Blog

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

By Sankirtana Das (ACBSP)

The recent consecration of the new Rama Temple in Ayodhya, in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, generated a flurry of articles and stories in the international media. The ceremony was met with great fanfare from Hindus around the world, although some Indian politicians and brahmins declined to attend for one reason or another. Reportedly, the ceremony put Moslems on edge in India and especially in Ayodhya. The ceremony included the installation of the Deity of L

Translation: Sofiya Perfilyeva
Edited by Visnu Murti das

The first Russian to visit Vrndavana was Emperor Nikolas II, 125 years ago

On Friday, January the 4th in 1891, Hindus who were bathing in the sacred river Yamuna witnessed an amazing scene. A ship with the name of an unknown language approached.

In the morning mist, surrounded by armed soldiers, a young light-skinned man in an officer’s jacket, looking, however, not belligerent came ashore. The stranger was the crown prince Nicholas, soo

South Africa, a nation deeply marked by its tumultuous history, continues its journey towards healing and self-realization. In the heart of this transformative landscape, Premvikash Das – mathematician, artist, activist, and former temple president at ISKCON Hammanskraal – emerges as a spiritual trailblazer, navigating the crossroads between Krishna Consciousness and African Spiritual Practices with a mission to empower communities still grappling with the aftermath of apartheid.

In a unique fu

Are you ready to embark on an exhilarating journey through the heart of Europe? The 2024 Euro Bus Tour will be held from 19th July to 21st August. The 4.5-week adventure will be visiting several European countries, including Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Germany, Belgium, and France.

The first Euro Tour was held in 2013 and the most recent was in 2019. Past organizers like Manorama Dasa, ISKCON’s Global Youth Minister and other seasoned leaders are providing guidance

Lilasuka Dasi, Director of the Child Protection Office – North America (CPO-NA), is recommending ISKCON management send representatives to the 2024 International Symposium on Child Abuse held in Huntsville, Alabama, March 18-21st. This year’s focus is on child abuse in religious organizations.

The annual International Symposium on Child Abuse is a premier conference providing expert training, resources, and networking opportunities on the matter of child protection. The in-person-only 40th Inte

(To read the related talk given by Giriraja Swami please click here)

Much can be said about compassion, and although we’ve covered many of its different facets, there is still much more that can be said, specifically in terms of our relationships with each other as practitioners of Krsna consciousness.

This whole theme expands from one line in The Nectar of Devotion—that one should not give unnecessary trouble to any living entity. This is a principle of Krsna consciousness that every Vaisnava

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

Abhidheya Devi Dasi from Australia, with her initiative, Bhakti Kids Sangha, is inspiring other temples to adopt various kids’ services and demonstrate it is not only achievable but practical to have dynamic children’s programs at your temple.

Recently, a congregation member from ISKCON Perth has reached out to Bhakti Kids Sangha about some of her ideas. She is considering implementing the same in their endeavor to utilize a part of their space for children.

A