By the Sastric Advisory Committee
Listed below are evidences for both sides of the issue, our analysis and conclusion.
Pro-Beard Evidence (mainly from Srila Prabhupada’s letters, lectures and conversations):
1) “The Pashca-tattva can all be golden. The Deity of Lord Caitanya is very nicely done so there is no need to change the color. Yes, Srivasa Pandita has sikha. Vaishnava must have sikha. Advaita Prabhu has a full white beard. He was an old man. He was practically older than the father of
We are gathered here to celebrate the appearance day of Sri Advaita Acharya. Advaita Acharya is an incarnation of Maha-vishnu. In terms of pastimes, He appeared before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and so was considered an elder by Mahaprabhu. He was actually older than Lord Chaitanya’s own father.
Advaita Acharya, although Vishnu Himself, was in the mood of a Vaishnava. As a Vaishnava, He felt compassion for the fallen conditioned souls who were suffering without Krishna consciousness. Although pre
The foremost of all the Vaishnavas who reside at Navadwip is Sri Advaita Acarya, whose virtuous presence has made all the worlds blessed. He is the most preeminent preceptor in all fields including knowledge, renunciation and devotion. In explaining Krishna-bhakti he is like Lord Shankara (Shiva) himself, and whatever scriptures that exist within the three worlds he explains in the light of Krishna-bhakti.
With intense eagerness, he continually worships the Shalagram of Sri Krishna with Tulasi
“You just make Balarama your son, Subhadra your daughter and Lord Jagannatha your husband.” This is the instruction Srila Prabhupada gave me in 1972, and this is the story about how this came to be.
In the spring of 1972, Srila Prabhupada visited Tokyo yatra for the second time. It was so wonderful to see him again.
During his visit, Sudama, my husband at the time, came to me and said that he had just asked Srila Prabhupada if he could take sannyasa. Srila Prabhupada told him he would have to a
By Praghosa dasa
The first minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf invited our Karuna Bhavan devotees to government building Atlantic Quay, Glasgow, yesterday. He was presented with the Deities Maha garlands and was pleased to receive Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita. Here you see him chatting with the temple president, Prabhupada Prana Prabhu.
In 2017, during the Padayatra march in the Czech Republic, I was hit by a car with two other devotees. The driver of the car had an epileptic seizure and drove at full speed into our ten-member harinama group. She only stopped when she hit a gas station, in the place where cars are pumped with fuel. I stayed between the pillar and that car, the other two were lying on the road. They said they flew like rag dolls, but even in the initial shock they didn’t know about me, because I remained wedged
By Prishni Sutton
This month, the Bhaktivedanta Institute held its third Richard L. Thompson Lecture Series on Thompson’s book, Parallels: Ancient Insights into Modern UFO Phenomena, initially published as Alien Identities (1993).
The event featured presentations by Michael Cremo (Drutakarma Das), Christopher Beetle (Krishna Kripa Das), and Bob Cohen (Brahmatirtha Das), along with a small party held in honor of Sadaputa’s birthday.
The day began with a talk by Michael Cremo describing his day
By Sutapa Das
On January 18, 2024, Sri Udupi Dham in Karnataka, India, witnessed a paryaya (transfer of worship) to Sri Puthige Mutt, which was one of the most significant events in the whole of Karnataka. The three-day celebration, with a series of Vedic rituals and cultural events, created great jubilation in the Holy Dham of Udupi.
Sri Puthige Mutt officially invited ISKCON devotees to grace the occasion. ISKCON was represented by Revati Raman Das, the GBC Chairman. Sri Sugunendra Teerth Swa
When I was young, no one called it Valentines Day, everyone called it Saint Valentines day. You remember? Now they just call it Valentines Day because they don’t want to think about saints (laughter). Because it’s actually totally contradictory to the whole conception of what valentine’s day is all about. Who was saint valentine?
