It’s not that the weather was incompatible for walking this morning with a cold, wet rain, I just wasn’t prepared, clothing-wise, to dare the elements. I was indoors most of the time, yet happily busy. The sadhana program in the Alachua temple was great, though low in attendance due to a cold floor. The kitchen at the back end has no heat, so you could see everyone’s breath. The solution for the cooks is to keep warm through action.
I visited the men’s house where male devotees reside
“Whom are we worshiping in the temple? This query of mine was unanswered till I reached ISKCON.”
I was born and brought up in a Hindu family in Delhi, and we used to go to various temples and offer prayers before the gods. Two questions, however, always tickled my mind: Why do we worship so many gods, and who is the real God? As I never got answers to my questions, I considered all the gods equal, and in my teenage years all religions and faiths became one for me. Be it Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhi
The self has an unlimited capacity to sense, being sat-cit-ananda. These sensations are limited or defined by the body being inhabited. For example, the human body senses light energies across a spectrum that we interpret as red orange yellow green blue indigo violet. Above violet in energy, is ultraviolet, which is not detected by the human eye. Similarly, energies below this light spectrum include infra-red, which again is not visually sensed. Yet we know that these energies are there, because
Excerpt from a lecture by HH Radhanath Swami
“Srila Prabhupada stressed the urgency to surrender to Krishna. Every line of his books, every sentence of his tapes, you would hear him urgently, just pleading with you and me, to take Krishna Consciousness seriously. Death, tragedy can come at any moment. And the greatest tragedy is that our faith is stolen away by maya and her various representatives which can come in many forms. There is no comfortable position when we are secure in material exis
The Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC) is delighted to announce the South Asia editions of two significant academic works on Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism by Radhika Ramana Dasa (Dr. Ravi M. Gupta): Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Philosophy: Tradition, Reason and Devotion and Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Vedanta of Jiva Goswami.
Both books, published by Routledge—a globally acclaimed academic publisher renowned for its contributions to the humanities and social sciences—now have South Asian editions brought out by BRC in collab
Devotees from around the world gathered for a Celebration Sanga on January 26th to mark the distribution of over 4.5 million copies of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
The call, hosted by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) and Global Book Distribution Minister Vaisesika Das, revealed inspiring reports from around the globe, each offered to Srila Prabhupada. The theme of the 2024 campaign was entitled “Make Earth Smart Again.” Vaisesika Dasa noted it is based on the words of Srila Prabh
Yes, Florida has gone cold. But not on its own. The whole continent is under the influence of an Arctic blast. Sections of the state with “Sunshine Coast” written on the license plates, is now a snow haven. The schools will be closed tomorrow due to rain and water predicted to turn into ice. Florida is just not ready for this kind of stormy weather.
This morning after the Bhagavatam class, I returned home to my hosts for a needed massage by an expert, Ram, who told me that the manatee
On January 25th, the Indian Government’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced the 2025 recipients of the annual Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian honors bestowed by India’s President. ISKCON leader and prolific author Sri Nandanandana Dasa (Stephen Knapp) was one of the notable recipients in the Padma Shri category for his outstanding and distinguished service in the field of Literature and Education.
A disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Sri Nandanandana has
I delivered a mini Kirtan Standards course to the devotees of Deland. Some helpful hints in the matter of conscious kirtan can’t go wrong in steering chanters in the right direction. I saw the hard copy of Jayadwaita Swami’s book on the subject on the stand for sale. I grabbed it and used the text as a reference for selling the content’s concepts to the attendees. Afterall, the objective is to follow in the footsteps of the previous teachers. It was appreciated.
Speaking of footsteps, I’
A Vaishnava does not want to criticize anyone. For example, in Vrindavan, there was one very, very exalted Vaishnava.
One day, there was a mahotsava, a festival. Many people were invited. This person noticed that one Vaishnava was not there, so he questioned what happened to him.
Somebody said that he has done this and that, so we did not invite him. This very senior Vaishnava got up and started to walk to the door. When asked why he was leaving, he said, “For such a small little fault you have
Krishna is self-satisfied and does not need anything, but out of His mercy He will accept our offerings of love and devotion.
