Paramahamsa Srila Gaura Kishore Das Babaji Maharaj was born into a vaishya family on the banks of the Padma River in Bagayan village in Faridpur district in what is now Bangladesh. His given name was Vamsi Das. He was born sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century. He is important to us because he was the diksha guru of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada. Vamsi Das’s parents had him married at an early age according to the custom of the time, but he always remained detache
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By Giriraj Swami
Today is the disappearance day of Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja. Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was a great devotee - a maha-bhagavata. He was a disciple of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and was very renounced. He had lived for many years in Vrindavan, roaming the twelve forests, chanting the holy names of Krishna, eating by begging alms, and sleeping under trees. Later, after Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discovered Lord Chaitanya’s birthplace in Mayapur, Srila Jagannatha da
There are signs that indicate we are growing. What I mean by that is we, as a society and culture, are expanding, at least in Canada and the southern-most part of the country, also in sections of the USA, India, Eastern Europe, and I’m sure there are other locations. This is glorious.
Nityananda drove me to North York to meet some businessmen from our community to make an offer for a larger building in the eastern section of Toronto-Scarborough. What we have currently for weekend functions
Dear Devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The Annual General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society will begin in February 2025. Following the ISKCON GBC Society’s Rules of Order, the GBC Secretariat requests proposals, duly sponsored by two GBC members, to be submitted by January 1, 2026. Note that no proposals will be entertained after this date.
Please follow the format for GBC Proposals, attached as a fillable PDF (https://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/upl
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi,
Bhakti Kids, an initiative of ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry, invites devotees worldwide to participate in the 2025 Bhisma Panchaka Challenge, a powerful five-day spiritual intensive that promises to multiply your devotional efforts one hundred times over.
Running from November 1st through 5th, this special observance coincides with the final five days of Kartik month, a period Krishna Himself describes in scripture as extraordinarily auspicious. “
Every year in the month of Damodhara, which is now, Amal, who represents the Bangla community, holds a memorable kirtan chanting session at his tiny home. In attendance there are no less than one hundred persons who relish the chants, the rituals, and the prasadam (sacred food). I must say, the Bengalis and the Bangladeshis churn out incredible food. Their veg prep called sukta is very tasty, and their version of shak (mixed greens) is out of this world. Then, there are the Bengali sweets s
Responding swiftly to Gajendra’s fervent plea, Lord Vishnu, mounted atop his Vahana Garuda, hastened to the scene. Witnessing the divine approach, Gajendra, in an act of profound devotion, raised a lotus with his trunk. Pleased by this heartfelt gesture, Lord Vishnu wielded his Sudarshana Chakra, severing the crocodile’s head and liberating Gajendra from mortal peril.
By Atma Tattva Das
Across continents and cultures, from Russia to Vietnam, Greece to India, crowds have stopped mid-stride to watch a river of color glide through their streets. Women in coordinated saris dance in rhythmic unity, cymbals shimmering as Krishna’s holy names rise through the air. This joyful vision, both elegant and devotional, is a model to many of how Harinam Sankirtan can be presented to the public.
At its center stands Nilachala Devi Dasi, sankirtan leader of Nitya Harinam, a co
On September 15-16, 2025, Georgetown University convened religious leaders and scholars for a major two-day conference commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on the Catholic Church’s relationship with non-Christian religions.
The event, titled “Nostra Aetate at 60: Legacy and Challenges for Reconciliation and Interreligious Understanding,” was co-sponsored by Georgetown’s Office of the President, the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, a
It is stated in the Kārttika-māhātmya section of the Padma Purāṇa:
śuklāṣṭamī kārttike tu
smṛtā gopāṣṭamī budhaiḥ
tad-dinād vāsudevo ‘bhūd
gopaḥ pūrvaṁ tu vatsapaḥ
“The eighth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārttika is known by authorities as Gopāṣṭamī. From that day, Lord Vāsudeva served as a cowherd, whereas previously He had tended the calves.”
