There are various kinds of yoga; such as karma-yoga, based on purifying our activities; Jnana-yoga, based on acquiring spiritual knowledge and insight; Raja-yoga, the mystical yoga system; and Bhakti-yoga, attaining union with God through love and devotion. From these yoga systems, additional systems have also developed. But these four basic forms of yoga are all discussed in the primary and essential Vedic text of the Bhagavad-gita. But out of all of them, Lord Krishna specifically directs us
Sometimes I hear devotees say that they have been chanting Hare Krishna for thirty or forty years or more, and are still waiting to feel the taste for it, or the ecstasy from chanting, or from doing devotional service. I even heard where some devotee workshops were saying that it is not uncommon that devotees do not feel this bliss even after years of chanting, and that sometimes people leave the movement because they don’t feel the higher taste. They did not get what they expected. But the cure
On January 25th, the Indian Government’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced the 2025 recipients of the annual Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian honors bestowed by India’s President. ISKCON leader and prolific author Sri Nandanandana Dasa (Stephen Knapp) was one of the notable recipients in the Padma Shri category for his outstanding and distinguished service in the field of Literature and Education.
A disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Sri Nandanandana has
There are various kinds of yoga; such as karma-yoga, based on purifying our activities; Jnana-yoga, based on acquiring spiritual knowledge and insight; Raja-yoga, the mystical yoga system; and Bhakti-yoga, attaining union with God through love and devotion. From these yoga systems, additional systems have also developed. But these four basic forms of yoga are all discussed in the primary and essential Vedic text of the Bhagavad-gita. But out of all of them, Lord Krishna specifically directs u
THE CONCLUSION OF VEDANTA
Compiled by Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)
From Jaiva-dharma by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur
I am one who likes to be very clear on the conclusion of any philosophy that I am studying, which may include knowledge about where I am, where I have come from, and where I am going, what is the goal of the process, and what to do to reach the goal. The following is a collection of verses that brings us to the conclusion of all Vedic thought, and comes from t
This is actually the goal of any saint, sadhu, holy man, or bhakta, to go through life and perform all of one’s activities while being absorbed in thoughts and awareness of God, like a constant meditation. This is the means of bhakti-yoga by which we are always thinking of Lord Krishna in some way. This is the way we reach the spiritual strata.
“A grass worm confined in a hole by a bee always thinks of the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply because of such remembrance. Simila
By Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)
In the Bhagavad-gita (4.7), Sri Krishna clearly explains, “Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion–at that time I descend Myself.”
From all that we have learned in the previous chapters about the holy name of the Lord, we can understand that during this age of Kali-yuga it is the holy name, especially in the form of the Hare Krishna mantra, that is the present incarnati
As we look around the world, or watch and read the news, practically everywhere is affected by some kind of natural disaster. Floods are displacing millions of people, forest fires are destroying thousands of acres and burning out of control, earthquakes continue to force people to live in fear, and tornadoes and hurricanes have become more fierce and numerous than ever. And if that is not enough, droughts are causing massive crop damage and water shortages.
The fact is that nobody likes a loss
