I made a visit to the Mayapura district hospital to see for myself the expansion and to offer encouragement to staff and the visionaries behind the project. The project manager is Hari Lila, a good friend. When he came to Canada for a fundraising tour, I introduced him to Scarborough Bluffs off of Lake Ontario. It was summertime. The weather was beautiful and the water really clean. We played the game ‘Hari Ball’ with the boys of Bhakti Academy. We really enjoyed ourselves.
Can a scholar be a true believer? Can a believer be a good scholar? Two parts of a problem that has exercised many in the West since at least the Enlightenment. Prof. Keith Ward, Regius Professor Emeritus of Divinity at the University of Oxford, takes a fresh look at the conundrum by examining some of the main problems and outlining a few principles that may help modern-day devotee-scholars.
Religion calls for total commitment and faith. Scholarship calls for critical reasoning and a questioning
All conscious activity, whether in the course of duty or in defiance of duty depending upon the individual temperament is regulated by what Freud called the “pleasure principle.” Few will argue the fact that whatever action a living entity does, he does to produce a certain amount of pleasure in his life. With this in mind, we would like to consider what the highest form of pleasure the ultimate state of conscious existence may be.
From the teachings of Lord Krishna in The Bhagavad Gita As It Is
Her Grace Krishna Priya Devi Dasi entered the spiritual realm of Goloka Vrindavana to serve her beloved Lordships on March 12, 2025, at 3:41 pm in North Carolina. Devotees present said, “She was very peaceful, pain-free, and looking effulgent during her departure as if she knew where she was heading to and what to do there. She was surrounded by loving devotees holding her while Srila Prabhupada’s chanting was going on. A perfectly glorious departure!!”
Glorifications from godsiblings and devote
By 3:30 AM you can hear the yelping of the jackals subsiding in the distance, but much nearer in most directions, the sound of water is pouring in a sturdy plastic bucket meant for a morning bath. Oh yes! Everyone in the rented rooms have a shower, yet it’s custom to let that water fill up as far as possible. That’s when the splash takes place. That is your bath.
Lord Krishna withdrew His dynasty from the earth by orchestrating a devastating battle.
jalaukasam jale yadvan / mahanto ’danty aniyasah
durbalan balino rajan / mahanto balino mithah
evam balisthair yadubhir / mahadbhir itaran vibhuh
yadun yadubhir anyonyam / bhu-bharan sañjahara ha
“O King, as in the ocean the bigger and stronger aquatics swallow up the smaller and weaker ones, so also the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to lighten the burden of the earth, has engaged the stronger Yadu to kill
If someone offers you some mahaprasad, then you should honor little whenever it is, whenever they offer, you can honour little bit. But as far as going out of your way to find mahaprasad at times that are unregulated to eating schedule. That is simply feeding the tendency for your tongue to continue to be uncontrolled.
jihvara lalase yei iti uti dhaya
sisnodara-parayana krishna nahi paya
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructed Raghunath Das Goswami that he who simply chases after the satisfaction of hi
New Navadvip Dham preparing the stage and altar to welcome the Deities at the Gaura Purnima Festival.
On February 2, 2025 in New Navadvip Dham, the long-awaited arrival of Lord Sri Ram, Lakshman, Sita, and Hanuman Ji at New Navadvip Dham unfolded in a manner that left devotees in awe. What seemed like a simple deity transfer turned into an extraordinary divine pastime, revealing the unmistakable hand of Lord Ram guiding every step of the way.
The journey of these deities began nearly two decade
In a heartfelt message on the auspicious occasion of Gaura Purnima, Govardhan Das, the new Chair of the Governing Body Commission (GBC) of ISKCON, extended his blessings to devotees, friends, and well-wishers around the world. As communities around the planet are celebrating the gift of Lord Gauranga’s mercy, he especially acknowledged the tireless efforts of every member of ISKCON to “share the joy of devotion and bliss that comes from the sweetness of Krishna’s Holy Names.”
