Most of the people fear Gita(and other scriptures too!!) and it's teachings. They want to keep themselves aloof from this divine wisdom. Why they fear? They think if I follow Gita I will have to stop my enjoyment and kill my desires, I will have to do this and that and stop doing this and that, then I will be controlled by rules and laws and life will become boring better keep Gita packed in red cloth and offer respects from distance. It's like when a child wants to touch the fire father chasti
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By Bhadra Balaram das
Like most of you, I also have met hundreds of thousands of people in my life. When we ask, “how are you?”, depending on our relationship with that person the replies range from “it’s great” to “all well” to “ok” to “going on”. Hardly do we hear, “too bad”. People generally do not want others to know they are unhappy. Why?
You may have seen that persons known to be wealthy do not want others to know when they have financial crisis. Even those who are not rich also do not wa
By Abhimanyu Das
It is a miracle that this Rathayatra in San Juan on December 30th still happened this year after Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on the island of Puerto Rico. New Govardhana, the only Radha-Krsna temple in the Caribbean, had part of the roof of the main temple ripped off and debris was scattered all over the property. For some time, the devotees didn’t even have running water, and they still don’t have electricity. Despite all of these hardships, the dedicated New Govardhana comm
By Sakshi Mohan Das
None other than HG Jashomatinadan Prabhuji Disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada himself odered the construction of the ISKCON Temple in Kathwada in 2016. Known as the Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar Gaudham, the Vaishnav Temple has vigraha of Lord Krishna and Radha along with those of Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra and also vigraha of Nityananda Prabhu, Srila Prabhupada, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This is the first ISKCON
There are several important steps towards initiation in ISKCON. Although requirements will differ according to locality, most of the steps described here are common throughout the Society. Details are available from your local ISKCON centre.
Before initiation
Initiation means the beginning of something. In spiritual life, it refers to the beginning of a new stage of spiritual practice, normally when you begin some new discipline, begin a course of study of an ancient text, start performing a pa
By Bhaktimarga Swami
Rene is a young seeker who describes himself as a “free soul.” His free soul-ness has recently brought him to Krishna. I handed him a set of japa meditation beads. He left his set in Mexico where he resides. Vancouver is a stop-over. Next he’ll be in Japan. Free soul for sure.
He came to my door at 4:00 a.m. after a rain-full walk on steep Royal Oak. Outside my door I heard a strange sound, something like a dog had come from a swim and was shaking off the water.
By Ananda
According to modern psychology, the self is made of a combination of conscious and unconscious self. In the unconscious realm, there are collective and personal forgotten images. Images or memories that we collected from our culture, family and our own individual quarks over a period of time. We may not be aware of these intentionally but is a part of us. This is unconsciously present within us. The ego is a sum total of our conscious and unconscious self and this sum total (ego) is ex
Personal development expert, Brian Tracy, writes: “Here is one of the greatest questions you will ever ask and answer: ‘What one skill, if I developed and did it in an excellent fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on my career?’”
One should ask the same question about one’s bhakti practice.
Asking this question is vital because, unlike regular career skills that become obsolete, bhakti skills are eternally relevant and potent. By seriously dedicating oneself to any one of the proce
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
When something happens to a devotee, is it karma or is it Krsna acting? This is a big question. Sometimes, we hear, “It’s your karma, Prabhu?” Then at other times, you are told, “Isn’t it Krsna who is behind this?”
Srila Prabhupada explained about how karma works for a devotee in the Nectar of Devotion – the fan (analogous to karma) is spinning and at the time you take up devotional service, the electricity is turned off but the fan continues turning, therefore we are ge
By Bhakti Carudesna Swami
On Saturday, 23rd of December 2017, Iskcon Lomé, Togo, West Africa organized its second Padayatra.
