On a recent episode of The Namarasa Podcast, Sukhavaha Devi Dasi, a disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, reflects on her experiences joining the Hare Krishna movement in the early 1970s and the spiritual journey that followed. First encountering Bhagavad-gītā As It Is while a college student at Penn State in 1971, she recalls being immediately captivated by its teachings. That discovery led her to begin chanting, adopt a vegetarian lifestyle, and eventually travel t
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On the plane, this composition rolled out onto some paper:
A GURU IS OR WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A GURU
A guru is not a king
Perhaps the center of a ring
Moving on levels of dignity
Crowned by acts of humility
Apolitical in every sense of the word
Repeats what his ears have heard
And registers through what he’s seen
A guru’s life is thoroughly clean
He bonds with brothers
Cutting bondage from mundane others
Limiting a maya’s scope
Convinced of noose and rope
He walks the tight cord
On
There are four prominent Sampradayas of the Vaishnavas, out of which the Sri Sampradaya was commenced by Sri Maha Laxmi Devi and whose Acharya is the great Sri Ramunjacharya.
When the Lord desires to re-establish Dharma, he either appears himself or sends his close associates. These Acharyas, battling lots of difficulties for the sake of all living entities, re-establish Dharma
Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117588
In 1895 Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura published in his “Sajjana-tosani” selected verses from “Śrī Prapannāmṛta”, a 12th century book by Sri Ananta Acarya, son of the great Kuresa, famous disciple and chief associate of Srila Ramanujacarya. The book contains valuable information and biographical accounts of the great founders of the Sri-sampradaya – Nathamuni, Yamunacarya and Ramanuja. It is stated in “Prapannāmṛta” in relation to Ramanujacarya’s birth:
caitre meṣe śukla-pakṣe pañcamyāṁ guru-vāsare
The magnificence of Sri Ramanujacharya.
The confidential truth is that in order to quickly bestow auspiciousness upon the living entities of Kali-yuga, in the beginning, the Supreme Lord sent His devotees such as Sathhakopa (Nammalvar), Ramanuja, Vishnusvami, Madhvacarya and Nimbaditya to this world, and desiring to bestow the supreme secret of attaining conjugal love of Godhead, He personally assumed the form of a devotee named Sri Krishna Caitanya and descended with His own Golokadhama in
Sri Ramanujacharya (A.D. 1017–1137) spent 80 of his 120 years at Sri Rangam. For twenty years he was the chief priest of the temple. Ramanuja is the main acarya, or spiritual teacher, in the line of teachers and disciples knows as the Sri Sampradaya. His presentation of Krsna Consciousness is known as visistadvaita, “qualified nondualism.”
A staunch proponent of the philosophy of personalism, he taught that although the Supreme Lord and the individual souls are qualitatively one, there is stil
Sri Ramanujacarya’s Life History (By Sri Ubhaya Vedantha Anbil Ramaswamy)
Sri Ramanuja (1017 – 1137 CE), the most important philosopher-saint of Sri Vaishnavam and one of the most dynamic characters of Hinduism. He was a philosophical as well as a social reformer, displaying a catholicity that was nearly unparalleled in Hindu religious history before him. He revitalised Indian philosophy and popular religion so much that nearly every aspect of Hinduism has been influenced by his work. His life
By Nitai Madhava Dasa
ISKCON India is steadily progressing in its efforts to support and implement the global 60-50 vision under the guidance of the ICC 60-50 Committee. With a structured and collaborative approach, several key initiatives have been launched to strengthen outreach, education, and devotee engagement across the country.
A significant development has been the appointment of dedicated regional and national coordinators who are actively facilitating communication, implementation,
By Dina-Palika Devi Dasi
The Karuna Care Association is offering three upcoming courses designed to help devotees better understand the emotional aspects of spiritual life and develop tools for personal growth and compassionate care. Together, the courses form a series titled Introduction to Emotional Awareness, though each course may also be taken individually.
