On July 1st, Bhakti Vasudeva Swami was invited to offer the keynote lecture at Fort Zeelandia Surinaams Museum on the 161st anniversary commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in Suriname.
Fort Zelaandia was established in 1667 as the first Dutch fortress in the country and is the oldest standing building in Suriname. Currently, it serves as part of the Suriname Museum, which is also the oldest museum in the country. ISKCON Suriname Temple Board Member Shanti Priya Dasa is the direct
I can't think of anything more important than expressing gratitude to those who have done something heroic, even the smallest thing. One of our senior members in his 70's arranged an appreciation lunch for a group of past fund raisers and steady donors for over the years. Keshava arranged for recipients to come, receive some thanks, some gifts and a nice meal for hard working services to the mission.
In my Gita zoom call today those who called in to partake in discussion from Chapter 18 verse 2
Bhaktivinoda Thakur boldly proclaims, ‘sad-anga saranagati hoibe janhara,’ one who follows these six paths of surrender strictly, the result is ‘tahara prarthana sune sri nanda-kumara’. Krsna will respond to our prayer. Why is this so? Because Bhakti is cit-tattva. Devotional service, the Lord and His devotees do not belong to this material world but are of another.
Cit means cognition. The spiritual world is cit jagat; a realm full of perception. You will pray and get the response. In this m
From Back to Godhead
For thirteen years at the Gorilla Foundation in Woodside, California, a developmental psychologist has been teaching sign language to Koko, a female gorilla. Although Koko shows remarkably human emotions and intelligence, her psychologist says she’s an average gorilla at best.
The Comfortable Hole
Koko’s psychologist first tried teaching her the same hand signs used by the deaf, but in time Koko began inventing her own sign language. For example, when she was shown a weddin
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
By developing genuine devotional qualities, one’s understand of God becomes clear and perfect arjuna uvacasenayor ubhayor madhyeratham sthapaya me ‘cyutayavad etan nirikse ‘hamyoddhu-kaman avasthitankair maya saha yoddhavyamasmin rana-samudyame
“Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so that I may see who is present here, who is desirous of fighting, and with whom I must contend in this great battle at
Claims of victimhood prevail today, but at the root of all our suffering are the choices we make with our own free will.
Instead of blaming others for our suffering, we’d do better to understand that we’re all fundamentally complicit in our so-called victimhood.
A victim is a person who suffers from a destructive action. Often we think of victims as innocent and neither responsible nor accountable for what’s happened – for example, people who are randomly shot or children who are abused.
There
Ekendra Das has undertaken the monumental task of recording an unabridged audiobook of Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita, which is a detailed account of the life and legacy of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami requested this service of Ekendra, which holds immense significance for the entire ISKCON community.
The goal of this project is to preserve and disseminate Prabhupada’s teachings and life story to a modern, digitally connected audience. Through this e
By Gopika Radhika Devi Dasi
On July 7th, the city of Kolkata resounded with joyous kirtan as the transcendental Ratha-yatra procession of their Lordships Sri Sri Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra Devi made its way through the crowded streets. This is the 53rd Kolkata Ratha-yatra. Started by Srila Prabhupada in 1972, the Kolkata Ratha-yatra has since become a cornerstone of the city’s spiritual and cultural milieu. Continuing a tradition from the past several years, the Bhaktivedanta Research C
A kind Brhat Mrdunga, a Dutch Canadian farmer boy, took me down a familiar road, a trail I've blazed more than once - Highway 1, all way to Burnaby before launching off to Toronto. This route is always scenic and yet the scenery makes changes. There are the mighty rivers, the Thompson and the Fraser narrowed within mountains.
Since my last trek down this lane erosion has shifted soil bringing down rocks and trees. Some of the buildings, the Alexandria Lodge are deteriorating, as well the group
From Back to Godhead
The desire to be soul-conscious inspires a move to a soul-compatible place.
“The soul [jivatma] is unborn, eternal, immortal, and primeval. It does not die when the body dies.” (Bhagavad-gita 2.20)
I first heard details about jivatmathe soulin 1971 during my maiden overseas trip. I was reuniting with my then-boyfriend (later husband) John in India, and to me, a born and bred atheist, jivatma was a quaint irrelevant idea.
An idea, however, can be like a seed: it can germinat
From Back to Godhead
Why we should surrender to Lord Krishna’s lotus feet.
