Hare Krsna,
In this issue of Illuminations we talk about the power and importance of visualizing ourselves as the kind of devotee we really want to be.
May you always think of Krsna.
Mahatma Das
What You See is What You Get
I’d like you to take a minute and envision the kind of devotee you would like to be if anything were possible. What qualities would you like to possess? How would you like to act? What kind of mentality and attitude would you like to have?
When we first take to Krsna conscio
By Nick Rallo
You’ll find that time slows. You’ll take slower bites, thoughtful and concerted twirls of stir-fried noodles and heaping forkfuls of saucy tofu. Your mind will ease through the flavors like you’re footing your way up the steps of a flight of stone stairs. The lights in the courtyard’s yaupon tree will glimmer.
On my table of polished black, where I’m spooning through a cooling dessert of vanilla sweet rice and halvah — “It’s like vanilla ice cream with a brownie,” I’m told in a in
Sriman Havi Das, a dear disciple of Srila Prabhupada, will receive Grammy Award for Excellence 2017.
Havi das (Ilan Chester) at the age of 19, in 1971 he first met Hare Krishna devotees and two years later he was initiated and given the spiritual name Havi Das by his spiritual master His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Chester has stated on record that ‘Krishna consciousness is and has always been my true source of inspiration. It is the love found in the hearts of the devotee
Bhaktivedanta Manor: Brahmins in yellow.
Srila Prabhupada: All glories to the all-blissful holy name of Sri Krishna, which causes the devotee to give up all conventional religious duties, meditation and worship. When somehow or other uttered even once by a living entity, the holy name awards him liberation. The holy name of Krishna is the highest nectar. It is my very life and my only treasure. (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 4.71 purport).
From Dharma prabhu, the head pujari at the Miami temple: The hurricane passed. The temple buildings had minimal damage although the storm uprooted 3 big mango trees. The Deities were untouched. We resumed Deity service, in a restricted way the next morning (Monday) after hurricane passed.
We still do not have electricity, which is a disturbance but we are dressing the Deities twice daily, cooking Raja bhoga offering and doing Raja Bhoga arati. The schedule is modified because of curfew. We cann
By Rachel Norris
Something very special and rare has come to our attention in the last couple of days, and it’s something that will make you walk the walk, literally. Bhaktimarga Swami, also known as The Walking Monk, has walked across Canada (Earth’s second largest country) from coast to coast, four times to be exact. He has also trekked across Ireland, the Fiji Islands, Mauritius, Trinidad, Guyana, Israel, and other countries to promote a healthier global lifestyle and the Hare Krishna monk c
By Anand Caitanya das
ISKCON’s Govardhan Eco Village (GEV, http://www.ecovillage.org.in) won the Spirit of Humanity Award in the Livelihood category. The 8th edition of the Spirit of Humanity awards was held on 14th Sept 2017, in a gala event at J W Marriott, Juhu, Mumbai. The event was organized by AmeriCares, a non-profit disaster relief and global health organization providing immediate response to emergency medical needs and supporting long-term health care initiatives for people around the
[From the time she was 4, Urmila (Dr. Edith Best) was looking for God. If somebody said, “What do you want to do?” she’d say, “I want to be spiritually perfect. I want to find God.” They’d say, “Don’t you want to get married, have kids, have a career?” She’d say, “I just want to find God.”] Urmila: My first contact with Prabhupada was in ’67 when I was 12 years old.
I would regularly listen to him chanting on the Happening album playing in Alan Kallman’s shop on the Lower East Side.
I’d ask, “W
Book distribution “miracles”
I was distributing in Bethlehem, Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. In the Countdown Supermarket parking lot I saw a young delivery guy heading toward his van. I approached him and put a Hiding in Unnatural Happiness in his hand. Eru is a nineteen-year-old New Zealander half Maori native.
