What benefit will renunciation alone give us? Simply by fasting, simply by giving up the world will we get the mercy of Krsna?
No! By embracing devotional service to Krsna is how we will get the mercy of Krsna. But in the course of that service, there is so much to renounce. Within the course of devotional service to Krsna we have to give up so many things but separate renunciation is not required. It is not that he who eats less than everyone else and he who sleeps less than anyone else will h
By Nila Kamala
ISKCON Bandung
Bandung is a small island in Indonesia. The annual anniversary of the city took place on the 21st of October this year. To celebrate this event, throughout the city there is a parade with a variety of arts, acts and performances. As usual, the devotees joined the parade being invited by the Government.
“To implement this transcendental bliss to the people of your country there is immense work to be done ahead and this Ratha-yatra festival is only a bit of sample.
By Jatayu dasa (SDG)
Learning to appreciate the devotees is a Vaisnava etiquette that helps us in our quest for purification, especially the appreciation of senior devotees.
I have always been slow to understand this but as time passed I began to develop a certain admiration for those devotees who came before me. This is due largely to the fact that I have become a senior devotee.
I can’t say that I always act like a senior devotee so I guess I am senior by default, simply because of time only.
By Sunanda Das
There are many transcendental ways of interpreting the Lord’s most special lila as Damodar, the child Krishna Who is bound by the belly to a wooden grinding mortar with rope by Mother Yasoda. This article focuses on the significance of Mother Yasodas’ rope always being two inches too short, no matter how much rope she kept adding. And how the TOVP, like Lord Damodara’s own body will only be bound and finally completed by great endeavor, devotion and love on our part, and the fina
By Gauranga Darshan Das
Pure love manifests as the desire to serve the beloved in all circumstances, without considering personal unhappiness.
Love is Eternal
Every living entity is a part and parcel of God, and thus has an eternal relationship with Him. Although one has relationships with many others in this world, they begin when one enters a material body and end while leaving the body. But one is eternally related to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. The source of the love within all of us is Krs
Modern materialistic science is not sure about the origin and nature of most psychic phenomena including dreams. This information can be found in Vedic scriptures.
Srimad Bhagavatam 6.16.53-54, 7.7.25 or 7.15.61 describes three material states of consciousness:
1. jagrata, awakened state (beta, 14 - 20 Hz)
2. svapna, dreaming state (alfa, 7 - 14 Hz)
3. susupti, deep sleep (theta, 4 - 7 Hz)
Beyond them is the fourth state (turya) which is non-material (SB 6.5.12, 7.9.32, 7,15.54). On this level
The fifth day of the GBC Meeting was evoked with the auspicious spiritual initiation ceremony by Bhakti Charu Swami and it marked the fourth installation ceremony of the ISKCON Kanpur temple. Four years ago, it was on Dusshera or Rama Vijaya Dasami day, that the splendid Kanpur temple was inaugurated and the Deities were installed with grandeur and pomp. Zonal Secretary of ISKCON Kanpur, Devakinandan Das recalled, ‘Srila Prabhupada always desired a temple to be erected
By Karnamrita Das
As I recover from the flu
I realize that my whole life
is about recovering from impositions.
Think about yourself as a soul
with no material identity or externals—
what then belongs or covers you?
The body we are so attached to—
whether we like it or not—
gradually deteriorates and turns to dust.
Our material ego fiercely defends impositions
or whatever temporary position or possessions
we define ourselves by or think "this is me.”
I am a “this or a that,” a created handle
we
In the chapter of the Krishna book titled “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb” Srila Prabhupada cautions against the tendency to be a bit impersonal towards God. We understand that Krishna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has both personal and impersonal aspects – He is simultaneously one with everything and different from everything. It’s easy to see and appreciate the power and energy of Krishna in the world in front of us, but sometimes not so easy to see or understa
The fifth day of the GBC Meeting was evoked with the auspicious spiritual initiation ceremony by Bhakti Charu Swami and it marked the fourth installation ceremony of the ISKCON Kanpur temple. Four years ago, it was on Dussehra or Rama Vijaya Dasami day, that the splendid Kanpur temple was inaugurated and the deities were installed with grandeur and pomp. Zonal Secretary of ISKCON Kanpur, Devakinandan Das recalled, ‘Srila Prabhupada always desired a temple to be erected in Kanpur. This did not j
By Madhava Smullen
The Jaguar’s Story, a children’s book written by Kosa Ely (Kosarupa Dasi) and beautifully illustrated by Radhe Gendron, has received two prestigious awards this week.
