Srila Prabhupada’s 128th Vyasa-puja Book has been released in advance of the 2024 Vyasa-puja of our Founder-Acharya. Devotees are encouraged to “share the file widely so all followers of Srila Prabhupada can avail [themselves] of this shower of nectar in glorification of His Divine Grace,” said the VP Book Team, made up of Mukhya Devi Dasi, Praghosa Das, Satyamedha Gauranga Das, Ananda Tirtha Das.
This latest offering can be read online and is also available in a high-resolution format for prin
My dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble, prostrated obeisances at your all-merciful lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
When an interviewer once asked you, “What is the goal of life?” you replied, “The goal of life is to enjoy.” The effort to enjoy materially, through the mind and senses, leads only to frustration and misery. But spiritually one can enjoy in relation to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that pleasure, unlike the temporary so-called happiness of the mate
By Demian Martins
Srila Prabhupada’s appearance and accomplishments are a turning point not only in Gaudiya Vaisnavism, but in the very history of human civilization, so it is not surprising that they were predicted many centuries ago. In several ancient religious traditions, the sacred scriptures usually include passages or whole sections dealing with predictions. Some of these passages are marked by a veiled language and are often interpreted in different ways. Interpretations are subjective a
Earlier this year, I visited the city of Kolkata and was taken by a kind devotee to an old building on a short backstreet known as Ultadanga Junction Road. I had never been there before, but had heard about the place for forty years. The square, brown brick, rather plain three storey building was formerly known as Bhaktivinoda Asana and it was here, on the flat roof-top, that Srila Prabhupada met his spiritual master for the first time. I had always been intrigued by the idea of a sacred meetin
Dear Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
With Srila Prabhupada's 128th Vyasa-puja just a few days away, please take the opportunity to download and read the 2024 Vyasa-puja book which was created from all your hearfelt homages:
https://gbc.iskcon.org/srila- prabhupada-vyasa-puja-books/
Please also share the file widely so all followers of Srila Prabhupada can avail of this shower of nectar in glorification of His Divine Grace. A high-res version i
An excerpt from the Prabhupada Lilamrta about Srila Prabhupada’s mother, Srimati Rajani Devi.
Abhay’s mother, Rajani, was thirty years old when he was born. Like her husband, she came from a long-established Gaudiya Vaisnava family. She was darker-skinned than her husband, and whereas his disposition was cool, hers tended to be fiery. Abhay saw his mother and father living together peacefully; no deep marital conflict or complicated dissatisfaction ever threatened home. Rajani was chaste and re
Janmastami; Lord Sri Krsna’s Appearance Day Lecture
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Montreal, August 16, 1968
So today, is the birth appearance ceremony of Lord Krsna. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says:
janma karma me divyam
yo janati tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti kaunteya
[Bg. 4.9]
“My dear Arjuna, any person who simply tries to understand about My transcendental birth or appearance and disappearance and activities, janma karma…” The Personality of Godhead is
Madhavananda das GGS (Gopal Jiu Publications – IN)
Notes from Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa
Texts 247 to 542 of the 15th section of Hari-bhakti-vilasa describe the glories of Janmastami and how to observe it. The introduction to this section describes three reasons for observing the Lord’s appearance day:
nityatvam ca param tasya bhagavat-prinanan matam
vidhi-vakya-visesac cakarane pratyavayatah
The observance of Janmastami is accepted as a regulative principle in three ways: 1) the Supreme Lord becomes
Janmastami is just one day, but how we spend it can deeply inspire us for the whole year.
Krishna consciousness mean we are conscious of Krishna. He becomes an active part of our life – like a close friend or an affectionate family member we love to be around. Krishna consciousness, then, is loving to be around Krishna.
Here are 5 ways to love and be with Krishna on his birthday:
1. Come early, stay late – be close to Krishna today, close to the Temple. This is our day with Krishna. There will
We read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Two: “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb.”
