By: Bruce Walton
Youngstown, OH
Sitting underneath a tree by the main library near the corner of Wick and Rayen avenues, a man known simply as “The Walking Monk” enjoyed a quiet Friday afternoon arriving for the first time in the city in his pilgrimage we across the U.S.
His only supplies: a cell phone he rarely uses, prayer beads, a watch, some business cards and the bright orange robes and sandals he wears while he traverses the land.
Bhaktimarga Swami, 63 is a Hare Krishna monk who started
Rathayatra, the festival of the chariots, takes place all over the world and will be observed by millions.
It’s been traditionally celebrated annually in Jagannath Puri in Orissa, India, where Lord Jagannath along with His sister Subhadra and elder brother Balabhadra are paraded through the streets of the city.
Ashish Rajhansha, a member of the Bath Hindu Community CiC (Community Interest Company), and one of the organisers of the event, said: “For many people, Lord Jagannath is an incarnation
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta,Madhya-lila, 12.200-222.
” ‘There are two ideas. One is that if you serve Krishna, the guru will be pleased. And the other is that if you serve the guru, Krishna will be pleased. But if you serve the Vaishnavas, both Krishna and guru will be pleased.’ When I first joined, I heard that Srila Prabhupada said that if a devotee ever asks you to do service, you should agree, and if a devotee offers to do service for you, you should decline. S
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam7.5.12.
“As stated in Bhagavad-gita, Krishna is the friend of everyone (suhrdam sarva-bhutunam jnatva mam santim rcchati). The Lord is never an enemy to any of the millions of living entities, but is always a friend to everyone. This is true understanding. If one thinks that the Lord is an enemy, his intelligence is pasu-buddhi, the intelligence of an animal. He falsely thinks, ‘I am different from my enemy, and my enemy is different from me. T
Book distribution outside the temple
The residents of Tirukoilur participating in Gaura-arati
Akhildhara Dasa giving class
By Acarya Dasa
We reached Tirukoilur, also known as Tirukkoyilur or Kovalur on April 26th. The panchayat town is located in the Viluppuram district of Tamil Nadu. The town is famous for its temples and is a place where vaishnavites (worshippers of Lord Vishnu) and shivites (worshippers of Lord Shiva) co-exist in peace and harmony. In addition Tirukoilur is known as one
“The basic principle of Deity worship is that one must understand oneself to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord. One who is addicted to sexual gratification, foolishly identifying himself with the external material body, cannot change his conception of himself from that of an enjoyer to that of the enjoyed. Such a person interprets the word tan-mayam to mean that the worshiper is himself also the worshipable object. Sri Jiva Gosvami Prabhupada has written in his Durga-sangamani, his comm
The author of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, very humbly submits that he is just trying to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, although he humbly thinks himself unfit for this work. That should be the attitude of all preachers of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, following in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. We should never think of ourselves as great preachers, but should always consider that we are simply instrumental to the previous ācāryas, and simply by followin
Hare Krishna,
Few months back I was in Rajasthan and I was inspired to write this small article dedicating to all those following simplicity diet. I am sure those who visit villages in Rajasthan get the same feeling. In comparison to villages in other parts of India, Rajasthani villages are special. Rajasthani men and women are semblem of simplicity. And it starts with their diet.
UNDOING THE CONDITIONING: I happenned to understand that unless we simplify our dietary habits, it is not possible
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
namo brahmanya-devaya
go-brahmana-hitaya ca
jagad-dhitaya krsnaya
govindaya namo namah
My Lord, you are the well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas, and You are the well-wisher of the entire human society and the of the entire world.
Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.16 Purport: For the cowherd men and the cows, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme friend. Therefore He is worshiped by the prayer namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. His pastimes in Gokula, His dhāma, are always favorable to the brāhmaṇas and th
Mayapur Institute: Unfolding Srila Prabhupada’s biggest vision on Education.
To fulfill this vision of Srila Prabhupada, Mayapur Institute (MI) was established in the year 2000. Since the launch of the Institute in 2000, over 2500 students of various religion, caste, creed and sex coming from various places like USA, UK, Russia, China, Australia, Africa, Europe, etc. have benefited from these programs.
