"The only way envious people can bring themselves into limelight is by harassing the saintly. How would anyone ever know about the dark planet Rāhu if it would not perform its regular task of eclipsing the sun?"

— Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Durjana-nindā

When we try to do anything worthwhile, some people will criticize us. Critics can help us recognize where our contribution needs improvement. But to be helpful, their criticism needs to be constructive, not destructive.

Constructive criticis

(I had to make a comprehensive parts list detailing out the size and length of every piece of lumber required to build the chariot. This was not only  needed to order the lumber, it was also how I was able to estimate the costs for every part and figure out quite closely how much the entire cart would cost to build.)

“At the present moment, India may be compared to the lame man and the Western countries to the blind man. For the past two thousand years India has been subjugated by the rule of f

A vaisnava has to be someone with a heart. A vaisnava is not just someone who chants many rounds of japa or someone who knows many slokas (sastric verses) or someone who always gets up really early when the whole world is still asleep. This is all wonderful but if that person, in spite of all these wonderful qualities, does not show a heart and does not have a heart, then he is not a complete vaisnava!

Source:https://www.kksblog.com/2017/04/a-vaisnava/

In Juhu Srila Prabhupada would go on the roof in the evening and give darshan. One evening there were five or ten devotees around him, and a few Indian guests, including a famous movie star and his wife. Somebody had brought mangoes for Prabhupada, and at one point he called for a knife and told a devotee to cut a mango and distribute it as prasada. So a brahmacari got a knife and sliced the mango, but it was dripping juice all over—it was a mess.

“You cannot cut it?” Prabhupada asked.

“The kni

One time Jadurani painted a picture of Krishna/ Radha Krishna, and Radharani is holding a garland for Krishna and Krishna is playing his flute, but when Prabhupada saw the picture, he saw that Radharani is not looking towards Krishna. So Prabhupada said what is this? he said, 'it looks like Radharani is looking for another boyfriend?.

But seriously you know, Prabhupada was like criticizing this picture, that, this is not correct. And of course she worked hard on this picture and she was crushed

London—ISKCON’s International Office of Child Protection (CPO) announced today that it has launched a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Kartik Sharma, who drowned while swimming in the pool of the Bhaktivedanta Gurukula International School (BGIS) in Vrindavana, India, on April 24.  

Although preliminary reports have been unclear, what was reported to the CPO is that Kartik, 13, originally from New Delhi, was swimming with a group of classmates with an adult sup

We all know people who are very intelligent otherwise but who act unreasonably when it comes to certain people whom they have a sour relationship with. For example, we know people who are friendly, helping, charitable, jolly at work but who are grumpy at home with their spouse. Or we know people who are very kind to most, but wont even look at certain individuals. Or we know people who are always appreciating even the little good in others, but always bad mouthing certain individuals who might h

Spirituality without God is popular today. It's a waste of time. Without accepting God as the one Supreme Person, nothing else has any intrinsic meaning. Everything else, no matter whether so-called material or so-called spiritual, is all material because it's all relative truth. An unbiased thoughtful person will definitely come to the conclusion that the Absolute Truth must be the one Supreme Person who is the ultimate source and controller of all that exists. Spirituality is about reviving on

Oh, enigmatic one,

Non-different from the Lord,

Even the breeze that you touch,

Purifies one and all.

Oh, dear Mother,

Your touch soft and silken,

Gushing love of your waters,

Comforts your hapless children.

Oh, Goddess Ganga,

Worshippable for every soul,

Accept the lamps of our hearts,

Pray take us to Krishna's abode.

Source:http://thebandwagonofmoltengold.blogspot.in/2017/04/a-prayer-to-mother-ganges.html

From Back to Godhead

When we think calmly and carefully about this wonderful universe, we can see that everything is working under the control of a supreme brain. The arrangements in nature are perfectly ordered. Things would be at random without the careful planning of a scientific and engineering brain. It is a common understanding that there is a cause behind each action. A machine cannot run without an operator. Modern scientists are very proud of automation, but there is a scientific brain

Dear Devotees and TOVP Donors,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Greetings from Sridham Mayapur and blessings from Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, Sri Panchatattva and Lord Nrsimhadeva.

This Saturday, April 29, is Akshaya Tritiya, one of the most important days in the Vedic calendar. The very word Akshaya means “that which never diminishes”. Any service or charity one performs on this day will be paid back many times over. Traditionally, this is the best day for sta

ISKCON coimbatore organised 2nd Annual Sri Jagannath Rathayatra festival at Ooty on 22nd 
April Saturday.The festival was inaugurated by prominent Guests and dignitariesalong with the presence of His 
Holiness.Bhaktivinoda Swami Maharaj( ISKCON Coimbatore Temple President ,Zonal secretary of Western Tamilnadu & Kerala). 
"Srila Prabhupada has given all this previlage of participating in Sri Jagannath RathYatra Festival all over the world blissfully chanting holyname of the Lord in associa

Recently, I took the initiative to encourage the BBT trustees to correct the translation of the refrain in Srila Prabhupada’s Bengali poem written on the Jaladuta as he arrived in America. On September 13, 1965, he wrote: “Today I have disclosed my mind to my companion, Lord Sri Krishna. There is a Bengali poem made by me in this connection.”

Coincidentally – precisely fifty-one years later – on September 13, 2016, the BBT trustees discussed the proposed correction. During a Skype meeting, they

A few years ago I presented a photo table at a Sunday feast at one of our temples. One devotee came up to the table and held a photo of Lord Nrsimhadev in his hands. I encouraged him to take Lord Nrsimhadev home, but he said, “If I was qualified to worship Him!” and quickly walked away. He seemed to be afraid of Lord Nrsimhadev.

More recently my daughter and her husband removed the photo of Lord Nrsimhadev from their altar because they heard that some couples had been devastated by worshiping a

Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana) – Canto 2: The Cosmic Manifestation – SB 2.9: Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version

That afternoon, Sunday April 2, 2017, the old city in Semarang became crowded by people who wanted to watch ogoh-ogoh carnival. The Old City became witness of the diversity of the ethnic, religion, culture and faiths. Narayana Smriti Temple too was officially invited and the devotees pulled Lord Jagannath in the main streets of Semarang.

“This is very good proposal. Make the Ratha-yatra festival very great success. This will be a great introduction in your city and people will appreciate it” (S

A few months back I had the good fortune to get association of a senior Vaishanava. During the lecture one line that really touched my heart was the advice that we should daily pray to Prabhupada to ‘make me an instrument of your compassion in this very life time’. It was seemingly a simple statement but it touched my heart and I started following it since then. Just by praying like this daily to Srila Prabhupada had some effect on my dull consciousness, inspired me to some act and brought newe

On a warm Sunday morning, in a city bereft of people who are away to enjoy a long weekend, a stream of devotees in Vaishnava attire trickle out of a small building in a quiet Wellington suburb, carefully hugging their books. Their faces are lit with serene contentment as one more part of their existence is explained, one more aspect of their life given meaning and purpose. The devotee congregation in the ISKCON temple at Wellington, New Zealand is small, but tightly woven. The quaint single sto