By Sacinandana Swami
Recently we celebrated Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance festival at the Bhaktivedanta Ashram, just by the side of Govardhan Hill. Several Prabhupada disciples were present and spoke about their offerings to Srila Prabhupada and their realizations. Interestingly, a golden thread ran through the individual minds and realizations, this was “Find your Jaladuta”.
Srila Prabhupada had received an instruction to go to the West from his spiritual master and he took a ship called “
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, October 2014, Mayapur, India, Siksastakam Seminar: Verses 1&2, Part 1)
The process of glorification of Krsna through his name is actually our means of purification. So we are preparing to chant and the first reason why we chant, is for purification, whether it is in kirtan or japa. Injapa, we are exposed because in japa we are alone. When you are in kirtan, you can become so swept up in the kirtan that you think you are almost approaching bhava! Then, when you are chant
By Bhakti Caru Swami
ISKCON is a spiritual organization personally established by Srila Prabhupada. We must take care that it doesn’t become material. Anything (husband-wife relationship, Deity worship, even prasadam) can turn material by one’s consciousness. In any Society, there must be some organization and management, otherwise there will be chaos. Even in the spiritual world, Krsna’s friends are subdivided and supervised (Lord Balarama is group leader for his cowherd boy friends; Candraval
From Back to Godhead
By Yamuna Devi Dasi
With spiritual fasting, you may not make headlines,
but you’ll make headway on the path back to Godhead.
What do Mahatma Gandhi, Dick Gregory, Jane Fonda, Norman Mailer, Bolivian dissidents, British suffragettes, and Irish revolutionaries have in common? Well, for one thing, at one time or another and for one reason or another, they’ve all fasted. Materially their fasting was somewhat successful, whether it was undertaken to free India from British domin
By Giriraj Swami
krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah
“In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krsna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krsna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons, and confidential companions.” (SB 11.5.32)
This verse refers to Lord Caitanya. Those who are intelligent (su-medh
By Gita Jayanti National Committee
As part of the Gita Jayanti Festival 2018, devotees in Bali, Indonesia organised a wonderful seminar about the importance and significance of the Bhagavad Gita on the 19th November 2018. The seminar was conducted by the ISKCON Gita Jayanti Committee in collaboration with the students of Udayana University. The overall program was lead by HG Nitya Lila das.
There was around 250 participants in the seminar and many VIPs were present; the Vice Governor of Bali, t
Gopasthami is a very auspicious day in the holy month of Kartika. In Mayapur we got the most astounding darshan of Sri Sri Radha Madhav Asta-sakhi, Sri Pancha-Tattva, Sri Nrisimhadeva with the very rare and merciful darshan of the Lotus Feet of Srimati Radharani and all Asta-Sakhis. The beauty was indescribable. After Darshan Arati in the morning, devotees went to Mayapur Goshala to celebrate the day by bathing and feeding the cows. Opposite to Goshala in Vaishnava Academy HH Indradyumna Swami
By London College of Vedic Studies
The London College of Vedic Studies (www.facebook.com/londoncvs) recently organised a 2-day seminar on ‘Home Deity Worship’. The College serves as the educational department of ISKCON-London, offering a wide range of educational, spiritual and practical courses, seminars and workshops aimed at developing character, personal fulfilment and spiritual progression.
This workshop was facilitated by the Head Priest of tISKCON-London, HG Murli Manohara dasa. It was s
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Sincerely, your servant
By Pancharatna das
Last month ISKCON Online completed the launch of Chantnow.com and we have started our marketing. We are gradually building a following on social media and getting some good initial response to our advertising. Here’s an article about it – https://iskconnews.org/chantnowcom-makes-bhakti-yoga-relatable-to-total-newcomers,6748/
When we began this project one of our primary goals was to provide a way for devotees, especially book distributors, to connect people they meet with a f
By Urmila Devi Dasi
CELIBACY IS SUCH an important part of Vedic education that the Sanskrit word for student is brahmacari (“celibate”). The pressure to give up celibacy begins, of course, in adolescence, the most dangerous ageand often the turning point of one’s life. Young adults need guidance before and during the teenage years to recognize and follow the right path.
