Saw this nice post in my mailbox this morning courtesy of my friend Padmapani Prabhu over at Prabhupada Connect and thought we would share it with all of you. The photo is by Mathuranath Prabhu I believe.
Finding a Genuine Guru
Excerpted from Science of Self Realization Chapter 2
Reporter: Have you ever had people come to you who had previously been involved with a fake
guru?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, there are many.
Reporter: Were their spiritual lives in any way spoiled by the fakegurus?
“Swami Bhaktivedanta came to the USA and went swiftly to the archetype spiritual neighborhood, the New York Lower East Side, and installed intact an ancient, perfectly preserved piece of street India." (Allen Ginsberg)
Various leadership responsibilities, whether manager, mother or mentor, offer us the privileged opportunity in assisting people to excel. Though the most rewarding role in life, they all come with a good dose of frustration and annoyance. How many times has your sincere and in
Srila Prabhupada was the best spiritual master. What better spiritual master could one possibly think of!? He was the best but still many of his disciples were not successful in following their vows because everyone has his own destiny in his hands. The spiritual master can only help us. As Prabhupada said, “When the plane is on the ground then there are a lot of people around the plane – putting fuel, checking the tyres and so many things are going on. Ground staff are everywhere! But once the
“I liked Prabhupada’s humbleness. I always liked his humility and his simplicity The servant of the servant of the servant is really what it is, you know. None of us are God—just His servants. He just made me feel so comfortable. I always felt very relaxed with him, and I felt more like a friend. I felt that he was a good friend. Even though he was at the time seventy-nine years old, working practically all through the night, day after day, with very little sleep, he still didn’t come through
(Vidyananda Prabhu took this photo of me in 1976 at the Krishna Balaram Mandir in Vrindaban when I got initiated. I had completely forgotten I asked him to take a photo of me when Srila Prabhupada handed me my beads. I was stunned with appreciation two years later when he finally gave it to me at some festival when our paths crossed again at an unplanned time! )
“Actually, one should undergo severe austerities and penances only to achieve spiritual happiness. I
Srila Prabhupada officiates a wedding
ISKCON’s Congregational Development Ministry, based in Mayapur, India, has launched a new online marriage counseling service that draws from Srila Prabhupada’s teachings.
With the divorce rate in many countries at over fifty per cent, the search is on for the key to stable and successful relationships.
According to the two consultants at new website Bhaktimarriages.com – psychotherapist and Vedic astrologer Sri Radha Govinda Dasi and writer and astrolog
The 8th of April, 2017, marked the day when over 15,000 youths from across the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, got the chance to get inspired by spiritual wisdom in a grand event entitled as ‘Xpressions 2017’ in ISKCON Kanpur. Emphasizing on ‘De-addiction’ and ‘Value Empowerment’ within youth, ‘Xpressions 2017’ was an effort by a team of ISKCON devotees to bring the youth closer to their roots, re-introducing them to the rich cultural heritage they have inherited, focusing on the need for a posi
Once a man was chased by an elephant in a forest. Seeing no respite, he climbed a tree but he slipped, was about to fall before he could hold on to a branch. He looked up and found that the elephant is waiting to devour him and two rats, one black and one white, were slowly nibbling the branch he was hanging on to. He understood that very soon the branch would fall to the ground.
As the man looked down, he discovered that there were many snakes. Suddenly a drop of honey fell on his face. He
This is another fine compilation of quotes, in chronological order, put together by Prabhupada Connection, this time Srila Prabhupada blessing and praising George Harrison.
“When Bhaktivedanta Manor was donated, Srila Prabhupada said of George, ‘Because he has given shelter to Krishna by providing this temple, Krishna will surely provide shelter for him.’ Just before Srila Prabhupada left this world in 1977, he removed the ring on his right hand and said to the disciples around him, ‘This is f
The Currents of Life, Part 1 and 2 (reposted from April 16th, 2013)
Part 1: Have you noticed the invisible currents of life? My experience currently, (using this as an excuse for my not writing for a few weeks), and upon reflection on past events, is that sometimes it is apparent that I seem to be swept along, lifted up as it were, beyond my will into the air of destiny, on some already decided course, which it is best if I accept, and not fight. I have come to see that our free will and power
The local Mayor and Mayoress of Hertsmere with The Ramayan cast, members of the Bhaktivedanta Players drama group.