Around 45 devotees from different countries of West Africa met in Lomé, the capital of Togo. We had devotees like Bhakti Carudesna Swami from Côte d ‘ Ivoire, Yuga Prabhu, the west African Council chairman from Ghana, Vrajendra Dhulal and Tribhuvanath Prabhus from Nigeria, Candrasekar Prabhu and Bhakta Séverin from the Republic of Benin and many others from Togo like Atma
More Photos: Click here
Source: http://www.iskconpune.com/glimpses-of-ratha-yatra-2018-iskcon-pune/
Creating a Spiritual Revolution in India For Protecting India’s Vedic Heritage
By Sri Nandanandana das (Stephen Knapp)
FOCUSING ON THE VILLAGES
This is a step by step process for affecting the villages of India to become a part of the spiritual revolution that could be developed across the country. Why worry about the villages? The 2001 census showed that India’s population has gone past the 1 billion mark. Nearly three-quarters of its population, 72.2 percent, live in its more than 500,000 vi
By Urmila Dasi (Dr. Edith Best, Professor of ISKCON History and The Sociology of ISKCON at Bhaktivedanta College, Durbuy, Belgium; Associate Editor of Back to Godhead magazine; member of the Sastric Advisory Council to the GBC)
Understanding ISKCON through the lens of social development and history
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada established ISKCON when it consisted of one rented storefront in New York City. He wrote purposes for his new society—to teach spiritual knowledge, consciousness o
Toronto's Hare Krishna Temple is excited to welcome back Sankarshan Dasa Adhikari to the Greater Toronto Area from Jan 11-14, 2018. Traveling across the globe, Sankarshan Dasa Adhikari is a teacher, author of several books, and personal mentor and guide to tens of thousands in over 100 countries. He explores and makes knowledge from the ancient Vedic scriptures relevant to us in modern times.
Together with his wife and teaching partner, Vishnupriya Devi Dasi, he brings the purity of an anci
By Damodar das
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam2.3.17 during the Sunday program.
“The materialistic man of the modern age will argue that life, or part of it, is never meant for discussion of theosophical or theological arguments. Life is meant for the maximum duration of existence for eating, drinking, sexual intercourse, making merry and enjoying life. The modern man wants to live forever by the advancement of material science, and there are many foolish theories for prolon
By Bhaktimarga Swami
You might wonder if a monk has any interest in family values. The answer is a resounding, “YES!” At least this one finds it a favourite topic. My hosts, Partha and Uttama, and I carried on with a casual discussion on the strength and stability behind a solid family unit. Everyone wants it but the rate of separation within couples is astounding.
“Let’s get behind it,” is their method, and I might add, that to their credit, they are world travellers who present seminars o
ISKCON devotees' 7-year-old daughter Vasilisa Yashenko has been recently filmed in a major Russian TV talent show for children entitled as “Luchshe Vseh” or “Best Of All”.
The audience, as well as the host Maxim Galkin - a famous TV-star, husband of Russian primadonna Alla Pugachova, - were responding to Vasilisa’s performance of an Indian dance with great enthusiasm.
Watch Vasilisa’s heart-warming TV performance here:
https://www.1tv.ru/shows/luchshie-deti-strany-obedinyaytes/vystupleniya/sp
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
In the Bhagavad-gita (7.4), we find a list of material elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and the false ego. These are Krsna’s separated energies. Then we find in the next verse (Bhagavad-gita 7.5), a description of the living being and what they are doing. They are exploiting the universe. We like to think of ourselves as innocent people who are misunderstood but Krsna, in the Bhagavad-gita, has another judgment. According to Krsna, we are mani
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
It is said that the pastimes of Lord Caitanya are like the sky and different birds are flying on different levels in that sky. But some birds do not fly at all, for example, chickens; they do not fly. But I tell you, by this kirtan, we are becoming flying chickens!
Prabhupada said, “Impossible is a word in a fool’s dictionary.” That is a fact. Nothing is impossible. We think we know our limitations. We think we know how far we can take it but with the mercy of Lord Caita
By Karnamrita Das
KEEPERS OF THE FLAME: Although this expression is most often used by our Christian brothers and sisters, I totally relate to its exclamation in relationship to what or who I am, or at least, aspire to be: A Keeper of the Flame of Bhakti, or A Keeper of the Flame of Spirituality. Personally, I see this as a responsibility for all followers of Shri Chaitanya and those who represent him. I visualize a flame burning brightly in my heart, or raising a torch in my hand to dispel dar
