By Giriraj Swami
Today is the disappearance day of Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja. Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was a great devotee - a maha-bhagavata. He was a disciple of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and was very renounced. He had lived for many years in Vrindavan, roaming the twelve forests, chanting the holy names of Krishna, eating by begging alms, and sleeping under trees. Later, after Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discovered Lord Chaitanya’s birthplace in Mayapur, Srila Jagannatha da
Contrary to some erroneous reports in Indian media, ISKCON of Houston plans to hold its Festival of Bliss on Saturday, November 9th. The following is a statement from Saranga Thakur Dasa, President, ISKCON of Houston:
In the spirit of cooperation, ISKCON Houston is voluntarily adapting its Festival of Bliss plans for 2024, by featuring the Deities of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, who famously brought the cha
In this video, HH Bhaktimarga Swami discusses the importance of devotional service, as explained in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, specifically SB 7.11.8-12. The verses delve into qualities essential for spiritual growth and human advancement, such as truthfulness, compassion, cleanliness, tolerance, control of mind and senses, and simplicity. HH Bhaktimarga Swami emphasizes that these are universal values applicable to everyone, regardless of their societal role.
He elaborates on the concept of varṇāś
By Chaitanya Arya
On November 2, 2024, more than 1,200 devotees from remote villages in the Satpura hill range came together to celebrate the auspicious Giriraj Govardhan Puja Mahotsav. The event, led by Nitaipad Das and Markatshyam Das, with the cooperation of Upanand Das, Jayant, Gopal, Vasant, and Chaitanya, took place in a tribal region along the South Gujarat-North Maharashtra border. This large gathering of tribal devotees signifies a growing movement to revive Krishna Consciousness in com
By Kīrtanīya sadā hari Devi Dasi
The Bhagavata Academy, a spiritual retreat center in Sealy, TX, suffered a great loss last November from an electrical fire. The fire caused over $50,000 worth of damage, including the workshop and guest housing. Thankfully, there were no injuries. The residents are hoping to have the new guest quarters completed by the end of this year so that they can offer guests even better accommodations than before.
Even after the fire, the Bhagavata Academy was able to p
No one can complain about weather and the spirit that moves in this section of the world - control Ontario by some gorgeous lakes. With Surya, the sun god, in our presence, and the most vibrant colours that autumn has to offer, we wheeled along on Highway 400 to destination, the city of Barrie, where devotees of that community rent a space at a United Church for kirtan, discourse and eats.
Verse 10.19 from the Gita was where I spoke from. The focus was on the opulences of God. I think it is e
At the Hindu Sabha Mandir, a Hindu temple in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, there was an incident during a temple event. Pro-Khalistan movement protesters held a demonstration outside the temple, which escalated into violence. It is unclear what led to the protest turning violent and who initiated the violence. Today, ISKCON Communications North America released a statement condemning the incident:
Statement on Attack of Hindu Sabha Mandir in Canada
November 4th, 2024
The International Society for K
It is an irresistible urge to get up and go on that myriad of sidewalks in the direction of my hosts this night. The route I chose going north (and only part way otherwise I would arrive late) was along the section of the Great Trail where our Indigenous folks traversed, by passing Casa Loma, the magnificent castle, over a bridge above a gorgeous ravine up to Eglinton Ave, a busy thoroughfare and then…. well, I got picked up by Shyama Dulal, my host.
He is a great cook and she, Satyabhama, a
Registration is going on!!
It is our great pleasure to announce ISKCON MAYAPUR’s 12th annual six-day Kartik Navadwip Mandal Parikrama during the most auspicious month of Kartik (organized by the Mayapur Chandra’s). The Parikrama dates are 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th & 15th November, 2024. Adivas will be on 8th of November.
There will be one day break on12th of November.
