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Today’s blog is by HH Sacinandana Swami:

There is no death” wrote Herman Hesse, “only fear of death. But that can be cured.”

In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, King Pariksit who was cursed to die within seven days asked his exalted spiritual master Sukadeva Gosvami about overcoming the fear of death. Sukadeva gave a very practical answer in which he explained how one can transcend material consciousness and become fixed in god consciousness.

tasmad bharata sarvatma bhagavan isvaro harih
srotavyah kirtita

Looks can be deceiving, and often far from the full story. It is said that one who laughs too much, even at small and insignificant things, may well be harboring dissatisfaction and sorrow within. A person who feels impelled to keep talking and communicating, could be experiencing loneliness and lack of meaningful camaraderie. The insensitivity and harshness that individuals exhibit, is likely connected to an internal weakness and existential insecurity. Some people seem to be compulsive critics

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), keeping in view the lakhs of pilgrims descending at the ghats of river Krishna for the pushkarams, has announced several social service activities from August 12 to 23.

According to temple priest Ram Murari Das, free prasadam will be distributed to a lakh of pilgrims everyday along with a glass of milk to 5,000 people.

“One lakh water sachets will be distributed to people coming from various places daily”.

As an act of promoting world

ISKCON Guntur is going to organise a State level test on the life and history of Iskon founder president Vedantha Swamy Seela Prabhupadula, on September 18. A cash award of Rs 1 lakh will be given away to the winner of State level competition, said the organisers.

Addressing the news reporters here on Friday, South India Iskon head Sataya Gopinadh said, they have planned out a few activities to mark golden jubilee celebrations of the Iskcon temple across the world. As a part of celebrations,

Russia: Waiting list of 80 people to read the Sri Isopanisad!
While in Warsaw, Poland, I asked a devotee how he came to Krishna consciousness. At that time it was still a communist country so book distribution wasn’t allowed, but somehow books would get into places around communist countries. This devotee tells how he came across one of Prabhupada’s books.
“In the early 80’s I was in the university studying philosophy. In the university there was a book going around amongst the students called

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya Bhagavata on the occasion of Gundica Marjana and the disappearance of Sri Gadadhara Pandita and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

“After taking darshan of Lord Jagannatha with great bliss, Lord Nityananda went to see Gadadhara Pandit at Tota Gopintha temple. Gadadhara and Nityananda loved each other very much. There, seeing the three-fold bending form of Gopinath, Lord Nityananda cried incessant tears of joy. Hearing of Nitai’s arrival Gadadhara Pandit s

There is a beautiful story of Srila Prabhupada in 1966 sitting by himself on a bench in New York on a snowy, cold January morning. Another gentleman came and sat beside him and they began to talk. Perhaps feeling a bit sorry for Prabhupada, he asked him if he knew anyone in New York. Prabhupada held up his chanting beads and said, “I am never alone.”

Most of us will experience being alone at some point in our life. For some it’s an extended sense of loneliness. For others it’s now and then. Some

Prabhupada – Departing for the West Production Stills (Album with photos) 
A true story that began 50 years ago, when a great scholar set out across the ocean on a mission, carrying nothing but a timeless message, which was to be the greatest change for humanity. He inspired an entire generation and against all odds, formed an unstoppable revolution.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/VTML3y

A Canadian Transcendental Celebration

By Jaya Govinda dasa

July 1st marked the 149th anniversary of the founding of the world’s second largest country; Canada.

Towns and villages across the nation celebrated its birthday with fireworks, parades and a host of other joyful events.

The city of Vancouver’s celebration was extra special as our ISKCON Hare Krishna temple was invited to participate in this year’s Canada Day parade.

An estimated 300,000 people lining the route, and millions more on mai

ISKCON50 offering: ISKCON Studio, Kolkata (Album with photos) 
Cutting the ribbon today to inaugurate the new studio in ISKCON Kolkata. On the auspicious occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON, Netrotsava and Gundica Marjanam, where Lord Jagannatha is revealing Himself for the first time after two weeks, in the association of H.G. Pankajangri Prabhu, H.G. Acaryaratna Prabhu and assembled devotees of ISKCON Kolkata, today, after three years of construction and renovation, we inaugurated the

Vrindavanlila Dasi: We are praying to Lord Jagannath to resolve difficulties presented to the preaching in Russia by a new law about ‘missionary activity’ (which isn’t finalized yet). Please join us in Kirtan-prayer for the Lord’s mercy to resolve this situation in a mutually beneficial way – so the government can prevent terrorism, and devotees can carry on with Harinamas, book distribution, namahattas – our usual preaching work.

