From Back to Godhead
All conscious activity, whether in the course of duty or in defiance of duty depending upon the individual temperament is regulated by what Freud called the “pleasure principle.” Few will argue the fact that whatever action a living entity does, he does to produce a certain amount of pleasure in his life. With this in mind, we would like to consider what the highest form of pleasure the ultimate state of conscious existence may be.
From the teachings of Lord Krishna in The
Nityananda and I took that Trans Canada Trail, the other side, leading to that best of bridges for pedestrians, “The Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge.” Before arriving at that iconic thoroughfare, we were benefitting from the oxygen delivering trees on either of the trail’s side, which included of cedars, white pines, oaks, maples, birches – they were our companions.
It is surprising how well used this paved trail actually is. Mostly they are pedestrians. I would say that if you have the chance to wa
On this full-moon day, sixteen days before Ratha- yatra, Lord Jagannatha is bathed. He becomes sick and is confined to rest for fourteen days. He is then offered special care until He comes out for Ratha-yatra.
A special bath of Jagannatha takes place on the Purnima of Jyestha month to commemorate the appearance day of Lord Jagannatha.
The ISKCON Ministry of Education will host its annual virtual Symposium of Education, “PAN America Mini-Symposium 2024,” on Friday, June 21st, 2024, at 6:00 pm CDT, for two hours only on Zoom, FaceBook Live, and YouTube Live platforms.
Those interested in participating can register for this event here.
This symposium will provide ISKCON educators and leaders around Pan America with another opportunity to connect with other educators serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission and expand their frame of
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
ISKCON New Mayapur temple, housed in a 100-year-old castle with an area of approximately 83 hectares, is receiving a much-needed restoration and renovation under the guidance of Temple President Locananda Das and Vice President Gandharvika Rai Devi Dasi.
One significant sustainability initiative at ISKCON New Mayapur is the implementation of a centralized heating system designed to operate on carbon-neutral principles. By utilizing fallen wood from the forest,
By Kamala Priya Devi Dasi
From June 6-9, 2024, over 20 youth leaders from 12 different countries gathered at the ISKCON Almvik Eco-village in Sweden for a transformative four-day seminar. The event focused on critical topics such as Child and Youth Protection, First Aid, and Security. Participants hailed from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Italy, France, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia, making it a truly international event. The seminar was organized by Kamala Pr
Setting a Good Example
We should concentrate on training the children up in Krsna consciousness, not so much formal academic educationa little reading, writing, mathematics, that’s allbut more by giving them facility to follow the examples of the older devotees in the regular Krsna conscious program.
Letter to Satsvarupa dasa, February 16, 1972
Let the children associate with the elders as much as possible in the routine Krsna conscious program.
Letter to Aniruddha dasa, February 16, 1972
The
On June 8, 2024, ISKCON Nairobi celebrated its 38th Annual Festival of Chariots, attracting over 2,000 participants from all walks of life. “The four-hour procession passed through the [capital city of Nairobi] with many onlookers joining in the vibrant Kirtan,” said Govinda Prema Dasa, Preaching Coordinator for East Africa. The festival ended with a sumptuous feast for all.
Celebrating over 50 years in Kenya, ISKCON has built meaningful relationships with many organizations in the vibrant cit
“The Krishna Capital Gate Centre was inaugurated with great enthusiasm and joy [on June 9, 2024 in Hainault, London]. This newly established centre marks a significant milestone in the efforts to support humanitarian aid and community service. The event was graced by the presence of the Mayor of Redbridge, Sheila Bain, who was the chief guest, Pushpita Gupta and Nav Johal the Councillors from Redbridge. We also had the presence of Dayal Mora Das, Temple President of ISKCON London, and Parasuram
On the north side of the St. John River in Fredericton is another stretch of the expansive TransCanada Trail. My heart always warms to see a sign indicating that I am on that very long trail of 28,000 kilometres from coast to coast. In this city it is rails-to-trails piece, relatively flat; the way I liked it.
Vyas, Nityananda and I met super-friendly folks, to the exception of one young man on a bike, headphones and all, on a road rage. As for as he was concerned, we didn't exist, although
From Back to Godhead
How the Gita teaches the eight steps of hatha yoga, the topic of Patanjali’s Yoga-sutras.