For this year also, the parikrama will not stay overnight; we will leave each day from the ISKCON Mayapur campus at 5 AM and r
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder-Acarya of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
The Extraordinary Biography of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
He built a house in which the whole world can live
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) was sent by the Lord Krishna to fulfil Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's prediction “Prtvithe ache yata nagaradi grama, sarvatra pracara haibe more nama” - In every town and villa
From October 3-6, 2024, over 120 North American leaders gathered at New Vrindaban, WV, for the North American Leadership Conference. This event brought together leaders from across the United States and Canada to discuss topics central to ISKCON’s future. However, none were as exciting as the “3/35 Vision”, an ambitious growth plan outlined by the North America Regional Governing Body (RGB) for the next decade. ISKCON News spoke with Jaya Krsna Das, a key RGB member, President of New Vrindaban,
In October, ISKCON Hungary hosted an early celebration of Diwali (Dipavali), known as “The Festival of Lights,” an event with a long-standing tradition in the local community. This exclusive gala dinner is held annually in Budapest, inviting key supporters of the yatra, public figures, decision-makers, goodwill friends, professional partners involved in Food for Life, members of the Indian Embassy, and interested media representatives.
Dipavali, celebrated around the world, marks the New Year in
By Atma Tattva Das
This year, ISKCON Turkiye hosted Bhakti Camp, attracting over a hundred devotees from Europe and the Middle East to a forest retreat near Istanbul. The camp provided an opportunity for spiritual growth and community engagement. Led by Zonal Supervisor Nrsimha Krishna Das, the theme was “Stronger Together,” which emphasized unity and collaboration among participants. Nrsimha Krishna noted that the event was organized with the involvement of various departments, contributing to
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
On September 18-26th, ISKCON’s Ministry of Education organized the annual Books Are the Basics Week 2024, a week-long program dedicated to enhancing the culture of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books around the world. This program was approved by the Governing Body Commission (GBC) in 2020. This event unites devotees from around the world with a shared vision of how Srila Prabhupada’s books must be the most-read literature in the world, thus enhancing the foundat
By Sankirtana Das
A companion article to As the US Election Approaches: “Our Original, Constitutional Position.”
Right now, for the upcoming USA election (or wherever elections take place), devotees have a tremendous opportunity to present Krishna Consciousness and help educate citizens in the qualities of good leadership, along with the four principles of dharma: truthfulness, internal and external cleanliness, compassion, and self-sacrifice. These are essential moral principles of all religiou
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
On October 26, 2024 at Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh, six devotees lost their lives while returning from Tadipatri. The accident took place near Nayanapalle Cross in Singanamala Mandal when their car, due to a sudden tire burst, went out of control and collided with an oncoming lorry. All six passengers lost their lives at the scene.
The devotees were Sridhar Swamy (30), Shanmukh (26), Santosh (28), Pranav (13), Venkatesh (28), and Prasanna (26). They ha
The video discusses an upcoming book by Professor Kenneth Valpey, also known as Krishna Kshetra Swami, focused on yoga and animal ethics. Through a conversation among animals, viewers learn that the book will explore animal welfare from a yogic perspective, highlighting ancient Indian insights on humanity’s connection with animals and nature. The animals express excitement about the book’s potential to foster compassion and understanding. To make it freely available as an open-access resource,
This video covers the first day of ISKCON Chowpatty’s Kartik Yatra 2024, held in the holy land of Sri Mayapur Dham. The event is filled with ecstatic kirtans, dancing, and the spiritual teachings of HH Radhanath Swami, who reflects on the life and mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the vision of ISKCON’s founder, Srila Prabhupada.
HH Radhanath Swami begins by recounting Srila Prabhupada’s dedication to spreading the message of Krishna Consciousness worldwide. When Srila Prabhupada was esta
ISKCON Tucson was recently featured in the Arizona Daily Star which has a large online readership and over 230,000 print subscribers in the region. The article gave readers a window into the Sunday Feast, a brief history of the community, and highlighted several community members and how they came to Krishna Consciousness.
You can read the full article here. To follow the expanding service of the Tucson community, receive updates on their Temple project, and more, read their latest newsletter,
By Mathura Lilesvari Devi Dasi
Since the launch of our food truck at UCLA, Krishna Lunch So Cal is thrilled to announce that its sales have increased threefold in just six months. This remarkable growth is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, as well as the enthusiastic support from the UCLA community. While sales were never the main objective, the success puts the team in a strong position to expand this devotional project and share their experience with other devotees who
