By Kadamba Kanana Swami
Before the Ratha Yatra performed, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu engaged in the pastime of the cleansing of the Gundica temple. It is said that all the devotees were engaged by Caitanya Mahaprabhu in sweeping the dirt. Mahaprabhu himself would sweep up the most dirt and at the same time, he would check on everyone else. If they did not do enough, he would tell them, “Is that all?” In this way, he pushed everyone to sweep up more dirt but he swept up more than everybody else tog
It is not so easy to say no to sinful things consistently; not so easy. It is not so easy to never have a moment of weakness; not so easy to never slip; not so easy to remain faithful; not so easy to take vows and then follow them for a lifetime. Not so easy! Still, the vows are so powerful that even if not perfectly performed, as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta says, still, generally they will be successful. That is amazing!
Parasuram Das: There was a great Beast from the East With blizzards which never ceased But Krishna’s Castle was strong And all day long They served out a great big feast Here is the latest snowy movie from The City of London’s new initiative.
Video: Click here
By Madhava Smullen
On behalf of BBT Marketing, Communications and Innovations Department
info@bbtbooks.org
We in ISKCON may feel that times have changed; that we must use very different methods to deliver our message to people. But in New York City’s Harinama Ashrama, a group of devotees is using the most “old school” approach – simple Harinama and book distribution for hours every day – to impressive effect. And nowhere was this more evident than during the Prabhupada marathon this past Christ
Prananatha Das: Dear friends. Please send prayers and support to our BrajaVilasa Prabhu. He was coming from Mayapur to Kolkata today and his taxi was involved in a crash. He went to Apollo Hospital for checking, and has been discharged, but he’s in a lot of pain. He’s a driving force behind the TOVP.
Here in ISKCON Kathwada it’s about to complete one year of temple opening and this was our first Gaura Purnima, more than 500 people visited temple on the occasion of ‘Festival of Holi’. This was surprise for us to having such huge crowd on Gaura Purnima. This time Gaura Purnima fall on the Holiday so all nearly residents visited temple to have Darshan of Lord Jagannath and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai.
At 4pm all together in Tempe hall and Kirtan begin. Then after temple senior devotees begin Abhishek o
(Mayesvara Dasa – I do not recall who gave me this photo but it is an excellent shot of Balarama’s Cart as it rolled down 5th Avenue. Jambavan Prabhu is on the ground steering the cart using the two bar system Jayananda designed. I am standing on the right (starboard) side of the deity deck. )
“As the man who digs obtains underground water by use of a shovel, so the student attains the knowledge possessed by his preceptor through his service.” – Chanakya Niti Sastra 14.17
Prabhupada: “So there
Laddu Sadhu
Being addicted to Krishna prasadam is not the same as being addicted to anything else. Prasadam is completely spiritual and if anyone tastes it, he makes spiritual advancement. Still, if we eat too much and fail to control our senses that is not good for spiritual life.
Naturally, a devotee of Krishna wants to become free from material contamination. So there is always a kind of moral dilemma for a prasadam addict. He doesn’t want to eat too much. But at the same time, prasadam is s
This morning, the 2018 Mayapur Gaura Purnima festival officially ended after Srila Prabhupada’s guru puja. Srila Prabhupada was taken on a palanquin for the ceremonial lowering of the festival flag, and then returned to altar.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained to Sanatana Goswami that we must follow in the footsteps of the eternal residents of Vrindavan. We must always act for the pleasure of Krsna. In our sadhana, Krsna must always be in the centre.
My first big festival in the temple was Gaura Purnima. I was celebrating it at the Bhaktivedanta Manor and I had just returned from India. We were in a very big room and we, the brand new devotees, our service was to roll sweet balls the whole day. We were fasting and it
By Ananda Tirtha das [BBT]
With the advent of the New Year Gaurabdha 532 we seek the blessings of all vaishnavas to enable us to serve Guru and Sri Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada states in the Madhya Lila – “Everyone in every town and village should be enlightened by the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krisna consciousness should be distributed to everyone indiscriminately. In this way, the entire world will be peaceful and happy”.
