Ravana wasn’t all bad. He, by all accounts, was educated, ran a good kingdom, worshiped the demigods and was good looking. In other words, he wasn’t your typical demon – horribly ugly, angry, with horns coming out the side of his head.
He was just a big materialist who got in over his head. And this can happened to the best of us. There are many Ravana’s lurking in the shadows, and yes, some inside of us.
Pride comes before a fall. Ravana had that. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. He had th
As long summer days
make us believe
that life can last forever
Falls bring change
and cool reminders
of the movement of time
pushing us on as we
swim against it
unwilling to grow
one year older
we live in movement
in the minute by minute rhythm
of the great order of things
fall brings change
and we are surprised
by the colors of life dying
we marvel and awe
forgetting that we too
will finish and fall
chant now, and chant well
so that when our time is up
we can fall upward, into grace
and move
When I saw Bhakti Chai (as in ‘i’) listed on the vegan menu, I knew immediately what it was – both because of living in India for so many years and also being a practitioner of Bhakti Yoga. Chai is the Hindi word for tea, and bhakti means divine love, or more specifically the love exchanged between Krishna and each one of us.
The word chai is also used elsewhere – pronounced differently and with different meanings. Chai (here as in ‘say’) is part of the name Chaitanya, which means ‘living force
I eyed the help button as I travelled up and down the elevator. In truth, being stuck in a small space makes me nervous and I am always relieved when we reach the landing floor. If the elevator got stuck I would jump on that help button. I would likely press on it many times, with an anxious prayer for rescue.
The balance between independence and dependence is one we all walk. The goal of parents and teachers is to bring a child to independence – so they can function on their own and not need
For the pleasure of their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Pancatattva, Prahlad Nrisimha Dev, Srila Prabhupada and for all the readers Mayapur Bhakti Vriksha happily informs that, for the first time there was a Training class arranged by Mayapur Bhakti Vriksha on‘Bhoga offering and Aroti performance’ for one day (2 times class) on 6th December, 2015 to facilate those upcoming Bhakti Vriksha members in order to help them regarding daily Bhoga offering and Aroti performance in their home.
It too
Papayyapalem is one of the oldest villages in Chirala region and our 46th village in a row. It was located at a mere distance of 2 kms from the Bay of Bengal. It is said that in bygone ages it was a part of big prospersous city and there are rumors that in many parts of village there are still hidden treasures of gold and silver ornaments. But presently the village presents a picture which is in stark opposition to the old one with open drains and thorny bushes. Even the temples are in neglect
Divya Jnan Bengali language TV show.
This is our new TV program “Divya Jnan” The poster says:
Daily at 6.30 am on Ruposhi Bangla TV Channel.
Starting from 10th January 2016.
Each episode is for 30 minutes daily starting from
1) Four minutes of Srila Prabhupada’s video with Srila Prabhupada kirtans in the background.
2) 16 minutes of Lectures in Bengali language about Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Chaitanya Charitamrit & about Srila Prabhupada’s movement. Lectures will be given by senior devot
The essence is to consider the goal of life. When we think that sex is the goal of life, then sex is bad because then sex will be engaged in only on the basis of lust and day-by-day, we will become more and more bound up in material existence and in the suffering that the material world brings.
But when we understand that Krsna is the goal of life and we engage in sexual activities according to his direction, then we are engaging according to the injunctions of the Bhagavad-gita, in accordance
SRILA JIVA GOSVAMI
Sri Sanatana, Sri Rupa and Sri Vallabha were three brothers, all employed in the service of the Badsa Hussain Shah. Amongst the three, there was only one descendent, Sri Jiva. Having been rewarded richly by the Badsa for their sevices, their household life was very opulent. There was nothing lacking in whatever was necessary for the upbringing of the only son. The house was illuminated by the effulgence of the child's golden complexion; his eyes were like the expanded petals
Sri Jagadisa Pandita is the savior of the world. He distributes the nectar of love of Krsna just like a dense mass of dark clouds in the sky distributes rainfall." [C.c. Adi 11.30] Sri Jagadisa Bhatta took his birth in the region of Gaihati. His father's name was Sri Kamalaksa Bhatta, who was the son of Bhatta Narayana, who hailed from Goyghar Bandyaghata. Both the mother and father of Jagadisa were very devoted Visnu-bhaktas. After his parents passed away he came with his wife to live on the b
Devaprastha dasa: What is fear? Where does it come from? How can we learn to live a life without it? Srila Prabhupada taught that the essential cause of fear and anxiety is a lack of understanding of the nature of reality − our attachments and perceived loss which occur in the mind are actually illusory. A person who learns this begins to be free from unnecessary mental anguish. So fearless was Srila Prabhupada that, at age 69, he begged a passage on a steamship to the United States of America.
sri bhagavan uvaca
abhayam sattva-samsuddhir
jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih
danam damas ca yajnas ca
svadhyayas tapa arjavam
ahimsa satyam akrodhas
tyagah santir apaisunam
daya bhutesv aloluptvam
mardavam hrir acapalam
tejah ksama dhrtih saucam
adroho natimanita
bhavanti sampadam daivim
abhijatasya bharata
Srila Prabhupada: The first thing is that bhagavan uvaca. These things required for purification. Sattva-samsuddhih. The human life is meant for sattva. Sattva. Sattva means existence. We are existi
“One may cleanse himself daily by taking a bath in water, but if one takes a bath even once in the sacred Ganges water of Bhagavad-gita,
for him the dirt of material life is altogether vanquished. One who drinks the water of the Ganges attains salvation, so what to speak of one who drinks the nectar of Bhagavad-gita? Bhagavad-gita is the essential nectar of the Mahabharata, and it is spoken by Lord Krishna Himself, the original Vishnu.” – Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is
Sometimes when I
A happy recipient of the Holy Name! (1 min video)
So enchanting, rhythmic and joyful!
Completely spontaneous. Just like that…
Source: https://goo.gl/RQYj2D
The new animation movie: “Krishna Book Busters!” (7 min video)From the creator of the “Manic Mataji” and “japatrap” :-) A book distribution adventure shown as a video game
Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=18236
By Tamohara das
There will soon be a vacancy for the position of Director of the ISKCON Child Protection Office. Our current Director, Champakalata devi dasi, is retiring from this service after many years of dedicated service to our children, temples, and communities.
This is a very important service that oversees our International efforts to protect children. The Director oversees development and implementation of training and educational programs for our temples and devotees throughout the
jāḍyaṁ hrīmati gaṇyate vrata-rucau dambhaḥ śucau kaitavaṁ
śūre nirghṛṇatā munau vimatitā dainyaṁ priyālāpini
tejasviny avaliptatā mukharatā vaktary aśaktiḥ sthire
tat ko nāma guṇo bhavet sa guṇināṁ yo durjanair nāṅkitaḥ
jāḍyam — dullness; hrīmati — in a gentle person; gaṇyate — is perceived; vrata-rucau — in a strict follower of vows; dambhaḥ — pride; śucau — in an honest person; kaitavam — pretense; śūre — in a brave person; nirghṛṇatā — cruelty;munau — in a reticentt person; vimatitā — fool
Interview with Jahnavi Harrison (video)
Jahnavi was born and raised in a family of English bhakti yoga practitioners at Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire. Her mother, who is a schoolteacher, and her father, who is a priest and writer, instilled a love of communication, education and strong spiritual values. She is a multi- disciplinary artist, trained in both Indian and Western classical dance and music, as well as writing and visual arts. After graduating with a BA in Linguistics and Creat