The book, which tells a charming story about two young Jaguar cubs in the Amazon rainforest, received the Gold Medal for Children’s Environmental Books from the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards 2018.
Moonbeam’s awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators,
For the first time, the ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC) meeting is being held in ISKCON Kanpur, India. Spiritual leaders from all over the world, from America to Europe, China, Africa, Asia, Australia, Russia, have come together to transform this small temple of Kanpur into a true spiritual United Nations. The GBC meeting begun on the 15thof October and will go on till the 21stof October. The last time ISKCON Kanpur hosted the global spiritual leaders was during its opening ceremony in
Please come and join us.....!
Deepen your relationship with the holy name - in japa aswell as in kirtan!
When..........? From the 22nd to the 26th of December 2018
We will leave Mayapur by bus at 5am outside the Main Gate, and we will
return on the 26th by lunch time.
The Retreat will be open to one and all - Men as well as Ladies!
* PRICE: The only price to pay for attending this wonderful event is an
intense greed for deepening our relationship with the holy name.
The entire ev
By Bhakti Raghava Swami
Towards the end of the Cow Culture Conference held in Kuala Lumpur on October 7, 2018, during the question-and-answer session, a devotee asked for practical advice on how to adopt a Vedic farm lifestyle. He wanted to know whether there are any model farms around the world that we could follow, and also what he, a city-dweller, could do if he were to live on a farm.
I was very happy he asked this question because it signalled to me that the devotee was keen t
From Back to Godhead
By Satyananda Dasa
Lessons on life, death, and living in a spirit of devotion
ISKCON devotees commonly use the phrase, “Going back home, back to Godhead.”Have you ever thought about what this means when a traveler is anxious to return home? Home is where our family is, where there are people who love us, who trust us. It’s the place we’re comfortable and happy. It’s the place we feel most natural.
The world we live in is foreign to the soul; we are strangers in a foreign la
By Radha Sakhi Dasi
Local media in past few weeks, has been mostly reporting news about political, sports and social events with paprazzi, but this time while covering the GBC Meeting, they were not just amazed and awestruck but they were deeply touched. Kurma Avatar Das has been in touch with the local media for quite some time now, and an event of this stature being hosted in Iskcon Kanpur obviously attracted a lot of media attention. He is mediating and coordinating the media coverage of the
Film stars, sports stars, rock stars, politicians, rich and mighty have innumerable fan following. Their fans surround their senses with the images of their beloved stars, decorate their houses with their pictures and keep each and every update of their favourite celebrity. They have a dream to meet their icons at least once in their life. They want to touch them to feel, want to shake hands with them, get their pictures cliqued with them and if possible have breakfast/lunch/dinner with them. B
By Madhava Smullen
At MAN-tra, ISKCON’s first ever men’s retreat last weekend, devotee men bonded and dedicated themselves to self-improvement. They learned how to find themselves, become stronger, happier and more productive in society, balance Krishna consciousness and other duties, and how to become better husbands and fathers. They also aired and addressed challenging personal issues not often discussed.
One hundred and twenty-five men attended MAN-tra, held from October 5thto 7thin New Vr
From Back to Godhead
The Vedic contribution to one of the central debates in Western philosophy.
Sam Surya goes to his city’s orphanage one day and makes a large donation. Elsewhere in town, Andy Andhakara robs a bank. What led these two to make such drastically different choices? Was it their own volition, or the force of some other factor? In other words, were their actions predetermined, or did Sam and Andy have free will?
These questions concern one of the pivotal debates in Western philos
Question: You mentioned the shooting incident. I am curious to know how this specific experience affected you in a personal way, if it is not too personal to share?
I will keep it simple. I do not want to speak about the material side of it, you know, the conspiracy, who pulled the trigger and all that. That is for the tabloid newspaper so we leave that out. I could see that the ultimate cause of all this was Krsna, so I did not get into the mood of who did it! It was Krsna who sent this to me.