The word padaiḥ indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa blessed the earth by walking on her surface with His lotus feet. The Lord wore no shoes
Today is Gopastami, the day on which Krishna and Balarama and other boys Their age, who previously had tended the calves, were given charge of the cows. This event is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.15.1):
tatas ca pauganda-vayah-sritau vraje
babhuvatus tau pasu-pala-sammatau
gas carayantau sakhibhih samam padair
vrndavanam punyam ativa cakratuh
“When Lord Rama and Lord Krsna attained the age of pauganda [six to ten] while living in Vrndavana, the cowherd men allowed Them to take up the
In this thoughtful reflection for Religious News Service (RNS), Joshua M. Greene (Yogeshvara Dasa) recalls his memorable 90-minute conversation with Jane Goodall during the 2000 United Nations World Peace Summit. Though surrounded by religious dignitaries in robes and rituals, Goodall stood out by speaking of nature itself as sacred rather than relying on institutional affiliations.
Greene notes that Goodall’s legacy challenges believers of any faith to reconsider how we relate to the natural wo
By Aseem Krishna Das
A grand Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Shobha Yatra Festival was organized in the Karnal district of Haryana from 10th September to 5th October 2025. This year, the Shobha Yatra was held at three different locations across Karnal. The local congregation was fully engaged and absorbed throughout the entire month-long festival, spreading the holy names of the Lord and experiencing divine ecstasy.
The devotees organized a series of events leading up to the auspicious month of Kartik
Sri Mayapur Dham, the spiritual headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), recently witnessed a heart-touching and memorable celebration of Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day — a day that evokes both gratitude and reverence in the hearts of devotees worldwide.
A Morning of Love and Remembrance
The day began early at 7:00 a.m., as hundreds of devotees gathered to participate in a beautiful Harinam procession, carrying Srila Prabhupada’s murti on a gorgeousl
Members of the VHP had invited us to Queen’s Park, the Legislative Assembly Building for the Province of Ontario to a Diwali function. At 8 am, a dozen of us devotees from the temple ashram turned up, including myself, along with delegates, ministers of various portfolios with the government. People with those statuses and services spoke briefly about the importance of Diwali, the festival of lights, carrying the theme of goodness over evil. Certificates were given to those who achieved pro
“The spirit of Govardhan Puja”, The deeper meaning and mood behind the celebration of Govardhan Puja, explained by Radhanath Swami himself. Kartik Yatra 2025: a devotional pilgrimage during the sacred Kartik month celebrated with deep spiritual practices like kirtan (chanting), kathas (spiritual discourses), and parikrama (holy walks).
Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=116340
When we sit in kirtan, we can shut out all the other lamps that light our path to the world—our fame, our money, our material attachments and desires, our plans, aspirations, inclinations, etc., and make this a time with Krishna.
One good practice that I always like to do is to imagine myself sitting before Krishna. It could be an altar, in a temple. It could be the spiritual world, as I have heard about it. And then I sing for Him and for Srimati Radharani, alone.
By spending this time alone wi
Event Highlight: The post promotes the Kartik Nabadwip Mandal Parikrama 2025, a spiritual pilgrimage organized by ISKCON Mayapur.
Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=116398
By Nitai Madhav Das
The ICC Book Distribution Committee successfully organized the Bharat Sankirtan Leaders Sanga on the 23rd and 24th of September 2025 at ISKCON NVCC, Pune. Around 150 devotees — temple sankirtan leaders, senior book distributors, and preachers — gathered from all over India. The atmosphere was filled with devotion, enthusiasm, and gratitude as devotees came together with one purpose: to strengthen Śrīla Prabhupāda’s book distribution mission and keep the sankirtan spirit al
By Atma Tattva Das,
The 12th Annual Bhaktivedanta Swami Lecture (BSL), hosted in partnership between the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Africa (BBTA) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), marked a milestone in ISKCON’s academic engagement in South Africa. This year’s event took the shape of a full-scale academic conference, celebrating fifty years since His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s arrival in the country.
For the first time, devotees, scholars, and professionals shared
