Today is the auspicious disappearance day of Sri Madhavendra Puri, the grand spiritual master of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Madhavendra Puri’s disciple Isvara Puri was accepted by Caitanya Mahaprabhu as His spiritual master. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is Himself the origin of all knowledge–perfect, Vedic knowledge–and He had no need to accept a spiritual master. But because He was playing the part of a devotee, to set the example for others, He accepted a spir
By Giriraj Swami
Today is the auspicious disappearance day of Sri Madhavendra Puri, the grand spiritual master of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Madhavendra Puri’s disciple Isvara Puri was accepted by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as His spiritual master. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is Himself the origin of all knowledge—perfect, Vedic knowledge—and He had no need to accept a spiritual master. But because He was playing the part of a devotee, to set the example for other
By Sunanda Das
A unique sponsorship opportunity is now available for devotees: The 31 Dresses Campaign – sponsor all the Deity dresses for one day during the 3-month long TOVP Grand Opening Festival, scheduled for early 2026. This includes Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Sri Pancha Tattva, Sri Nrsimhadeva and the fifteen new sampradaya acharya murtis. A new set of outfits will be offered every third day of the festival allowing for only 31 sponsorships.
The 2026 Marathon is full-steam ahead. The Pujari
By Atma Tattva Das
On March 14, 2024, the ISKCON Hammanskraal temple, located in a township in northern Pretoria, South Africa’s capital city, experienced a fire incident that caused significant damage to its front entrance.
In an interview with Co-Temple President Jai Nitai Das, ISKCON News learned that the conflagration was caused by an uncontrolled field fire that spread from neighboring grounds, particularly from a nearby church property.
According to Jai Nitai, the overgrown and unkempt gr
The sun was just rising and along with it various forms of life were astir. We were on our stroll or what I call, "Jackel home" when a group of perched birds above us were singing their song. Facetiously I remarked to those feathered friends, "Don't do it on us!" which ignited some laughter from our pedestrian friends.
All that was cool until three hours later, on the way to the local school for some presentations, one of, I guess a cousin of the group of "birds", relieved himself on me. It
In September of 2023, Kesava Dasa and Kesava Priya Dasi arrived in Ghana, West Africa, at the invitation of Srivas Vanacari Maharaja, the Zonal Secretary for West Africa, to assist with college preaching as well as book and prasadam distribution.
Formerly known as the Gold Coast, Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. It is known for its rich history and diverse cultural heritage. It gained independence from British colonial rule in 1957 and has since become a stable democrac
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Recently, Guruttama Dasa (Gurmann Saini) of ISKCON Finland and a member of the National Forum for Cooperation of Religions in Finland (USKOT), was named by the Finnish Government to represent religious communities on the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development 2024-2027.
The USKOT forum, an organization dedicated to fostering religious cooperation, champions the cause of social tranquility and religious literacy through the conduit of interrelig
My morning arati is spent in the Samadhi where you see a beautiful brass image of Prabhupada, our guru. The curtains of this deity are drawn at 4.10am and a host of worshippers, all bhakti yogis, are there for viewing and chanting. If I could be a tough critical, the Kirtan ends up being something you might call ecstatic chaos. The acoustics to this domed building are such that it cannot accommodate gongs, shakers, symbols and drums. Even the instrument we call the voice finds it a hard fit unl
Food-for-All UK has opened an exciting and colorful new “Give Me Love” Prasad Distribution center in the heart of Camden Town in central London. “The FFA-UK team is presently distributing 2,500 plates of Prasad daily, and running three food banks for people in food crisis,” said FFA-UK Founder, Parasuram Das.
Camden Town is renowned for its vibrant and eclectic atmosphere attracting thousands of locals and tourists to the area making it a perfect place for outreach. “The new building is on the
My good friend, Guru Prasad Swami, mentioned to me, "The mosquitos are actually doing a service they are forcing us to dance during the Kirtan." Naturally I concurred with him on that.
Such holds true for the walking that we do. After the announcements to the Mayapura network I have that one minute to add to the recent news before going on our walk. "It's the first day for presenting our drama 'The Age of Kali' so you are all invited to come."
