By: Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on Sept. 1, 2017
Teacher Mani Manjari Dasi (front right) guides children in summer activities in the Little Avanti classroom
As part of the efforts to revitalize New Vrajamandala, a beautiful 300-hectare farm near Guadalajara, Spain, devotees are set to open a primary school affiliated with the renowned Avanti Foundation in the UK on January 8th, 2018.
New community president Yadunandana Swami, who formerly served as principal in Belgium’s Bhaktivedanta C
Sept. 7, 2017, Lisbon, Portugal.
World Holy Name Week starts on Sept. 9th and culminates on Sept. 17.
“Srila Prabhupada arrived in Boston, USA, and I began my celebration of World Holy Name Week early by a series of Harinam events in Boston. Even after the long flight today from Boston, USA, I felt fresh and inspired in the sea breeze of the port city of Lisbon, Portugal. The locals and tourists were blissfully smiling, waving, dancing, taking selfies with us and chanting along with us in the
We are now calling for nominations for the ISKCON Europe Excellence Awards (IEEA) for 2017. The IEEA recognizes the sincere service of devotees who have dedicated their lives to the mission of Srila Prabhupada within Europe. These awards are to encourage such exemplary devotees and also to inspire all other devotees by their example.
*IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR NOMINATIONS*
1. Nominations can be made by anyone but the nomination should be endorsed by a temple president or an authority who is eq
Deity forms of Sri Sri Radha Krishna came to us this month - gifts from a kind pujari in Radha Kunda. Gandharvika Giridhari are their names. To celebrate Janmastami, we worshipped them with an abhiseka bath, kirtan and arati. Then we fed 120 Radha Kunda widows a sumptuous feast and gave gifts of clothing, sweets, and laksmi to them and to our workers. We were grateful for Tulsi Mataji’s service to our ladies during her visit to Radha Kunda. Thanks also to you, our sponsors who made this festiva
Paramatma: God as the Source of Inspiration and Insight.
By the late Dr. T.D. Singh.
According to Vedanta [summative Vedic techings], the Supreme Lord expands and accompanies each and every living entity in order to guide his/her activities. This is seen in the form of inspiration or a sudden flash of insight experienced by scientists at the time of discovery, and by poets and artists in different circumstances.
Let us consider the example of a spaceship. We make these spaceships and send th
The Cause of Crime.
Krishna Dharma Dasa: There are 80,000 people incarcerated in Britain’s prisons, twice as many as there were ten years ago - and the number is still rising. Strangely, though, crime figures are supposedly falling. That’s a debatable point, because many will argue that people are increasingly disinclined to report petty crimes, seeing that hard-pressed police are unlikely to respond, and even if they do it will serve little purpose. The chance of getting back stolen goods or
By Kesava Krsna Dasa
If we look back into Vedic history we will probably find many incidents that contravene modern-day standards of human rights and discrimination. If say, a liberal human rights monitor group were to go back 5,000 years, they would likely report negatively to the UN.
Ekalavya, Romaharsana, Radheya, (How many of us felt sorry for him?) and many others like them, suffered, or benefited from their fair share of discrimination based on social standing, and other issues. There ar
From Back to Godhead
By Vishakha Devi Dasi
Why are some people by nature outgoing and talkative while others are quiet and shy? What are the forces of nature that compel people to act the way they do? How do these forces work, and who is controlling them?
Dr. and Mrs. A. B. Bright and their two children have a small home, just suitable to their needs, in a peaceful country town. Dr. Bright is the local, M.D., a thoughtful, qualified man, respected for doing his job honestly and selflessly. His
By Mahakarta Das
On the occasion of the 66th birthday on 03rd of September 2017, the President of Sri Lanka had special offerings at the Dehiwala Vishnu Temple in Sri Lanka and released a cow from the slaughter house and handed it over to Mahakarta Das – the temple president of ISKCON Sri Lanka. The pictures attached show the details of the ceremony.
ISKCON Sri Lanka conducts cow protection program in the name of ISKCON Goshala. There are more than 50 cows including calves and bulls protected
2. Story of Puranjana
King Puranjana had unlimited desires for sense enjoyment. Consequently he traveled all over the world to find a place where all his desires could be fulfilled. Unfortunately he found a feeling of insufficiency everywhere. 27.12.