The GBC Chair calle
Being Saturday, so many pilgrims have come from Kolkata and the surrounding areas increasing the numbers and intensifying the sense urges. No harm! Mayapura is neither Mardi Gras nor Disney World. It is a family-friendly, God-centred place.
One of the features of Saturday i
This Course gives attendees a solid introduction in how to understand and resolve conflicts in an effective and Vaisnava-like manner.
To register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpnrwxntddLfV5FBnjbxZICYjSRJ9IXROUNuF0kgqnX2VDwg/viewform
Duration: 4 days, 2 hours each.
All times are 6am in LA, 9am in NY, 2pm in UK, 6:30pm in India
Batch #1 (weekends)
Sat, 12th April:
Sun, 13th April
Sat, 19th April:
Sun, 20th April:
Batch #2 (same course on the weekdays)
Wed, 16th April
Friday 18th Ap
Hare Krishna TV (HKTV) has emerged as a pioneering spiritual media platform that has successfully integrated traditional Vaishnava teachings with modern digital technology, reaching millions of viewers worldwide. With an impressive 650,875,760 YouTube views and an expanding digital ecosystem, HKTV represents one of the most successful Krishna conscious media ventures globally. This comprehensive spiritual platform offers diverse services ranging from counseling to educational courses, making anc
The community’s bridge is now cleared of debris from flooding. Photo courtesy of ISKCON New Govardhana.
ISKCON New Govardhana shared a post from Vaishnavi Devi Dasi reporting on the effects of Cyclone Alfred on the large 1,000-acre Hare Krishna Community in New South Wales, Australia.
The report describes the challenges of the power outage and damage, the safety and protection of the Deities, devotees, and guests, and the status of buildings and services in the community. You can read all the de
In 1966, a humble storefront at 26 2nd Avenue in New York City became the birthplace of a global spiritual movement. It was here that His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), introducing the timeless practice of bhakti-yoga to the Western world. Known as Matchless Gifts, this unassuming space became the epicenter of a spiritual revolution, where the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra first echoed in America.
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
Our best audience to date is the group of students from SMIS. This beautiful flock of over 300 enthusiasts graced the auditorium. Oh, how they love the story of the dwarf avatar! The performers were in top form. They repeated their excellent performance (I don’t want to say ‘perfect’ because you can always tweak or polish – improve). It was an evening show.
I asked the young students what their favourite portion of the drama was. As usual, that is very individual, whether it was the b
Gleanings from the prayers of Yamunacharya
By Rishabh Verma
Servant at ISKCON Gold Coast Australia
We often hear from devotees that the aim of one’s life is to attain Prema for Krsna so that one is eternally able to serve Him with enthusiasm. In doing so, one is often reminded of their constitutional position as a Jiva subservient to the pleasure of the Supreme Lord. From the aspect of the Jiva, there seems to be no question about their constitutional relationship with Krsna. However, to fully b
From Back to Godhead
The ancient Greek writer Aratos tells the following story about the constellation Virgo, or the virgin. Virgo, he says, may have belonged to the star race, the forefathers of the ancient stars. In primeval times, in the golden age, she lived among mankind as Justice personified and would exhort people to adhere to the truth. At this time people lived peacefully, without hypocrisy or quarrel. Later, in the age of silver, she hid herself in the mountains, but occasionally she
(LtoR) Balaram Lila Das; Prof. Aniruddha Chakraborty, Dean Academics, IIT Mandi; Dr. Sumanta Rudra, Academic Dean, BRC; Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi and Dr. Venkatesh Chembrolu, Associate Prof., representing the centre for IKSMHA (Indian Knowledge Systems and Mental Health Applications), IIT Mandi.
In a significant step towards advancing research and education in Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
Gargamuni Swami, a young man in his early twenties was alone, a traveling mendicant. He had recently arrived in Gainesville from Miami where he had been teaching with three other sannyasis. They had decided to go separate ways, he making his way up to Gainesville.
Far from being cosmopolitan like his hometown of New York, Gainesville was a small college town, with only two main streets and a paltry excuse for a downtown. However, in the last couple of years it had become a bastion of progressiv
