Recently, in Śrīdhāma Mayapur joyfully we celebrated the auspicious festival of Śrī Rāmacandra Vijayotsava — commemorating Lord Rāmacandra’s glorious victory over Rāvaṇa, symbolizing the eternal triumph of dharma over adharma, and light over darkness.
As part of the celebration, the Mayapur community children presented a heart-touching drama depicting the divine pastimes of Lord Rāmacandra. With adorable costumes and sweet devotion, they beautifully enacted scenes from the Rāmāyaṇa — from Lord
The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) officially announced the culmination of the 2025 Bhadra Campaign with a final, worldwide celebration call this Sunday, October 5th, 9:30 am EST, 7 pm IST. The event is designed to serve as a summit for devotees internationally, providing a platform for participants to present their offerings and reflect upon the achievements of the campaign’s service and outreach initiatives throughout the year.
The BBT encourages all participants and well-wishers to attend thi
On September 26, 2025, police officers in Tuapse, Russia, detained Indradyumna Swami while he was attending the Sadhu Sanga 2025 festival, which was organized by the Krasnodar yatra. The police officers’ reason for detainment was that he had engaged in religious and missionary activity without the proper documentation. However, the Krasnodar yatra had arranged a special humanitarian religious visa for him, specifically authorizing him to speak on religious topics at the festival. Despite this, t
By Ramai Swami
Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was born in a Nadiya family of physicians at the village of Jhamatpur, within the district of Barddhaman, near Naihati. His father was Sri Bhagiratha, and his mother was Sri Sunanda. He had a younger brother named Syama das.
The deity of Gaura-Nityananda installed by Sri Kaviraja Gosvamis is still being worshiped there. It appears that his family line is no more. More information about the early life of Sri Kaviraja is available in a book called Anan
Today is the auspicious disappearance day of three great acharyas in the Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradaya: Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, and Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. We shall read about Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami from Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja’s Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Chapter Thirteen: “Pastimes with Jagadananda Pandita and Raghunatha Bhatta.”
TEXT 89
etha tapana-misra-putra raghunatha-bhattacarya
prabhure de
In around 1503 AD, Raghunath Bhattacharya appeared as the son of Tapana Mishra, a dear devotee of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who hailed from the village of Ramapura on the banks of the Padma River in East Bengal.
Mahaprabhu first met Tapana Mishra when he went to East Bengal during his career as a teacher of Sanskrit. Tapana Mishra had studied many scriptures but was still bewildered about the purpose of life and what to do to attain it. He had a dream in which he was instructed by a Brahmin to go
By Shyama Rasika Devi Dasi
Three years ago, the dedicated organizers at Senior Connection of Montgomery County— a non‑profit offering volunteer‑based, escorted transportation to seniors over 55 in Montgomery County —welcomed an innovative suggestion by Shyama Rasika Devi Dasi and Nikunkja Ras Das (disciples of Radhanath Swami and members of ISKCON of DC): what if a chartered coach trip could take our Montgomery County seniors to New Vrindaban in West Virginia?
The organizer welcomed the idea ent
Siddhanta das (ACBSP), well-known producer of the Memories of Prabhupada series, has launched a new video project entitled Lessons from Letters. The series highlights the personal correspondence between Srila Prabhupada and his disciples during the formative years of ISKCON.
In the 1960s and 70s, long before email or instant messaging, letters were the primary means of communication with ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya. Disciples often wrote to Prabhupada with philosophical questions or practical conce
Ram Lila, my host, said, “You go ahead. I’ll catch up to you,” indicating the Albion Trail which runs along the East River. Fine, so I did leave just a little bit after 8 AM. Nice trail. Apple trees with wormless fruit are spotted here and there. The sun was shining on the river which appeared like glass. No ripples at all. After a few minutes I heard a shuffling of footsteps behind me. They belonged to Ram Lila and his 8-year-old son, Achintya.