Due to growth in student enrollment every year, the current classrooms and offices are inade
At the heart of the school are the students, of course. Directly nurturing them are our wonderful teachers. Ultimately, it is thanks to them that our students are happy and successful. It’s their hard work and dedication that drive everything. It’s their daily, personal interactions, their care and attention, their patience and love which directly affect the children’s learning experience.
While we deeply appreciate their hard work year-around, on Friday, May 6th, we observed “Teachers’ Appreci
We may not be fully Krsna conscious, our love for Krsna may not be so deep and there may be other desires. But this is just restlessness. How much faith do we have in these other desires? Which devotee can claim to have full faith in sex life? We may be attracted to sex life but do we have full faith that it will make us happy? After having heard transcendental knowledge, it is hard to have full faith in material enjoyment. Still, we may have a flirtation with these desires here and there somet
From Back to Godhead
By Vilasini Devi Dasi
AS I WAS RETURNING home from the temple on my usual 38 bus, I stared forlornly through the grimy window at the gray sky. I hadn’t seen the sun for days, and then only briefly, through breaks in the clouds.
“How is it possible to be healthy and happy in a place where the weather is constantly dreary and cold?” I thought.
I remembered Srila Prabhupada’s statement in a purport to the Srimad-Bhagavatam (4.24.36): “When there is sufficient sunshine, the min
From Back to Godhead
By Visakha Devi Dasi
In the face of extreme hardship, Lord Ramachandra’s queen reveals her extraordinary character, founded on her pure devotion to the Lord.
The epic Ramayana, written by the sage Valmiki, tells the story of Lord Ramachandra, Krishna’s incarnation as the perfect king. Lord Rama’s wife, queen, and eternal consort is Sita Devi. She is also the ideal devotee.
Sita Devi’s example shows that one who acts according to God’s desire is peaceful and has harmonious r
The Museum for Sacred Art is a feature of the Radhadesh Iskcon community (Chateau de Petite Somme – Durbuy Belgium). In the Museum there are many beautiful works of art depicting sacred themes from ancient India.
These works of art are mainly in traditional Indian styles, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthani, Orissan, Keralan, and Tanjore.
Visitors can relax, stroll through the gallery, and enjoy these inspirational art treasures, soaking up the deep devotional sentiments expressed by th
How would you like to pursue spiritual life, even while earning your college degree? If you’re between the ages of 18 and 29, consider enrolling in the Bhakti Academy at Krishna House (214 NW 14th Street, Gainesville, FL 32603). Students live in private or semi-private rooms just three blocks from the UF library. While at Krishna House, students take part in traditional bhakti yoga and meditation practices (kirtan, japa, and Bhagavad-gita study), enjoy fresh daily vegan/vegetarian meals and can
I was looking through a new cookbook on making meals in twenty minutes, and I read, "Never before have so many people wanted so much out of life and had so little time to enjoy it. Between inflation, two-job marriages, and the quest for self-improvement, the momentum of our life style has us all dancing at a furious reel of achieving and coping. Something has to give. And usually the first thing to go is the time spent preparing our daily meals…."
When it comes to food, we want it effortlessly
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 9.14 in the Darshan Room of Sri Sri Radha-Kalachandji Temple.
” ‘Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.’ (Bg 9.14)
“From a certain point of view it may seem impossible to always engage inkirtana. Of course, there are liberated souls in Vrindavan who literally chant almost all the time—that is a very advanced stage. But for most of us, to chant
Pandava Sena retreat 2016 in Germany.
ISKCON Pandava Sena, the dynamic youth organisation of the UK, will be visiting Goloka Dhama Temple in Germany this July, as part of its annual “Senagetaway” trip. The trip not only provides a spiritual break for many young members of ISKCON in the UK and abroad, but also allows us to expand our horizons and take the sentiment of service into the real world and apply it in our lives.
This is our request to any ISKCON youth that want to join us, whether in
