By Ramai Swami
The Canberra Bhakti Vrksa program has been going on for over 10 years. I was a guest at the last one and quite a number of devotees and friends attended.
What is a “Bhakti Vrksa program?”.
It is when a small group of congregational devotees meet every week to practice Krishna consciousness and to plan preaching activities. In these Bhakti-vriksha groups the devotees learn how to nourish their spiritual creeper and to cultivate their service attitude in cooperation with others.
Ev
I have heard this phrase that whatever happens is for our good. Honestly, at least in the past could not find meaning to this phrase till I came in contact with Bhagavad Gita.
According to Bhagavad Gita (8.16), nothing in this material creation is actually good. We have a choice to accept what Krishna says or we can accept our own idea of good. But from Krishna’s perspective, this place is a place of misery and it is temporary. Even if we accept this place as good it is still temporary. Regard
We read about Vasudeva Datta who was such a great devotee. He wanted to deliver the entire universe by taking on the sinful reactions of everyone in the universe – he was ready to do that. Lord Caitanya was so impressed by Vasudeva Datta that he had said, “He has purchased me. He can sell me in the marketplace,” and then he said, “Whoever touches the body of Vasudeva Datta will go back to Godhead. Not only that, even the wind that has touched the body of Vasudeva Datta, if that wind now touches
For a preacher, there are four things:
īśvare tad-adhīneṣu
bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā
yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ -SB 11.2.46
When in the lower stage of devotional service, he cannot become preacher. When he's in a little upper, second stage, he can become preacher. So preacher has to see four things. First of all God, īśvara, and tad-adhīneṣu, and those who are devotee. God, His devotees, and bāliśa, innocent, he does not know anything about... So three = God, devotee, and the i
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 02 May 2015, Simhachalam, Germany, Seminar, Srimad Bhagavatam 5.18.8)
trasto ‘smy ahaḿ kṛpaṇa-vatsala duḥsahogra-
saḿsāra-cakra-kadanād grasatāḿ praṇītaḥ
baddhaḥ sva-karmabhir uśattama te ‘ńghri-mūlaḿ
prīto ‘pavarga-śaraṇaḿ hvayase kadā nu (Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.16)
“O most powerful, insurmountable Lord, who are kind to the fallen souls, I have been put into the association of demons as a result of my activities, and therefore I am very much afraid of my cond
From Back to Godhead
By Navina Shyama Dasa
When atheists decry religion as a crutch, most believers bristle. Perhaps we should agree instead.
While riding in the elevator at my workplace the other day, I noticed that one of my fellow passengers was supporting himself with a pair of crutches. I asked him why, and he responded that he had broken his leg while skiing. After the interaction, I found myself reflecting on the view that many people have of religion as a crutch. They mean it, of course
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
Before the Ratha Yatra performed, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu engaged in the pastime of the cleansing of the Gundica temple. It is said that all the devotees were engaged by Caitanya Mahaprabhu in sweeping the dirt. Mahaprabhu himself would sweep up the most dirt and at the same time, he would check on everyone else. If they did not do enough, he would tell them, “Is that all?” In this way, he pushed everyone to sweep up more dirt but he swept up more than everybody else tog
It is not so easy to say no to sinful things consistently; not so easy. It is not so easy to never have a moment of weakness; not so easy to never slip; not so easy to remain faithful; not so easy to take vows and then follow them for a lifetime. Not so easy! Still, the vows are so powerful that even if not perfectly performed, as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta says, still, generally they will be successful. That is amazing!
Parasuram Das: There was a great Beast from the East With blizzards which never ceased But Krishna’s Castle was strong And all day long They served out a great big feast Here is the latest snowy movie from The City of London’s new initiative.
Video: Click here
By Madhava Smullen
On behalf of BBT Marketing, Communications and Innovations Department
info@bbtbooks.org
We in ISKCON may feel that times have changed; that we must use very different methods to deliver our message to people. But in New York City’s Harinama Ashrama, a group of devotees is using the most “old school” approach – simple Harinama and book distribution for hours every day – to impressive effect. And nowhere was this more evident than during the Prabhupada marathon this past Christ
Prananatha Das: Dear friends. Please send prayers and support to our BrajaVilasa Prabhu. He was coming from Mayapur to Kolkata today and his taxi was involved in a crash. He went to Apollo Hospital for checking, and has been discharged, but he’s in a lot of pain. He’s a driving force behind the TOVP.
