This morning I was reading from the Forth Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam about the process of mantra meditation. I have always loved this story of Druva Maharaja, and his determination in meditation, on the form of the Lord. We have included the entire text and purport.
O son of the King, now I shall speak unto you the mantra which is to be chanted with this process of meditation. One who carefully chants this mantra for seven nights can see the perfect human beings flying in the sky. (SB4.8.53
By misfortune, I wandered into the forest of material enjoyment where I was captured, imprisoned, bound down by the unbreakable cords of material nature, and sentenced to hard labor.
In illusion, I accepted my captors as my allies and friends; my sentence to the drudgery of hard work as a benediction; and my selection of foot shackles – gold, copper, or iron - as a sign of my free choice.
In the Gita, Krsna deems this prison life, duratyaya, “impossible to overcome.” And the avanti brahmana of
The English Dictionary defines the word “spiritual” as “Relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things”.
Now before we attempt to delve deeper into this topic, it is essential for us to understand as to who we actually are? The answer to this question will help us make sense of life, in the first place, and lead us to the gradual understanding of what truly is the goal of it. In other words,the more we discuss and brainstorm on our own identity, the
“Don’t feel yourself to be alone because Krishna is always with you. Krishna is always with every living entity as Supersoul, and to His devotee especially He talks and gives instructions how to attain the perfectional stage of meeting Him. So don’t feel alone. Always chant whenever possible, read our books, and there will be no great difficulty.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, April 3, 1969)
“Please don’t feel lonely. Krishna is always with you and I shall pray for you and to Krishna also that you
Giving charity to devotees is important because by doing so we can somehow overcome our deeply rooted material attachment. We must learn to give rather than to take, just like Jayananda did.
Jayananda was Prabhupada’s dear disciple who had done so many wonderful things. He joined in San Francisco and Jayananda was ten years older than everybody else and he had a profession; he was driving a taxi and making good money. So Jayananda would buy the devotees clothes and whatever else they needed.
Fo
In this age of rapid industrialization and unprecedented communication explosion, human values have been distinctly neglected. Though there are advertisements exclaiming advancement in comfortable and happy living conditions, but the facts give a strikingly different picture as we keep hearing the horrendous stories of increasing new facets of violence, dwindling health status of the people mainly due to psycho-somatic diseases, diminishing social, moral and culture values and alarming environm
We cannot just declare, “I have surrendered!” No, one has to surrender again and again; it is an ongoing process. One has to gain the favour of Krsna eternally. This is quite something!
We need to take spiritual life to stage of no compromise, meaning that for Krsna nothing but the best will do – no half work, no half standards. No, everything complete, all the way and then of course Krsna will also come all the way.
If we only go halfway, he will also come that far and then God is far away. Bu
A word of truth to my faithless self: How long will you wander? Back, forth and around in circles, blind but convinced that you can see. You want to walk alone, fancy yourself valiant and unbound, taking the scenic route, as you call it. You go without guidance. Faithless self, you say that no one else can lead you on your path, as no one but you knows where you’ve come from nor can anyone be truly invested in your destiny. This is, after all, your journey; the discovery of your spirit, a recov
ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (GEV, www.ecovillage.org.in) a 100 acre sustainable farming community and retreat center, based near Mumbai, India received the 5 star ratings for its Symbiotic Recycling Model for Sustainable Habitats, from the Investors in Zero Waste, The UK’s premier zero waste recognition scheme, at a special ceremony on 8th December 2016 at Glaziers Hall, London. Radha Mohan Prabhu from the Bhaktivedanta Manor, on behalf of ISKCON GEV, received this award from the hands of Ben
Ekadasi is a fast from all grains, beans and legumes. It is a great one-day detox fast. On Ekadasi people often complain that they don’t feel full or, “I just wish I could have a slice of bread…” This grain- and gluten-free recipe will allow you to make pizzas, kachoris, wraps, and rotis on Ekadasi. Your Ekadasi will never be the same!
Ingredients:
1 cup grain- and gluten-free flour
1tsp salt
½ cup boiling water
1 Tbsp ghee (oil for Vegan)
Mix all ingredients together and knead for 1 - 2
minute
ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village Won the Aqua Excellence Award 2016 in the X World Aqua Congress Author.
ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (GEV, www.ecovillage.org.in) is a 100 acre sustainable farming community and retreat center, based near Mumbai, India. ISKCON GEV’s intention is conserve natural resources and propagate community living forms based on the cardinal principles of Vedas. ISKCON GEV is home to self-sufficient community of over 160 members, including 25 families, 60 resident monks and 50
Question: Why does it seem that Srila Prabhupada’s translations, word for word renditions and purports all seem to point only to Bhakti?
Answer: Srila Prabhupada’s purpose in presenting the Bhagavad gita As It Is, was to bring out Krsna’s ultimate conclusion of the Gita. This is the meaning of “As It Is.”
Some have speculated that in the Gita Krsna presents many paths and that any one of them is as good as another. However, Krsna clearly presents Bhakti as yoga’s summit even when He explains ot
By Gopi Gita
The celebration was indeed at another level.. Ritzy, glamorous decor; senators, congressman, Deans of universities, educators, ministers from different churches; Mother Guru Bhakti’s incredible outreach work and her team’s total dedication to Srila Prabhupada’s preaching service.
Highlights:.
Sesa Prabhu’s excellent speech highlighting Srila Prabhupada’s success in the past 50 years as the epitome of the American dream.
Sharing struggles and triumphs with Radhika Ramana prabhu aka
Srila Prabhupada: One who is engaged in devotional service has not the least fear in material existence. This is because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supersoul and friend of everyone. One who knows this secret is actually educated, and one thus educated can become the spiritual master of the world. One who is an actually bona fide spiritual master, representative of Krsna, is not different from Krsna. SB 4.29.51 text
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/kT4JIU
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I celebrated Rathyatra today with the Hare Krishna followers. We hauled a huge cart up Queen St with dancing and recital of Hare Krishna. It was a happy occasion with good people who believe the world is one family and there is one God with many names. They believe in service to others without expectation of reward. Lovely to celebrate Rathyatra and Christmas and recognise a shared season of peace and goodwill to others across different religions.
By Visakha Dasi
Mature practitioners in the Hare Krishna tradition choose to accept vows of purity. Individuals or couples solemnly vow to avoid intoxicants, illicit sex, meat eating and gambling, and to chant 16 rounds of the maha-mantra daily. To preserve these holy vows that are taken before the Deity, before the fire and before the Vaishnavas are the most important practices in spiritual life. Caring for one another in a marriage means protecting these principles in each other’s lives by ou
By Nashvin Gangaram
ISKCON was once considered a cult accused of brainwashing the youth of America. However, today it is widely respected in society. In fifty years, we have stood the test of time. Anniversary celebrations have been hosted by most of the 665 ISKCON establishments across the world. They will continue for the rest of the year. At Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple, we have hosted a Gala Dinner, a special display at the Durban Festival of Chariots, our Bhakti Theatre staged an ISKCON5
The tongue, a hard working sense.
My tongue works hard all day, every day. He is one of my hardest working senses. He sits near the top of all the other senses, acting as a leader, setting an example for the rest of them.
If I let my tongue loose, allowing him to do as he pleases, the rest of my senses soon also become unruly.
The Padma Purana advises, “Discipline the tongue by giving him transcendental service and very soon you will see Krsna.”
The best services for the tongue are
• repeating
Winter Marathon 2016: The biggest marathon in recorded history! The Ultimate Celebration. Listen to the thoughts and realizations of these signor Iskcon leaders and book distributers:
HH Kesava Bharati Das Goswami
HH Sacinandana Swami
HG Vijaya dasa
HH Kadamba Kanana Swami
HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami
HG Jai Nitai dasa
HG Manidhara dasa
HG Caitanya Chandra dasa
HG Urmila Devi dasi
HH Jayapataka Swami
HH Bhakti Charu Swami
Every day a new speaker.
To listen to these brief podcasts click here: http:/
I heard this word spoken recently by a smart young man and though he had made it up. I loved the word, love made up words in general, so I didn’t mind. Choiceful is a juicy one, bursting with energy and life, inviting us to consider our options like a freshly cut orange with lots of sections.
It turns out it’s not made up … it’s a real word that describes ‘having an inability to make decisive choices’ or ‘having, providing, or furnishing with many choices’. And it also turns out that it describ
