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By Sankirtana Das 

For over 40 years, I’ve offered presentations on the Krishna Consciousness tradition and philosophy in college classrooms.  I became friends with many of the professors, and they repeatedly invited me back to the campus every year or two. Then, about 20 years ago, some of the professors started commenting that new students didn’t quite meet the standards of an academic environment. It seemed that students were pushed ahead even without the required skills, and even when they r

Dear devotees,

Srila Prabhupada repeatedly taught that Krishna consciousness must be presented in ways that uplift society, illuminate universal spiritual values, and open the door for people of all backgrounds to discover Dharma. He emphasized that genuine spiritual outreach includes demonstrating how Vedic principles naturally harmonize with the highest expressions of human ethics—compassion, dignity, protection of life, and the cultivation of wisdom.

This initiative presented by the Centro St

By Madana-gopala Dasa 

Beyond the Binary: Recovering Moral Clarity in a Divided World

When I wrote recently that the “No Kings” protests revealed the soul’s longing for genuine, caring leaders, for the spirit of Lord Rāma rather than another self-serving ruler, some readers accused me of being “too liberal.” Others said that if I spoke about the sacredness of unborn life, I would be branded as a “religious conservative.” It seems that in much of today’s world, nuance and independent thought hav

By Sankirtana Das 

A recent article from America: The Jesuit Review describes an official church statement from Bishop Scott E. Bullock of Rapid City and the De Smet Jesuit Community of West River entitled “A Faithful Response to the Wounded Knee Decision.” Their response objects to an announcement by the current Secretary of Defense (or War) honoring a group of soldiers who received medals after brutally killing an estimated 300 Lakota women, children, and men (the majority women and children).

With the recent “Hands Off” demonstrations in cities across the USA, I was reminded of the massive demonstrations of the 1960s against the Vietnam War abroad and the social injustices in the USA. Usually, people, including a good number of counterculture hippies, who opposed such things were also inclined to embrace some sort of spirituality, including Krishna Consciousness. Srila Prabhupada noted this. And devotees often appealed directly to this intended audience. 

The hippies rejected the s

The Bhakti Center in New York City is set to host a four-day “Career Dharma Coaching Certification” program from April 24 to 27, led by renowned educator and spiritual teacher Urmila Devi Dasi (Dr. Edith Best). This intensive immersion, based on the book Career Dharma: The Natural Art of Work, is designed for individuals who are passionate about guiding others toward fulfilling, purpose-driven careers that align with their spiritual values.

Participants in the course will be trained to assist

“Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura indicates that rather than trying to separate conditioned souls by materialistic distinctions, one should bring them together to chant the holy names of the Lord and propagate the sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya. A nondevotee, or even an envious third-class devotee, is not interested in uniting people on the platform of love of Godhead. Instead he unnecessarily separates them by emphasizing material distinctions like “communist,” “capitalist,” “blac

Today, when we are noticing an increasing number of terrorist attacks across the world, when lives are being taken mercilessly in the name of religion, when it is no more easy to trust and provide shelter to another, when intolerance and hate is brewing in the society like never before, it is time to introspect into the very values and principles that make us humane and civilized, distinct from the animals.

The oldest texts of the world, the Vedic literature, give us the much required insight i

   "Om Namo Vagabate Vasudevaya" 

Dharma

     In Sanskrit, the word "Dharma" means to support or hold. [Support / hold  the real / true dharma]

 Many of us often criticize the maxim of Lord Krishna. He, the supreme, told 'fight for dharma'. 

 Many of us understand that 'dharma' only means individual religious sect. It is true but literally. But, Sri Krishna did not try to say fight for your religious sect.

 Actually, the real meaning of 'dharma', is 'karm'/'work'/'duty'. Dharma is of two types - '