Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, is my grand spiritual master, but I feel that I never really knew him that well until I read his biography Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava by my godbrother Bhakti Vikasa Swami. Many of the quotes and references below come from that work, which has helped bring me closer to my spiritual grandfather.
We are all here by the mercy of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna Caitan
The quality of humility and the quality of being able to develop love of God come together. It is not possible to develop love of God if there is no humility in our hearts. A person who is proud, how can he hear!? His ears are blocked because he is overwhelmed by his own ideas that he cannot even hear what everyone else says. But if one is humble, then one can think, ‘Yes, I need mercy.’
So a humble personality is eager to hear and being eager to hear from superior personalities also brings abo
By Ramai Swami
I was recently in Perth and attended the Sunday program where I led kirtana and gave class. As always, it’s always a pleasure visiting the devotees as well greeting new guests.
There were many nice questions and comments and afterwards I personally thanked devotees for generously donated to the ToVP project in Mayapur.
A few weeks before the fundraising team had visited the temple and were very happy with the result of their efforts.
ISKCON GOVERNING BODY COMMISSION SOCIETY
Registration Number S/74662 under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961
P.O. Shree Mayapur Dham, Dist. Nadia, West Bengal 741313
MINUTES OF THE MIDTERM GENERAL MEETING
UJJAIN, MP, OCTOBER 9-17, 2017
Section 100: APPOINTMENTS
101. GBC Officers and Members
1. Hridayananda Das Goswami is elected as a GBC member with zonal responsibility for Brazil.
2. Acyutatma Das is elected as a GBC member with zonal responsibilities for Moscow and St.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:
From a conversation with Mr. N. Bardaloi on October 8, 1928:
“Mahaprabhu revealed the welfare system of the Srimad-Bhagavatam: vedyam vastavam atra vastu sivadam tapa-trayonm lanam, ‘The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.2) The Srimad-Bhagavatam’s welfare process was discovered and refined by Sri Caitanyadeva, and it is alone auspicious, because it alo
We are gathered on the most auspicious occasion of the disappearance anniversary of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja Prabhupada, the spiritual master of our Srila Prabhupada. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was born in Jagannatha Puri as the son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who was a magistrate and the superintendent of the Jagannatha temple in Puri. At that time, during the British rule, the position of magistrate was very important, and rare for an
Along with the recently completed Community Survey, the objective of this conference was to create a platform that allows the community’s voice to be heard, deepen our relationships, and build a shared vision for New Raman Reti going into the future.
This exciting event took place at the Alachua Woman’s Club, Sunday, December 3, 2017, from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. and followed by sumptuous lunch Prasadam. The overall Vision of the Community Development Initiative (CDI) is a loving and well connecte
By Indradyumna Swami
We participated in “Color Splash” a multi-cultural festival in Durban, South Africa. Various ethnic groups showed off the best of their music, dance and theater. It began with a parade along the beachfront with Zulu warriors, Scottish bagpipes, boy scouts, a marching band and of course our blissful harinama. At the festival site we were prominent with kirtan, prasadam distribution and a Holi festival; throwing colored dyes to the accompaniment of a blissful kirtan. My addr
Dear Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Many years ago, a relatively small group of devotees claimed that some of Srila Prabhupada’s devoted servants had poisoned their beloved guru and caused his disappearance from this world. These conspiracy theorists accused dedicated Vaisnavas of the greatest evil, and they did so with no credible evidence. No reliable science or witnesses supported their ghastly accusations, and so the Vaisnava community in gen
By Palaka das (ACBSP)
Believe it or not, there are no “O”‘s anywhere in the Hare Krsna maha-mantra despite what you might have heard . If you’d like to know what our Srila Prabhupada had to say about this apparent harmless little change to how he taught us, then please check out Dandavats “Who Is This Ramo”
http://www.dandavats.com/?p=11965
After writing the above article, I found many still refuse to accept that Srila Prabhupada actually made such a heavy statement “You are ruining our movemen
By Chandan Yatra Das
This write-up is the result of a video clip, a part of which I recently happened to watch. Although carefully presented, the video was highly misleading, so much so that I thought of sharing my thoughts with you. I do not have any issue with its political motivation; my outrage is the way it belittled India’s values and ancient education system.
The video compares India’s ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s and current Prime Minister Narendra Modis’ speeches. First it shows a
The Grand Installation Ceremony of the two remaining Chakras onto the domes of Sri Sri Radha Madhava and Lord Nrsimhadeva is only a few months away! This historic event will mark another milestone in the progress of the construction leading up to the Grand Opening in 2022.
In this recent interview His Grace Jananivas prabhu expresses the importance of the installation of the Chakras on par with the laying of the Ananta Sesa Deity during the cornerstone ceremony by Srila Prabhupada personally in
It is, incredibly, almost half a century since the installation of Deities Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara. On Sunday 26th November, ISKCON-London celebrated Their Lordships’ 48th anniversary at Camden Centre, in Central London. Over 500 guests arrived to be served delicious prasadam before the extended devotional program began. Srila Prabhupada was deferentially carried into the ornate venue to a rapturous reception. He was duly positioned on stage to oversee what promised to be a full and varied f
By Chaitanya Charan Das
When recovering alcoholics have stayed sober for some time, they may feel tempted: “Let me take just one drink – what harm can it do?”
It can do plenty of harm, because one drink won’t stay one. Addictive desires are, nature, self-fueling – once triggered, they grow and drag their victims forcefully into lower and darker indulgences. Alcoholics who are serious about their recovery know, from both counsel and experience, that one drink is one too many.
We may not be alco
By Mohan Sunder Das
From West Virginia to New Vrindavan; Lord Krishna has spread His causeless mercy through Srila Prabhupada in every part of His creation. Now, it was time for Aligarh to become Harigarh.
Lord Sri Hari sent His representative, HH Kratu Das ji Das Ji Maharaj to carry out this most auspicious task and materialize or better so spiritualise the words of Lord Chaitanya and Srila Prabhupada who prophesied the existence of Krishna’s temple with the echoes of Harinaam in every town an
Question:People should help people just for the sake of helping them, and without any additional motivation. The propagation of that kind of behavior is the positive part of society in general. Doing everything for God negates the basic human decency of every good act, even though the outcome might be the same. The difference in motivation removes all of the good will from the equation. Essentially, people who do things only for indirect purposes are only automatons. I don’t consider the act ne
The year is full of holidays and special events unrelated to spiritual life. Even in India, where Janmashtami, the anniversary of Krishna’s divine birth, is a general festival, many other days are dedicated to the country or some ordinary, materialistic person. Outside of India, festival days sometimes even focus on demonic beings such as witches. National holidays, and even religious festivals such as Christmas, are often occasions for diving into intoxication, illicit sex, and materialistic l
All wondrous phenomena showing power, beauty, grandeur or sublimity, either in the material world or in spiritual, are but partial manifestations of Krsna’s divine energies and opulence. He is the supreme cause of all causes & the essence of everything living or non living. Anything extraordinarily opulent, beautiful and glorious should be considered as a fragmental manifestation of Krsna’s splendor. All things are existing due to Krsna’s entering into them as supersoul. Krsna is supreme object
Srila Prabhupada has told us that the culmination of all of our preaching in Krsna Consciousness is to induce people to wholeheartedly chant the holy names of Krsna. The chanting of the Holy names must continue. Srila Prabhupada said we can do without temples, we can do without everything. We don’t need money. If we can get it, we will use it. We don’t need property. If we get it we will use it. We don’t need vehicles. If we get it we will use it. We don’t need good PR, Public relations. If we
