By Govinda Dasi ACBSP
For me, the reason I like to hear other devotees’ memoirs and experiences, such as in Siddhanta Prabhu’s “Memories” series, and Yadubar/Visakha’s “Following Srila Prabhupada” series, and even simple memories on Facebook, is that when I came to be with Srila Prabhupada, it was at a very different time. I love to hear what other devotees experienced. I love to hear their realizations. And I see the common thread of awe and inspiration at the time of their first meeting w
By Shyamananda Dasa
With a little more than a month to go for the great Kumbha Mela festival we can deliberate upon and try to implement in our lives some of the lessons it has to give us in order to enrich our spiritual realization.
The History in brief – The Kumbha Mela is centered around the episode from Srimad Bhagavatam where the demigods and demons joined hands and churned the milk ocean for the elixir of immortality. The king of the demigods Indra offending the great sage Durvasa muni an
“At the beginning of winter, there is a ceremony known as the Odana-sasthi. This ceremony indicates that from that day forward, a winter covering should be given to Lord Jagannatha.” – Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya-lila16.79, purport “.
In Rajapur Jagannatha Mandir in Sri Dham Mayapur, Lord Jagannatha is beautifully dressed in starched cloth on Odana-sasthi. On this day, devotees from the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir and the surrounding villages visit Rajapur to have this very special dars
By Pancharatna Prabhu
One of the problems with book distribution is that devotees who distribute books, they’re really focused in giving the books out, but often there’s not much follow-up.
Even devotees that put in the effort to follow up find it hard because the focus is on distributing books and getting as many books out there as possible. It takes time and a different focus to cultivate those who are interested…
So what is the solution…?
Listen to the interview with Pancharatna Prabhu as
Argentina saw a unique moment in ISKCON’s history on Thursday November 22nd. Two major Ratha Yatra festivals took place at the same time on both sides of the country – one in its capital city Buenos Aires, on the East Coast, and one in Mendoza, on the Western border of the country, at the foot of the Andes mountain range.
Hundreds of people participated in the Mendoza Ratha Yatra, reveling in the color and joy of the procession as Lord Jagannath’s chariot made its way around
Verse no: SB 9.9.9-12
Speaker: HH Bhakti Rasayana Sagar Swami
Date: 7 Dec 2018
SB 9.9.9
tatheti rājñābhihitaṁ
sarva-loka-hitaḥ śivaḥ
dadhārāvahito gaṅgāṁ
pāda-pūta-jalāṁ hareḥ
By Sutapa Das
Get and Give!
Introducing you to Cyrus and Syamalangi. This morning they were side-by-side packing their books ready to go out for distribution. The interesting thing is that one year ago Syamalangi met Cyrus in Edgware, UK, and gave him a book. He read it and is now living as a monk at the manor. Book distribution makes book distributors!
For Cyrus it was simple – if you get it, you give it. what we receive, we gift to others. The joy we experience, we share with the world. This
By Mahatma Das
Humility Means No Resistance
The third verse of the Siksastakam is trnad api sunicena – “one should be humbler than a blade of grass.” You may wonder, “How can I be humbler than a blade of grass?” Let’s look at one way this is possible.
May you always think of Krsna.
Mahatma Das
Do Not Resist
Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that grass doesn’t resist when it is walked on or thrown around. It doesn’t complain or scream out, “How dare you step on me or throw me here and there?!” As w
Met these “transcendental twins” in Norwich. They were with devotees in 80’s and one of them lived at Radhadesh. Over time they had lost touch. One of them asked for some beads – I said take two. Another asked for a book – I said take two. They looked at me and said – maybe this is take two of our spiritual journey!
Magical, mystical, memorable, miraculous and moving… what more can I say? The mission goes on… Sankirtan forever.
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
If you come to the temple once a week, that is spiritually poor! It’s a poor lifestyle. You don’t get much spiritual wealth. We must seek out devotees all the time. We must be eager to be with devotees. Even if it is at a distance, somehow or other, we must be there all the time as much as possible. That is eagerness.
