At Schipol Airport, Amsterdam, I was greeted by some smiling devotees, and it was Ritam who graced me with a garland of fresh flowers (it’s Holland, you know), accompanied by Namen, wife Violeta, their two kids, and other enthusiasts of the Vaishnava genre. From there was destination Alpen aan Den Rijn, a town by a canal, by a windmill, and amidst flat, black fields of green. The greeting meal was kichari and palak panir, Indian dishes. From that I was fuelled enough to go over the canal by w
krishna (214)
First Meaning: –
Srila Jiva Gosvami reveals the meaning of each of the sixteen Names in the Hare Krishna Mahaamantra in his Mahaa-mantrartha Dipika as follows: –
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
(1-Hare)
Krishna steals the minds of everyone, yet Radha steals even His mind by Her divine expertise. Thus She is known as Haraa.
(2-Krishna)
He forcibly attracts Sri Radha with the sweet sound of His flute, therefore that Lord of all enchanting
When Charles asked his son and daughter-in-law a Hare Krishna couple to move in with him, he knew he’d have to adapt, but his reward was more than he could ever imagine.
Charles was born in 1917. He grew into a man of courage and principles, serving his country in the U.S. Navy for twenty years and then the Civil Service for twenty more. Assigned to a submarine fleet during World War II, he saw his share of pain and suffering and, like many veterans, came to value a safe, secure home for his wif
“Is chanting all that your religion does? Don’t you do welfare or anything like that?”
Alex, my barber, works at the Pilatos salon in Queens, New York, on the cusp of a Hispanic neighborhood. The salon has mostly Latino hairdressers and clients, and it is bright and upbeat, with salsa music often playing softly in the background. On a recent visit there, instead of salsa, I heard the chanting of om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, which means “obeisance to the Supreme Lord Krishna.” I remarked to Ale
Excerpt from a lecture by HH Radhanath Swami
“Srila Prabhupada stressed the urgency to surrender to Krishna. Every line of his books, every sentence of his tapes, you would hear him urgently, just pleading with you and me, to take Krishna Consciousness seriously. Death, tragedy can come at any moment. And the greatest tragedy is that our faith is stolen away by maya and her various representatives which can come in many forms. There is no comfortable position when we are secure in material exis
Krishna is self-satisfied and does not need anything, but out of His mercy He will accept our offerings of love and devotion.
Krishna’s supreme opulence surpasses all description and comparison. Millions of goddesses of fortune serve Him in the spiritual realm. He is the supreme controller, the ultimate refuge, and the proprietor of everything. Yet, because of His love for His devotees, the all-powerful Lord accepts their loving offerings.
Krishna consciousness helps us recognize and reestablis
According to the shastra, the way to counteract the very deeply strong tendency for possessiveness in the grihastha life is to giving charity to the Vaishnavas and the brahmans, to the mission of the guru. According to the shastra, the first fifty percent you have give it to your guru’s mission. And then whatever else you have, maintain, that is the ideal standard. You never be possessive if you do that, because the first priority with whatever you get goes to Guru and Krishna. You cannot do fi
My baggage of books I authored, The Saffron Path and The Walking Monk – Poems.1, was dispatched successfully, destined for Tampa from the Toronto Airport. In the line for security there was a long wait for the bins to arrive for our carry on. Once my goods got through, the buzzer alarmed, addressing my new bionic knees. I waited for quite some time for a male security to search me. Next, I went in queue for the US customs. It was a long lineup. I covered at least three rounds on my japa m
Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s instructions come to the aid of those of us who shudder at the mention of the word “surrender.”
Growing up, my older brother and I would sometimes get into physical fights. I can’t remember what we would fight about, but a few times a month when my parents weren’t home we would end up in a skirmish. He would often bend my arm behind my back, telling me to surrender by saying “uncle.” I would scream and push and stomp until the pain would become unbearable. Then I would ye
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Translation (SB 11.10.17)
Although the performer of fruitive activities desires perpetual happiness, it is clearly observed that materialistic workers are often unhappy and only occasionally satisfied, thus proving that they are not independent or in control of their destiny. When a person is always under the superior control of another, how can he expect any valuable results from his own fruitive actions?
