By Sankirtana Das (ACBSP)
There is a saying, “Think globally, act locally.” And that’s what Srila Prabhupada did when he began his mission in 1966 on NYC’s Lower East Side. In those days, the counterculture—young people dissatisfied with a war-driven, materialistic society—gravitated to New York and to Haight-Asbury in San Francisco. These were the first two places where the Hare Krishna Movement took root in the West.
During the early years of the movement, many young people were willing to
By Sankirtana Das
For over 40 years, I’ve offered presentations on the Krishna Consciousness tradition and philosophy in college classrooms. I became friends with many of the professors, and they repeatedly invited me back to the campus every year or two. Then, about 20 years ago, some of the professors started commenting that new students didn’t quite meet the standards of an academic environment. It seemed that students were pushed ahead even without the required skills, and even when they r
By Yudhisthira Dasa
This world is a place of anxiety, and we are brainwashed to believe that money is the solution to almost all our problems. The result of this mindset? When we perceive that we have too little money, our anxiety amplifies. If we haven’t learned this lesson already, here it is. We will always perceive that we have too little money. Why? This is the nature of the planet we live on! Even the wealthy are attracted to amassing more fortune.
Visualize a mother and father watching
By Yogesvara Dasa
If you’re a bottom-line kind of person, here are the takeaways from this article, pointing toward a practical path for expanding Srila Prabhupada’s mission in the world: Embrace fresh ideas and challenge your assumptions about devotional service; create a competent, reliable team and identify exciting new projects; establish meaningful connections and build dynamic relationships.
Why are these criteria for the future important? Because those of us in the first generation fail
By Yudhisthira Dasa
What’s your mailing address? Is it eternal? Chances are, if you are reading this, your current residence is not your permanent residence.
Through the external energies of God, the material world order constantly applies minute-by-minute, sophisticated brainwashing strategies that are so alluring that most of us don’t press pause to contemplate the purpose of life, let alone learn about our relationship with the Absolute. What should actually captivate our full attention? Find
According to Dr. David Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. (1927–2012), one individual vibrating at the high-energy level of pure love can counterbalance the negative vibrations of 750,000 individuals. Dr. Hawkins, founder of the Institute for Spiritual Research, interestingly enough, developed a “Map of Consciousness” ranging from the lower to the higher states and including the more advanced levels of Love, Joy, Peace, and Enlightenment.
Hawkins talked about a “level of pure love.” But how does one actual
Of all the judgments we make of others—race, religion, nationality, political affiliations, social standing, etc.—perhaps the most excoriating is moral judgment. We can become highly condemnatory when we deem others to have committed a gross moral transgression. Of late, we have often seen banner-waving groups loudly denouncing those whose activities have not met their standards of what they consider morally correct. The situation in the Middle East has evoked this to a significant degree, with
In the last thirty or forty years, the rapid pace of technological progress has been dazzling. I still remember my first desk-sized computer, with its massive 20 megabytes of storage, its MS-DOS operating system with the old C: prompt, and the modems that emitted a kind of high-pitched banshee wailing. Ah, those were the days. Now, the phone in my pocket is a thousand times more powerful, and my laptop can handle tasks unimaginable back then. With AI, it seems the sky is the limit. Soon, we’ll a
By Yudhisthira Dasa
No matter where we are on our journey, we can find solace in the fact that the effects of time, as we know it, exist only in the material world and are ultimately not linear. The big picture is that all souls (excluding descending nitya siddha masters) come to the material world, eventually attain a human form to experience an existential crisis, and gradually realize our eternal identity. And, while steady progress is possible, our journeys are often filled with distracti
After the horrific events of 9/11, some of my Hindu friends were concerned about their safety. They had been yelled at and threatened by strangers. And for no reason at all they were told they weren’t wanted in the USA.
Over the years, such incidents have increased. According to a recent CNN article by Harmeet Kaur, “Over the past year, researchers at the Center for the Study of Organized Hate have documented a surge of anti-Indian sentiment on X that is showing no signs of abating.”
Even FBI
By Brihat Mridanga Das
If you thought you knew the Bhagavad-gita, think again.
Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is is an endless mine of gems. Prabhupada Priya Devi Dasi, a veteran miner, offers priceless, jewel-like insights through her modern, accessible translations and commentaries, grounded in Prabhupada’s masterpiece. Whether someone is approaching the Gita for the first time, growing as a dedicated practitioner, or sharing its wisdom as a teacher, The Living Gita speaks to ever
By Madana-gopala Dasa
Beyond the Binary: Recovering Moral Clarity in a Divided World
When I wrote recently that the “No Kings” protests revealed the soul’s longing for genuine, caring leaders, for the spirit of Lord Rāma rather than another self-serving ruler, some readers accused me of being “too liberal.” Others said that if I spoke about the sacredness of unborn life, I would be branded as a “religious conservative.” It seems that in much of today’s world, nuance and independent thought hav
By Sankirtana Das
A recent article from America: The Jesuit Review describes an official church statement from Bishop Scott E. Bullock of Rapid City and the De Smet Jesuit Community of West River entitled “A Faithful Response to the Wounded Knee Decision.” Their response objects to an announcement by the current Secretary of Defense (or War) honoring a group of soldiers who received medals after brutally killing an estimated 300 Lakota women, children, and men (the majority women and children).
Just to let you know up front, there is no real happiness in this world. The majority of us are struggling to achieve two things: to have a vantage point to procure wealth and pleasure, and to avoid pain and suffering. Unfortunately, this is an impossible task. Even if you think you’ve achieved something, it will change shortly. There is no permanent situation. Every generation and era has its own problems. It is said that the guiding principle in the material world is the survival of the fitt
Srila Prabhupada and devotees during a visit to New Vrindaban.
Prabhupada: Yes. . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu was interested only on the spiritual platform. He had no idea of material side. He rejected material side.
Satsvarupa: But don’t we do that also?
Prabhupada: No. Our position is different. We are trying to implement Krishna consciousness in everything. – Conversation, Mayapura, February 14, 1977
In the Kali-yuga, this present age, the diseases of quarrel, greed, and hypocrisy are flaring
Let’s begin by sharing a striking example of what appears to be a huge “risk.” On August 13, 1965, Srila Prabhupada boarded the Jaladuta Cargo Steamship from Kolkata on to New York City with 200 Rupees (about US$7) in his pocket, a trunk full of books, and puffed rice, since he didn’t know if America even had vegetables! Would any of us take this risk? A “normal” person seeking material security would never have gotten on that steam ship. Srila Prabhupada, on the other hand, had an army to pro
By Yudhisthira Dasa
DUALITIES
In this world full of dualities, light and darkness are part of daily life. To create context for this article, let’s travel beyond the light and dark of the physical world, but existentially embrace this metaphor of the light and dark web for staying in the “light” spiritually. For more context, when we refer to being in the “light” as a goal, we are not referring to the impersonal brahmajyoti, but rather the perfection of achieving Krishna bhakti by opening our he
On Friday, August 13, 1965, a small, beat-up cargo ship set sail from Calcutta. In addition to the crew, one passenger, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, disembarked in New York City with 40 rupees, a three-month visa, and a mission to bring Krishna consciousness to the Western world.
60 years later, thanks to vigorous public engagement, widespread distribution of religious literature, and the highly visible practice of chanting “Hare Krishna” in public spaces, the success of Bhaktivedanta Swami’s miss
Srila Prabhupada on a japa walk with Yamuna Devi Dasi, Malati Devi Dasi, and others.
The history of ISKCON has shown that Kali, the personification of the current Age of Quarrel, is adept at introducing controversies that act like storm clouds obscuring the effulgent sun of Mahaprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement. The propensity for debate, argument, and verbal conquest can be likened to turbulent winds; harsh speech to torrential rain; and fleeting victories in establishing one’s position to flashes o
This is Sankirtana Das’s companion article to “Moving Forward in 2025.”
When speaking about the function of a Vedic monarchy, Srila Prabhupada explained, “The king is to see to the welfare of the citizens from all angles of social, political, economic and spiritual upliftment” (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.49 purport).
In that purport, Prabhupada goes on to give the example of the ideal king, Maharaja Yudhisthira: “monarchy under a trained king like Maharaja Yudhiṣṭhira is by far the most superior for
