By Madhava Smullen
A pioneer devotee is braving austerity to create a dream retirement home in Colombia’s lush Cauca Valley, for those who have dedicated their lives in service to ISKCON. And Lord Krishna is reciprocating as neighbors embrace the project and doors gradually begin to open.
This is not the first time Acarya Ratna Das started something from scratch – at 20 years old, he was one of a group of pioneer devotees who established ISKCON in Colombia. Today he sees many devotees of his g
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
During the month of Kartik, there is the chance to make special advancement. Especially whoever goes to Vrindavan is very fortunate because in Vrindavan, during Kartik, one can make many times more advancement under than under normal conditions!
Therefore, being in Vrindavan during Kartik is very, very special. But not all of us have the opportunity or the time to just leave everything and go to Vrindavan for Kartik but one can at least go in consciousness because the ac
By Giriraj Swami
As part of our evening program in Carpinteria during Kartik, we are reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9, “Mother Yasoda Binds Lord Krsna,” and tonight one verse and purport struck me as especially instructive:
TEXT 5
tam ankam arudham apayayat stanam
sneha-snutam sa-smitam iksati mukham
atrptam utsrjya javena sa yayav
utsicyamane payasi tv adhisrite
TRANSLATION
Mother Yasoda then embraced Krsna, allowed Him to sit down on her lap, and began to look upon the face of the Lord
By Adiguru dasa
In Krishna Consciousness we hear many viewpoints about spreading the movement of Lord Caitanya. In reality there is not one fixed way to attract a conditioned living entity. A conditioned living entity who has achieved a rare benediction of having a human body has a unique existence and is driven by a unique desire and a unique fear. Preaching strategies differ from person to person and community to community. We need to understand the culture of a place and a counter-culture.
During a visit to the picturesque ISKCON Radha-Damodara temple on the banks of the Tapi River in Surat, Gujarat, Lokanath Maharaja instructed the devotees to organize a padayatra. Following much discussion, it was decided to hold a three-day walk of approximately 12-13km a day beginning on September 30.
On the morning of departure, Bhakti Gaurav Narayan Maharaja inaugurated padayatra in the presence of Surat temple vice-president Vrindavana dasa and 250 devotees by doing arati and giving an in
The effect of chanting the names of Radha and Krishna is beyond material conception. We cannot describe it satisfactorily.
Krishna is so compassionate that if anyone calls His name even once, He destroys innumerable sinful reactions in their heart.
So kind is He that even if someone speaks his name accidentally, or even unwillingly, Krishna purifies them from millions of years of conditioning.
Srila Prabhupada: One must engage his tongue in the service of the holy name. Our Krishna consciousnes
The Gujarati dubbed DVD of the hit movie “Hare Krishna – The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami who started it all” was launched at the ISKCON Ahmedabad Ram Vijaya Festival on October 19th by the Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani.
Yadubara das, the film’s director spoke to the audience of 2,000 on Srila Prabhupada’s remarkable life and accomplishments and added that no one in history has done so much to spread the glories of India’s authentic spiritual culture than Srila Prabh
Heartwood Soundstage, an intimate venue in Gainesville, Florida will come alive at 7pm on Wednesday November 7thwith the second annual kirtan dance party and fundraiser by non-profit Bhaktiland Inc.
The show will feature performances by special guest C.C. White, known as the Queen of Soul Kirtan; and the Mayapuris, Dhanya, and MC Bali Rico with material from their current and upcoming albums.
Meanwhile Vrinda Sheth will read from the third book in her Sita’s Fire trilogy
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
Question: You have mentioned that logic can sometimes make us dull and this maybe is an example of how that works. In your class, I am trying to be logical and I am having a little difficulty, as what you have said seems like a circular kind of reasoning. You were saying that we are all running to apparent limitations and we have to break through these, we have to extend ourselves in order to get the mercy. But then you said that if we get the mercy then we will be able
By Giriraj Swami
Thinking of how valuable Krishna consciousness is and how few people are accepting it—and how people are suffering for want of Krishna consciousness—I felt somewhat discouraged, but then I thought of Srila Prabhupada’s encouraging words to a reporter from the New York Times, John Nordheimer, in September 1972.
“How many followers do you have?” Nordheimer asked.