TEXT 18
tato jagan-mangalam acyutamsam
samahitam sura-sutena devi
dadhara sarvatmakam atma-bhutam
kastha yathananda-karam manastah
SYNONYMS
tatah—thereafter; jagat-mangalam—auspiciousness for all living entities in all the universes of the creation; acyuta-amsam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is never bereft of the six opulences, all of which are present in all His plenary expa
Janmashtami commemorates the earthly appearance of Krishna, who is described in India’s sacred writings as God Himself. One of the biggest religious festivals in the world, it is celebrated by nine hundred and thirty million people around the world–and two mill
From Gopal Campu by Srila Jiva Goswami and and Ananda Vrindavan Campu by Kavi Karnapura
In Gopal Campu Srila Jiva Goswami describes that the father of Nanda and Upnanda was Sri Parjanya who was chief of the cowherds in the lineage of the Yadus. Sri Parjanya had five sons. When he retired from family life he installed his eldest son Sri Upnanda as heir. Upnanda accepted the title in accordance with his father’s wish but he immediately deferred the title of chief to his younger brother Sri Nanda.
By Ananda Vrinavana Devi Dasi
In spiritual parlance there are ‘thin’ places in the world. These are holy places, sacred spaces, where the line between the spiritual and materials worlds is very thin and the ability to feel and perceive our relationship with Krishna is heightened. It’s easier to chant there, to call Krishna deeply from the heart, and thus to call ourselves to experience our spiritual selves.
There are also thin days (and even thin times in the day). Janmastami is one such day.
While attending the Janmastami festival at the ISKCON farm in Czechoslovakia several years ago, I was asked to give a lecture about the appearance of Lord Krishna. Afterwards I asked for questions and an elderly, red-haired lady raised her hand. Since almost all the devotees there spoke only Czech, I was surprised when she began to speak in English. She said, “Satsvarupa Gosvami, could you tell us something about Prabhupada, because you knew him very well?”
I started out by remembering Janmasta
From Ananda Vrindavan Champu by Srila Kavi Karnapura Translated by Bhanu Swami & Subhaga Swami.
Now we will discuss the truth about the transcendental birthplace of Bhagavan and the appearance of Lord Sri Krishna. Once upon a time, Bhumi, the predominating deity of the earth, felt overburdened by different demons posing as members of the royal order. Feeling aggrieved upon seeing her miserable condition, the lotus-born Brahma appealed to Ksirodakasayi Visnu, the maintainer of the universe, sayi
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
August 1973 at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, in the countryside near London. Several thousand guests (including the Indian High Commissioner) listen to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada speak about the day Lord Krsna made His appearance on earth.
Your Excellency the High Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your coming here and participating in this ceremony -Janmastami, the advent of Krsna.
Yamuna Devi: Three Years Ago, on Janmastami, Lord Krsna’s appearance day, I received a copy of the diary Srila Prabhupada wrote aboard the steamship Jaladuta. It’s a personal account of his first journey from India to America. Though I had read excerpts in various publications, the full handwritten text revealed a richness I had barely realized before.
Often difficult to read, the cramped and sometimes blurry script describes dramatic events with life-threatening heart attacks, repeated illness
A life-changing and memorable experience is awaiting you at the Annual MAN-tra Men’s Retreat in New Vrindaban, West Virginia on September 20-22, 2024. The popular annual event promises to be a spiritually uplifting gathering for all devotee men.
The MAN-tra Team shared what you can expect: “Special guest presentations and workshops by Sri Prahlada Das, Prasannatma Das, Yadunatha Das, and Bhuta Bhavana Das will be held, and there will even be an interactive all-women’s panel discussion. All thes
The 9th Annual India Day festival was recently held in Moscow, Russia at the “Dream Island” Landscape Park. This past weekend’s event (August 15-18th), which is the heart of the multi-day festival, welcomed more than 600,000 people. Over 2 million were estimated to attend all the festival days.
Dozens of religious and cultural organizations participated in the massive event, which included 20 themed zones, each with a wide variety of tents. ISKCON Russia, one of the leading organizations invol
