Love is our innermost longing. Gita wisdom declares that our longing for love is best fulfilled when we learn to love Krishna. Let’s understand this central Gita teaching in five parts:
1. Loving Krishna enables our love to break free from all limi
Like a beautiful palace with a closed door the dhama also requires a key to grant us entrance. This is chanting the Name. According to Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura it is chanting the Holy Name with loving affection.
“Dham is Nam”. That is the very first manifestation for the sincere sadhaka.
You remember, Indra was very afraid. He offended Krsna to a very bad degree.
Krsna does not forget such an offense to a devotee – He waits till this person goes to that devotee and gets forgiveness, satisfies t
ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor’s Temple President, Visakha Dasi, joined 21 other senior faith representatives and those in the field of education from across Hertfordshire County for a special interfaith event. They each signed what is called the “Hertfordshire Faith Covenant” which included a shared set of principles that will shape engagement between faith communities and public services in the area. According to a report by Radha Mohan Das, the Manor’s Communications Officer, “It aims to promote
By Atma Tattva Das
In the face of Cyclone Belal’s imminent threat to the island of Mauritius, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Mauritius assures that all devotees are safe and sound, with no reported damage to any of their temples or centers. Unfortunately, the cyclone has claimed the life of one Mauritian motorcyclist, and significant flooding has been reported in the capital city, Port Louis, and other parts of the island.
Srinjay Das, the Director of ISKCON Public
From Back to Godhead
Personal Letters from Srila Prabhupada
As a genuine spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada takes personal responsibility for the advancement of each of his students in the spiritual life of Krsna consciousness. Although now his transcendental instructions are available in book form, when Srila Prabhupada first began the Krsna consciousness movement, the only way his new disciples could get the answers to their many questions was to ask Sri
17 January 2024- At their annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released a “Faith in Action” report to world leaders who are gathered at the iconic event. According to the WEF press release, the report “offers examples of businesses partnering with faith-based groups to support vulnerable populations and address the world’s interconnected crises.” Among the eight case studies highlighted in the report is a new partnership between the International Society for Kris
CNN-News18’s Aman Sharma reported live as the ISKCON Sri Rama Padayatra arrived in Ayodhya after a nearly 650 kilometer journey from Delhi which began last month. This extraordinary journey of the bullock cart pilgrimage, which began on December 10th, is just one part of ISKCON’s commitment to join many from around the world who are celebrating the opening of the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
At every stop along the 41 day journey, the Padayatra devotees organized Sri Rama Katha along with
By Rameshwar Tirth Das and Vasundhara Gupta
ISKCON Ayodhya distributes prasadam to over 100,000 visitors on the on January 15th, 2024, the occasion of Makar Sankranti. Vinay Bhushan Chaitanya Das, the director of “Food for Life,” quoted Srila Prabhupada’s iconic words that no onewithin 10 miles of an ISKCON Temple should go to bed hungry.
ISKCON Ayodhya prepared 12 pavilions across the holy dham, the most important being the one at the famous Lata Mangeshkar Chowk, also known as Veena Chwok.
As hundreds of thousands descend on Ayodhya for the grand opening of the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Temple on January 22, ISKCON has formerly inaugurated its festival tent in ceremonies and celebrations today in the presence or several senior ISKCON members.
The program commenced with invocation of mantras, offering of an arati to the Padayatra Deities of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada.
This was followed by the opening of the month long yajnashala (fire sacrifice). Later all the leaders
Official Statement from ISKCON Communications Ministry, January 15, 2024
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) will join in the global celebration of the honor given to Lord Sri Rama via the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Northern India, on January 22, 2024.
ISKCON temples in India will participate in a special month-long celebration in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Rama, and an historically significant pilgrimage site for Hindus and others.
