One time an Iskcon devotee met an older guru of the Sankaracarya sampradaya (impersonalists).
Being respectful the devotee offered his pranams, as the etiquette is. The guru started giving him advice and initially said that he should read the Bhagavad-gita as this would certainly strengthen him.
The devotee respectfully brought the point about the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. After thinking for some time the guru said: “yes, this chanting would make you physically healthy”
The dev
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I’m out traveling again, and yesterday our party visited the University of Santa Barbara in California. After a full day of sankirtan, it was time to go back to the van. So, praying to do something to please my spiritual master and Krsna, I decided to try to distribute one more book. As I passed by a young couple, I didn’t even seriously approach them because they appeared to be stereotypical athlete-cheerleader people. At this point I was just hunting for an obvious sweetie. Anyway, as I walke
One evening while in his New Dwarka garden, Srila Prabhupada looked into the sky and said, “So, is the sky the color of Krsna?” A disciple said, “In Krsna Book it says that Krsna is dark bluish like the thunder cloud.” Srila Prabhupada said, “The sky is the color of Krsna. It is the light from Krsna’s bodily effulgence that makes the sky blue.”Sometimes after leaving the garden, he would go back to his room and listen to the recording of that morning’s Srimad Bhagavatam class. Then he would hav
We’re distributing so many tens and millions of books all over the world and we must continue doing so. But when people take interest in the book and decide let me go to the temple, their philosophy makes sense, this is changing my life, I want to do it, I want to learn how, I need people to show me to live by these books and when Krishna sees that interest, He sends them to the temple.
And unless we’re prepared to welcome, to greet them, and teach them how to live by these books, they will nev
NEW GOKULA FARM – N.S.W. AUSTRALIA
Two hour’s drive from bustling Sydney, nestled in the hills above the Hunter Valley – Australia’s most famous wine growing area. Our farm is situated above what was previously a thriving coal mine. The area became depressed – land prices fell. In the late 80’s ISKCON bought 550 acres of land in this area. Many devotees moved there with big ideas. Like many of our farms, when push comes to shove, there aren’t many around to do the needful. Over the years the nu
Answer: In order to become free from offenses, one should ultimately begin to lead a positive spiritual life. One who is always afraid of committing offenses, thus continuously meditating on them, will not really advance in chanting. The following story illustrates this point:
In a forest, a millipede could dance wonderfully. A toad that was observing his dancing became envious and decided to stop the millipede. However,she did not want to just come along and clumsily trample him down; so she c
The desert of material existence has exhausted me. But today I will cast aside all troubles by diving into the lake of Lord Hari and drinking freely of the abundant water of His splendor. The lotuses in that lake are His hands and feet, and the fish are His brilliant shining eyes. That lake’s water relieves all fatigue and is agitated by the waves His arms create. Its current flows deep beyond fathoming.
O mind, please never stop taking pleasure in thinking of the Mura demon’s destroyer, who ha
Kurma Dasa: Some of my friends at our first Sadhu Sanga event for 2017 at the home of Sriman Ananda Hari prabhu and Srimati Pavani dd. Warm thanks to our delightful hosts.
Our program is greeting and meeting, then a long kirtan of Mahamantra, then we read from Krishna book, and discuss the pastimes and add our understandings and realizations, then we take a feast of delicious prasadam, then we conclude with more Mahamantra kirtan. Wholesome and pleasing to the heart.
Source:http://www.dandavat
Before formally meeting Hare Krishna devotees, I was one of those who ran in the opposite direction when I saw them coming. I used to think they were from another planet. Who are these guys with their chants and dancing in the street? Or are they going to hit me up for a donation?
