By Manjari Gauthie
…The crowd presses forward, a mass of bodies all straining to get a better view of the altar. The curtains are still closed, but thin wisps of frankincense smoke can be seen curling from behind their edges. The sweet smell permeats the room and fuels my eagerness to finally see Their Lordships in our temple for the first time. Balabhadra is leading an intense kirtan. The vibration of hundreds of voices in the air is almost too much to stand. I’m sure I’m not the only one fe
Srimati Radharani appeared on the eight day of the waxing moon of Hrsikesha (Bhadra) mase, at noon.
“Srimati Radharani is as fully spiritual as Krishna. No one should consider Her to be material. She is definitely not like the conditioned souls, who have material bodies, gross and subtle, covered by material senses. She is all spiritual, and both Her body and mind are of the same spiritual embodiment. Because Her body is spiritual, Her senses are also spiritual. Thus Her body, mind and senses f
There are 3 energies affecting us all
As real and organic as nature’s call
They are at play practically all the time
Like wind, rain, moon, and sunshine
They influence our mood, action, and thought
If we analyze them it can help us a lot
Let us explore the names of these energies
And come to grips with their bold tendencies
The first one is SATTVA, its Sanskrit name
It is positive power we should welcome and aim
The special feature here is to be very mindful
Sensitive, patient, rational, thought
The Bhaktivedanta Archives, a vital service for preserving Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and related materials, has recently celebrated a significant achievement: the completion of the new freezer/cooler/acclimatization rooms. Parama-Rupa Dasa, the Founder of the Bhaktivedanta Archives, and Nitya-Trpta Dasi, who serves alongside him, recently discussed the importance of this new facility and its impact on their preservation efforts. “Our photo vault is a major milestone,” said Parama-Rupa. “It al
By Aditya Devi Dasi
On the eve of Sri Krishna Janmashtami, ISKCON New York City unveiled a beautiful work of art, a mural of Sri Maha-Vishnu hand painted on the north-west facing side of the temple building.
Bhakti street artist Jamuna Pritti spent one week finalizing this artwork which took several weeks of preparation. She describes it as “a fusion between the Sri Isopanisad cover and the mantra mandala I created back in 2015, with a little zine street art vibe.”
From Back to Godhead
Every December, the book marathon promises to be an exciting event. While travelling from door to door, village to village, through remote parts of India, we invariably meet someone who has been miraculously touched by Krishna’s mercy. One such person was Chandu, whom we met in Srirampur, Maharashtra. His tall posture and heavy built contrasted with his soft, humble demeanor. Curious to know his background, I requested him to narrate his story of choosing the path of Krishn
The last two days functions were held for remembering Krishna on His birthday, however, today was the official Janmasthami and we celebrated it in the city of Halifax. Since our community here is fairly new, we do not yet have a building of our own, so we are left to secure a rented place. Now, where are you going to find a place large enough and late enough (remember Krishna bhaktas celebrate His birth at midnight), so like last year a community hall was secured at a hockey arena site, It cert
Friday September 3rd, a few of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples were called for a meeting in HDGs room in the lotus building
These beautiful gifts were lovingly presented to the assembled direct disciples of HDG, and the details were explained. The project is called “Give Prabhupad”
Melted into the brass murti is an alloy containing coins received directly on book distribution around the world. (Fortunately we had some coins from book distribution in sridham mayapur that we were able to contribute f
Shri Sita Thakurani is to be worshiped just as much as Sachidevi herself, as the mother of the universe. She is the eternal wife of Shri Advaita Acharya. She was the daughter of Shri Nrishinga Baduri. She was married to Shri Advaita Acharya in Phuliya Nagara. After their wedding, Advaita Acharya went to Nadiya, to live in Shantipura. Sita Thakurani was always absorbed in vatsalya prema for Shri Gaurasundara Prabhu, and, out of parental concern used to instruct Jagannatha Mishra on how to care f
This is an excerpt from lecture from Tattva Darshan 13 titled – Ganesh Glories given by His Holiness Mahanidhi Swami.
Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of Lord Ganesh, is one of the most popular Indian festivals. Lord Ganesh is Half Man Half elephant - Elephant’s head and a human’s body. He is a very enigmatic and very famous Indian demigod India - Ganapati.
