By HG Atma Tattva dasa (ACBSP)
It was the beginning of 1977. Prabhupada was in Bombay temple. He was very sick. He had stopped all food intake – he was taking 1/4 a cup of orange juice per day. His body had only bones left – there was no flesh. And yet, he was insisting that he wanted to go to London. The doctors had given up responsibility. But as always, he was adamant.
At this time, one Pancaratrika Pandit from Bangalore named Sampat Kumar Bhattacarya came to know about Srila Prabhupada’
SRILA GAURA-KISORA DASA BABAJI
RENUNCIATION PERSONIFIED
Srila Gaura-Kisora dasa Babaji is the spiritual master of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. He was born in a vaisya family in a small village beside Padma River in Bangladesh. Following his father, he earned his livelihood by selling grains. He was devotionally inclined from childhood and spent many hours singing bhajans and hearing Krishna-katha. He was married very young but when his wife died in 1849, he immediately left home and went
Note: There is an improved version of the article here: https://girirajswami.com/blog/?p=16644
By Giriraj Swami
Today is the disappearance day of Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja. Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was a great devotee—a maha-bhagavata. He was a disciple of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and was very renounced. Earlier, he lived for many years in Vrindavan, roaming the twelve forests, chanting the holy names of Krishna, begging alms, and sleeping under trees. Later, after Srila Bha
A Gorakshya (Cow Protection) Perspective by Syamasundara Das
I am submitting a response to an article I read very recently by Jennifer Mishler in Sentient Media. Plant-Based Companies Call Attention to ‘the Cow in the Room’ at COP26 (https://sentientmedia.org/plant-based-companies-call-attention-to-the-cow-in-the-room-at-cop26/)
In Jennifer Mishler’s article she mentions ‘environmental harms of animal agriculture, often left out of climate change discussions—and most importantly—not addressed i
By Giriraj dasa
There so many benedictions for the month of Kartika and we get constant reminders via email, messages on mobile and so many other mediums. The list grows only bigger by the day.
“In the month of Kartik, which is very dear to Sri Hari, one who bathes early in the morning attains the merit of bathing in all places of pilgrimage. Anybody who offers the Lord a ghee lamp in the month of Kartik, O brahmana, becomes free from all kinds of sins, such as killing a brahmana, and he goes t
Srila Prabhupada’s Last Five Days.
By Anantacarya dasa [ACBSP 1972]
This document is a report of some of the details that occurred during the last five days of Srila Prabhupada’s presence with us in Vrndavan, India. It is a diary which was written everyday in Vrndavan at that time. It herewith is delivered as it was written down 38 years ago in l977, with no additions. (Indeed, even the original word misspellings are included as they were written down at that time).
11 November l977.
I arrive a
From a rickshaw puller to a pilot flying high in the sky, from a government employee to a head of the government, from a beggar on the street to a business tycoon, from a baby in her cradle to a man knocking at the door of graveyard – all continuously search for happiness.
But in spite of our obsession with ‘happiness’, ‘miseries’ continuously accompany us like a shadow. Misery can be physical or can be psychological and it has a knack of appearing and disappearing at its own whims.
Scriptures
By H.H. Mahavishnu Goswami
(Compiled from notes on lectures of H. H. Mahavishnu Goswami)
“Ashram doesn’t matter really, whatever ashram we are, we have to remember Krishna’s words.”
caatur-varnyam mayaa srstam
guna-karma-vibhaagasah
tasya kartaaram api maam
viddhy akartaaram avyayam
“According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet
In observance of 125 years since the birth of Srila Prabhupada on 1st September 1896, devotees from across the South East of England have embarked on an exciting and ambitious adventure: A dedicated team are currently on a ‘chanting marathon’, performing hari namas at 125 train stations and their adjacent areas across the boroughs of the British capital.
By mid October this year they had already graced the Holy Names at every stop along the Northern Line and many along the Jubilee Line!
Source
“‘Hare’ can refer to both Hari, or Krishna, the Supreme Lord, and Radha, known as Mother Hara. When perceived in the latter sense, common in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, it is an address to God’s energy, specifically His spiritual pleasure potency (hladini-shakti), who is also known as His female manifestation: Radhika. The word hari also means “thief.” In relation to Radha and Krishna, it refers to Their stealing of each other’s hearts, and the hearts of all living beings.”