In our small endeavor to fulfill this statement by Srila Pr
By Brajsunder Das
Secretary/Sannyasa Ministry
Three types of Sannyasa
The brahmacaris, grhasthas, and vanaprasthas engage in activities of contradictory nature to achieve their respective aims in life. To completely renounce everything is called sannyasa.
When one gives up the fruits of one’s karma, it is called karma-sannyasa. When one gives up all forms of material knowledge, it is called jnana-sannyasa. When one gives up the propensity for enjoying material objects and becomes inclined towar
By Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey
KOLKATA: Devotees from 80 countries namely China, Japan, Spain, Russia, England, Brazil, America, Australia, Mexico, Trinidad, Ivory Coast, South Africa, European continent and many more were present at ISKCON Mayapur and their loud chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra resounded every corner of the holy Dham.
The biggest festival in the Gaudiya Vaishnav Sampradaya- Gaur Purnima, the appearance day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was celebrated with fervour and gaiety at th
By Radhika krpa Devi Dasi
The Journey with Guru Maharaja……
“You have my blessings to preach anywhere on this planet,” these soulful words of my Spiritual Master His Holiness Gopal Krsna Goswami always ring in my ears. They have eternally been a cause of motivation for me to be daring and fearless. Past eleven years I have accepted challenges of travelling far and wide for preaching the Philosophy I accepted wholeheartedly twenty years back.
Entering the realm of my memories I see myself as a s
By Parasuram Das
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted His followers to move all over the world to preach in every town and village. In the Caitanya-sampradaya those who strictly follow the principles of Lord Caitanya must travel all over the world to preach the message of Lord Caitanya, which is the same as preaching the words of Krsna–Bhagavad-gita–and Srimad-Bhagavatam. The more the devotees preach the principles of krsna-katha, the more people throughout the world will benefit.
Devotees like the
By Madhava Smullen
On behalf of BBT Marketing, Communications and Innovations Department
The Go Matsya project aims to save and preserve Vedic culture through distribution of full Srimad-Bhagavatam sets, as the Bhagavatam is the essence of all Vedic literature. Now the project has spread from the US to the UK, where it is taking off in new and exciting ways.
Launched in ISKCON Silicon Valley, California in January 2017 by BBT Trustee Vaisesika Das, Go Matsya is a kind of spiritual multi-level m
By Kesava Krsna Dasa
Here are some thoughts and mediations of Sri Gaura-Hari as we approach His glorious appearance day:
Who Can Dance Like Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?
The dancing of Lord Chaitanya was so astounding that even the Lord of the universe, Sri Jagannatha was astonished. Lord Jagannatha who has seen the best of everything within and outside of the universes, how can He be astonished? Dance in Vaikuntha and Goloka must be beyond compare. The dance of destruction by Rudra must be inexpli
From Back to Godhead
By Gour Govinda Swami
Bhubaneswar, India, March 17, 1992 – The Appearance Day of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
WE SHOULD KNOW the cause for the appearance of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Lord Caitanya. There are two causes: external and internal. The external cause is to teach Kali-yuga dharma, the religion for Kali-yuga, the Age of Quarrel. That religion ishari-sankirtana, the chanting of the holy name.
kali-yuga dharma haya hari-sankirtana
etad arthe avatirna sri sacinandana
Sa
Every year, in the month of Phalguna (Feb-March), the birth of Lord Chaitanya is celebrated as Sri Gaura Purnima. Lord Chaitanya advented Himself in Navadipa, West Bengal in the year 1407 of the Shaka Era on the Purnima (full moon) of the month of Phalguna corresponding to 18th February 1486 AD. He exhibited His transcendental pastimes for forty-eight years and disappeared in A.D. 1534. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu lived in grihastha ashrama for twenty-four years and in sannyasa ashrama for the next t
The word Chaitanya means “living force.” As indicated in the revealed scriptures, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Kṛiṣhṇa Himself, the supreme living entity. As the Supreme, He is full in six opulences: wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation.
As the Personality of Godhead, Lord is the reservoir of all spiritual and cosmic manifestation (animate and inanimate). He is the fountainhead of all incarnations. He is the complete for
