Janmastami, the sacred occasion of Lord Krishna's appearance, (celebrated on August 30th this year) is a special day that is extremely powerful and inspirational for bhakti practitioners. Devotees often remember their early Janmastami festivals as a foundational experience. Here, three generations of devotees recall some of their favorite Janmastami memories:
One of my favorite parts of Janmastami has always been going through Village of Vrindavan in Alachua, where eve
By HH Nirañjana Swami
I oftentimes say, when devotees ask me to speak about Prabhupada, that I can say my only qualification is that I happened to be on the planet at the same time that Prabhupada was spreading the Krsna Consciousness Movement. I took part in his mission, but I didn’t really have so much personal exchange or association with him. I did get the opportunity to see him many times: a few times in the United States, twice in New York as well as in Philadelphia, and also in Mayapura
By Madhava Smullen
This year, as we celebrate the 125th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s appearance in 1896, an excellent way to become absorbed in the pastimes and teachings of the ISKCON Founder-Acharya is the latest, fifth volume of Memories: Anecdotes of a Modern Day Saint.
The series all began back in 1991 when Siddhanta Das, the devotee behind the project, was working with ISKCON Television (ITV) and tested out some new video cameras by taping Srutakirti Das, who had served as Srila Pra
By Sukanthi Radha dasi
“All my desires to work as an engineer seem to have dwindled by seeing your lotus face in New Vrindaban. I am enjoying the nectar of devotion more and more every day. I have been going on sankirtana every day for an average of six to eight hours, sometimes even fifteen, ever since I have been in this temple. I love to go out on sankirtana and distribute your books, and Krishna is rewarding me with unexpected pleasure.” (Letter from Jasomatinandan Das to Srila Prabhupada, 1973)
By Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami
“It’s a sad day to be joining a ceremony dedicated to the remembrance of Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj.
I think that now is the time for us to really take those instructions that we read in Srila Prabhupada’s offering in the Shrimad Bhagavatam to his spiritual master to heart. And that instruction is that he lives forever by his instructions and his disciples and followers live with him. And this is the case for His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaj as well. Although it
Much can be said about our dear godbrother Bramhananda, but you know some devotees are just special. Just seeing him could make one smile and as one of Prabhupada’s original “white elephants” his efforts to serve him “in the day” are legendary. As one of the heavy pullers of our “mule team” for Prabhupada, those early devotees did so much for him. They cleared and paved the way for later devotees and enlivened many. Days were glorious but rigorous, filled with exhaustion and sweet surrender. Ti