By Zayani Bhatt
It was fitting that on the hottest day of the year so far Bhaktivedanta Manor celebrated Ramanavami, the birthday of Lord Ram, who was born in the sun dynasty, several millennia ago.
This year, the auspicious festival was celebrated on Sunday 9th April and the Manor played host to a number of dignitaries, including first citizen, Counsellor Peter Rutledge, the Ma
By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON New Vrindaban Communications
Tejomaya Das grew up in some of New York City’s roughest neighborhoods in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. For him and his best friend, Manonatha Das, leaving them to forge a different life for themselves seemed unlikely.
But when the hippie movement came along in the sixties and seventies with its messages of peace, love, and consciousness expansion, their fate changed.
Tejomaya and Manonatha made friends in the hippie scene, got into
Sri Ramanujacharya is one name that glows within the Vaisnava Sampradaya like a crest jewel. Although 1000 years have passed by since the appearance of Sri Ramanujacarya, it has not reduced the brightness of his name and fame, not to speak of diluting the level of adherence to his teachings. And why not!
Acharya Sri Ramanuja, is a great revolutionary saint and divine incarnate of Sri Lakshmana, the younger brother of Sri Rama. He spread the message of equality of all the jivas in the service o
(This is from this year’s resolutions: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=44549
This paper explains the authority of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) to create a system for devotees to take up the service of diksa-guru within the society, focusing on the principles behind the system.
Through many written and spoken instructions, Srila Prabhupada made it abundantly clear that after his departure the GBC should serve as ISKCON’s ultimate managerial authority. In his will he states:
1. The Gov
Appreciation only costs you a few words, but what it buys is priceless. When Dale Carnegie said to be appreciated is the greatest human need, those who paid attention found appreciation one of the greatest motivating forces known to man.
Years of research has taught us this important lesson: if you don’t pay people enough that they feel secure in life, you will get a small percentage of their creative abilities because they are worried about their future. So, it would seem logical that if those
Celebrating ‘Nyepi’ or ‘silence day’, which commemorates the Isakawarsa or Saka New Year on March 28, 2017, the committee of the silence day in coordination with Jogjakarta Tourism department organised the Ogoh-ogoh festival. The festival was held in Malioboro Street and The Chariot of Lord Jagannatha, which was also covered by many news channels, definitely proved to be a special attraction in the festival.
“This is preaching spirit. As soon as you get some opportunity, preach. What is that pr
“GBC College is looking at the need for highly trained, capable, competent men & women to lead our movement in some of the highest rungs of leadership.” (HG Anuttama Prabhu, GBC member & GBC College Advisor).
What are the students of the GBC College saying about their training?
Acyuta Priya das – Ukraine
I went through the first GBC College program, and my experience was very instructive and conducive for my service and for my understanding of what kind of ISKCON we shall build up and have fo
ISKCON Malaysia receives many workaways to serve at our farm or temple. Workaways are group of Americans and Europeans who travel all over the world and would offer some physical service in return for free food and lodging. One such workaway was Elizabeth, a young LLB graduate from North England. She stayed at our Sri Sri Radha Krishna Kanhaiya Temple for 3 weeks and became serious in Krishna consciousness. She started chanting 16 rounds, attending mangala arati daily, vegetarian and seriously
Question: Maharaj, you were explaining how each acharya practices the jewel of transcendental knowledge he receives from the predecessors and adds his personal touch. Sometimes we listen to different devotees and each adds their touch, so it is difficult to consolidate.
That is why you have a spiritual master. The spiritual master is your anchor and you follow your spiritual master. There may be different vaisnavas and they may have a different emphasis at different points in time which may so
Over 200 devotees dressed in different colors converge upon Auckland's Queen Street
Over the Easter Weekend from Friday April 14th to Sunday April 16th, hundreds of devotees at ISKCON Auckland celebrated the 45th anniversary of their Deities, Sri Sri Radha-Giridhari, with love and great pomp.
The celebrations included a massive and stunningly colorful Harinama on Queen Street in the center of Auckland.
Because a planned Friday night bonfire camp-out was canceled due to a storm, things kicked