One of the actors, Comfort, is warming up and do
If we don’t sleep at the right time, we will sleep at the wrong time (Based on Gita 06.16)
When practicing spiritual life, we may equate spiritual advancement with denying our bodily needs such as sleep. We may deprive ourselves of sleep to demonstrate our spiritual advancement.
However, spiritual advancement centers not on physical deprivation, but on spiritual absorption. To grow spiritually, we need to become conscious of our own spiritual identity and of the supreme spiri…tual reality, Kris
When Srila Prabhupada was coming to America on the Jaladuta steamship, as he was nearing Commonwealth Pier in Boston, he prayed to Krishna, “All living entities have come under the control of the illusory energy by Your will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also be released from the clutches of illusion. I wish that You may deliver them.
“I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore, if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message.”
By Saumya-mayī devi dasi
After spending some time in Katikati and meeting a special soul in Auckland, I headed across the sea to do sankirtana in Sydney with our exalted Godsiblings Kamala and Radhika Prasad, who centre their whole family life around book distribution. Seeking to learn their secrets and inspired by their association, we met wonderful people while going door-to-door.
When one lady opened her door, we handed her the Bhagavad-gita and tears immediately came to her eyes. She said t
By Yogapati Das and Daya Hladini Devi Dasi
As we reflect on the past month, on behalf of the Russian Speaking Yatra in London we are excited to share some of the wonderful highlights and activities that have kept us engaged and inspired in Krishna Consciousness from February to March.
Here is the short overview listed below:
1. Home Programs: We had the pleasure of hosting four home programs, where we enjoyed delicious prasadam, Krishna katha, and uplifting kirtan. One program was particularly
The Pew Research Center (PRC) has released the latest data available from 198 countries and territories regarding governmental restrictions on religious practices and beliefs. “Religious groups faced harassment by governments in 183 countries in 2021, the largest number since the study began,” the 14th annual report revealed, “Governments interfered in worship in 163 countries, down slightly from 164 in 2020 but still close to the all-time high.” The report not only shares the concerning facts
On February 29th, 2024, in a monumental initiative to honor the 150th appearance anniversary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada, the Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC), in collaboration with the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP), inaugurated an exhibit on the first floor of TOVP in Sri Mayapur Dham.
On 29th February 2024, in a monumental initiative to honor the 150th appearance anniversary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada, the Bhaktivedanta Research
By Atma Tattva Das
In Kenya’s rich and diverse cultural tapestry, where traditions blend harmoniously within a variegated contemporary Africa, emerges a compelling narrative of heritage, spirituality, and music embodied by Harikanta Devi Dasi, a fourth-generation Indian Kenyan whose journey from spiritual seeker to enchanting musician has captivated hearts far and wide. Her debut Kirtan album, “Jambo Kirtan,” is not just a collection of melodious hymns; it’s a testament to her profound spiritua
Padmanayana is a principle director at Mayapura Institute, an educational facility. He invited our drama troupe over for lunch. The setting is beautiful and is situated away from pilgrimis hustle and bustle, an eleven acre of heaven.
The whole meal is prepared from local produce. It's just another treat that makes this haven so special. Life here is more in the mode of our gurus, Prabhupada simple living. To get to the Institute is just one kilometer away from my accomodation at Gada Bhavan.
Sankirtana Das (Andy Fraenkel), a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and contributor to ISKCON News, has recently received a Storytelling World Resource Award for his CD Sacred Voices. An ISKCON News (IN) interview with Sankirtana Das (Skd) learns more about the honor and his thoughts on art, theater, sacred storytelling, interfaith dialogue, and more.
IN: Your storytelling CD, Sacred Voices, recently received an award from Storytelling World. What is Storytelling World?
Skd: Storytelling World was
On March 3, 2024, a significant moment of cooperation and interfaith harmony occurred in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, during a visit between leaders of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) and a representative from the Suriname Islamic Association (SIV).
The highlight of this meeting was the sharing of sacred scriptures: copies of Bhagavad-gita As It Is in the Arabic, Urdu, and Dutch languages were shared with M.R. Moennoesing, SIV’s Treasurer and the gift of the Hol