During the
By Atma Tattva Das
In an alignment of spiritual vision and environmental stewardship, The Braj Kund Restoration Project, created to restore the deteriorating quality of kundas in the Braj region, reflects the essence of sustainable development and holistic conservation. For the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) community, this initiative transcends the boundaries of ecological restoration; it signifies a sacred duty to preserve the sanctity of Braj – a place intrinsically
Lianne Kolirin, a freelance journalist who has written for CNN, The Washington Post, The Daily Express, and The Jerusalem Post recently profiled the beginnings of the Hare Krishna movement in the UK and ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Manor.
The article was published by The Religion Media Centre. This UK-based organization seeks to be a bridge between religions and the media, “working alongside journalists and other media professionals to explain, enhance and encourage the reporting of religion, and thus
By Aseem Krishna Das
This year’s Sadhu Sanga program, organized by disciples of HH Subhag Swami Maharaja, was held from 30th December 2023 to 4th January 2024 at Janardan Swami Ashram in Nashik, Maharashtra. Each year, Maharaja selects a different place for the Sadhu Sanga program, and this time, it was the Nashik Dham.
Disciples of Subhag Swami Maharaja gathered from different parts of India and abroad to receive the association and celebrate the 84th Vyasa Puja ceremony of their beloved spiri
Visakha Dasi has released a new book entitled Virtues for a Happy Life: Bhagavad-gita for Children. This beautifully designed volume makes the wisdom of the Gita easily accessible through photographs, paintings, and straightforward language as it explores four virtues found in the ancient text. “For me, the four virtues highlighted in the book are foundational teachings of the Gita,” said Visakha, “equal-mindedness (seeing everyone as an atma or soul), healthy-mindedness (understanding Krishna’s
Ganga Sagar Mela is a festival observed especially at the confluence of the Ganges and the Bay of Bangal. Kapilasrama, the asrama of Lord Krsna's incarnation as Kapiladeva, the son of Devahuti, is located at this place. The festival Commemorates King Bhagirathi's bringing the River Ganges down from the celestial planets to the ocean and the lower worlds. In Ganga Sagar Mela, over 6 lakhs pilgrims assembled to take a holy dip at the place of confluence of river Ganges on the Makara Sankranthi d
By Mathura Lilesvari Devi Dasi
Krishna Lunch So Cal is a new creative outreach in southern California aimed at providing low-cost on-campus meals and meaningful connections to college-age students as food insecurity sharply rises.
“Beyond being a nutritious food hub while addressing food insecurity among students, we envision Krishna Lunch So Cal as a place where the students and other community members can come together, share thoughts, and build connections,” said Govinda Datta Dasa, founder
In a recent study of 22 sets of twins published in the Journals of the American Medical Association (JAMA Network), researchers found that “a healthy plant-based diet offers a significant protective cardiometabolic advantage compared with a healthy omnivorous diet.”
The results confirm earlier findings from researchers in Norway, which showed a plant-based diet can add up to 10 years to one’s life. You can read the full study here.
ISKCON devotees advocate a lacto-vegetarian diet, strictly avoi
Namarasa Das is back after a one-year hiatus with a new season of in-person interviews. In 2018, Namarasa started “The Late Morning Program with Namarasa” podcast, which quickly gained in popularity because of its engaging host, wide variety of guests, and willingness to talk about a broad range of topics, including “hot button” issues. The return is good news for the thousands of devotee listeners who were missing the podcast during the break.
“In January 2023, I took a break because my daugh
The desire to see God, to touch God, to talk to God is in itself probably the strongest argument for His existence; besides the logic and evidences from the scriptures, this direct experience is very significant indeed. Bringing Deity Worship from the insiders circle of elderly pujari-priests and making it part of the congregational development is probably the only way it may become part of the positive future for many places in ISKCON. While everyone hankers for direct experience of God in per
From Back to Godhead
How we value, acquire, use, and relate to money reflects our inner state of being.
Sri Sukadeva Goswami said, “Money does not stay in one place. It passes from one hand to another. Ultimately no one can enjoy money, and it remains the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.14.24) Money is God’s energy. He created it, He owns it, and He controls it: “Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord
