By Urmila Devi Dasi
Because Krsna’s name has immense spiritual power, we must be careful how we use it.
This article discusses the offense of sinning while relying on the power of the holy names to protect one from the reactions to the sin.
The students of my Government class and I sat hushed, without even rustling papers, listening to the amazing story in the courtroom. At least it amazed these fifteen- and sixteen-year-old students whose lives never touched those of drug addicts and criminal
Nowhere else in the world can you walk along the roads, Lanes, and pathways and be constantly reminded of the Lord’s Holy Name than in Sri Vrindavan Dham. The street names, the names of the buildings, the signs on the shops, the Radha and Krishna names painted on the compound walls, and hearing the kirtans of the Holy Names being sung as you pass by the different ashrams throughout the city. Automatically you must surely start chanting without even realizing you are doing it.
I recall the day
Just like us, the Lord has feelings. When someone glorifies the Lord, He is happy but if someone speaks ill words, the Lord feels pain in His heart. The pastime between Varaha and Hiaranyaksha is a display of Lord's feelings.
Hiranyaksha spoke of Lord Varaha "When You fall dead with Your skull smashed by the mace hurled by my arms, the demigods and sages who offer You oblations and sacrifice in devotional service will also automatically cease to exist, like trees without roots." Hearing this t
By Akhandadhi Das
A friend of mine recently revealed a personal moment of spirit in action. She had been chronically abused by her father and this had led to an array of deep psychological issues during adulthood. Three years ago, her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Reluctantly, she agreed to support her mother on a visit to the hospital. My friend recalled the moment she saw the man who had ruined her life. Lying on the bed, hooked up to monitors and drips, he looked so weak and hel
By Madhava Smullen
ISKCON Founder Srila Prabhupada’s youngest son, Vrindavan Chandra De, passed away at his home in Kolkata at 10:30pm on April 3rd. He had been suffering from lung cancer.
Vrindavan Chandra was favorable to his father’s society, and ISKCON devotees were present, chanting in his room, while he passed.
Vrindavan Chandra had been the only family member present when Srila Prabhupada boarded the Jaladuta to leave for the U.S. on August 13th, 1965. He related the experience when he
By Madhava Smullen
As ISKCON’s second and third generations progress in their lives and Krishna consciousness, their signature festival, Kulimela, is also growing and developing in new ways with every event.
This summer’s Kulimela 2018, to be held in Radhadesh, Belgium, is the tenth anniversary of the first Radhesh Mela, and the eleventh overall Kulimela since 2006. Others have been held in France, Germany, Russia, Siberia, Australia, New Zealand, and, in the U.S., Los Angeles, Alachua, and Ne
By Ramai Swami
I recently visited our New Gokula farm and although there has been a severe drought in the area for last few months, finally a good downpour of rain came.
As you can see from the pictures, Radha Gokulananda’s cows and bullocks are happily munching on fresh green pasture.
The places in the eighty-four square mile district of Mathura are so beautifully situated on the banks of the River Yamuna, that anyone who goes there will never want to return to this material world.” (Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 13, Page 111). It is interesting how Srila Prabhupada said the words, “…will never want to return to this material world…” It shows that Prabhupada is truly situated in the spiritual world, unlike us, who are not similarly positioned even when we are present in the ho
The wait in the UK is finally over! Hare Krishna! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami who started it all (formerly known as Acharya) is coming to cinemas in the UK! Never before has there been a bigger opportunity for a mainstream audience in the UK to experience the incredible story of A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami (affectionately known as Srila Prabhupada), the 70-year-old Swami from India, who arrived in America without any support or money in the turbulent 1960s. Despite all difficulties and o
By Kripamoya Das
Philosophy – from the Greek words:
philo – love of, affinity for;
sophos – wisdom.
Philosophy – the love of wisdom
Wisdom – from the Old Norse visdomr – the ability to think and act utilising knowledge, experience, understanding, discernment, insight and common sense – coupled with just judgment as to action.
Philosophy means the love of wisdom, the ability to separate truth from error, reality from illusion, and the subsequent discernment as to correct action. Professional phi
We are currently living in an age where everyone is over-educated and has a degree that is not going to bring them much benefit in life. In fact, it is going to take them away from Krsna. We become proud and start to think that, “Oh, I have a master’s degree, so now I am a master!” At that point, one can no longer put their faith in anything else because as an academic, they try to cut everything to pieces and begin to question Krsna consciousness. Well, where is the benefit in that if one is t
By Satyaraja Dasa
By Taru das
“In The Well”
My dear readers, it is time to come to an understanding of the motivation behind these articles. We have attempted to be a little amusing and in this respect, there may have been a certain amount of success. But actually what we are trying to do is to describe the process of purification in Krsna Consciousness. We never wanted anyone to think that all the atrocities detailed herein are actually something to be admired or imitated. Yet the fear is there that we are enco
By Krsangi Radhe dasi (Communications & Public Relations Practitioner)
It has been an amazing festival of spreading Krishna Consciousness through diverse preaching programmes, bringing people together from all walks of life to a spiritual realm. ISKCON Kwa-Zulu Natal (South Africa) hosted the 30th Durban Festival of Chariots over the Easter Weekend (30 March – 2 April). The four day festival is a flagship event on the Ethekwini Municipality calendar as an event that promotes social cohesion th
Interruptions are a part of life. They often come when least expected and have us doing things we never planned to do.
For most of us, Krishna comes as an interruption in our life. There we were living as best we could, planning our future and how we may work or study, live or travel. Then hello! Krishna arrived through a friend or music or a book and suddenly things were different. We look back after years of chanting or service and think – I never thought I would be doing this with my life!
A
By Madhava Smullen
Throughout this year, ISKCON New Vrindaban is reaching out to local leaders, neighbors, congregation, and both present and past residents to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
New Vrindaban, established in the rolling hills of West Virginia in 1968 at the behest of Srila Prabhupada, is a unique place. It’s ISKCON’s very first farm community, and the first cow protection program in the Western World.
It was specifically defined by Srila Prabhupada as a place of pilgrimage, non-di
Whereas when Deity worship is done properly following the rules of worship and maintaining strict cleanliness and punctuality, the worship is enlivening to devotees;
Whereas, it has been seen that in temples where the worship is below the required minimum standard, it is often a result of zonal leadership, temple management, and/or the head pujari not knowing the proper standards of worship;
Whereas GBC members and other leaders of ISKCON may not have the time to learn appropriate standards for
[ISKCON Law]
Resolution A:
Whereas Srila Prabhupada has stated that the worship of Radha-Krsna is the “ultimate pinnacle” of worship and “must be done with the utmost caution and attention”;
Whereas there are Radha-Krsna Deities being worshipped with less than five aratis per day;
Whereas there are Radha-Krsna Deities being worshipped by, or cooked for by non-brahmanas;
Whereas improper worship of Radha-Krsna is having long-term detrimental effects on individual devotees, local communities, and
Whereas ISKCON does not have established formal Policies and Procedures to maintain ecclesiastical leadership standards within our Society regarding Sexual Misconduct of Leaders nor does ISKCON have methodologies to respond appropriately when a leader demonstrates Sexual Misconduct;
Whereas many large and global religious organizations have deemed it proper to establish such systems;
Whereas having such Policies and Procedures in place has many specific advantages including:
Leaders are tr
Foods in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such nourishing foods are sweet, juicy, fattening and palatable. Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, pungent, dry and hot, are liked by people in the modes of passion. Such foods cause pain, distress, and disease. Food cooked more than three hours before being eaten, which is tasteless, stale, putrid, decomposed and unclean, is food liked by people