Once, while wandering I this way, he saw on the southern side of the Himalayas, in a place named Bharata Varsa a city that had nine gates all about and was characterized by all auspicious facilities. 27.13
While wandering here and there in that
By Anantaram das
Devotees often find themselves immersed in conflict with other devotees and thus see their development come to a halt. This has certainly happened to me. By the mercy of Hari-Guru-Vaisnava, this is changing and I am slowly progressing in my spiritual life. I simply try to focus on chanting the holy name and on not committing offenses against any living entities, especially against devotees. I will share with you some excerpts from three books that have profoundly changed my lif
namo bhaktivinodaya saccidananda-murtaye
gaura-shakti-svarupaya rupanuga-varaya te
I offer my obeisances to you, O Bhaktivinoda, the form of eternity, knowledge and bliss, the incarnation of Gaura’s potency and the best of the followers of Rupa Goswami.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, formerly known as Kedarnatha Datta, was born in 1838 in Birnagar, West Bengal. Growing up, Kedarnatha Datta preferred to sit and talk with the gate keepers and soldiers, and listen to them recite pastimes of Lord Kris
By Hari Narayana Das
Lord Jagannath’s chariot closed the parade where Thousands of citizens both the surrounding community, domestic and foreign tourists packed along Malioboro Street until Zero Kilometer Point, August 26, 2017. They enjoy various performances on the parade to commemorate the Independence Day was that attended by thousands of participants from various quarters.
“Make the Ratha-yatra festival very great success. This will be a great introduction in your city and people will appr
The last instructions of Srila Bhaktivinoda thakura is found in his Sva niyama dasakam:
Sri Sri Sva-niyama-dasakam
“12 Verses of My Own Self-imposed Regulative Principles”
by Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura
The 1st Verse
(The Objects of Devotion Birth After Birth)
gurau sri-gaurange tad-udita-subhakti-prakara ne
saci-sunor-lila-vikasita-s utirthe nija manau
harer namni presthe hari-tithisu rupanuga-jane
suka-prokte sastre prati-jani mamastam khalu ratih
No matter whenever and wherever I
Devotees often find themselves immersed in conflict with other devotees and thus see their development come to a halt. This has certainly happened to me. By the mercy of Hari-Guru-Vaisnava, this is changing and I am slowly progressing in my spiritual life. I simply try to focus on chanting the holy name and on not committing offenses against any living entities, especially against devotees. I will share with you some excerpts from three books that have profoundly changed my life. I take the opp
From Back to Godhead
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura (1838-1914) is a prominent preceptor acharya in our succession of spiritual masters and disciples coming from Lord Krishna. He was a pioneering spiritual leader, a householder, a magistrate working in colonial India under the British rule, a prolific preacher, writer, and poet. He wrote volumes of books reintroducing the pure teachings of Lord Chaitanya at a time when those teachings had practically become lost. He composed hundreds of devotional
“Dedicated to the sacred service of Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who initiated the teachings of Lord Chaitanya in the Western world (McGill University, Canada) in 1896, the year of my birth.” These words are Srila Prabhupada’s dedication to Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, the first book he published after coming to America. They also apply to Srila Prabhupada’s life, which was dedicated to the sacred service of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and his own s
By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON New Vrindaban Communications
ECO-Vrindaban and ISKCON New Vrindaban are extending an invitation to every Hare Krishna temple and farm in North America to attend the 2017 Annual North American ISKCON Farm Conference from October 13th to 15th.
The Conference will be hosted at INV in West Virginia, and is organized Kalakantha Das, the GBC Minister for Agriculture and Cow Protection, along with volunteers from several farm communities.
“We also want to invite not just
Chalayasi vikramaṇe balim adbhuta-vāmana
pada-nakha-nīra-janita-jana-pāvana
keśava dhṛta-vāmana-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare
“O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of a dwarf-brahmana! All glories to You! O wonderful dwarf, by Your massive steps You deceive King Bali, and by the Ganges water that has emanated from the nails of your lotus feet, You deliver all living beings within this world.”
On Sri Vamana Dvadasi, the appearance day of Lord Vamanadeva, devotees ar
By Radhanath Swami
The Appearance of Lord Vamana
“Bali Maharaj, very intelligent personality. He was the son of Virochana, grandson of Prahlad, great grandson of Hiranyakashipu, great grand-nephew of Hiranyaksha. A very mixed up type of family heritage!”
So he performed yajna to please his guru Shukracharya, and his guru-maharaj was very pleased with him. In fact he arranged for the descendents of Bhrigu Muni to come to perform this yajna. And his disposition, his good qualities, was so pleasin