At the junction of two ages, amidst two immense armies arrayed on the battlefield at Kurukshetra, Arjuna scans his foes and becomes confused. When Krishna expounds eternal dharma to enlighten him, Arjuna addresses Krishna as pavitram paramam: “the purest of the pure.” (Bhagavad-gita 10.12) Arjuna adds, “All the great sages . . . confirm this about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.”
Apart from the Bhagavad
Srila Prabhupada has told us that the culmination of all of our preaching in Krsna Consciousness is to induce people to wholeheartedly chant the holy names of Krsna. The chanting of the Holy names must continue. Srila Prabhupada said we can do without temples, we can do without everything. We don’t need money. If we can get it, we will use it. We don’t need property. If we get it we will use it. We don’t need vehicles. If we get it we will use it. We don’t need good PR, Public relations. If we
On July 7th, ISKCON Kolkata celebrated its 53rd Rath Yatra, the second-largest Rath Yatra in the world after Puri. The presiding deities, Lord Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra, were mounted on beautifully decorated chariots, a sight to behold. These chariots were then pulled through the streets by many of the thousands who participated, creating a deeply devotional scene.
The Pahundi ceremony (taking Their Lordships towards the Rath cart) started around 8.30 am, followed by a cultural program
Tom, the mayor, came out to acknowledge our fest, as mentioned, the first. Also Tracy, the member of Parliament for the area, graced us with her presence. A modest-sized chariot was the attraction for the 1200 folks that came, lest we forget the beautiful deities as passengers within.
The efforts behind this event are the combination of Hari Kirtan from Kamloops and the relatively young members of the local Hindu society, mostly from the Punjabi community. Both groups worked hand in hand, appr
A special delegation spent a day at Bhaktivedanta Manor. They work as Counsellors of Agriculture and are advisors for their embassies, including the US, Germany, Ireland, Brazil and the Netherlands.
During their visit, they met Visakha Dasi and explored the beautiful grounds. Then Pradeep took them around the cow sanctuary to learn about the cow protection project. That was followed by a trek to Holland Farm where the temple grows herbs, vegetables and fruits with help from the ‘Worldwide Organ
Though faith in God is in decline, faith as an intrinsic human trait remains, only to be directed to an endless array of less worthy subjects.
Faith is not disappearing, just finding new destinations.
Not far from where I live outside London, there’s a strikingly beautiful solid-stone St. John the Baptist church, part of which was built in the thirteenth century, its tall steeple visible for miles around. The entire UK is heavily dotted with similar churches, for in former centuries it was nor
By Devananada Pandit Das
Sri Vakreshwar Pandit was present with Sriman Mahaprabhu during His pastimes in Navadwipa and after his acceptance of Sannyasa he also accompanied Him to Jagannath Puri. During the time of the Lord’s residence in Puri he continued to live with Him there as well. Sri Vakreshwar Pandit took birth in the village of Guptipara near Triveni. He was an especially proficient dancer and kirtaniya and could dance continuously for 72hours.
When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began His pa
By Atma Tattva Das
Krsna-Dasa Perez, also known as “Slot One The Servant,” has an inspiring story of resilience and transformation that weaves together spirituality and hip-hop. His journey is particularly remarkable because it includes a significant period of incarceration, during which he underwent a metamorphosis, ultimately emerging as a symbol of hope and inspiration within the Krishna-conscious community.
Having spent 12 years in prison since the age of 18, Krsna-Dasa’s life could have ea
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
In response to increasing interest in Krishna consciousness and the challenges of accommodating newcomers, ISKCON’s New Raman Reti Temple in Alachua has established a dedicated residential program for men. The new eight-bedroom facility offers structured guidance, education, and a nurturing environment for spiritual growth.
Temple President Mukhya Devi Dasi said, “For years, we fielded calls from people who wanted to learn about Krishna consciousness by livin
The nights can be cool and days warm. When Prem and I met in the middle of the valley at Saranagati Village he said most candidly, "It is 6'celsius," I agreed. It is June-vary. With this cooler than average weather we embarked on our walk at the 6 am spot and decided to head for where the sun casted some rays. Perhaps cowardly we stayed within those merciful limits. After all mountains do throw shade.
The walk was completed and the temple program began, also in the middle of the valley, on the s
