WHAT IS ONE ACTION YOU COULD TAKE THAT WOULD IMPROVE YOUR LIFE? As I contemplate my upcoming talks with the title, "Facing Death to Live More Fully Today?", I have realized that this is more of a workshop than a lecture. My talk can't just be words, but has to be an extension of my heart and how I live my life. That, and the empowerment from above/within, will give my words the power to connect to the audience. I have to speak to each person in the assembly.
What I have done in preparation is t
". . .the Brahma-samhita (5.44)says, sristhi-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-shaktir eka chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibhartidurga. Maya is like a shadow of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who serves Him in the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this world. Just as a shadow has no independent power of movement but follows the substance that casts the shadow, the illusory energy of the Lord has no independent power, but bewilders the living entities according to the Lord's desire. One of Krishna's
Last week, I was asked to present to a big group of about forty people on the importance of data quality. I was planning to use a spreadsheet I created a month earlier for this meeting. So I was confident about the presentation since I already knew what was in the spreadsheet and all I needed to do was do a last minute inspection before the actual meeting. About 20 minutes before the meeting, I opened the spreadsheet and reviewed what I had done earlier. To my utter dismay and shock, I could n
Hacha Puri and the Peace Formula!
Govinda Swami: Saci, Vrindavan Kirtan, and I arrived in Moscow yesterday afternoon.
On a chilly Moscow afternoon we were warmly received by Radha Raman Giridhari, Sri Rupa Manjari, Sarasvati, and Master Baladev.
We then travelled from west Moscow to south to the home of Nandi Mukhi and Radha Preyan to spend the night. They are Georgian devotees that date back to the early, early days of ISKCON during the Soviet Union.
They are both from well-to-do families dur
Harikesa das: I had been cooking for Prabhupada for a long time, but I reallyhad a hard time making chapatis because we were always in places where there were no proper stoves. To make a good chapati you need a gas stove at leastor coals, and here we are in Mauritius and I'm cooking in a closet on a one-burner electric stove that didn't even have enough power to boil water and I have to make a full meal that he likes up to his standards. So Prabhupada was complaining and complaining about the c
Draupadi. Her admirable character is revealed in the most humiliating incident of her life – her disrobing by the wicked Dushasana. Though victimized in body, she refuses to be victimized in her heart. Her exceptional character transforms the lowest point in her life into the highest point. The incident in which she is the most dishonored, she emerges as the most honorable.
On that dark day, her period has just ended and she has emerged after bathing, wearing a single cloth before she puts on h
By Madhava Smullen
The Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.13 states, “If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.”
Srila Prabhupada encouraged devotees to act on this, writing in a 1977 letter, “I want that every respectable person has a full set of Bhagavatam and Caitanya Caritamrta in his home.”
Last year, several temples in North America and India launched a Bhadra Purnim
By Rukmini Devi Dasi
The ultimate anxiety for every parent is how their child will fair in the world. Srila Prabhupada’s mother wanted him to study in London and become a barrister, akin to the current day I.T. specialist who scores a job in the USA. However, Srila Prabhupada lovingly describes how his father’s ambition differed. Gour Mohan De wanted Abhay (Srila Prabhupada ’s birth name) to be skilled in mridanga and the art of knowing and sharing the sacred scripture, Srimad Bhagavatam. As an
At a recent farewell gathering for a departed Vaisnava, God brothers spoke. One sannyasa-guru Godbrother said that his Godbrother has gone Back To Godhead. Another sannyasa-guru Godbrother said that his Godbrother has gone to take another birth in Krishna or Gaura-lila, which seemed to put a dampener on things. Are they saying two different things?
They are both right. They are both saying the same thing in different ways. One is a simple conviction and the other is more elaborate. Srila Prabhu
On September 15th, Ratha Yatra was celebrated with great fervor in Sofia, organized by ISCKON. For the first time in the country’s history, the Indian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Ms. Pooja Kapur inaugurated the cultural festival.
During the course of the day, hundreds of people poured in the prestigious Borisova Gardens to enjoy the flavors of India and Krishna-consciousness have to offer.
There were Indian dances, bhajans, yoga, painting, henna, saree tying, cuisine, b
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, March 2018, Durban, South Africa, Human Relationships Lecture)
Krsna is always showing us the next step in our spiritual lives. So if it is clear that the next step is that you should be doing more, then we should take that step. If you feel, “Krsna is showing me that the next step is to develop love for him“, then do it!
You have these karate movies where the young karate character come out and makes all these moves and he is going really fast on all sides. But then an o
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
You cannot become saintly by declaration, “From this day on, I will be saintly!”
Good luck, this sounds like a New Year resolution to me. Usually, such resolutions break down quite soon; if not on the first of January then definitely on the second. So ultimately, it is recommend that we try to cultivate good qualities; saintly qualities. This can be done by making a conscious effort while we are engaged in devotional service, so thereby we are purified by this process of
The UK yatras were out in full force for the World Holy Name Festival (17 – 24th September) this year.
The week kicked off with Kirtan Fest in Leicester, where the holy names were chanted throughout the weekend. This year’s festival was made extra special as it was celebrating the 35th anniversary of Sri Sri Radha Madhava’s installation, and that the Grade II listed temple was able to welcome new guests as part of Heritage Open Day, where historic buildings in the city open their doors to visit
Dear Devotees
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
Our goal is to use the time that we have to deepen our lives. When devotees meet, it is not that we are just looking for some spiritual inspiration. Festivals where devotees come together are for lasting advancement. It is for transforming ourselves. The idea is that when devotees meet during festivals, it is not some form of entertainment or some mere questions and answers. No, it is about some deep genuine exchange and this is an opportunity to go deeper in our commitm
By Rama Vigraha Dasa
From Back to Godhead
To say that most politicians are incompetent, and in many cases downright dishonest, isn’t very controversial. We’ve all read about their blunders, their tricks, and their schemes. So the aim of this article is not to give proof of their failure to bring about world peace and prosperity; it is rather to show that the root cause of their incompetence is selfish materialism, and that the remedy is the re- spiritualization of society through the worldwid
A few years ago, while pursuing my postgraduate studies at USM in Penang, I happen to glance over the front page of the local newspaper to read the following headlines in large capital letters: WANTED: LEADERS. The statement was being made by the then Prime Ministry of Malaysia who was expressing his dismay at the lack of leadership within his country, especially in the context of educational institutions who seemingly were not able to produce highly qualified leaders. Not only was he pointing
