worship, which have no intrinsic value. They have value inasmuch as they are attached to values, and thus can serve perverted or promoting aims. Thus, though they have no value, they have a use. These things which we attach value to, are actually tools for values to be attached to. For example, a knife is neither good nor evil, but can be used for good or evil. It has a use, but no value.

What is it that we worship as human bei

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I Do At Times by Bhaktimarga Swami

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I do at times make use of the elevator on my way to the meetings.  I don't want to be late.  To join me on the lift was a delivery man with a bag full of coconuts and a pail of sugar cane juice.  We reached the elevated state of the fourth floor.  I'm glad he delivered even though it was our last day of meetings.  My preference is the bael juice that is also an option.  Bael cools down the bodily temperature, which is great because it's getting mighty hot these days.  It's the bael fruit that
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The Unique Proposal of Bhakti-yoga

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By Sacinandana Swami

Krsna says, “This process is the supreme intelligence of the intelligent and the cleverness of the most clever, for by following it one can in this very life make use of the temporary and unreal to achieve Me, the eternal reality.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 11.29.22)

Why is bhakti the most intelligent thing you can practice? Because you can take something that is useless – the temporary – to attain something that is very, very extraordinary. It is like investing a penny and then

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Too Proud To Hear

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By Kesava Krsna Dasa

So, we think we know it all, do we? We may have earned our Iskcon degrees, or may be senior devotees, and therefore do not have to hear from ‘less qualified’ or junior devotees when they give class. Will senior devotees want to hear from a ‘proud’ younger devotee, and will ’learned’ younger devotees want to hear from a senior ‘un-degreed’ devotee full of practical experience?

These thoughts will arise if the possibility of vaisnava etiquette is breached, or simple pride ca

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Sri Balarama Rasayatra

By Giriraj Swami

For Balarama Rasa-yatra, we shall read from Srila Prabhupada’s summary study of the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, called Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead—about Lord Balarama’s visit to Vrindavan after He and Krishna had been away from Vrindavan for many years.

In our meditation on the deity of the Lord, we begin from His lotus feet and then gradually progress upward to His ankles, knees, thighs, waist, navel, chest, neck, and face. Srimad-Bhagavatam is also a form

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Changing World by Bhaktimarga Swami

Vatsal is an outstanding brahmacari (monk) from Moscow, and he's spending a week with us in Toronto, which means the number of Russian-born bhakti-yogisfrequenting the temple ashram is increasing.  It's a delight to have him with us.  In general, I like the rigidity of our Russian followers.  They take their commitment more seriously than our regular North American contingent.  The Krishna Conscious following in Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe is huge.

And so the world is changing.

I went t
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Gaining By Giving - Winning By Serving

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By Achyut Gopal Das
 
"Life is like a game of tennis - in order to win, you have to serve well."

For two consecutive years, 2011 and 2012, we organised a contest for the school children across Goa called Gita Champions League (Henceforth referred to as GCL). We had a massive success with 3800 children participating the first year and 8600 children participating the second year. But, all this didn't come easily, we had to literally slog it out. Well, for that matter nothing wonderful comes ea
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Canto 1 of Valmiki Ramayana Released!

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”I have a great desire to translate the Valmiki Ramayana because that is authorized…I wish to translate Ramayana exactly the way I have done with Srimad Bhagavatam.” ( letter to Dinanatha N.Mishra dated 26 July 1975)

We are happy to inform that on the day of Rama Navami, Canto 1 (Bala-Khanda) in 3 volumes , translated by HG Vidvan Gauranga das was released by HH Jayapataka Swami at Sri Mayapur dhama.

Details of this edition can be seen at www.ruparaghunathavani.com.

To place order for the book,

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Hollywood To Holy Wood

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By Achyut Gopal Das
 
"One who experiences the real world in thier life, don't need the reel world experience to keep them alive."

Man has always been crazy about movies ever since they came into being with Hollywood leading from the front. And the craze seems to  keep increasing more and more with the advancement of technology. The thinking, eating, dressing, talking and practically every aspect of the lives of people is influenced by movies in small or big ways. Hollywood of America ha
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How to Live like Hanuman

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Readers of the Ramayana, the great epic of ancient India, cannot help but love Hanuman. Hanuman is considered one of the greatest servants of Lord Rama (an avatar of Krishna). How has this wild monkey won the hearts of all? And what does he teach us about living our best life?

1. He is always ready to serve: Hanuman sits next to Lord Rama with one knee on the ground ready to spring into action. Love is not just an emotion nor a noun…it’s a verb. Love means service. When Hanuman found Rama he d

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