Krishna’s supreme opulence surpasses all description and comparison. Millions of goddesses of fortune serve Him in the spiritual realm. He is the supreme controller, the ultimate refuge, and the proprietor of everything. Yet, because of His love for His devotees, the all-powerful Lord accepts their loving offerings.
Krishna consciousness helps us recognize and reestablis
The purpose of this paper is to both establish the importance of the seva of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books as well as understanding the essence of the message in Prabhupada’s books which is the performance of devotional service, regardless of one’s role or place in society.
Firstly I would like to present my own personal reading resume: I have read the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta five times, the five-volume set of the unedited letters of Srila Prabhupada three times, the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is
Doves, deer, turkey vulture, and then there are sandhill cranes. One crane couple hung around the grounds. They are inseparable at the Veda Foundation. At one point, they got super excited to see one of their kind soaring in the sky. I can’t describe the noise they make, but it’s positive.
Purnachandra, the person maintaining the grounds and operations in general, conducted a maha-yajna in honour of Narasingha, the lion avatar. Sunday is the day for that. Remarkable about this outdoor yajn
According to the shastra, the way to counteract the very deeply strong tendency for possessiveness in the grihastha life is to giving charity to the Vaishnavas and the brahmans, to the mission of the guru. According to the shastra, the first fifty percent you have give it to your guru’s mission. And then whatever else you have, maintain, that is the ideal standard. You never be possessive if you do that, because the first priority with whatever you get goes to Guru and Krishna. You cannot do fi
73/08/18 London, Bhagavad-gita 2.12
By His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):
na tv evaham jatu nasam
na tvam neme janadhipah
na caiva na bhavisyamah
sarve vayam atah param
[Bg. 2.12]
“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.”
Srila Prabhupada: This is a very important verse. The modern scientists, philosophers, they say that after finishing this body, we no more exist
ON DAYS SET ASIDE FOR SELLING Back to Godhead magazine, he packed copies in a cloth sack and boarded the morning train to Delhi. With nowhere to stay in Delhi he had to return to Vrindavan by evening, which gave him only a few hours of daylight. Sales were minimal and he did not always collect enough to cover costs. Some days, he made appointments with wealthy men to request support. A few responded with token donations for his cause. He befriended an Ayurvedic doctor who promised assistance. On
“Gone are the days of traveling in a van,
Of street corners, Santa suits and donation cans.
I had three different IDs and a wig or two,
Lord Chaitanya’s army – The brave and the few.
I went to jail, out on bail,
Our determination seemed never to fail,
Long time ago, when I was young,
My best years to serve were yet to come.
I loved it all and I don’t look back,
Except for humility that I did lack,
With whom I served, a lasting bond,
Enduring friendship, forever fond.
All your devotees sacr
Sulalita Devi Dasi, a dedicated member of the Hare Krishna Movement, has harmonized her spiritual practices with her creative talents. From her early days as a young devotee to her work as a poet and podcaster, her journey highlights how Krishna consciousness can transform lives and inspire artistic expression.
Early Inspirations
Sulalita’s creative path began in Moscow’s vibrant Krishna consciousness community during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Due to a civil war, her family had relocated f
ISKCON Valsad, situated in Gujarat, India, celebrated the installation of Srila Prabhupada’s murti on December 21st, 2024. This milestone is not just a symbol of the temple’s expansion but a manifestation of the deep love and dedication of the local devotees, who have worked very hard to bring Srila Prabhupada’s presence to their community.
Over 450 devotees from across the country attended the installation ceremony, which was conducted by Jagadish Chaitanya Das, a head pujari from ISKCON Vrinda
This year, Manor celebrates a momentous occasion: the 40th anniversary of the Bhaktivedanta Players, one of its longest-serving departments. Drama has always been an integral part of Bhaktivedanta Manor’s services for its pilgrims. Closely intertwined with the Manor’s vibrant festivals – Janmashtami, Diwali, Gaura Purnima, Ramanavami, and many more – the Bhaktivedanta Players consistently deliver spectacular performances that entertain, educate, and captivate audiences of all ages.
You can read
