Please accept our humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
We started ISKCON Desire Tree in 2002. Another year has passed by. Our body has got older. Our service rendered to the mission has continued. Year 2015 has been better than previous year. We have tried our best to serve Srila Prabhupada's mission. Following are some of the highlights:
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By Zayani Bhatt
Hundreds of devotees from far and wide congregated at Bhativedanta Manor for a recitation of the Bhagavat Gita by the temple’s Managing Director HG Gauri Das and insightful commentary by His Holiness Sivarama Swami on Sunday 20th December.
The devotional and ardent recitation of the Holy Scripture and a Gita yagna was to celebrate Gita Jayanti; the day Lord Shri Krishna spoke the Bhagavat Gita 5154 years ago.
His holiness Sivarama Swami summarised each chapter in a beautiful, c
By Prema Sindhu Gauranga dasa
From November 29 to December 4, around 200 devotees eagerly gathered in Govardhan for the 10th annual VIHE Holy Name Retreat–all the way from South and North America, Europe, Africa, Australia, Russia, Israel, India, and even China. Giriraj Govardhan, “Haridas varya,” the topmost among the devotees of Lord Krishna is the perfect spiritual abode to retreat from the relentless material anxieties and reconnect with our spiritual selves. His Holiness Sacinandana Swa
Some people argue that Prabhupada misinterpreted Bhagavad Gita in the sense that the verses are translated to suit bhakti. In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna speaks about karma, gnana, yoga and bhakti and hence all paths are as good as other paths. This is their argument. But such criticisms are indications that people read Bhagavad Gita for other purposes and not for surrendering to Krishna.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Krishna speaks similar Gita to Uddhava entitled Uddhava Gita. There, Uddhava asks K
The Sahayadri Varnasrama College (SVC) is now accepting applications from male candidates for its one-month course to be given from January 6 to 31, 2016 on the campus at Sahayadri Sri Krishna Balarama Ksetra (SSKBK) located near the small town of Hebri in the district of Udupi, Karnataka.
On-going since 2009, the courses offered during this year will focus on land, cows and Krishna. Experienced faculty members will cover the courses as mentioned in the brochure attached.
In addition to practic
By Dwaipayan De
The dictionary defines the word ‘Renunciation’ as follows – ‘the formal rejection of something, typically a belief, claim, or course of action.’ All over the world, we come across people who practice the spirit of Renunciation – There are some who renounce bad/harmful habits or renounce bad association, and there are some who renounce negative thoughts/words/deeds, etc. Again, we find people, who are a bit more serious and claim to belong to the Renounced order of life altogeth
US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard offers arati at ISKCON's Radha Parthasarathi Mandi in New Delhi
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii – the first Hindu congresswoman in America – has requested Marcia Bernicat, the U.S. Ambassador in Bangladesh, to visit an ISKCON temple there that recently withstood a terrorist attack.
She also urged the ambassador to put pressure on the Bangladeshi government to prosecute the attackers.
The assault took place at the ISKCON temple in the Kaharol region of Din
By Lila-shuka das
This project was made with the sole purpose of inspiring all devotees to perform more Harinama Sankirtana.
In addition, this project shows the activity of Harinama Sankirtana around the world.
When you enter the website ( www.harinammap.com ) you can see the world map and the menu.
The Map shows the activity of Harinama Sankirtana around the world.
The Menu gives you some features of how to use the map.
You can see 3 filters there… 1) By status 2) By team 3) By devotee
By stat
In its most recent survey on the subject of God, the National Centre for Social Research found that some ninety percent of us claim to be believers. One in five even said they had no doubts about God’s existence. Such statistics are perhaps surprising, given that education today tends to steer us toward more atheistic notions such as the’ Big Bang’ and evolution. Surprising also in the face of the widely touted suggestion that religion is the cause of most conflicts, a suggestion seemingly rei
This brings us to the second level of God realisation in Vedic theology, known as the Paramatma or Supersoul. This is an expansion of God who is found in the heart of every living being and also within every atom of the creation. It is the all-pervasive aspect of the Supreme, but in a personal form rather than impersonal energy.
The Bhagavad-gita describes the Supersoul as the “overseer and permitter” within this world. In other words, he is witnessing all our deeds and is awarding us the resul
Krishna has many energies or potencies, which have three main categories. The first is his “internal energy”, which manifests as the spiritual world and his most confidential associates who always reside there. Chief among these is Radharani, who is Krishna’s eternal consort. She is the female aspect of the Supreme, and from her come many other consorts who are known as “gopis”, Krishna’s unmarried lovers, and as his married queens. The internal energy is also known as Yogamaya, a female person
Lecture on Shifting to High Gear by Charu Prabhu on 2015
(Charu Das was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1970. He has been President, variously, of the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Berkeley (USA) temples.)
To Listen and Download - click here
(Ekalavya Das was born in New York City, USA in 1965, the same year that ISKCON Founder Acarya, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada came to New York. His mother’s younger sister would regularly hear Srila Prabhupada’s Kirtans in Thomkins Square Park in 1966.)
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Lecture on Mathura Lila by Radha Govinda Swami on 27 Dec 2015 at ISKCON Juhu
(Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 07, Chapter 06, Text 03)
(H.H. Radha Govinda Swami, a direct disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), lives in Vrindavan, India.)
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Valmiki Ramayana mentions that Dashratha desired to go to the forest with Rama. He wanted to take all the royal resources with him, as conveyed in his desire to make “the forest into Ayodhya and Ayodhya into the forest” with the forest-like Ayodhya left for Kaikeyi to enjoy.
But Kaikeyi opposed him rabidly, saying that when he had promised her the kingdom, it meant the kingdom with its resources. She accused both Dashratha and Rama of underhandedly going back on their word.
Rama was pained to
Source: http://mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/importance-of-guidance-in-spiritual-life/
What is Gratitude?
Radhanath Swami: Gratitude is a divine virtue that is so important that other divine virtues could not exist without it. Spirituality grows like seeds within our heart. The goodness of our lifestyle protects that seed. Our spiritual practice of chanting God’s names, reading scriptures, doing seva for God and others waters that seed. But gratitude is what makes the ground fertile so that all these other virtues will actually have its maximum effect. A fertile soil allows the s
When the vedas was first spoken by Lord Brahma (the first created being of this universe), it was understood by his sons in different ways. Later, Mahamuni Vyasa took birth to translate these esoteric timeless sound into text format especially favoring kali yuga residents. Vyasa also wrote the succinct version of the vedas by taking its conclusions and coding it in short texts called the sutras. Because it contained the conclusive truths in coded form, it was called vedanta sutra.
Later, a gre
When the students at the school in India (where I was Principal) wanted me to switch on the AC, they would pull this card – We are followers of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It’s bonafide! Clever boys. But the essential point is correct. When you have a solid spiritual practice you have to tools to stay cool no matter what life throws at you.
Here are 5 ways to beat the burning heat of living life:
1. Pull back inside – When you feel some pressure building, remind yourself of who you are,
It is an odd development of the modern world that being excessively anxious about our children is considered a virtue. We consider ourselves good parents if we make life easy for them, reward them for the smallest achievement, and are anxious for their safety and well being at all times.
There is, however, a hidden message in all of this anxious attention and it’s not good. As a teacher and school principal for 20 years, I saw all kinds of kids and all kinds of parents. For those who had confid