Purport
Although materialistic persons reject Kṛṣṇa consciousness and instead pursue t
Congratulations to three new initiates in Crane. Vikram has a new name, Vamana. Satya Gopal is now Satyahit, and Rajeeta is Rasalila. I have spoken at the above venues on the topics of “Strength Come from Service,” and “The 7 Purposes of ISKCON.” Below are the 7 purposes:
To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace
The purpose of this paper is to both establish the importance of the seva of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books as well as understanding the essence of the message in Prabhupada’s books which is the performance of devotional service, regardless of one’s role or place in society.
Firstly I would like to present my own personal reading resume: I have read the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta five times, the five-volume set of the unedited letters of Srila Prabhupada three times, the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is
A poem by Shantipriya to The Walking Monk:
3 DAYS OF THE WALKING MONK
O’er Suriname’s green and sunlit land
A monk walks softly, staff in hand
Bhaktimarga Swami, with steps so true
Guided hearts to a higher view
Three days he stayed, a fleeting grace
His spirit brightened every space
With every mile, each stride so pure
He taught of paths that can endure
Through city streets and forest trails
We shared our stories, songs, and tales
Forty
At 1:30 AM when the plane landed, I was in ecstasy. In heightened anticipation I thought to myself, Within minutes I’m on the Kwatta Road where I’ll be taking my second leg of my Suriname cross country walk!
Things were looking good. The weather was at 23º Celsius. I was the second in queue for the visitors’ lane at customs. I handed my documents.
“Where is your entry visa?”
“I only have what is there. I was not told.”
“They gave you a boarding pass without a visa?”
That’s
A song called Throw It Away, by the talented Abbey Lincoln, is a song I’ve often sung to call to the Spiritual World in times of distress… I would use the song (and its affect on me) to call to the ancestors to impart guidance and wisdom in times of material crisis – of which I’ve had my share.
I think about the life I live… I think about the things I lost, the things I gave away…
when I’m in a certain mood I search the house…
one night I found these magic words in a magic book
A magic book. Som
“Fake News” is in the news, everyone seems to be or pretend to be worried about it. A news or an information or a story or a data is considered “fake” when the truth is suppressed and is manipulated to suit a certain narrative. Political parties, journalists, twitter warriors, social activists today do not hesitate to spread fake news to further their agenda. Thinking people are up in arms and are vociferously demanding to check the menace of fake news.
It is good to be concerned about the fake
This auspicious day marks the transition of the sun into the Makara (Capricorn) rashi, symbolizing a fresh start, enlightenment, and the victory of light over darkness.
The Vedas glorify Makara Sankranti as a time when acts of charity bear immense spiritual merit. It is said that giving in charity on this day brings blessings not only to the giver but also uplifts the entire family line. Srila Prabhupada beautifully emphasized the importance of seva and charity as essential acts of devotion,
Monday morning may not be the most buzzing time in an ashram. That is my observation in some locations I go to. The previous day, Sunday, might do a little more than usual wear and tear on brahmacharis (monks) residing on the premises. At 4:30 AM, present along with myself, is Hansarupa, and my assistant, Kavi, is the priest of the altar. Eventually though, one by one, others appear that makes us family.
Hamsa plays great mridanga and I love to sing, taking the lead on most of the songs. Tha
I have been driven to various locations with the sole purpose to share the message of Krishna, and guru, Prabhupada. They are not my own takes on life, but the words of wisdom from the acharyas of the past. Acharyas are teachers who spoke and acted upon such wisdom that focused on the theme of surrender.
I hope that I am doing my job as a monk following in the footsteps of the great masters. A big part of succeeding in the mission is to deliver the philosophy in relevant, modern day terms.