He is the lord of inconceivabilities. He wants to show people how when you approach transcendence, when you approach God, the impossible is po
From Back to Godhead
Lord Ganesha is well known for removing obstacles from the path of pure hearted souls.
Gokarna, a temple town in Karnataka, also known as Gokarna Mahabalesvara, is famous for the presence of one of the twelve jyotirlingas of Lord Siva. Lord Ganesha is said to have established this linga. The glories of the deity of Vinayaka Ganesha of Gokarna are described by Sri Vadiraja Mahan in Tirtha prabandhah, paschima prabandhah:
dustanam vighnakarta sucarita
sujanastoma vighnapahar
The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Brahma Purana and Brahmanda Purana are other two Puranic texts that deal with Ganesha.
Lord Ganesh is known as the son of the Shiva and Parvati, and is the god of luck and of “opening the way.” That is why many people pray to Ganesh before starting a new project, in order to proceed with as few obstacles as possible.
Ganesha became the Lord (Isha) of all existing beings (Ga
From Mayapur to Melbourne, Brazil to Bangkok, New York to New Delhi, hundreds of thousands of Krishna devotees gathered at ISKCON temples and centers worldwide to celebrate Sri Krishna Janmashtami. ISKCON devotees first celebrated the festival with Srila Prabhupada at the New York storefront in 1966. Here are some highlights from reports shared with ISKCON News from Dublin, Finland, Juhu, Mayapur, London, Sandton, South Africa, and Washington, DC.
Janmashtami commemorates the earthly appearance
The following poem, "Fire In the Village," is dedicated to a marvellous family – Damodara, Radha Krishna, and family, and others who lost their homes or suffered damage in the forest fire at Saranagati Village in Venables Valley, British Columbia. Please consider donating to the relief fund via the website for their registered non-profit at https://venablesvalleywildfire.com/ .
What if you lost your house overnight
That fortress totally gone, out of sight?
One minute, yo
Each year I try to come for the Seattle Rathayatra, which goes over two days during the Labor Day long weekend. The first day started at a local park where devotees and guests came with their families.
As you can see in the pictures, there were stalls with free prasadam, snacks, books, kirtan and drama stage, and many others. A favorite attraction were the areas with calves and goats from one of our nearby farms. Their Lordships, Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra sat on a beautiful swing.
Sourc
The Seattle Rathayatra was held on the second day of the festival and started a few kilometers from the park. Their Lordships, Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra rode majestically on Their chariot through the streets for two hours until They came back.
There was also a smaller Rathayatra cart in front and the kirtan was led by devotee children between ten and fifteen years of age. I started off the kirtan in front of the bigger cart and other devotees took over.
When Their Lordships were brou
The Governing Body Commission (GBC) has released its latest Meeting Highlights Report for August 22nd, 2024. The report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the online GBC meeting highlighting the key topics discussed:
“ISKCON GBC MEETING HIGHLIGHTS REPORT
22 August 2024
We are pleased to present the 22 August 2024 GBC Meeting Highlights Report. This report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the online GBC meeting highlighting the key topics discussed.
The meeting commenced w
People here speak about some roasting days but overnight a pleasant rain cooled things, and from a devotional perspective, Indra, god of rain, was simply making way for the Chariot Fest. Overcast weather made it pleasant for the noontime start when the wheels turned at the Science Centre next to the ocean side.
The chanting began and the smiles on followers swelled. A volunteer kept at us, pullers of the rope, singers of the song, “Hare Krishna” as we ambled along with his spray device of ros
Discovering Spiritual Knowledge
It all began with meeting a young lady, who is an astrologer. She prepared my natal map and gave some recommendations as far as what I should and should not do. First of all, she recommended to switch to a vegetarian diet. The reason for that is because I was born on Caturdasi. It is a must for people who are born on this day to be engaged in spiritual practice. Otherwise, consequences can be really harsh. I became interested. Actually, I had always been inter
By Atma Tattva Das
Radha Damodar Dasa, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, has been a dedicated servant of ISKCON for over five decades. His journey within the Krishna Consciousness movement includes the significant effort of preserving 1,684 play scripts, which are not just text on a page but a living part of our cultural heritage. They have long been an essential tool for preaching as well as providing devotional entertainment within the community.
Radha Damodar’s involvement with ISKCON began in