As a threesome we plodded along starti
Frequently asked Questions on Mentoring
When I was initiated in 1975, Srila Prabhupada wrote a letter to my temple president at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, asking him to make sure I followed all the rules. He wrote:
13th November, 1975
My dear Prabhavisnu das,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter undated and accept upon your recommendation the following as my initiated disciples….I also accept the following as twice-born brahmanas and their threads and mantra sheets are
“Sripada Madhvacarya took his birth at Udupi, which is situated in the South Kanarada district of South India, just west of Sahyadri. This is the chief city of the South Kanarada province and is near the city of Mangalore, which is situated to the south of Udupi. In the city of Udupi is a place called Pajaka-ksetra, where Madhvacarya took his birth in a Sivalli-brahmana dynasty as the son of Madhyageha Bhatta, in the year 1040 Sakabda (A.D. 1119). According to some, he was born in the year 1160
Shri Madhvacharya appeared in 1238 A.D. near Udupi, Karnataka in South India. He was considered an incarnation of Vayu (wind god). He had an unusually strong physique and extraordinary intellectual power.
Once a fierce Bengali tiger attacked Madhvacharya’s sannyasa disciple, Satya Tirtha. Madhvacharya wrestled the tiger and sent him away with his tail between his legs. Madhvacharya took diksha at age five, sannyasa at twelve and left home.
He appeared with a mission to fight and defeat Sankara’
Lord Vishnu imparted the knowledge of reaching Him to four great personalities – Lakshmi Devi, Lord Shiva, Sri Brahma, and the four kumara. These four personalities imparted the knowledge to four great devotees who started the four Sampradayas. Lakshmi to Ramanujacharya – Sri Sampradaya, Shiva to Vishnuswami – Rudra Sampradaya, Brahma to Madhvacharya – Brahma sampradaya and the four Kumaras to Nimbarka – Kumara Sambradaya.
Today is the appearance day of Sri Madhvacharya. Madhvacharya (acarya me
The statement from ISKCON Communications said, “September 28, 2025 – The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) extends heartfelt condolences to the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the passing of their President and Prophet, Russell M. Nelson. His life was marked by exceptional service both in medicine and in sacred leadership. Before his full-time church ministry, he was a world-renowned heart surgeon and medical researcher, serving as director of
Following its debut earlier this month, ISKCON’s new documentary The Hare Krishnas: The Challenges of Succession and Leadership has received an enthusiastic response from devotees and friends worldwide. Released by ISKCON Communications in partnership with Karuna Productions, the film was created to mark the 60th anniversary of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s arrival in the United States—the historic moment that launched the Hare Krishna movement’s global mission.
What makes this r
The festival of Dussehra, also known as Vijaya dashmi, is one of the fascinating festivals of India and is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm. According to the great scripture, the Ramayana, Lord Rama performed chandi-puja (holy prayer). This was carried out in order to invoke the blessings of Durga for the killing of Ravana, the ten-headed demon king of Sri Lanka who had abducted Sita, wife of Lord Rama.
Durga divulged the secret to Rama on how he could slay the great Ravana. Hence upon vanqui
From September 5–7, 2025, over a hundred ISKCON leaders from across the United States and Canada gathered at ISKCON of Houston for the annual Leadership Conference. With the theme “Growing with Purpose,” the three-day event blended meaningful association, organizational vision, and practical leadership skills. The atmosphere was one of unity, shared mission, and commitment to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s vision.
ISKCON Houston provided unparalleled hospitality during the visit under the leadership of the
By Bhava Prabha Dasi
On June 27-29, 2025, Gita Nagari Farm in Port Royal, Pennsylvania, hosted a weekend-long 20th Tirobhava of His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami. The event drew many devotees from around the world for three days of ecstatic kirtan, absorbing classes, heartfelt reflections, and more to celebrate the life, teachings, and lasting influence of a spiritual master known for his fearless service and deep dedication to Srila Prabhupada’s mission.
Friday’s program began with the first
“The soldiers in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must always possess physical strength, enthusiasm and sensual power. To keep themselves fit, they must therefore place themselves in a normal condition of life. What constitutes a normal condition will not be the same for everyone, and therefore there are divisions of varṇāśrama—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa.” (SB. 8.2.30, purport).
Śrīla P
