By Sitalatma Das
Part of our ISKCON folklore is a story of early devotees wondering who were those māyāvādīs Śrīla Prabhupāda always rallied against – because no one knew any particular māyāvādī at the time, and then it hit them – they (we) are the māyāvādīs! Not by our professed ideology but by our attitudes and by the quality of our relationships, which were often very impersonal in nature. A lot of Bhāgavatam classes were spent on uncovering impersonalism in our lives afterwards. Otherwise a
Translation (SB 11.10.17)
Although the performer of fruitive activities desires perpetual happiness, it is clearly observed that materialistic workers are often unhappy and only occasionally satisfied, thus proving that they are not independent or in control of their destiny. When a person is always under the superior control of another, how can he expect any valuable results from his own fruitive actions?
Purport
Although materialistic persons reject Kṛṣṇa consciousness and instead pursue t
The purpose of this paper is to both establish the importance of the seva of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books as well as understanding the essence of the message in Prabhupada’s books which is the performance of devotional service, regardless of one’s role or place in society.
Firstly I would like to present my own personal reading resume: I have read the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta five times, the five-volume set of the unedited letters of Srila Prabhupada three times, the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is
The Boat Festival has its roots in Goloka Vrindavan, the spiritual eternal realm. One of the boat pastimes is described in detail in Gopal Champu by Srila Jiva Goswami. One day the gopis, loaded with pots full of yogurt and butter, came to the banks of Manasi Ganaga, wishing to cross the river. They met a boatman who gladly agreed to help. When the boat was already far away from the bank the boatman stopped rowing, saying that He was too hungry. The gopis gave Him whatever food they had in thei
The video features a brief interview with two long-time devotees serving in the Hare Krishna temple community in Hong Kong: Shereimony and Suchandra, both disciples of their spiritual teacher. They discuss what inspires them in Krishna consciousness and how they deal with challenges.
Shereimony explains that her greatest inspiration comes from associating with other devotees and participating in congregational singing (kirtan). Although studying scripture is valuable, she feels that direct assoc
The Most Wonderful Day of the Year!
The most wonderful day of the year is fast approaching: Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja day! Please sharpen your pencil or boot up your keyboard and let your love and appreciation flow for the most wonderful personality, whom we’re so fortunate to have as our eternal master.
Written homages are due by May 1, 2026. You will note that this deadline is later than usual, so please also be aware that NO homages will be accepted after this date!
Please email homages t
A major artistic project is underway for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) in Mayapur, featuring a series of large-scale devotional paintings depicting the pastimes of Lord Nrsimhadeva. The video highlights an ambitious effort to produce 16 detailed paintings that narrate the dramatic story of the Lord’s appearance and the deliverance of His great devotee Prahlad Maharaj. The narrative sequence begins with the well-known episode of the four Kumaras cursing Jaya and Vijaya, and concludes
When I saw the young man sweeping the leaves from the temple court yard, I was actually also in the midst of cleaning. He was very particular about picking up every last bit of the organic matter, the dried leaves fallen from two bael trees. I was chanting japa at the time, pacing my steps on the tiled floor, going for an internal cleanse. I was a trite envious of him. He was doing a more successful job than I was. I just had to take a photo of him,
Being that we are on the eve of Chaitanya’
Srila Srivasa Pandit, the fifth member of the Panca-tattva, appeared in Srihatta, West Bengal, about 30 years before the appearance of Lord Gauranga. Srivasa Pandit lived in Navadvipa before the advent of Lord Chaitanya.
