krishna (184)

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It was four months ago when the door bell rang and I found Jason at the door looking rather disturbed. Jason is an old client of mine whom I’ve known for over 20 years. I was rather shocked that he had turned up without an appointment and when I asked him why he’d come, he said that he was interested in upgrading his turntable. I could see he was upset and felt his explanation hid something deeper, so I invited him in.

Jason sat down and we talked and listened to Jazz. Then I played Vandeham wh

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Touching the soul by Sivarama Swami

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Thirty years ago I was doing the Prabhupada marathon at the Chicago airport. One afternoon, we devotees were so intoxicated by distributing books that we decided to show that one doesn’t have to speak to sell books, that book distribution just depends on our state of consciousness. So we didn’t speak.

Just after loading my bookbag with (20) maha books I tapped a man on the arm and looked him in the eye. He stopped, expecting me to say something. I didn’t. I put a book in his hand, pointed at Pr

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8364674681?profile=RESIZE_584x“This was because Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma could not joke freely and Yaśodā could not liberally pamper the boys because of the presence of Nanda and his brothers. However for Kṛṣṇa’s relatives the evening meal was a hundred times more blissful because the entire family could eat with Kṛṣṇa. It was a million times more blissful for Yāśodā because of seeing the bliss of the relatives.” – Sri Govinda Lilamrta 20.52

Throughout “Sri Govinda Lilamrta,” which is arguably the most prominent boo

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Path of Surrender By BB Govinda Swami

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Srila Prabhupada says that Narada is a great personality and he was so pleased by the devotional attitude of Dhruva, that he could have just given him everything. He could have given Dhruva exactly what he wanted. Why didn’t he do it? [a devotee replies that it was because he wanted Dhruva to surrender to Krishna]. Yes, essentially that’s correct. He wanted him to follow the correct path, he wanted him to engage in devotional service.

You see, and this helps us to develop our perspective about

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A look at what the Srimad-Bhagavatam has to say about time, a concept that has challenged philosophers for centuries.

Time is a little difficult to define. Philosophers and theologians have tried for at least twenty-five centuries. Albert Einstein remarked, in the midst of slightly more esoteric statements regarding physics, that time was what his wristwatch measured. St. Augustine said that he knew what time was as long as no one asked him to explain it. And sounding a note of frustration in

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By Srila Krishna Das Kaviraja Goswami 

(from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter 8)

Whether he is offensive or inoffensive, anyone who even now chants “sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda” is immediately overwhelmed with ecstasy, and tears fill his eyes. Simply by talking of Nityananda Prabhu one awakens his love for Krsna. Thus all his bodily limbs are agitated by ecstasy, and tears flow from his eyes like the waters of the Ganges.

There are offenses to be considered while chanting t

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Bhismastami

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Appearance of Bhishmadeva

Geneology:
From Vishnu were descended in the following order - Brahma-Atri-Candra-Budha - Pururavas - Ayus - Nahusha- Yayati - Puru - Janamejaya - Prachinvaa - Pravira - Namasyu - Vitabhava - Shundu - Bahuvidha - Samyati - Rahovadi - Raudrasva - Matinara - Santurodha - Dushyanta - Bharata - Suhotra - Gala - Gardda - Suketu - Brhatksetra - Hasti - Ajamidha - Riksha - Samvarana - Kuru - Jahnu - Suratha - Vidaratha - Sarvabhauma - Jayatsena - Ravyaya - Bhavuka - Chakrod
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Today, when we are noticing an increasing number of terrorist attacks across the world, when lives are being taken mercilessly in the name of religion, when it is no more easy to trust and provide shelter to another, when intolerance and hate is brewing in the society like never before, it is time to introspect into the very values and principles that make us humane and civilized, distinct from the animals.

The oldest texts of the world, the Vedic literature, give us the much required insight i

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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 limitations,
  2. Krishna is eminently lovable,
  3. Krishna loves all of us impartially,
  4. Krishna’s love for us is unconditional and
  5. Krishna engages his omnipotence to help us when we choose to love him.

1. Loving Krishna enables our love to break free from all limi

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Somehow Fix Your Mind on Krishna

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From Back to Godhead

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Lecture given in Vrindavan, India on October 26, 1972

Any contact with Krishna purifies our consciousness and gradually qualifies us for eternal loving exchanges with Him.

Pradyumna Dasa, Srila Prabhupada’s Sanskrit editor, begins reading The Nectar of Devotion, Introduction: “Invoking auspiciousness: Lord Sri Krishna is the Supreme Per

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The Laws of Bhakti by Mukundamala Dasa

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From Back to Godhead

Far from being a sentimental activity, devotional service is based on well-defined principles that systematically guide a practitioner to ultimate perfection.

Discussions about the relationship between science and religion usually end in a stalemate: Scientists accuse religionists of relying too much on faith, which they say is experimentally unverifiable, while religionists accuse scientists of relying too much on physical and chemical laws, which they say fail to measure

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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

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Krishna, the Supreme Controller

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Lecture given in San Francisco on September 11, 1968

Only one person can rightfully claim to be beyond all control.

jñanam te ’ham sa-vijñanam
idam vakshyamy asheshatah
yaj jñatva neha bhuyo ’nyaj
jñatavyam avashishyate

“I shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge, both phenomenal and numinous. This being known, nothing further shall remain for you to know.” – Bhagavad-gita 7.2

Knowledge means to know how this universe is working

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From Back to Godhead

Krishna is always engaged in sport, and when we try to imitate Him, we lose.

When the 2017 Super Bowl game, the summit of American professional football, was held in Houston, a devotee convinced me and a few others to try to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books at a huge pregame event downtown. Venturing into the passionate, teeming crowd, we sold a few books, but not so many. This experience reinforced what was already obvious: mundane sport certainly has a powerful allure.

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From Back to Godhead

Reciting Shlokas that glorify Lord Krishna can awaken the soul to eternal knowledge.

Today, as I came by bus in the morning,” reported our ethics lecturer, “a person was repeating a Shloka. What is the purpose of such muttering? What is the use of such repetition of words such as modaka hasta (with the modaka sweet in hand)? This is a silly practice.”

This statement came as a real surprise to me as I had been taught many Shlokas as a child and I enjoyed chanting them too wh

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श्री उपदेशामृत श्लोक ११: भक्तों के लिए, श्री राधा कुंण्ड की महत्वपूर्णता को दृढ़ता से कहने के लिए, महिमा का पुनर्वाचन किया गया है। श्री उपदेशामृत पाठ समाप्त हुआ। Hare Krishna
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श्री उपदेशामृत: श्लोक १० का सार - श्री राधा कुंण्ड श्रीमती राधा रानी से अभिन्न है। दोनों ही श्री भगवान के परम-प्रीय हैं। अतः जो भक्त इनकी शरण ले, वह स्वत: ही कृष्ण का प्रिय हो जाता है।
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श्री उपदेशामृत: श्लोक-९ - अभिप्राय यह है कि कृष्ण प्रेम के यथाशीघ्र जागरण तथा भक्ति की पूर्णता के लिए, भक्तों को श्री राधा कुंण्ड का आश्रय ले कर, प्रेममयी सेवा में जुट जाना चाहिए।
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Since the vast majority of our readers are coming to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna Consciousness for the first time through Internet searches, and without access to devotee association or a nearby Hare Krishna temple, many people have inquired about how they can set up an altar in their homes and start practicing Krishna Consciousness at their own pace.

The first and foremost principle of Krishna Consciousness is chanting the Hare Krishna mantra:

“Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Har

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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

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