This law affects all religious organizations in Russia. If law g

GOOGLE DOODLE for ISKCON50
Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
*Jaya ISKCON* 
If you wish that our ISKCON should celebrate the 50th Anniversary worldwide and simultaneously include in this celebration every human being on earth (at least those who use internet), then here is a *‘ONCE IN A LIFETIME’* chance:
Google has a service called GOOGLE DOODLE (http://www.google.com/doodles), which helps people in celebrating their important days. So if you wish that they should create a GOOGLE DOODLE for us on 13th Ju

Washington, United States: The 4th of July parade was amazing. (Album with photos) 
Security was tight but I was able to sneak my phone out for part of it and take some pics of the devotees. There were thousands of people all waving to the different floats. 
Find them here: https://goo.gl/jL0Jyo

By Mandira mani dasi

You might remember hearing about the Christchurch earthquakes in the news. What you might not know is that there were more earthquakes after the first big one—no fewer than 10,000 of them. There were sometimes seven or eight earthquakes a day. Everybody living in Christchurch was scared all the time because each earthquake had the potential to bring major destruction. Eventually one of them did: our temple survived the first earthquake, but the biggest of those 10,000 after

Harinama in Tel Aviv, Israel, 02.07.2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: O my Lord! Persons who chant the holy names of your Lordship are far, far advanced in spiritual life, even if born in families of dog-eaters. Such chanters have undoubtedly performed all kinds of austerities and sacrifices, bathed in all sacred places, and finished all scriptural studies. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.33.7)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/G6cK16

Prabhupada – Departing for the West (Highlights) (5 min video)
From ISKCON Pandava Sena UK.
Highlights from Something Spiritual’s first show, Prabhupada – Departing for the West at Harrow Arts Centre, London.
A true story that began 50 years ago, when a great scholar set out across the ocean on a mission, carrying nothing but a timeless message, which was to be the greatest change for humanity. He inspired an entire generation and against all odds, formed an unstoppable revolution.
Watch it her

The Confidential Meaning of Ratha-Yatra
A lecture delivered by Gour Govinda Swami on 11th July 1994, Bhubaneswar, India. 
“By Vedic calculations one can determine when the Jagannatha Temple was first built, when the Temple was inaugurated and when the Deities were installed (on Their simhasana). According to the authority of Skanda Purana, this period is fifteen crores and thirty-four lakhs (more than 150 million) years ago. From this it is clear that Ratha-yātrā began in the time of Svarocisa

Last week I finished my blog post with a question – How can we stop death? Because it seems, no matter how good we are, how pious, how charitable, how humble, or how much good karma we accumulate for the future – we still have to grow old, suffer, and die. Can we conquer death?

Srila Prabhupada once asked a magician the same question.

“In September 1976 a circus magician visited the Krishna-Balaram Mandir in Vrindavana and showed Prabhupada and the devotees his repertoire of tricks. Several time

About the year 1500 A.D., the incarnation of God Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu began the Hare Krishna Movement in Navadvip, a city in the Indian province of Bengal. This movement, based on the philosophy of ancient Sanskrit texts of devotion to Krishna like the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, spread all over India within a short time. The movement popularized sankiritan, the congregational chanting of the maha-mantra Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Ram

The tale of how one boy decided to bathe in the morning. 
Yulia Shevchenko: I wrote that really to highlight the theme of cleanliness, in an accessible form explaining it to children. I had an idea to try to compose small Vaishnava tales on the theme of cleanliness to inspire young Vaishnava bathe, brush their teeth and wash their hair. 
The basic idea in this case is that our body is the Lord’s temple and we should try to keep it clean, because in our hearts is the Lord who resides, always lov