“Well, this is a very difficult job, naturally,” Srila Prabhupada replied. “We don’t have a large number of foll
By Sadbhuja Das
We have completed the research for the ingredients that will be used for the coffered ceiling sections within the domes of the TOVP.
Based on that research we have found Glass Reinforced Gypsum (GRG) to be the most suitable material for our purposes for many reasons. In the video below you will find a description of the different properties of GRG.
Visit us at: www.tovp.org
Follow us at: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch us at: www.youtube
The second annual U.S. tour by Indradyumna Swami and company has made people feel more connected to themselves and each other, inspired spiritual awakenings, and moved audiences to tears.
The epic show of dance, theater, martial arts and live music has been touring Poland for 29 years to great success, and came to the U.S. for the first time last year under the name “Discover India.”
“Because it was a pioneer experience – new country, new audience – it was blissful,” sa
Gopal Krishna Goswami, ISKCON’s Governing Body Commissioner and Chairman of the India Bureau, along with Yudhistir Govinda Das, Head of ISKCON Communications in India, called on the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi at his official residence in New Delhi earlier today.
Gopal Krishna Goswami updated the Prime Minister with the various programs and activities being carried out by ISKCON – in India and internationally. He invited the Prime Minister to unveil the world’s largest Bhagavad G
By Yadubara Das
The Gujarati dubbed DVD of the hit movie “HARE KRISHNA – The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami who started it all” was launched at the ISKCON Ahmedabad Ram Vijaya Festival on Oct. 19 by the Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani.
Yadubara das, the film’s director spoke to the audience of 2000 on Srila Prabhupada’s remarkable life and accomplishments and added that no one in history has done so much to spread the glories of India’s authentic spiritual culture than Sril
How do I deal with a relationship where there is a lot of friction?
Such things are all a matter of stars. Astrology can show us how people’s karma is composed. It basically calculates different elements in a person’s nature which allows us to get a view of what kind of karma that person has. So when two people come together, astrology allows us to see if there is compatibility between those people. Sometimes when such calculations take place and the result comes to maybe ninety percent, and
By Nila-kamala das
On the 22nd of October 2018, His Holiness Subhag Swami Maharaj was invited to speak about the importance and the significance of the Hare Krishna Movement to an audience of 200 students, faculty chairmen and faculty secretaries. The Islamic State University is a prestigious institution in Bandung with many departments. The university gives their students a chance to go deeper into scientific disciplines, sciences, Islamic studies and studies of other faiths.
‘…it is nice that
It is not possible to have a pure and noble character unless one is a spiritually realised person. It is not possible unless one has an attitude of servitorship towards God. Ultimately, that is where all good qualities come from and that is the only reason to maintain good qualities. There is a philosophy called humanism and basically, it resembles religious behaviour – you are charitable, you are kind, you are merciful and all these things, but there is no God. We try to develop all these qual
Giriraj Swami: Today is the disappearance day of Sri Murari Gupta. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter 10, describes him:
TEXT 49
sri-murari gupta sakha—premera bhandara
prabhura hrdaya drave suni’ dainya yanra
TRANSLATION
Murari Gupta, the twenty-first branch of the tree of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, was a storehouse of love of Godhead. His great humility and meekness melted the heart of Lord Caitanya.
PURPORT
Sri Murari Gupta wrote a book called Sri Caitanya-carita. He belonged to a va
By Giriraj Swami
A Talk by Giriraj Swami October 17, 2005 Sri Sri Radha-Radhanatha Temple Durban, South Africa
We welcome you to this most auspicious place, the temple of Sri Sri Radha-Radhanatha, on the most auspicious occasion of the beginning of Kartika, in the most auspicious association of Lord Krsna’s devotees. Kartika is also known as the month of Damodara (dama means “ropes,” and udara means “abdomen”), or Krsna who allowed Himself to be bound about the waist by the ropes of His devotee
By Mahatma das
From the beginning of Prabhupada’s preaching in New York he spoke about the development of an international society, but his new followers couldn’t imagine Krsna consciousness going beyond the walls of the little storefront on 26 Second Avenue.
Fortunately Prabhupada didn’t share their vision. He had such a deep faith in Lord Caitanya’s prediction and the instructions of his Guru Maharaja that he said the Krsna consciousness would someday go down in history for changing the world