There were 2 saint valentines. And they were both celibate monks how were preachers of God consciousness. One of them was a catholic priest who lived in Rome and who p
By Giriraj Swami
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter 10, Text 14:
TEXT
pundarika vidyanidhi—bada-sakha jani
yanra nama lana prabhu kandila apani
TRANSLATION
Pundarika Vidyanidhi, the third big branch, was so dear to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that in his absence Lord Caitanya Himself would sometimes cry.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (54), Srila Pundarika Vidyanidhi is described as the father of Srimati Radharani in krsna-lila. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore treated him as His father
jaya jaya sundara nanda-kumāra
saurabha-sańkaṭa-vṛndāvana-vihita-vasanta-vihāra
“O handsome son of Nanda, O Lord who enjoys springtime pastimes in the fragrant forest of Vrndavana, all glories to You! All glories to You!”
– Srila Rupa Goswami
The Vasanta season is celebrated as the best of seasons, not only because it represents life and joy, but because it is the most fortunate of all the seasons, as Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in the Vasanta season.
“King Vasanta (the personificat
The Food For Life Monterrey team of devotees is joyfully distributing prasadam and the holy names in Mexico’s second-largest city, bringing spiritual and physical nourishment to the community’s most needy populations.
Monterrey, located in the northeastern part of the country, nestled against the picturesque Sierra Madre mountain range, has over one million residents. Though it’s a major economic hub, the community still faces issues of economic disparity and food insecurity.
Different devotee
On February 8, 2024, during festivities in New Delhi celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Appearance of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative postage stamp honoring Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s significance as a spiritual leader.
The India Post noted, “This stamp emphasizes his immense contribution to the spiritual upliftment of millions in India and abroad.”
Additionally, a commemorative coin was unveiled. The 150 rupee no
Hare Krishna! On 2 Feb 13, Sat is the Disappearance Day of Sri Jayadeva Goswami, a great devotee of Lord Sri Krishna, poet and composer of Dasavatara-stotra, a poetic glorification of Lord Krishna’s main incarnations.
SRI JAYADEVA GOSWAMI
&
“SRI CHAMPAHATTI”
AT “SRI KOLADVIPA” ISLAND OF SRI NAVADVIPA-MAYAPUR DHAMA
SRI SRI GAURA-GADADHARA
The beautiful life-sized Gaura-Gadadhara Deities at Champahatti were installed and worshiped by Dvija Vaninatha, the younger brother of Gadadhara Pandita. They
On Monday 22nd January Bhaktivedanta Manor joined in the global celebration of Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya and the inauguration of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
The Manor opened up the opportunity for thousands of pilgrims to offer flowers to the special utsav (festive) deities of Sita, Rama Laxman and Hanuman in an electric atmosphere filled with ecstatic kirtan.
The main deities of Sita Rama Laxman and Hanuman on the Manor’s shrine there have been worshipped there since 1981.
“We mark the l
Hare Krishna Dear Temple Presidents,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
On behalf of the GBC, we extend a warm invitation to the Temple Presidents for the upcoming International Temple Presidents Meeting scheduled for 27th February 2024 at Mayapur.
This sanga provides an opportunity for Temple Presidents from ISKCON temples across the world to converge, connect with the GBC, share experiences, and contribute to shaping the future of ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada sa
The prestigious Columbia University Press has recently released a ground-breaking volume, the first-ever comprehensive concordance of the Bhagavad Gita, authored by Dr. Graham M. Schweig (Garuda Das), PhD.
Entitled “Bhagavad Gita Concordance: A Comprehensive Word Reference with English and Sankrit Indexes,” the new work has been hailed by scholars and students alike as a monumental achievement. It “fills a major lacuna in scholarship and will become a standard reference book and resource for mi
Dear follower of Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Thank you for submitting so many heartfelt homages to Srila Prabhupada last year. You can view the full 2023 Vyasa-puja book here:
https://gbc.iskcon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/spvp2023.pdf
This year we request you to submit your homage by April 2, 2024 by emailing it to vphomages@iskcon.net. Below are the standard parameters.
Hoping this meets you well, we remain
Your servants on the Sri
Dear Valued Donors and Supporters,
We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your extraordinary generosity in supporting Srila Prabhupada’s Film Restoration Project. Thanks to your contributions, we are delighted to announce that **the necessary funds have been successfully collected**, marking a crucial milestone in the realization of this significant endeavor. Your commitment to preserving Srila Prabhupada’s legacy through this project is truly commendable.
**Srila Prabhupada’s Film R