Here in ISKCON Kathwada it’s about to complete one year of temple opening and this was our first Gaura Purnima, more than 500 people visited temple on the occasion of ‘Festival of Holi’. This was surprise for us to having such huge crowd on Gaura Purnima. This time Gaura Purnima fall on the Holiday so all nearly residents visited temple to have Darshan of Lord Jagannath and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai.
At 4pm all together in Tempe hall and Kirtan begin. Then after temple senior devotees begin Abhishek o
(Mayesvara Dasa – I do not recall who gave me this photo but it is an excellent shot of Balarama’s Cart as it rolled down 5th Avenue. Jambavan Prabhu is on the ground steering the cart using the two bar system Jayananda designed. I am standing on the right (starboard) side of the deity deck. )
“As the man who digs obtains underground water by use of a shovel, so the student attains the knowledge possessed by his preceptor through his service.” – Chanakya Niti Sastra 14.17
Prabhupada: “So there
Laddu Sadhu
Being addicted to Krishna prasadam is not the same as being addicted to anything else. Prasadam is completely spiritual and if anyone tastes it, he makes spiritual advancement. Still, if we eat too much and fail to control our senses that is not good for spiritual life.
Naturally, a devotee of Krishna wants to become free from material contamination. So there is always a kind of moral dilemma for a prasadam addict. He doesn’t want to eat too much. But at the same time, prasadam is s
This morning, the 2018 Mayapur Gaura Purnima festival officially ended after Srila Prabhupada’s guru puja. Srila Prabhupada was taken on a palanquin for the ceremonial lowering of the festival flag, and then returned to altar.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained to Sanatana Goswami that we must follow in the footsteps of the eternal residents of Vrindavan. We must always act for the pleasure of Krsna. In our sadhana, Krsna must always be in the centre.
My first big festival in the temple was Gaura Purnima. I was celebrating it at the Bhaktivedanta Manor and I had just returned from India. We were in a very big room and we, the brand new devotees, our service was to roll sweet balls the whole day. We were fasting and it
By Ananda Tirtha das [BBT]
With the advent of the New Year Gaurabdha 532 we seek the blessings of all vaishnavas to enable us to serve Guru and Sri Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada states in the Madhya Lila – “Everyone in every town and village should be enlightened by the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krisna consciousness should be distributed to everyone indiscriminately. In this way, the entire world will be peaceful and happy”.
In our small endeavor to fulfill this statement by Srila Pr
By Brajsunder Das
Secretary/Sannyasa Ministry
Three types of Sannyasa
The brahmacaris, grhasthas, and vanaprasthas engage in activities of contradictory nature to achieve their respective aims in life. To completely renounce everything is called sannyasa.
When one gives up the fruits of one’s karma, it is called karma-sannyasa. When one gives up all forms of material knowledge, it is called jnana-sannyasa. When one gives up the propensity for enjoying material objects and becomes inclined towar
By Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey
KOLKATA: Devotees from 80 countries namely China, Japan, Spain, Russia, England, Brazil, America, Australia, Mexico, Trinidad, Ivory Coast, South Africa, European continent and many more were present at ISKCON Mayapur and their loud chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra resounded every corner of the holy Dham.
The biggest festival in the Gaudiya Vaishnav Sampradaya- Gaur Purnima, the appearance day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was celebrated with fervour and gaiety at th
By Radhika krpa Devi Dasi
The Journey with Guru Maharaja……
“You have my blessings to preach anywhere on this planet,” these soulful words of my Spiritual Master His Holiness Gopal Krsna Goswami always ring in my ears. They have eternally been a cause of motivation for me to be daring and fearless. Past eleven years I have accepted challenges of travelling far and wide for preaching the Philosophy I accepted wholeheartedly twenty years back.
Entering the realm of my memories I see myself as a s