Enthused about the book and our exchange, he wanted to donate but had no cash, so I pulled out the mobile eftpos PayClip machine. Eru trusted me but had doubts about this device
ISKCON Czech Hare Krishna farm – Krishna’s yard
We would like to evaluate today’s harvest festival on the farm Krishna’s yard. It was a beautiful event we organized 2nd year with an idea not only to entertain the visitors with the different attractions and the workshops, but also we wanted to evaluate the entire agricultural season. During whole day were prepared a different workshops – the hand milling of flour on a stone mill, a ceramics production on the pottery circle, a blacksmith workshop
Meet Jonas.
Veera: During the Pandava Sena trip to America last month, SSP managed to spend a few hours with the New York Harinam team who go out to distribute the Holy Name and Srila Prabhupada’s books every day!
Whilst there, I met Jonas – a university student currently doing a course in Music Technology. He was drawn by the kirtan party and wanted to know more so I explained that this is a form of mantra meditation and they do this here in Union Square everyday. To my surprise he commented ‘
Russell Brand is said to have turned to chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra to overcome his drug addiction, and even now at the end of a show he says, “Hare Krishna”. He’s a regular visitor to Bhaktivedanta Manor, the Watford estate given to Prabhupada in 1973 by George Harrison.
He has met with the Hare Krishna Guru Radhanath Swami and called him “a beautiful fellow. He’s got the answer. I’m a spiritual gent and increasingly that’s the level I want to vibrate on.” While not claiming he is
Coming to the U.S. for the first time, Indradyumna Swami’s ‘Discover India’ tour began with a resounding success, performing to a receptive audience of over 500 people at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center in New York on September 10th.
“We sold many Bhagavad-gitas after the show – it was a perfect start to our American tour,” Indradyumna Swami commented.
The epic show of dance, theater, martial arts and live music has been touring Poland for 28 years under the name Festival of India, putting on
A Meditation
Krishna is the Original Soul. If they were able, all souls could trace their ultimate origin to Krishna, the origin of everyone and everything. Just as the body has a soul within, so the soul also has a soul. The Soul of the soul is known as Atma-atma. But this Soul is never trapped or compromised as the individual soul is. This Soul remains ever free and above all. He is therefore known as the Over Soul or Superior Soul, or Supersoul, the Param-atma.
The individual soul has an in
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Inspired by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
Founder Acharya of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness
There are letters where Srila Prabhupada writes, “Krsna has sent me many spiritual masters in the form of my disciples.” Is this artificial? No, Srila Prabhupada was never artificial! Srila Prabhupada never said things just to impress people – this was his wonderful quality. He did not try to impress anybody; he was completely genuine therefore this statement must be genuine.
So, how can he genuinely say, “Krsna sent me many spiritual masters.” Well think about it, every devotee is a unique in
Srila Prabhupada’s Gift to the World –
Sri Dham Mayapur Celebrates World Holy Name Week
A Week of Bliss!
This year, World Holy Name Week falls between the 9th and 17th of September. At a time when much of the world is experiencing great chaos and distress, what better way can ISKCON devotees help suffering humanity than by chanting the holy names and letting the transcendental sound vibration resound throughout the world?
Chanting the holy names is also a way to glorify and honor our savior, Sr
800 devotees from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia got to immerse themselves in Krishna consciousness in one of the most gorgeous natural settings in the world this August.
They were attending the 17th annual Vaishnava Summer Festival in Lithuania, which ran from August 4th to 11th.
The Festival was held in a holiday resort in the beautiful Dubingiai national park, on the banks of the Asveja, the longest lake in Lithuania, amidst vivid green pine forests.
“The ho
We see Srila Prabhupada would end his letters to disciples with “Your ever well-wisher” at the bottom. Many say that when they read or heard this line from Srila Prabhupada it touched them deeply & changed their life!
Kadamba Kanana Swami returned to Radhadesh from his Slovakia tour after a busy week of preaching. Unfortunately, the news came to us that Manisha devi dasi, one of Maharaj’s disciples, was in a very critical condition and close to leaving her body. Some months
