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Audio to Text Fidelity Project

Srila Prabhupada spoke in an interview in 1968:

“We have got so many branches, they want to hear me, my singing, my speech, therefore they record it and send it to different branches.” 

Interview – February 1, 1968, Los Angeles

In June of 2019, the Bhaktivedanta Archives completed the release of all of Srila Prabhupada’s audio files. It is now confirmed, there are over 2,400 hours of audio in 3,804 files to be listened to attentively. This is a great victory for his devotees!

Indeed, the devo

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Ratha Yatra is a festival of ecstasy because Lord Caitanya knew very well that Krsna cannot be happy outside of Vrndavana. Vrndavana is the place where He belongs! Vrndavana is the place where everything is designed for Krsna, and therefore Krsna can only be happy in Vrndavana. So Krsna had to be brought back to Vrndavana.

How could Krsna be in Dwarka? That is not the place where Krsna is at home. In Dwarka, Krsna is in separation. In Dwarka, Krsna can never be satisfied. Dwarka is so opulent t

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16 years ago, after graduating from UCL with a management degree, I opted to leave it aside and embrace monastic life instead. Ironically, it’s all come full circle; dealing with people, projects and practicalities is a sizable section on the modern monastic menu. I must have some management karma to burn off. Balancing spiritual immersion and practical politics, however, is incredibly challenging.

You have to be alert, streetwise, tuned in, and sensitive enough to deal with the complexities an

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Pravin Wakle Prabhu and his team of young Youth Forum devotees at ISKCON Chowpatty very enthusiastically distribute books after work. Pravin works at a software firm in Lower Parel. After work he and his devotee friends put up stalls at either D-mart or at some spiritual event happening around the Thane / New Mumbai area.
Here’s one of the heart-warming experiences he told us about.

On a Sunday we were in Juinagar distributing books near a pandal put up on the occasion of a major spiritual disc

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How often you shout at your friends not to tag you on Facebook photos?
Did you ever had thoughts of wearing burka?
Did you ever fasted to loose weight & then after 1-2 days because of hunger ate whole fridge then sat & wept?
If you practice spirituality, did ever your yearning for God increase seeing a fresh line on your face?
Or did you once went out with your beloved. You both enjoyed & captured lots of photos. Both of you were so happy. But the next day you saw your photos to remember the pr

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After graduating from high school in 1966, my friend and I went to the Village in New York City to check out the scene. While there, we heard a, ‘ching, ching, ching, ching, ching, ching’ and turned around. Looking through the intense heat waves we saw, in double file, a group of somebodies or somethings in saffron orange clothes, singing, playing instruments, and floating down the hot sidewalk. I turned to my friend and said, “New York sure is a weird place. Let’s get out of here!” She and I c

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Mayapur Miracles By Mukunda Goswami

Activism
 

After a decade-long struggle with the West Bengal government (formerly Communist-dominated), some good news is finally underway. 

The 700 acres of Sridham Mayapura land, in titles of individuals, is soon to be amalgamated so that ISKCON can official own all of it. The land is valued at approximately 300 million US dollars. The stamp duty, registration and other transfer fees, totalling about 6 million dollars, is being waived because of ISKCON’s non-profit status. 

The ISKCON Mayapur city, h

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By Jagat Sakshi dasa

Former Minister of foreign affairs Sri Sushma Swaraj ji is no more among us.
May Lord Krishna grant His mercy to this soul. In 1998, Sushma Swaraj ji inaugurated our ISKCON Delhi Temple with the then Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji.
Iskcon will always remember the work she did. He helped Moscow temple and Geeta as well. She behaved with great humility and she used to be interested in learning about the spreading of ISKCON.
Condolences: 
We pray at the Lotus feet

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Activism
 
By Cintamani Dasi
 

Between July 22 and November 30, ISKCON Chile is developing its first census of ISKCON Chile, with the purpose of providing statistical data of interest about the community of devotees in the country.

"How many are they? Where are they? How are they?" are some of the questions that this initiative seeks to answer. This is the first time ISKCON Chile is developing a project of this kind.

