It happens on occasion that someone enters the temple with good intent, but they are either not so stable, are on drugs, or both. This morning, we were blessed by the presence of someone like that.
A fellow came to the door, introduced himself and asked if he could sit down. His dress was casual, and to my dull recollection, he might have worn a poncho. He plopped himself down on the floor and pulled out of his long bag a number of stones – amethyst and crystals, and began praying or med
An important part of the Itihasas are the Puranas. The Puranas are the histories of the universe and contain many stories that took place on earth or even on other planets and dimensions, or in which superhuman powers are commonplace. As we pointed out earlier, Vedic knowledge often consists of information about things from beyond our own sense perception or experience. We can be assured of its authenticity because of the fact that many Vedic scholars such as Shukadeva, Maitreya, Madhva, Raman
George Harrison’s spiritual journey stands as one of the most profound and influential connections between a Western artist and the Hare Krishna movement. His relationship with Srila Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON, and his devotion to spreading the Hare Krishna mantra, left an indelible mark on the global spiritual landscape.
A Deep Spiritual Connection
George Harrison’s fascination with Indian spirituality began in the late 1960s, as he sought peace beyond the fame and pressures of The Beatles
Shaunaka Rishi Das stands as a towering figure in the realm of Hindu studies, interfaith dialogue, and spiritual leadership. As the Founding Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS), he has dedicated his life to bridging the gap between academia, spirituality, and global interfaith cooperation, earning widespread recognition for his contributions.
Founding the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies
In 1997, Shaunaka Rishi Das co-founded the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies with a vision
A therapist draws on Lord Krsna’s teachings to help a child control his rage.
THE HOSPITAL ROOM SMELLS strongly of antiseptic as I walk in. Chris sits on his bed, immersed in rapidly pushing buttons with his thumbs.
“Nintendo?” I ask nonchalantly, breaking his concentration.
“Play Station,” he replies, continuing to madly push buttons.
I sit in a chair next to his bed, observing his strategy for blowing things up.
After a couple of minutes, Chris slams the game paddle to the floor.
“I hate thi
Asiatoday got an opportunity to meet a young travelling monk, Chaitanya Charan Das, from ISKCON aka Hare Krishna group. Chaitanya Charan Das is an acclaimed author, scholar, mentor, life coach, and monk. He has been an invited speaker at several international conferences on the interface of science and spirituality, including the World Peace Conference 2006 and World Peace Congress 2008 organized by UNESCO. Based in India, he has given talks at colleges and companies all over the world from A
Occasionally, I meet some bold fellow, tall, confident, seasoned, Jewish, who strikes a conversation like the one yesterday.
“I have a friend who was with Rajneesh, but you’re not one of those, right? You’re with Krishna?”
“That’s right!” He went on and on in a most jovial way about India and the Beatles. Then he finished with, “You can attain brahman (salvation). Brahman means spirit. Abraham!” He was trying to tie, linguistically, Hindi and Hebrew together, then left the conversati
Paul is staying with us in the ashram for a month, lives part time in Canada and part in Govardhan, India. He’s a filmmaker and has done some fine documentaries. Among other likes, he’s fairly bold at dipping like other polar bear dippers do, as well as walking.
Along with Karuna Sindhu and I, Paul took to a stroll through the iconic Annex of Toronto where homes are stately, typical of late 1800’s with that warm brick look. We ended up talking the whole way through and just didn’t get to that
Please Don’t Be a Blind Follower! What Does Blind Following Mean? Blind following means: “Oh, there is a swami. So many thousands of people are following. Let me become his disciple.” This is called blind following. You do not know what is that swami, whether he is a swami or a rascal. You do not know. But because everyone is going, “Oh, let me become his disciple.” This is blind following, without any knowledge, blind following. —Bg Lecture 4.34-39, Los Angeles, January 12, 1969. Everyone who
‘Lord Rama (BG 4.10)’ by Radhanath Swami
janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna
(BG 4.9)
One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
PURPORT
The Lord’s descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the 6th verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of the Perso
We read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Seven: “Scheduled Incarnations.”