By Devaki Devi Dasi
Envy is a very subtle and deep-rooted anartha within our hearts. It comes about because we want to be the supreme enjoyer, proprietor and controller. Therefore we tend to use any relationship for the purpose of establishing our superiority-no matter whether it is in relation to a superior, equal or junior. It is a certain state of heart and consciousness which externally manifests in any relationship. We have been carrying these tendencies with us in the subtle material body
The following is an excerpt from Purnacandra Goswami’s “Unspoken Obstacles on the Path to Bhakti”
Thrown from the Horse
Have you ever experienced an emotion rearing its head and throwing you? I was thrown off a horse at the age of twelve. I was winded and desperately gasped for air.
My riding teacher told me, “Get back on and try again.”
I could hardly breathe and thought, “No way!”
He continued with firm conviction, “If you don’t get back on now, you’ll never ride a horse again.”
Sensing the w
By Varsana Swami
The efforts, austerities, and practices involved with the acceptance as a disciple do not end with initiation. Rather they begin, in a formal sense, at that point. Whatever outer challenges or inner demons we have, will be overcome by Krishna’s grace for those who persevere in their vows. It is only those who quit who will suffer defeat.
Even as the connection and dependency between the words “disciple” and “discipline” are obvious, some devotees tend to be more attentive to
By Yamuna-devi dasi
I found this talk by Yamuna-devi, from the Pune Yatra 2001, so profound and powerful, I wanted to share it with you all. If you wish to learn more about—and from—this extraordinary devotee and disciple of Srila Prabhupada’s, you may visit the beautiful new website Unalloyed: The Yamuna Devi Legacy Project (www.unalloyed.org). —Giriraj Swami
Radhanath Maharaja has requested that my godsisters and I speak something. Last night, after we left the transcendental program and befo
Krishna Ksetra Swami: Prof. Ravi M. Gupta poses holding the book we co-authored: The Bhāgavata Purāṇa: Selected Readings. This is at the recent American Academy of Religion annual conference in Denver (a conference which some 8000 members attend). This photo is at the Columbia University Press booth, one of ca. 200 publishers of academic books on religion who display their books at the conference. What’s interesting is that Columbia has featured our book, setting a stack of them out in front. T
*MARATHON MEDICINE*
Well, feeling a bit slow and down in old age. Digestion problems, sleep probs, things ain’t what they used to be in ISKCON either and I got no taste for chanting and hearing. Where’s the movement going so many ask.
Maybe we should ask where am I going.
Well speak for myself I’m going on the Marathon – at least as much as possible with all the other services going on simultaneously.
I would recommend giving it a go no matter how slow.
*Join the marathon – miracle cure for su
Cultural appropriation has been a hot topic lately, in society and in particularly on university campuses. At its heart the term refers to disrespectful, offensive and ignorant use of another culture’s sacred symbols and traditions.
For instance, Native American ceremonial clothing has been worn in frivolous settings. The images of Deities or religious figures have been placed on tennis shoes. Or to use a particularly upsetting historical example, the sacred Hindu Swastik
December is a very special month. It is the month when all the ISKCON devotees, armed with sankirtan weapon, march in all the streets, knock at every door to distribute the most valuable treasure of books of Srila Prabhupada. They are determined to bestow all auspiciousness to every living entity, so that they have a very bright new year coming up!
ISKCON Mayapur Sankirtan buses go from villages to villages, to distibute books during this Marathon month & throughout the year. On 23rd Nov, inaug
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
I think it would be really nice if my disciples would have real, genuine relationships amongst each other – positive vaishnavarelationships. It would be something that would have power; power for ourselves. Such relationships would nourish us and it would attract people from everywhere, because the whole world is looking for deep and genuine relationships.
I have always looked for friendships in ISKCON, for real friendships. Sometimes in our movement, people ask, “Is tha