[Note: The quo
By Madhava Smullen
In a model similar to that of Gainesville’s Krishna House, thirty-five students from local universities are currently living and developing their spiritual lives at the Hare Krishna Training Centre (HKTC) in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. Meanwhile 10 to 15 each are staying at satellite centers in nearby Eldoret and Juja, while many more attend on a daily basis.
So far the HKTC has connected around 400 students with Krishna consciousness and helped them build character g
By Rama vigraha Dasa
From Back to Godhead
To say that most politicians are incompetent, and in many cases downright dishonest, isn’t very controversial. We’ve all read about their blunders, their tricks, and their schemes. So the aim of this article is not to give proof of their failure to bring about world peace and prosperity; it is rather to show that the root cause of their incompetence is selfish materialism, and that the remedy is the re- spiritualization of society through the worldwide
People are actually hankering after this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement because it is the natural function of the living entity. It is not artificial. The very, I mean to, vivid example are yourselves. Your contact with me is, utmost, for the last two years, but still, you are taking very serious interest in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Why? Because it is the fundamental necessity. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Every living entity is by nature joyful, spiritually, and because
If you fix your hearing, chanting will happen automatically.
Excerpt of a lecture given by HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami at the Sannyasa Candidate Training Seminar in Mayapura (February, 2012).
There is a verse in the Puranas that states that sannyasa is forbidden in Kali-yuga:
asvamedha gavalambha
sannyasam pala-paitakam
devarena sutotpattim
kalau parca vivarjayet
[Cc. Adi 17.164]
In this age of Kali, five things should be avoided: one is performing sacrifice by offering cows; performing sacrifice by offering horse; and oblation offering to the forefather
By Gauravani dasa
1. He is known by many names, the most common ones being Vamana (the little dwarf), Trivikrama (he who has taken three step; the giant form), and Upendra (Indra’s younger brother);
2. In every planetary system the denizens worship a particular visnu-tattva as their sole Lord (Plaksadvipa, Surya-Narayana; Brahmaloka; Maha-purusa; Maharloka; Yajna-purusa, et cetera) and in the heavenly planets, the demigods worship Lord Visnu in His plenary portion: the four-armed Vamana;
3.
By Kripamoya Das
Lord Vamanadeva appeared within this world from the womb of Aditi, the mother of the gods. He appeared at midday on the shravan-dvadasi, the 12th day of the lunar month of Shravan when the moon is waxing.
There are many lessons for Vaishnavas to learn from the narration of His activities, as found in the 8th canto, 18th chapter of the Bhagavat Purana (Srimad Bhagavatam). Amongst the lessons are these:
1. That God comes to this world in many forms; not just once, in one form
Srila Prabhupada writes to one his disciples about Lord Vamanadeva:
Montreal 3 July, 1968
My Dear Satsvarupa,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 28, 1968, and I thank you very much for it. Regarding Bali Maharaja: He is born in the same atheistic family of Maharaja Prahlada. He happened to be the grandson of Maharaja Prahlada, and as his great grand-father, Hiranyakasipu was very powerful, and as there was animosity between the demigods and the demons,
By Radhanath Swami
The Appearance of Lord Vamana
“Bali Maharaj, very intelligent personality. He was the son of Virochana, grandson of Prahlad, great grandson of Hiranyakashipu, great grand-nephew of Hiranyaksha. A very mixed up type of family heritage!”
So he performed yajna to please his guru Shukracharya, and his guru-maharaj was very pleased with him. In fact he arranged for the descendents of Bhrigu Muni to come to perform this yajna. And his disposition, his good qualities, was so ple
Brahma-vaivarta Purana
–
Chapter Two
Sridama-Radha-kalaha-varnana
Description of the Quarrel Between Sridama and Radha
1-2 On whose request did Krsna come to the surface of the earth, what the Lord did before He returned to His own abode, how He removed the earth’s burden, and how He killed the demons, of all these I will, carefully thinking of what happened, tell you the story.
3 Listen and I will tell you of Lord Hari’s descent as a cowherd boy.
His arrival in Gokula, and Radha’s descent as g