TEXT 23
asmat-prasada-sumukhah kalaya kalesa
iksvaku-vamsa avatirya guror nidese
tisthan vanam sa-dayitanuja avivesa
yasmin virudhya dasa-kandhara artim arcchat
TRANSLATION
Due to His causeless mercy upon all living entities within the universe, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, along with His plenary extensions, appeared in the family of Maharaja Iksvaku as the Lord of His internal potency, Sita. Under t
The sun was beckoning us to walk again along the Bloor Street trails of combined sidewalks, streets, and bike lanes headed for the green space known as Christie Pits.
With everything melting, such as ice and snow, it makes for slippery conditions. That’s where Karuna Sindhu lost a little control and slid in the mud, soiling coat and pants. He was a mess. But it was only mud. It is mud that a Vaishnava applies to the forehead and other upper parts of the body, forming the shape of Kris
Nityananda drove me to ISKCON Milton, and while there, he led some kirtan chanting. I was invited to give the class on the Gita.
“What verse are you on? Is it in sequence?” I asked Sri Nath, the temple coordinator. His response was to do as I like. Okay, so I considered we are on the third month of the ninth day. Let’s go for Chapter 3, Karma Yoga, 9th verse. I always liked this shloka, I thought. “Yes!”
Some key words here are karma, bandhana, mukta, and yajna. Karma refers
In 1999, for ISKCON TV, Shyamasundar Prabhu recorded a series of experiences he had with George Harrison and with Srila Prabhupada:
“Srila Prabhupada treated George Harrison like an old, old friend. I spent some time with George this summer. . . . [He] has reached a very high level of spiritual development, I am happy to say. He chants Hare Krishna every day. And he is totally serene, as he has accepted life as it is. He has actually achieved a much higher level of self-realization than I can
Karuna Sindhu and I took to a walk to Mount Sinai Hospital to visit one of our aging residential monks, Jay Sri. His physical condition is complicated. We were surprised to see his spiritual nature despite what he is going through at his age of 77. He has lost a lot of weight, but was hankering for blueberries, cheese, and something else milky. He was happy to see us.
Karuna and I had attended a five-hour seminar on Vaishnava etiquette. All there appreciated the
You may remember the song “I Just Called to Say I Love You” by Stevie Wonder. The lyrics describe an unexpected phone call in which Wonder expresses his love—not prompted by any special occasion, but simply from the heart.
It was a major international hit, and remains Wonder’s best-selling single to date, reaching number one in 28 countries worldwide.
This song reminds of how a devotee calls out to Krishna (through the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra) simply to express love for Him, withou
Through bhakti-yoga we can finally reunite with the person we’ve wanted all along.
The Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, discusses dhyana-yoga, or meditative yoga. Texts 13-14 say: “One should hold one’s body, neck, and head erect in a straight line and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life.”
Srila Prabhupada’s purport to these
What do you say when your child or a student asks you where birds and other animals came from? If you are educating and teaching them on a Vedic basis, you might quote to them Bhagavad-gita 10.6, where Krishna answers thus: “The seven great sages and before them the four other great sages and the Manus [progenitors of mankind] come from Me, born from My mind, and all the living beings populating the various planets descend from them.”
Perhaps you will also show interested young people the relate
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 January 2015, Bhaktivedanta Manor, England, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.10.23)
Misers hold on to whatever wealth they have and do not want to share, and the result is they are being deprived. So here we are in Europe, we brought wealth from all over the world. We got it by hook or Captain Cook, somehow or other, we brought it in. Here it is and now we are sitting on it. But gradually, it is running out. London is still going strong but if you go a bit North, people are poor! It
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 January 2015, Bhaktivedanta Manor, England, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.10.23)
Misers hold on to whatever wealth they have and do not want to share, and the result is they are being deprived. So here we are in Europe, we brought wealth from all over the world. We got it by hook or Captain Cook, somehow or other, we brought it in. Here it is and now we are sitting on it. But gradually, it is running out. London is still going strong but if you go a bit North, people are poor! It