Living the traditional brahminical life, he and his younger brothers, Srinidhi, Sripati and Srirama, worshipped Lord Krishna, performing devotional service and bathing thrice daily in the Ganges. On his order, they moved to Navadvipa and began to associate with the senior and re
Srivasa Thakura, one of the members of the Pancha-tattva, lived in Navadvipa-dhama in Mayapur, near the residence of Jagannatha Misra and Sacidevi, where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. Later, when Lord Chaitanya began His sankirtana movement in Navadvipa-dhama, He and His other most confidential associates would meet at Srivasa-angana, the home of Srivasa Thakura, and have kirtan throughout the night. The kirtans at Srivasa-angana were ecstatic, and only the most intimate devotees of Sri Ch
Srivasa Thakura, one of the members of the Pancha-tattva, lived in Navadvipa-dhama in Mayapur, near the residence of Jagannatha Mishra and Sacidevi, where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. Later, when Lord Chaitanya began His sankirtana movement in Navadvipa-dhama, He and His other most confidential associates would meet at Srivasa-angana, the home of Srivasa Thakura, and have kirtan throughout the night. The kirtans at Srivasa-angana were ecstatic, and only the most intimate devotees of Sri Ch
By Niranajan And Jayapataka Swami
Today being the Disappearance day of our most beloved HH Sridhar Swami Maharaj we thought of remembering one of Srila Prabhupada’s favorite sons, his Samadhi is in Mayapur next to the Samadhi of HH Bhakti Tirtha Swami Maharaj, and Srila Prabhupadas Pusya Samadhi.
HH Niranajan Swami Maharaj remembers the Jolly Swami:
There are many things more we could say about Sridhar Maharaja. He was a very wonderful devotee and the w
The mission statement of HH Sridhara Swami (1995) is very inspirational:
“My mission is to serve my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, with all my heart and soul… .
“To achieve this goal has now become my only reason for living. Out of a great sense of debt for his having shown me the path, I want to become a sharp instrument to be used by Srila Prabhupada in his mission of flooding the world with love of Krishna.
“I will strive to achieve excellence in all
Bhakti Brihat Bhagavat Swami, introduces a series of classes about the Pancha Tattva leading up to Gaura Purnima, beginning with the glories of Lord Nityananda. He explains scriptural verses from the Chaitanya Charitamrita describing how Lord Nityananda is the same divine expansion as Balaram, who previously appeared as Lakshman, the younger brother of Lord Rama.
In the Ramayana pastimes, Lakshman served Lord Rama with great devotion but often suffered internally because, as the younger brot
The talk focuses on the nature of spiritual leadership, especially within a devotional community. The speaker explains that true leadership is not about power or control but about service. A real leader wants others to become better than themselves and works to help people grow, become happier, and move closer to Krishna. Leadership is rewarding but also difficult, mainly because it involves guiding people with different personalities, ideas, and backgrounds.
One major challenge for leaders is
By Rukmini Devi Dasi
Radha Krishna Records, the historic record label owned by ISKCON London, is celebrating its 16th year and has released a new album designed for introspection and contemplation amidst the clamor of the modern world. This stripped-back offering primarily features acoustic guitar and bansuri flute, intentionally crafted to bring the sung mantras to the forefront.
The album, entitled Mantra Vibes London, marks the start of a new series. The “Mantra Vibes” project may visit your
By Prema-vilasini Devi Dasi,
Ranjit Dasa was born on August 31, 1945, in Pretoria, South Africa. He moved to England after graduating from college and later went to a farm near Vancouver, Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. He was initiated there in 1974 and saw Srila Prabhupada four or five times, including in San Francisco, Vrindavan, India, Dallas, and England.
His main service in Nelson was Sankirtan, book distribution, and chopping firewood. From there, he briefly went to Dallas, TX in 197
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cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambhdhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate shri-krishna-sankirtanam
Glory to the Shri Krishna sankirtana (congregational chanting of the Lord’s holy names), which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. That sankirtana movement is the prime benedicti
Maharaja explains a holistic view of health based on Vedic philosophy, describing three interconnected aspects of human existence: the gross physical body, the subtle body (mind, emotions, intellect), and the atma (soul). True well-being requires caring for all three levels because they influence one another. Problems in the physical body can affect the mind and spirit, while spiritual or mental disturbances can manifest physically.
Several factors influence health across these levels:
Food: Fo
Devotees across several Middle Eastern countries have faced a week of uncertainty amid rising regional tensions. In a report sent from Abu Dhabi, Tapana Misra Dasa, GBC for the region, shared that devotees in Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Lebanon, and even Saudi Arabia have experienced disruptions in recent days, while devotees in Pakistan have encountered minor difficulties.
“The last seven days have been a period of much turmoil for the devotees in this zone,” Tapana Misra Dasa shared