But one day I had no choice, I was forced into a corner. The front door was open and a devotee knocked on the door. I had to let him in. I thought, since no one was home I will make this quick, a quick donation and ge
Reformers’, galore, we find in history and today in the name of religion and politics. When I was in grade school, I remember a famous social reformer Raja Rammohan roy who was instrumental in abolishing sati rites. Then there was Aurobindo who later become a monist was also a social reformer in his heydays. In fact there was a wave of social reformers in the late 19th and early 20th century based primarily on advaita vedanta to emancipate the social conditions' of the "common man". Certainly, t
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu is always free from politics and institutional bashing or promotion. Just simply nectarean Krishna Katha!
This e-book explains the Bhagavad-Gita teachings as taught by SrilaPrabhupada and other Vedic saints with 181 Q&A. Very practical and simple to understand book.
... Our advancement in Krishna Consciousness is made possible in two ways, by knowledge and renunciation, jnana and tyaga or tapasya. So I am requesting all of my students to read my books very seriously every day without fail. In this way, if your mind becomes absorbed at least one or two hours daily in the transcendental subject matter of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, and other books then very easily you will make your advancement in Krishna Consciousness....- Srila Prabhupada in a Letter
While reflecting on a good title to summarize the prison ministry’s activities of 2016, I was feeling a little dejected because, due to our relocating twice in a year, my service was disrupted, affecting the number of books I was able to send out in 2016. But then it dawned on me that as long as we keep endeavoring to serve Srila Prabhupada to the best of our abilities, our activities are a guaranteed success. Giving Kṛṣṇa consciousness to others can only be a victory.
We are now back i
Just imagine, we are on one of the most happening streets of a modern and a rich city like Ahmedabad (Gujarat) on the New Year’s Eve at 11.00 pm
, while the whole country is eagerly waiting for the clock to cross its 12. There’s so much rush that it is barely possible even to move and everyone is singing and dancing, on some extrinsic song of a C grade Hindi movie, at the top of their voices and wearing weird masks, projecting their true demoniac qualities within and above all, they are SEVEREL
As if leading Microsoft (Mr. Sundar Pichai), Google (Mr. Satya Nadella), Mastercard (Mr. Ajaypal Banga) and many others Giant companies is not enough, Indians are leading in each and every field in US. This year has been a significant benchmark for success of Indians in American Politics as well. American Politics impacts the entire world in the most unique and powerful way. In the recent elections in the United States, history was made. A fivefold growth of prominent politicians of Indo-Americ
Last night night Swarup Damodar, Sukumari, Nikunja Viharini, and I went to visit Rose Forkash (now Rajani-priya dasi) at her home in Carpinteria. For three hours, she enlivened and inspired us with stories of her and her family’s association with and service to Srila Prabhupada. And Swarup Damodar gave me a wonderful exchange with Srila Prabhupada about her and her daughter, to read out loud.
Ramesvara: We have one mother in Los Angeles of a girl named Lila-sakti. She’s a big book distributor.
"The bus is only two stops away, honey," Ghanashyam said, glancing at his phone. "I've got to go."
"Yes, yes, coming!" I poured hot soup into my husband's thermos and twisted on a cap with shaking hands. I slid the thermos into his lunchbox and handed it over.
"Thank you!" he said, then dashed away out the door. I took a deep sigh and began to clean up the kitchen. I turned around to face another counter and my heart dropped. The inner cap of Ghanashyam's thermos. This would mean his lunch wou
I always wondered if by being diplomatic one borders duplicity. For some reason, right or wrong, I am not a big fan of diplomacy because of this reason of sounding or looking duplicitous. In America, political correctness is a prevalent idea. According to the dictionary, politically correct means to speak or act in such a way that no one (especially based on sex and/or race) be marginalized or offended. Diplomacy on the other hand, although overlapping in concept with political correctness deals
JOYFULLY BEING ALONE: This subject is an extension of a frequent topic of mine which I deal with on a daily basis: extolling the virtue of introspection and self-analysis as part of clearing out impediments to devotion in the stage of bhakti called anartha-nivritti (retiring unwanted habits of thought and action)--at least that is often the hint. We live in a time of busy-ness and addiction to innumerable distractions, where it isn't seen as cool to just be sitting down without a handheld devic
