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!
“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
SB 1.1.2 … sadyo hrdy avarudhyate ‘tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat …As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.
Ref. VedaBase => SB 1.1.2
By the hearing process Krsna IMMEDIATELY (sadyo) is established in the heart.
Please note the word RAPT [attention, in the previous quote] – there is a consistency in the Bhagavatam methodology. One has to hear attentively.
The sadhana of hearing
From Back to Godhead
By Guru Dasa (Gurudev D. Allin), a disciple of His Holiness Bhaktimarga Swami.
“Oh, God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.” Shakespeare’s Hamlet, 2.2 (First Folio) This line from Hamlet nicely sums up the absurdity of our delusions of self-importance. I wrote this meditation on the importance of humility as part of my effort to shake my own delusions of knowledge and significance.
Human nature seem
From Back to Godhead
Variety is said to be the spice of life. Imagine a life where you eat the same vegetables daily, wear the same clothes, meet the same people, and visit the same places. So boring, right? This world is full of varieties seasonal changes in the form of summer, winter, autumn, spring; periodic appearance and disappearance of the sun and the moon; cultural differences among people of different nations; the language, the dress, and the eating habits in different parts of the wor
Delhi, Wednesday 20th June, 1956 (Series #8)
Edited and Founded
Under direct order of His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhakti-Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada
By Goswami Abhay Charan Bhaktivedanta
____________
In the Secretariat Buildings in New Delhi there is an inscription on the stone that Liberty does not descend upon a people but it has to earned before it can be enjoyed. Actually this is the fact and we have seen it that much sacrifice had to be rendered by the people of India before they co
From Back to Godhead
By Sadaputa dasa (Dr. Richard Thompson)
In The Late Eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, European scholars and scientists began to come in contact with the culture of India. Many were impressed by the antiquity of Vedic civilization and the deep spiritual and material knowledge contained in the Vedic literature. But other European intellectuals were dismayed by these developments. For example, in 1825 the British scholar John Bentley wrote of his conflict with the sci
The first time I met Yamuna devi, my life changed forever.
I was in Saranagati for the Christmas holidays in 2000 having a reunion with my closest childhood friends. We were all in our early twenties, and having recently finished our university education and started work, we spent our time together recalling our childhood activities. One day we decided to have kirtan, but in a rather irreverent way, mocking the showy, elaborate vocal and instrument style we had all absorbed growing up in ISKCON.
From Back to Godhead
By Navin Jani
Prescience and the Vedic Literature
One aspect of the Vedic culture—knowledge of the future—may seem at first glance to contradict free will, but this is not so. In fact, St. Augustine’s explanation of this phenomenon in relation to the omniscience of God parallels the Vedic understanding. Others had argued that if God already knew what we were going to do, that would prevent us from having free choice; we could not help but act in the way God had foreseen. In
Edited and Founded Under Direct Order of
His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhakti-Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada
by Goswami Abhay Charan Bhaktivedanta
Delhi, Friday 5th October, 1956
Asha, Pasha, Satai, Baddha,
Kama, Krodha, Parayana,
Ihante, Kamabhogartham,
Anyaena, Artha, Sanchayan.
(G. 16/12).
Translation
The atheists, who accumulate wealth unlawfully for the matter of sense-gratification, are bound up by hundreds of thousands hopes against hope by network of it.
Purport
In our issue of Back to Go
“They [the masses] must have their illusions at all costs; they turn instinctively, as the insect seeks the light, to the rhetoricians who accord them what they want. No truth, but error has always been the chief factor in the evolution of nations…. The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduces them.” (Gustave Le Bon, 1995: 132).
The advent of ‘modernity’ saw the eradication of the ancien regime
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