The first course, Name Your Feelings, Tame Your Mind, explores how recognizing and identifying emotions can deepen self-understanding
Recorded at Hsuan Chuang University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan, on March 18, 2026, this lecture by Dr. Kenneth Valpey, also known as HH Krishna Kshetra Swami, presents a thoughtful and deeply enriching exploration of the mind, yoga, and the spiritual search in modern life.
Drawing from the Bhagavad-gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and the wider contemplative traditions of India, Dr. Valpey presents yoga not merely as a bodily discipline, but as a profound science of consciousness, inner cultivati
By Anuradha Dasi,
For nearly twenty years, New Vrindaban has hosted its beloved 24-Hour Kirtan, a festival built around a very simple formula: dedicated kirtan singers, a good sound system, water, lozenges, and plenty of prasadam. With these ingredients, the temple room naturally fills with transcendental sound and joyful devotion.
Last year, Ram Raya Dasa of the New York City Harinam group suggested expanding the spirit of the 24-hour kirtan by holding additional kirtan gatherings throughout t
Two newly released reports offer an overview of the 2025 activities of the ISKCON Kirtan Ministry and the ISKCON Padayatra Ministry, as well as the preaching and leadership initiatives of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Swami. Together, they document a year marked by expanding outreach, strengthened coordination among devotional initiatives, and continued efforts to spread the chanting of the Holy Name in line with the mission of ISKCON Founder-Acharya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
The Kirtan
Jaya Govinda and I took to the road with a rented four-wheel drive to address any springtime muddy roadway dynamics at the Saranagati farm community. We left Vancouver through rain on the Trans-Canada Highway (AKA ‘The #1’), and as we headed north for our destination-the rain let up. I was recalling how thirty years before, I tread this trail on foot for my first cross country trek. “Hard to believe,” I mentioned to Jaya.
The drive is sweetly scenic, especially from Hope to the Ashcroft area.
Over the years I’ve come across various articles, statements and websites which have been critical or even downright offensive towards Srila Prabhupada. As a disciple — or should I say an aspiring disciple since being a true disciple is no easy thing — I find these writings to be intolerable and I’ll tell you why.
At great personal inconvenience, Srila Prabhupada left the peaceful and holy village of Vrindavan at the advanced age of 69 (almost 70) to travel by steamship across the Atlantic Ocea
By Atma Tattva Das,
Devotees from across Gauteng, South Africa, gathered at the grounds of ISKCON Midrand for the first Devotee Care South Africa (DCSA) event of the year, a regional Family Fun Day designed to strengthen relationships and promote practical support within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness community.
The in-person gathering brought together devotees from temples and namahatta communities throughout the province for a day combining devotional association, family a
Miatta Fahnbulleh (center) with faith leaders at the IWD event. Photo source.
Women representing several faith traditions gathered at Westminster on March 10 to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) in a meeting hosted by Miatta Fahnbulleh, the UK Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities.* The event brought together women from Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Hindu, and other communities to highlight the vital role women of faith play in strengthening social cohesion and supporting vulnera
In July of 2024, a raging fire did much damage in Venables Valley (devotee name – Saranagati). It took down buildings, fences, water sourcing, and destroyed thousands of trees, some of which are lying and many others ready to snap off. Another great loss is wildlife. Bears are now rare to be seen as well as deer, grouse, and other forms of glorious wild animals. It will take some time to see a restoration of the place. Yet, because spring is around the corner, hope is arriving in the form of bu
What is the appropriate response of a Vaisnava or person of faith during a time of national or global crisis? The examples of great souls and of scripture can help us understand what a Vaisnava response can look like.
From a certain perspective, we are always in a time of crisis. In the material world, there is danger at every step. Although the material world is the wonderful creation of the Divine, it is not our home, and our material position is never secure. A large part of spiritual practi
We often get questions about surrender, like “how can we surrender”. Recently I was reading one old BTG, 2001, and found a nice practical statement from Srila Prabhupada. If we search “surrender” on the vedabase we find 7445 hits, so we know it is an important topic. And we all know the conclusion of the Bhagavad Gita:
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami mä suca
TRANSLATION
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall de
