As the Hare Krishna Society builds a lavish new temple in India, it is struggling to control a faction in the city where the religion was born.
Weekdays at Govinda’s Vegetarian Lunch, a cafeteria in the basement of Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir, the Hare Krishna temple located in the rapidly developing area of Downtown Brooklyn, is a peaceful affair. Outside, there are cranes, scaffolding and cement trucks. But inside and down a few stairs, there is faint, dulcet chanting piped through speakers.
By Sophia Nguyen
Distant are the days of Annie Hall, when Woody Allen resigned himself to a plate of alfalfa sprouts and mashed yeast. Over the years, vegan eating has gone from tasteless to trendy to making inroads into the mainstream. One sign of the times: in 2016, Tyson Foods, the largest meat processor in the United States, bought a 5 percent stake in the plant-based protein producer Beyond Meat. (The company’s best-known product, the Beyond Burger, is pinkened with beet extracts and repor
Traditional Indian Art Paintings By B.G. Sharma
“Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.”(Bhagavad-gita 18.78)
“Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please ins
The winter holidays from Christmas till the New Year attracts lakhs of people every year from across India to the ISKCON Chandradaya Temple, Mayapur, the spiritual headquarters of the institution. During this time all the guesthouses, lodges and hotels are stuffed and every road leading to Mayapur is seen bustling with tourists and revellers. To reach out to this huge bunch of people with an aim to inculcate spiritual values among people and thereby promote peace, harmony and well-being, the de
From Back to Godhead
By Acyuta Dasa
Whether we are neophytes or advanced, association of pure devotees is crucial for our spiritual progress.
The pure devotees of the Lord carry the message of Godhead in order to deliver the fallen souls, and therefore the common man who is bewildered by the influence of the external energy of the Lord should avail himself of their association.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.5.4, purport)
The Science Behind Krishna Consciousness
Srila Prabhupada often referred to bhakti
By Urmila devi dasi
“It is not from any deliberate opposition to the ordained clergy that these observations are made. The original purpose of the established churches of the world may not be always objectionable. But no stable religious arrangement for instructing the masses has yet been successful. The supreme Lord Shree Krishna Chaitanya in pursuance of the teaching of the scriptures enjoins all absence of conventionalism for the teachers of the eternal religion. It does not follow that the
Nirmala: Six months later, already delayed by a broken-down van, my sankirtana crew and this six-month veteran hurried toward the New Vrindavan temple, where Srila Prabhupada had already arrived in July 1974.
As I ran up the knoll toward the temple I was unprepared for the visceral reaction that overtook me.
Srila Prabhupada was singing Jaya Radha-Madhava, and his voice was being broadcast over the loudspeakers.
At first the loud sound didn’t strike me, but then suddenly his voice penetrated in
Everyone falls short, or doesn’t progress as fast as they would like, on their spiritual journey. Can we ever think we love or serve Krishna sufficiently, when even great souls consider themselves deficient in devotion? Therefore, I always feel it is essential to portray my struggles as well as successes, so that devotees will be comfortable accepting and acknowledging where they fall short—at least with a select group, or a confidential friend. It is a sad truth that too many don’t have such a
From Back to Godhead
Providing inspiration for the world’s largest democracy.
“We say God’s on our side but the more important question to ask is are we on God’s side…” (George Washington)
Democracy is supposed to be ‘by the people, of the people, and for the people,’ but I fear it may soon be redefined as ‘buy’ the people, ‘off’ the people, and ‘far’ (from) the people,” exclaimed Suresh, a 25-year-old man I met while returning to the temple from an outstation program. He was disappointed that
As we come into Krishna consciousness then many a times we may get lost in the philosophy itself. The mind too likes newer subjects and intellect is also satisfied by gaining deeper understanding. However we should be careful not to feel satisfied remaining at these levels. Most of us do understand that our real position in the material world is not unlike that of a criminal put in a prison for reform. Criminals can also, rather they do, have high level of mental and intellectual capabilities!
By Davender Bhardwaj
BMI-Bhaktivriksha in Bloomington, IL conducted a 10 week course of Bhagavad Gita As It Is for children from ages 9-16. It was well received by the children and all 28 of them graduated and received their Certificates in a ceremony last Saturday Dec 16. There were more registrant than the allocated seats so we will hold another session soon.