Celibacy trains adolescents for self-restraint, whether they stay single or get married. It develops their inner strength, sel
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.3-5.
“Piety refers to the process of cleansing the heart. As recommended by Lord Caitanya, one has to cleanse the dust from the mirror of the mind, and then advancement on the path of liberation begins. Here also the same process is recommended. Malam means “contamination.” We should learn to despise all the causes of devastation, beginning from irreligion and cheating, and then we shall be able to make advancement in a life of piety. The
By Purushottam Nitai Das
Imagine if a message suddenly flashes on the sky: “Due to a technical fault the supply of oxygen will remain unavailable for some time all over the world. Next update about the issue in another hour”. What would happen to us? There won’t be just utter chaos but soon the earth will become a graveyard. Not even vultures and jackals would be alive to feast on the dead bodies. But has it ever happened? Never. Can it happen in future? Sceptics and agnostics may say, “Yes”. B
Indradyumna Swami: This is a family that has been visiting our festival in Poland every summer for 12 years. They plan their vacation around our event. After our program this evening they decided to go deeper into Krsna consciousness and bought 10 books; one copy each of Srila Prabhupada’s large size Bhagavad Gita and one copy each of a smaller version of the Gita. They also purchased 4 other books on the science of self-realization. “We have plenty of time to read them now on our vacation,” th
By Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami
When we think calmly and carefully about this wonderful universe, we can see that everything is working under the control of a supreme brain. The arrangements in nature are perfectly ordered. Things would be at random without the careful planning of a scientific and engineering brain. It is a common understanding that there is a cause behind each action. A machine cannot run without an operator. Modern scientists are very proud of automation, but there is a scien
Question: The caring attitude is pleasing to everyone, but generally the default attitude in this world is one always thinks selfishly. So is it an inbuilt script of the mind that makes one think selfishly?
Radhanath Swami: The false ego misconceives: “I am this body, I am this mind, I am the controller, I am the proprietor, and I am the selfish enjoyer.” This is foundational to all material complications. It impels us to put ourselves above others and act selfishly. And when we continue to act
By Sacinandana Swami
It is my great pleasure to share something with you today that is characteristic for Vrindavan: talk about Radha and Krishna. The topic is the journey of Radharani to meet Her beloved Krishna. It is very nectarean and dear to the vaisnava’s heart because in some ways it represents our own journey of eagerness to Krishna.
Lotus-eyed Radha walks into the forest like the personified Goddess of spring, making the trees and creepers bloom with flowers. Everywhere She looks She
Nityanand Ashraya Das: ISKCON’s Congregational Development Ministry (CDM) Mayapur had organized a 2-day workshop entitled “Bhakti Vriksha-Hands on Training” for the leaders from all over the world.
For the 2nd time, this training was held in November 17th and 18th, 2018, and twenty two devotees from Malyasia, South America, Canada, South India, Remuna and various parts of India participated. The workshop was facilitated by Nityanand Ashraya Das (Temple President) from ISKCON Bahadurgarh, Haraya
By Madhava Smullen
After the major success of the recent Bhadra Campaign, in which devotees all over the world distributed thousands of full Srimad-Bhagavatam sets, the BBT Marketing, Communications and Innovations team is launching a new global campaign for this winter’s Prabhupada Marathon – “Be A Giver.”
“One of our main goals is to unite the world as a team,” says BBT trustee and sankirtan strategist Vaisesika Das. “With the Bhadra Campaign, we felt a really strong sense of cooperation bet
You must know that there is bhakti with nectar and bhakti without nectar. Bhakti without nectar means that we do not obtain a taste from our spiritual practices that is higher than the taste created by material things like smartphone apps, movies and all the other ‘maya’ our town has to offer. Thus, it is very important that we perform bhakti with taste.
In other words, we need to know how we can relish the five processes of bhakti and avoid boredom. This is much like drawing juice from sugarca