Dinesvari Krishna Dasi, disciple of Jayapataka Swami and anthropologist by profession,

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Bed of arrows by Kadamba Kanana Swami

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Bhismadeva was lying on a bed of arrows. I do not know if you ever had any injuries, but if you did, then usually you call the ambulance and that is it; off you go to the hospital. One arrow is enough. You can tell that one arrow or one bullet will do. But hundreds of them is far too intense! But somehow, Bhismadeva was lying on this bed of arrows, and he was totally self-contained. He was not overwhelmed whatsoever. He was able to do this not just by sheer willpower, but by not identifying wit

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The other day in Saskatoon, Chief Pratt of the First Nations, was on the stage giving his speech at the Festival of India,  and said, "They used to call us Indians."  People laughed.  He then went on to explain that Columbus set sail from Europe in search of the bountiful land of India and then reached the shores of the New World thinking that perhaps they had accomplished their goal, or at least came upon a place of wonder —North America.  It was nice to have the Chief present.

When I arriv
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By Nandini Radha devi dasi

From Caitanya Mangala by Locana Das Thakur (Chapter 2)

Narada Muni Visits Dvaraka

Murari Gupta continued, “Thus the great sage Narada, seeing the miserable condition of the people in Kali-yuga, thought deeply about their deliverance. Knowing that only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna Himself, could rectify the situation, Narada Muni set out for Dvaraka, in the spiritual world.

“At that time, Lord Dvarakadisa, having just spent the night with Queen Saty

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Hare Krishna and pranams dear devotees,

This is the third in the series of articles and letters by great acharyas in Gaudiya Vaishnava disciplic succession. In the previous blogs we read the amazing article of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur on Lord Jagannath and the incredible letter written by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur to one of his disciples giving multiple gems on what should the mood a practicing devotee.

Today I am posting a letter by Srila Prabhupada to India’s then prime ministe

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Lifestyle
 
By Madhava Smullen
 

SoultoSoul (https://www.soultosoulfriends.com/), a new educational lifestyle project based on the principle of simple living and high thinking, aims to inspire people to discover their true selves through food, yoga, sustainability and music. 

Creators and couple Gopinath Bhadra and Britta Eulig hope this will create a revolution of consciousness and give seekers a stepping stone to Krishna consciousness.

Because it’s so easily accessible online, the project could be the

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The Fest by Bhaktimarga Swami

The North Saskatchewan River is one of those majestic streams of water that connects with communities in the Canadian prairies of which this fine city is one.  Our Chariot Fest for this place runs partially along this River, culminating at Meewasin Valley Park.

The chief of police joined us as he did last year.  Chief Cooper is one of those cool officers, very popular with the kids.  And Vice-Chief David Pratt, representing the Seventy-four Nations (tribes) of the province got on the stage to w
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Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

On July 25th, 2019 two Russian devotees died in car accident. The departed devotees are Vaninanth Prabhu (brahmacari from Nizhniy Novgorod temple, disciple of Gopal Krishna Goswami) and Nandakisor (14 years old Gurukula student). They were going to Sankirtan tour when their car was hit on the highway by a big truck. There were two other devotees in the car – Adhoksaja Prabhu (sannyasa candidate and Sankirtana l

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By Visakha Priya Dasi

Sacitananda dasa passed away on July 27.

His Grace Satcitananda dasa was born in 1950 as Ashok Gulab in what was then known as Rhodesia. His father had left his native Gujarat (India) at the age of two, and his mother joined him in what had since become Zimbabwe after her marriage was arranged with Satcitananda’s father. Their son grew up in Salisbury (now Harare) and was educated up to A level. He then joined his father’s business as a general merchant in the smaller town

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Good Chats by Bhaktimarga Swami

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It is a familiar location for me, as Ananda and I stepped carefully beside the pond in John Avant Park with its dry and sometimes slippery edge.  It's a man-made body of water, dug to address excess storm-water.  A great job was done with the landscaping, and tree and bush plant management around the pond and the adjoining creek.  Very pretty! https://www.instagram.com/p/B0WsnxOgm_a/?igshid=9xx3w5fsj5l3

A question came to mind, which I consider natural, as a visitor to this province and city
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