The course was well appreciated by the children and proud parents who were so happy to perceive their children’s depth of understanding
By Giriraj Swami
On Srila Jiva Gosvami’s disappearance day recently, I thought of Mother Arca-vigraha’s special service to him, as recounted by Kuntidevi dasi in my book Many Moons: Reflections on Departed Vaishnavas:
“Over time, Arca-vigraha was able to use her artistic talent in the service of some very special projects. Once, a Gaudiya Vaishnava at Radha-kunda wanted to renovate Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami’s bhajana-kutira and was looking for an artist to paint a new portrait. It would
The poet Allen Ginsberg, an early devotee who attended some of the first outreach sessions in New York, told The Times in 1966 that the chanting “brings a state of ecstasy.”
Swami Prabhupada, known to his followers as Srila Prabhupada, officially founded the Hare Krishna Society that same year. Its first temple was located in a former gift shop at 26 Second Avenue in Manhattan. Early devotees were mostly white Westerners, many of whom were disillusioned with American culture as the Vietnam War
By Hari Narayana Das
Organised by Kesatuan Mahasiswa Hindu Dharma Indonesia (KMHDI) or the United University Students Hindu Dharma Indonesia (Head Branch of Gorontalo), in collaboration with Bhagavad-gita Centre (ISKCON), Gorontalo, the International Bhagavad-gita Seminar was held at the Banthayo Lo Iladiya (Official Hall of the Mayor) for the first time in Gorontalo City on 16 December 2017. The event was supported by the Mayor of Gorontalo, Hindu Parisada Gorontalo, Association of Islamic Stu
By Madhava Smullen
Traveling around the world, expert book distributor and Sankirtana strategist Vaisesika Das has guided many ISKCON temples to multiplying their book distribution several times over. The biggest Hare Krishna community in the Western World, New Raman Reti in Alachua, Florida is the latest to be set on the path of success in ISKCON’s “family business.”
Before giving his seminar Vaisesika met with New Raman Reti’s temple board, saying that Alachua had great potential and could be
“namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca…
His first business is to give all comfort to the cows and the brahmanas. In fact, comfort for the brahmanas is secondary, and comfort for the cows is His first concern.”
– Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.16, purport
The ISKCON Mayapur Goshala is located in the south-east corner of the Mayapur campus, and is a beautiful eight to twelve minute walk from the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir and Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. The Mayapur Goshala is a very peacef
A new website, http://www.iskcondisciplecourse.com/, has been launched for the ISKCON Disciples Course. Throughout the world, the course has been inspiring a family togetherness amongst devotees, as well as a strong dedication to Srila Prabhupada, their gurus, and Lord Chaitanya’s mission.
The Disciples Course is a training program designed to deepen devotees’ understanding of guru tattva (the meaning of guru) and guru padasraya (taking shelter of the guru). It was developed under the direction
By Chaitanya Charan Das
“Merely having an open mind is nothing; the object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.” – G K Chesterton
Contemporary ethos exhorts us to be open-minded and excoriates the follies and perils of close-mindedness. Given that many people with narrow-minded, black-and-white view of things are intolerant and even violent, we do need reminders to be open-minded.
And yet overemphasizing the danger of one extreme can push us to t
During the past weeks, I have frequently thought of the following verse and purport from Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.5.2):
vidura uvaca
sukhaya karmani karoti loko
na taih sukham vanyad-uparamam va
vindeta bhuyas tata eva duhkham
yad atra yuktam bhagavan vaden nah
“Vidura said: O great sage, everyone in this world engages in fruitive activities to attain happiness, but one finds neither satiation nor the mitigation of distress. On the contrary, one is only aggravated by such activities.
By Ananta Gauranga Das
When Alexander the Great lead his men through the Gedrosian Desert, the loss of life was colossal. He sent phalanxes of his army in search of water. After many hours they came back with just enough to fill a helmet. The parched army handed over the precious liquid to their commander. He clasped the helmet in both hands and to the dismay of his troops, poured its contents onto the sand. Alexander proclaimed, “If the men don’t drink, then I don’t drink”. This selfless act f
