When it comes to understanding the meaning of Sanatana-dharma, we have to be aware of its Sanskrit definition. The root of the word dharma comes from dhri, which means to uphold or maintain. The Sanskrit says dharayati iti dharmaha, which translates as dharma is that which upholds. However, not only what is supported is dharma, but that which does the supporting is also dharma, dhriyate iti dharmaha. So dharma consists of both the force that sustains as well as what is sustained. It can a
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
BG Chapters 1 – 6
If a man gets some ministership in the government by worshiping a political leader, he considers that he has achieved a great boon.
BG 4.12, Purport:
The boons of the demigods are material and temporary. Both the material worlds and their inhabitants, including the demigods and their worshipers, are bubbles in the cosmic ocean. In this world, however, human society is mad after temporary things such as the material opulence of possessing land, family and
Srila Prabhupada visited New Vrindaban four times. One of the significant sites of his pastimes is the house in Madhavan where he resided during his last visit in 1976.
The house in Madhavan (where Sankirtan Prabhu now lives) is the site of the last darshan Srila Prabhupada gave to the New Vrindaban plow department. Darshans were scheduled according to department, and I was a member of the plow department. The last darshan is very exceptional because Srila Prabhupada was commenting spontaneous
From Back to Godhead
In many places in his books Srila Prabhupada describes the wonders of prasadam, food prepared with devotion and offered to Krishna. Prabhupada discusses such merits of prasadam as how it effectively immunizes one against the contamination of the material nature, how it frees one from becoming a ghost after death, and even how it is considered ecstatic nectar from the lips of Lord Krishna. In the Chaitanya-charitamrita (Madhya-lila, 4.93, purport) Srila Prabhupada writes:
Th
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Lecture given in Hyderabad, December 17, 1976
The most learned members of society should show others by example how to live peacefully and become Krishna conscious.
saktah karmany avidvamso
yatha kurvanti bharata
kuryad vidvams tathasaktash
chikirshur loka-sangraham
“As the ignorant perform their duties with attachment to results, the learned may similarly act, but without attachment, for the sake of leading people on the right path.”—Bh
From Back to Godhead
The Golden Avatar delivered the gold standard of spiritual practices for this age.
In general, people like gold. It represents wealth and success. A golden age refers to an era of goodness and plenty, acknowledged in Greek, Roman, and Indian cultures. If you have everything, you were born with a golden spoon in your mouth. The Golden Rule is the epitome of cosmic justice or fairness: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. As the saying goes, “As good as gold.”
By Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Questions about INATTENTIVE CHANTING and answers by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura from his books:
Q. What is the main impediment blocking one from developing attachment for chanting?
A. If one gives up all the offenses in chanting, but remains inattentive, he can never develop attachment for chanting. (Sajjana Tosani 11/1)
Q. What are the various definitions of inattention while chanting?
A. O Lord! All anarthas are produced when we do not pay attention to our chanting. Th
By Govinda Hari Dasa
From Tech To Temple
Gopa Vrindesha Dasa’s journey at ISKCON Melbourne began with a quiet but defining decision. On the day he received his Ph.D. in Wireless Technology from the University of Melbourne, he turned away from a promising corporate future to embrace the life of a brahmachari monk, devoted to Sri Krishna.
For the past 16 years, Gopa Vrindesha Dasa has served in many capacities, from washing dishes at the temple’s Crossways restaurant and performing priestly duti
From Back to Godhead
“Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest idea what it means. —Bertrand Russell
Throughout human history, philosophers and seekers of knowledge have sought to discover a single fundamental cause underlying all the phenomena of the universe, Since the rise of Western science in the late Renaissance, many scientists have also felt impelled to seek this ultimate goal, and they have approached it from their own characte
Visvarupa-mahotsava marks the occasion on which Lord Chaitanya’s older brother, Visvarupa, took sannyasa, the renounced order of life. And on the same date some four hundred and fifty years later, our own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, also accepted sannyasa.
According to Vedic literatures, Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, come in the present age in the role of a devotee. In the previous age, Lord Krishna came in His original feature and spoke the Bhag
By His Divine Grace A.C.B. Swami Prabhupada
Today is Visvarupa-mahotsava, the date on which Lord Caitanya’s older brother, Visvarupa, tooksannyasa, the renounced order of life. And on the same date some four hundred and fifty years later, our own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, also accepted sannyasa.
According to Vedic scripture, Lord Caitanya is Krsna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, come in the present age in the role of a devotee. In the previous age, Lord Krsna came in His original feature and spoke the Bhagavad-gita
Today marks the anniversary of the birth—the appearance—of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, “the pioneer of the program for benedicting the entire world with Krishna consciousness.” To honor the occasion, I would like to share a short piece I wrote about Srila Bhaktivinoda and Srila Prabhupada. We pray for their continued guidance and mercy.
“Dedicated to the sacred service of Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who initiated the teachings of Lord Chaitanya in the Western world (McGill Universi
Friday September 3rd, a few of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples were called for a meeting in HDGs room in the lotus building
These beautiful gifts were lovingly presented to the assembled direct disciples of HDG, and the details were explained. The project is called “Give Prabhupad”
Melted into the brass murti is an alloy containing coins received directly on book distribution around the world. (Fortunately we had some coins from book distribution in sridham mayapur that we were able to contribute f
By Payal Shah
(Adapted from a class given by H.G. Narayani Mataji in Sydney on the 24th of December 2019)
In older civilizations, it was possible to conceive, understand and retain spiritual knowledge by simply hearing from a spiritual master. In today’s day and age, however, the majority of us need to read scriptures alongside hear in order to learn, digest and remember spiritual knowledge. The foundation of the Krishna consciousness movement is predicated on the principles presented by Lord K
The Deep Ecology movement is rooted in the conclusions of Professors Lynn White and Arne Naess. By the late 1960s, Prof White, a historian and university president who had studied the development of technology from medieval times to the present, published “The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis”. In that influential article, he identified society’s mentality of anthropocentrism (human-centrism) as the root cause of the ecologic crisis. Shortly after that, Prof Naess, philosopher and enviro
The universe around us appears to be orderly and symmetrical. The planets rotate perfectly in their orbits. Our bodies possess complex circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems. Even the atoms are highly structured. All this suggests that the universe was created not by chance, but by an intelligent person. If human beings can create houses, skyscrapers, and many other structures, it is plausible that a person far more powerful than any human created the universe and everything in it.
A V
By Atma Tattva Das
The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Africa (BBTA) has once again honored the legacy of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada with the release of the 2024 Pan-African Vyasa-puja book. This annual offering, now available for free download on the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust-Africa (BBTA) website, provides a platform for devotees, friends, and well-wishers across the African continent to express their gratitude and reverence for Srila Prabhupada.
This year marks the 128th Vya
Excerpt from the lecture by HH Nirañjana Swami
Baltics Winter Festival, January 17, 2014
The following is a partially-edited transcription of an excerpt of a lecture given on January 17, 2014, at the Baltics Winter Festival – Chanting with Feeling
Today I wanted to read and speak from a few quotes about the Holy Name. Some of them I have read recently and found a lot of significance to them, not only to myself but those with whom I shared them. A lot of times the devotees struggle to make their
Hearing Srila Prabhupada Solves All Our Problems
Srila Prabhupada once said that when devotees give up practicing Krishna consciousness it is ‘fifty percent their fault, and fifty percent ISKCON’s”. In this article I would like to explore what I perceive as a systemic problem contributing to our society’s fifty percent of the blame.
It is surely surprising that someone should get as far as seriously following the process of Krishna consciousness, only to give it up again. Most of us experienc
