A long, long time ago when I was not an ISKCON devotee I developed a growing interest in spiritual life. After many years of taking drugs and attending rock concerts I had become sick of life.
I had been manager in several companies I worked for, most of the time I had more money than I needed and I had freedom and independence. Somehow I was not satisfied. I started wondering if real happiness existed. I discovered that no matter how hard I tried I just could not break free from certain activi
By Giriraj Swami
As long as we are in the material world, we must suffer–pain caused by others, pain caused by our own bodies and minds, pain caused by acts of nature. And unless we can tolerate, we cannot live in this world.
But how much can a person tolerate? Should we not, on occasion, resist? Why, then, should we tolerate? And if we must, what will enable us to endure the difficulty without being disturbed.
Srila Prabhupada told the story of a young boy who tolerated more than I can imagine
From Back to Godhead
By His Divine Grace A.C.B. Swami Prabhupada
Chivalrous leaders guided by wise, Self controlled ministers will ensure the development of a peaceful society.
Amongst the human beings, the king is the representative of Krishna because Krishna is the maintainer of the universe, and the kings, who are appointed on account of their godly qualifications, are maintainers of their kingdoms. Kings like Maharaja Yudhisthira, Maharaja Parikshit and Lord Rama were all highly righteous k
By Kesava Krsna dasa
Have we ever embellished a telling of a lie with an assortment of trivial details to disguise the actual truth? Have we ever pretended to be someone we never were, by exuding a persona larger than ourselves? Are there any angels among us who can boldly claim to have never fibbed; ever – even to get out of an awkward situation?
The truth is out; there are no foolproof ways of telling if someone is lying or not. Shifty eyes, truth drugs and lie detectors can provide clues bu
Don’t we just delight in books and movies wherein destruction wreaks havoc in one form or other, be it by nuclear bombs, disease, twisters, volcanic eruptions, giant creatures or alien invaders. If you do, then you’ll love The World Without Us, authored by Alan Weisman. Reviewed by Janet Maslin in The Arts section of the August 13th NYT, the book is a “what if” account of what would happen to the world if mankind would suddenly disappear.
How long would our cities and achievements last without
Saradiya: Swamiji? When we go to Krsnaloka to be with Krsna…
Prabhupada: Just see this girl, little girl, is aiming for going back to Krsnaloka. Just see.
(Srila Prabhupada lecture, Montreal, June 16, 1968)
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Prabhupada: How you are feeling, Saradiya? Nice?
Saradiya: I’m fine.
Prabhupada: You are going to Europe? No? You have got to attend your school? That’s nice.
(Srila Prabhupada conversation, Montreal, October 27, 1968)
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Saradiya: Simply by Your Divine Grace, on Krsna’s appearance day in S
Many people in the world think they live only once. With only one life, how does this affect lives and society? How is a one-life concept going to affects ambitions, goals and outlook? There is one-life spirituality and multi-birth spirituality – which of these enable a full understanding of the soul, and why good or bad things happen? Is God to blame, or us? If there is no God, why do people lament the loss of loved ones if they are simply bags of chemicals?
With only one life, there must be a
We all know about avoiding prohibited foods, but may not know why, or what effects they produce. Becoming aware of such bad effects will cause us to think extra before eating more “delicious” sin.
We understand that there are difficulties faced by certain householders, especially if both husband and wife work, or are being surrounded by indifferent family members. Whatever the situation, it is worth trying to place oneself in an advantageous eating situation with what “little time” we have.
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By Giriraj Swami
Most resolutions take the form of “do’s”—things I resolve to do—and “don’ts”—things I resolve to not do. And Vedic wisdom tells us that all do’s and don’ts should support one main do—always remember Krishna (God)—and one main don’t—never forget Him.
Now, practically, what can we do to always remember Krishna and never forget Him? The item most favorable for remembering Him is chanting and hearing: chanting and hearing His holy names—the Hare Krishna maha-mantra—and chanting and
Mahatma das: I happily and enthusiastically welcome the holy names every japa session.I easily chant my prescribed number of rounds with focus and attention.When I chant, I chant.I get to chant, I want to chant, and I love to chant.I treat the maha-mantra as Radha and Krsna, fully present in sound.I receive and feel Krsna’s presence, mercy and love in His holy names.I chant in full awareness that the holy name is my greatest treasure.I chant to please Radha and Krsna, not to gain anything mat
Declaring Dependence upon the Holy Name.
Romapada Swami: Is there anything that exists that we can say is ours? We can’t say that the body is ours because it can be taken away. Our mind is not ours because it is not under our control. Our possessions are certainly not ours. Even the soul itself is the property of Krsna. So what can we say is ours? Our acharyas give us the answer: the one thing we can say is ours is our relationship with Krsna. It can’t be taken away from us, just like the free
One of the most amazing resources we have in our Hare Krishna movement is the Grihastha Vision Team (GVT) - an incredible group of senior devotees who dedicate themselves to helping our Hare Krishna communities become stronger by developing strength in families.
Being Family Day weekend, this seems like the most opportune time to "plug" the work of the GVT. The mission of the GVT is to support, strengthen, educate and enliven the individuals, couples and families who are or will be involved w
