By Kadamba Kanana Swami
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 March 2013, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 2.7.52)
Humility is something alien in the modern world. We had a comic in Holland; I saw it as a kid but it made an impression on me. It was a simple man; he had a cap on – a labourer type – and he was coming for a job interview which was happening in a big hall. The interviewer was sitting behind a glass with a screen so you couldn’t see him but his voice was coming out through a loud speaker
Active Listening
Adapted, with permission, from The Art of Teaching, by HG Bhurijana Prabhu
Who Owns the Problem?
The first step in trying to solve a problem is to identify who owns it, because you need to approach the situation differently if you own the problem or not. The owner is whoever is tangibly and concretely affected by the problem.
If the problem belongs to the other person, it is appropriate to listen, trying to understand exactly what is going on. If you own the problem, the counse
We may not be fully Krsna conscious, our love for Krsna may not be so deep and there may be other desires. But this is just restlessness. How much faith do we have in these other desires? Which devotee can claim to have full faith in sex life? We may be attracted to sex life but do we have full faith that it will make us happy? After having heard transcendental knowledge, it is hard to have full faith in material enjoyment. Still, we may have a flirtation with these desires here and there somet
On the 28th of February devotees will arrive for Sravana Utsava & Kirtan Mela, followed by the Pancha-Tattva Haha-Abhishek, festival inauguration, various festivities, Navadwipa Mandala Parikrama, and the grand celebration of Gaura Purnima on the 21st of March.
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By Kenneth R. Valpey (Krishna Ksetra Swami)
Introduction
In recent decades we witness increasing public awareness about the profoundly damaging effects of accellerating human production, consumption, and mobility on ecosystems of the world; and this awareness is accompanied by a deepening sense of urgency that “something” must be done to stop the current trends of environmental destruction. Environmental activism is now a mainstream activity for all sorts of individuals and groups, not least pe
By Karnamrita Das
Everyone falls short, or doesn’t progress as fast as they would like, on their spiritual journey. Can we ever think we love or serve Krishna sufficiently, when even great souls consider themselves deficient in devotion? Therefore, I always feel it is essential to portray my struggles as well as successes, so that devotees will be comfortable accepting and acknowledging where they fall short—at least with a select group, or a confidential friend. It is a sad truth that too
By Sri Nandanandana das
As the age of Kali-yuga moves forward, many people are wondering how bad social conditions will get before they improve, and what can we do about it now. Yet the Vedic texts contain a specific prescription for staying free from the heavy influence that this age of Kali-yuga brings.
In spite of all the changes predicted to happen in society and on the planet, there are still many ways, both material and spiritual, to stifle or even get free of Kali-yuga’s influence. If we
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.
SB 4.12.48, Translation and Purport:
The great sage Maitreya rec
By Sacinandana Swami
Recently I received a letter in which someone wrote: “I am struggling with the concept that Krishna fully loves the living entities. When I look at the way He deals with someone who does not surrender to His desires, it seems He is quite annoyed and punishes him with heavy circumstances like war, rape, death, doubts about the purpose of his life and many other sufferings. Is someone who creates cruel circumstances for all those who don’t do His will really full of unconditi
By Nila Kamala das
On Sunday 16th December, devotees in Bali, Indonesia celebrated one of the biggest events of the year. Gita Yoga was the event and preparation for this event had taken months of determination and dedication. What is Gita Yoga?
Gita Yoga is an attempt by ISKCON Indonesia to share the teachings and importance of the Bhagavad Gita to the public. The event was held in the famous Bajrasandi Park. The day started early at 6am where the general public who flocked in by the hundreds
By Chaitanya Charan Das
If we see two people fighting over something trivial, we would naturally wonder: Why are they making such a big issue of this?
People fight not just because something is a big issue but also because they have nothing important in their life and so end up making something trivial important. The Bhagavad-gita explains that we all are pushed around by the three modes of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. And those who function in the mode of ignorance are giv
By Madhava Smullen
Around six hundred congregation members and newcomers visited ISKCON Philadelphia on December 8thto celebrate as the presiding Deities moved into Their beautiful, spacious new temple room.
The move had been planned for several years at ISKCON Philadelphia’s property in Mt. Airy, a diverse area where the temple attracts students, Indian community members, and local Americans of all backgrounds.
The property houses two multi-storey buildings – one a residence for householders
“Anyway, print books, distribute profusely, and that will be the best preaching work. What will your three minutes’ preaching do?—but if they buy one book, it may turn their life. So make this your important task, to print our books…and distribute widely, and that will please my Guru Maharaja. Never mind it takes little time to make progress, our process is slow but sure, and we are confident that if we continue in this way we shall go one day back to home, back to Godhead.”
– Srila Prabhupada
Gita Jayanti is the anniversary of Lord Krsna speaking Bhagavad-Gita to Arjuna. It is celebrated all over the world, especially in ISKCON temples.
The first ISKCON Kurukshetra temple was built in the main part of town. The second ISKCON Kurukshetra temple is at the Jyotisar, where Krsna spoke Bhagavad-Gita to Arjuna 5,000 years ago.
His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada wanted to build a temple at this spot many years ago. The Haryana State Government kindly gave ISKCON 6 acres o
In present days, the word “jayanti” is loosely used for someone’s birthday. However, this word is not meant for mortal beings. What most people don’t know about Gita jayanti is, when Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, it was not the first time that He spoke it. Gita jayanti is not the birthday of Bhagavad Gita. It is the day when Bhagavad Gita was spoken the first time on this planet during this particular yuga cycle.
This is clearly mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita itself when Lord
“Time and time again I am coming back to this point because it has become quite a common practice in India to present somebody as God or present oneself as God. We can see that those people didn’t even read Bhagavad-gita, and even if they did read, they didn’t understand Bhagavad-gita. The extent of their understanding of Bhagavad-gita is karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu kadacana. [Bg 2.47] “You work like a donkey and don’t worry about the results. Give the results to me”, that is their interp
This morning I happened upon this nice Study Guide on the Bhagavad-gita As It Is. It begins with the Introduction to the Bhagavad-gita, some notes on the Original Edition, the significance of the Bhagavad-gita, a philosophical synopsis, chapter by chapter summary, Q & A, and a suguested teaching syllabus. All in all ,a very nice presentation prepared by disciples and followers of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
We are offing it here as a free pdf download that you can
Vedic Stories for Children Volume 2, a CD produced by the world-renowned Bhaktivedanta Players, was launched during the Diwali and Annakut festivals at Bhaktivedanta Manor in England.
Over the two days the Bhaktivedanta Players peformed interactive skits, and The Kids’ Sankirtan Party, a group created by the Go Matsya book distribution team, performed a Ramayana drama. Meanwhile copies of the new CD were offered for purchase.
Volume 1 of the series was released on Gaura
By Sesa Dasa
Sesa Dasa, a member of ISKCON’s Ministry for Educational Development, looks at the place of ‘virtue’ in the lives of devotees. He notes the changes that thirty years of devotional practice have made to his outlook on life and takes lessons from Mahabharata about the apparent conflict between material and spiritual duty.
Thirty years is time enough. Thirty years, out of a life of fifty-one, spent in the Hare Krsna movement, is certainly time enough. A thirty-year period provides eno
