Blog

According to science, compassion is not something that we are born with or that we have or don’t have; it is cultivated by deliberate effort. In November 2024, Bhaktivedanta Academy’s 7th-10th grade students in Alachua, Florida, were engaged in a month-long project entitled “108 Random Acts of Kindness.” To see highlights of the initiative, click here.

To follow Bhaktivedanta Academy, please visit their website and like/subscribe to their Facebook and YouTube accounts.

Source: https://iskconnew

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

The Bhaktivedanta Medical Association – US (BMA-US) will be holding its 6th annual BMA Conference at Deland, Florida, on February 2nd-4th, 2024.

Their purpose is to provide a spiritual atmosphere where devotees involved in the healthcare field can meet and bond with one another and brainstorm ways to help our devotee communities at large. Part of the global Bhaktivedanta Medical Association, THE BMA-US held its previous 2020 retreat in Houston with over 100 participants from all across North Am

By Lila Sakti Devi Dasi   

The dedicated efforts of ISKCON devotees from New Ramana Reti in Alachua, FL, have culminated in a significant act of compassion, as a sizeable humanitarian aid shipment has finally reached the Vaishnava communities in Ukraine.

The situation in Ukraine posed challenges for the shipment, with the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war disrupting regular transport routes. As a result, essential supplies, including deity worship paraphernalia, incense,

By Madhava Smullen

With this holiday season upon us, devotees from Alachua as well as from Gainesville’s Krishna House, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine participated in the St. Augustine Christmas Parade in Florida on December 4th.

Hare Krishna devotees were the first part of the parade in 2012, for which they received the first prize trophy for best float. After receiving a trophy in 2013 as well, they have participated annually since only missing three years including 2019 and 2020.

The parade

By Madhava Smullen

Last weekend devotees celebrated the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s 1971 vist to Gainesville, Florida, as well as his 125th birth anniversary with a three-day festival. The event, which ran from July 29th to 31st, included speeches from pioneer devotees as well as appreciative words from the Mayor of Gainesville and the President of the University of Florida.

On July 29th, the day on which Srila Prabhupada gave his arrival address at the UF Plaza of the Americas, the p

Video: Click here

Brahmatirtha: “…as mayor of Gainesville, there’s many challenges in this day of social media where the like button determines what is right and what is wrong. a little discretion. He has to deal with all of these contentions and he deals with it with grace, with dignity and patience that I do not understand. Just a dear person whose values are true and I say this in the core of my heart truly represent the very of the city of Gainesville. I’m very honored to have had him here w

By Kasisvar Das 

Florida is (pre-Covid) a season of Rathayatra festival parades that take over the crowded beaches or towns, typically with eight events across the state: at the Gasparilla festival in Tampa, Daytona Beach, St. Augustine, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Clearwater Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Tampa Bay, and Orlando. 

This year, fewer events are scheduled with the Daytona Beach parade just passed on June 26th, and the Clearwater Beach event is upcoming on Saturday, September 18th. It wi

By Kasisvar Das

On June 26th over five hundred devotees from Alachua and other ISKCON communities gathered in Daytona Beach, a picturesque vacation place in Central Florida, for joining the Ratha Yatra Festival. It was a long-awaited event indeed.

The Covid-19 pandemic delayed everything in the world and many festivals and events were placed on hold for months. Millions of people have been pulled out of their comfort zone to realize what Bhagavad-Gita calls the reality of this temporary miserab

By Madhava Smullen

The Bhaktivedanta Academy in Alachua, Florida, a thriving spiritually-centered Pre-K through 10th grade Montessori and International Baccalaureate school, is seeking applicants for its new internship program for Pre-K and Elementary teachers.

An informal internship program has already been running for some time; however, with the school now looking to double its capacity over the next several years, a formalized program is being launched to prepare for future growth. Beyond b

By Prabhupada-priya Dasi and Guru Gauranga Das

On March 11, 2020 the University of Florida (UF) suspended on-campus classes and urged students to go home in light of public health concerns related to COVID-19. Several days later, ISKCON Gainesville (also known as “Krishna House”) suspended operation of its “Krishna Lunch” program.

Racking their brains to find a way to keep “Krishna Lunch”going in conformity with public health guidelines, Krishna House president Srutisagara Das and his managemen

By Guru Gauranga das

Venue: The Historic Thomas Center in Gainesville, Florida

Date of Conference: January 9-13, 2020

Gainesville – Sept. 17, 2019 – The ISKCON Law Department has announced that it will host the 1st ISKCON Global Conference of Devotee Attorneys at the Historic Thomas Center in Gainesville, Florida (USA) on January 9-13, 2020.

According to ISKCON’s general counsel, Devakinandan Prabhu, the 2020 ISKCON Global Conference of Devotee Attorneys will offer devotee attorneys, jurists a