According to a survey by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, an estimated 13.4 million Americans practice yoga, and many more experiment with it every year. Yoga is everywhere—from Mumbai to Moscow to Monte Carlo. But while yoga is meant to bring one closer to God, many of today’s yogis have a different agenda, the most common being to keep their bodies in shape.
“They’re not
Just outside the city of Kazan in Tatarstan, a Muslim state in the Russian Federation, I was distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books near a market with a friend. We had planned to distribute for about three hours and then leave for lunch, but by the end of the third hour, I still hadn’t distributed a single book, so I started to pray.
Near us a few old ladies were selling knitted items and apples from their gardens. One of them—a small, elderly lady wrapped in a shawl—came over to me and started
It's morning time, 6am, and I'm noticing that all those young folks sitting cross-legged chanting on their meditation beads might just like my proposal to get out for a stretch and continue with their japa meditation.
"How many of you would you like to go for a japa walk?"
Spontaneously, I'see about a dozen of them spring off their mats and head for shoes. There we are, touching nature, breathing the best air, into a park's green and having a piece of each other. And that's what a brief, l
Date: June 9, 2024, Location: Hainault, London
By Yogesvara Gopinath das
The Krishna Capital Gate Centre was inaugurated with great enthusiasm and joy. This newly established centre marks a significant milestone in the efforts to support humanitarian aid and community service. The event was graced by the presence of the Mayor of Redbridge, Sheila Bain, who was the chief guest, Pushpita Gupta and Nav Johal the Councillors from Redbridge. We also had the presence of Dayal Mora Das, Temple Preside
By Atma Tattva Das
Akhandadhi Das (Martin Fleming) opened the workshop with a summary of Vaishnava Vedanta and Sankhya metaphysics which could address the problematic gaps in current thinking about the interaction of the conscious agent, the mind and the brain.
The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) made a significant achievement by participating in the University of Arizona’s Conference on Consciousness in Science, April 22 – 27, 2024. The event brought together researchers, phi
Off to the east we go. Nityananda and I embarked on a flight to Fredericton and then a car ride, compliments of Vyas. It was a year ago that this man of good company took diksha or initiation and he is doing well as the co-ordinator for the local Krishna community. He drove us to the city of St. John and the Irving Nature Park for a 7 kilometre coastline trail walk.
As soon as we hit that lovely trail our nostrils were aroused with effervescent fragrances of soft wood trees and wild flowers. Wh
I wasn’t having a good day at all today. Breathing was difficult and I’d vomited blood in the morning and had a black out, and was generally unwell so when the phone rang I picked it up with a heavy heart, not really wanting to answer. It turned out to be one of my customers who I also send Harinama videos to every week.
I said, “Hello?” and I got a reply, “This is Ryan.”
I asked, “How are you doing?” and an eery silence followed. Eventually he said, “You remember I told you my wife was very i
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
The Krishna Center for Empathic Communication, an online platform under the guidance of Bir Krishna Das Goswami, is hosting an online workshop called “Seeking Harmony Within and Without” from June 16 to August 18, 2024, led by Madhuri Radhika Devi Dasi.
The workshop meets weekly for two hours, focusing on practicing Empathic Communication (EC) in small groups to promote harmony and cooperation through mutual encouragement and support.
Bir Krishna Das Goswami s
My final step before turning back to home, back to ashram, was on a park bench at the park, when a young man, James sat next to me.
"I'm just waiting for some buddies," he informed me. "Your day is full?" he asked.
"Yes, quite. I'm Bhaktimarga Swami. Swami for short."
"I'm James Ensley." We shook hands and it didn't end there. Like most people, meeting a monk is a first, let alone a walking monk.
I had a similar exchange just a few minutes before. I was sitting down to chant my gayatri ma
Both in living and in dying, this senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada's exemplified the essence of Krsna consciousness.
On June 5, 1986, Gauri-devi dasi passed from her body in the holy land of Vrndavana, India. For seventeen years she had been devotedly serving her spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Gauri was a sincere and dedicated preacher, giving herself fully to Srila Prabhupada's mission and working tirelessly to distribute his
