Bilvamangala Thakura was a wealthy south Indian Brahmin and belonged to a cultured family. But he got attracted to a prostitute named Cintamani. The attraction soon became attachment. And as it happens when we get attached to worldly enjoyment we lose our intelligence and subsequently our dignity. The fire of lust was so intense that he was not at all moved when his father died; in fact standing near the pyre of his father he was engrossed in the thought of Cintamani. The body of his dead fathe
Each morning Srila Prabhuupada would take a walk to the nearby Swanzy Beachpark and walk briskly back and forth on the grassy expanse that was about the size of a football field. It was right by the ocean and bordered by rock walls, with a beautiful view of miles of bright blue Pacific Ocean. The beach itself is a bit rocky there, so we would walk on the grassy areas just above the beach.
Walking to Swanzy Beachpark
Sometimes Srila Prabhupada would sit resting on the low rock walls, chanting. He
By Giriraj Swami
Srila Prabhupada’s beloved disciple Yamuna-devi dasi passed away on Saphala-ekadasi.
There is so much to be said about Srimati Yamuna-devi dasi.
In October of 1970 I was one of a group of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples from America going to join him in India. On the way, we stopped in Brussels, and it was there, in an apartment, that I first met Yamuna-devi—and Malati and Syamasundara (I had met Gurudas before that, in Boston). Upon entering, I could immediately feel their intens
By Madhava Smullen
Prabhupada’s Palace at New Vrindaban, West Virginia – Srila Prabhupada’s preeminent smriti samadhi, or memorial shrine, in the West – is getting a brand new roof and beautiful new domes as part of its ongoing restoration.
Devotees began building the Palace themselves back in 1973 as a residence for Srila Prabhupada, when he expressed a desire to retire to New Vrindaban and translate his books. Young, inexperienced, and unpaid, they trained themselves in construction and artisa
My Guru Mahārāja, my spiritual master, used to say that you have to select a spiritual master not by seeing but by your ear, but by hearing. And you don’t select a spiritual master who has got a very good hair or beard or some very beautiful feature, ‘Oh, he is a very good, nice looking.’ No. You must hear. Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). Śruti. The whole process is śruti. The Vedas are called śruti. The ear has to aural reception.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, August 12, 1966)
Source:
What did it mean when Srila Prabhupada said that ISKCON cannot be destroyed from the outside, but only from the inside?
Yes, ISKCON can be destroyed from the inside. Srila Prabhupada is referring to a forest fire here. There are two forest fires that Krsna swallows. One of these forest fires is the disagreement that comes about in the spiritual movement in the sanga of the devotees. And so, this is highlighted as something that can destroy our movement from within. As long as there is a core g
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 11:
“In the Hari-bhakti-vilasa there is the following statement about self-surrender: ‘My dear Lord, a person who has surrendered himself unto You, who is in firm conviction that he is Yours, and who actually acts in that way by his body, mind and words, can actually relish transcendental bliss.’”
“In the Nrsimha Purana, Lord Nrsimha-deva says, ‘Anyone who prays unto Me and takes shelter from Me becomes My ward, and I protect him always from all sorts of cal
Achyutananda Prabhu says that according to proper kirtan principles, we should always begin with Srila Prabhupada’s pranama-mantras. He said that he noticed several kirtan leaders not doing this or not knowing kirtan etiquette.
A Russian devotee, Purnamasi devi dasi, told the story of when she was imprisoned by the KGB for practicing and preaching Krishna consciousness in the Soviet Union.
While she was in jail, she would encourage other prisoners to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. The auth
I found this talk by Yamuna-devi, from the Pune Yatra 2001, so profound and powerful, I wanted to share it with you all. If you wish to learn more about—and from—this extraordinary devotee and disciple of Srila Prabhupada’s, you may visit the beautiful new website Unalloyed: The Yamuna Devi Legacy Project (www.unalloyed.org). —Giriraj Swami
Radhanath Maharaja has requested that my godsisters and I speak something. Last night, after we left the transcendental program and before I took rest, I wa
Every year the Prabhupada Marathon is a time for giving around ISKCON communities worldwide. For the second year running, Prabhupada Marathon is being celebrated globally as the “Live to Give” campaign. The global goal is to distribute at least 2.2 million Bhagavad Gitas and spread the message of the Gita far and wide. Several centers around the world have already pledged to meet a goal for this global campaign, which started after Bhadra Purnima, and will end on January 7th.
Source: https://w
I trekked in the rain to see our beloved Vaishnava Prabhu at the Toronto General Hospital. His heart is not in the best condition and so he deserved a visit. Being in the CIUC is a very protected and secure division of the hospital, which is number one in the country and one of the best in the world for cardio challenges. Visitation is quite restricted so I was lucky, as the priest, to come in. Vaishnava’s family comes daily. His wife, Janaki, brings tasty prasadam from home, blessed by Krishna.
“Then we come to Bhāgavata, then we come to Caitanya-caritāmṛta, in this way. So from next year, unless one passes bhakti-śāstrī, he cannot be second initiated.”
Morning Walk – January 6, 1976, Nellore
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First meetings
I first met my spiritual master on March 6th 1975 in Dallas Texas. Srila Prabhupada had just been in South America and had toured the Southern United States. I was on travelling book distribution with a sankirtan party and had strayed quite a distance from Montreal my home base.
While reporting to the temple president about our scores, we were informed that Srila Prabhupada was flying from Atlanta to Dallas the next day and would be there for some time. We immediately drove west t
The Krishna consciousness movement is not a new creation but is simply presenting the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita for the benefit of the whole world.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kindly participating in this great movement. This movement was not started by me. It was started long, long ago by Krishna Himself. First He spoke the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita to the sun-god. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita (4.1),
imam vivasvate yogam
proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan ma
- Srila Prabhupada and George Harrison, London, 1973
“I liked Prabhupada’s humbleness. I always liked his humility and his simplicity The servant of the servant of the servant is really what it is, you know. None of us are God—just His servants. He just made me feel so comfortable. I always felt very relaxed with him, and I felt more like a friend. I felt that he was a good friend. Even though he was at the time seventy-nine years old, working practically all through the night, day after day, w
In October a very special event happened at the TOVP, the arrival of Srila Prabhupada, the installation of the Srila Prabhupada Murti. On the same date, Hari Sauri Das made the official announcement of the arrival of his latest book - Back to Vrndavana: Srila Prabhupada's Final Lila – and it is now available for purchase.
“Srila Prabhupada spent his last 6 weeks on this planet in Vrndavana Dhama, and I was fortunate enough to spend the month of October serving him while chronicling every event,
By Madhava Smullen
Up till now, one of the main methods of getting your Bhakti Sastri Degree in ISKCON involved taking six months off from your job or service to study in person in Mayapur or Vrindavan. This made it elusive and difficult for many to get the “family transcendental diploma” based on Srila Prabhupada’s books which Prabhupada wanted all his “spiritual sons and daughters” to inherit.
This system also required anyone who taught the Bhakti Sastri program to have a Bhakti Sastri degree
Dear Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Across the world, COVID has, for better or worse, changed the way we do many things in our lives. Countless children have attended school, Sunday school and even ‘camp’ online this year. More than ever before, children live online – making new friends, developing established relationships, learn, recreate, etc.
With the added stressors COVID has brought, it is no surprise that child abuse has increased, in perso
Series: Srila Prabhupada-Our Preeminent Siksha Guru – Day 02
Speaker: Vaisesika Das
Occasion: Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day Special
On Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival , here are some lesser-known facts related to ISKCON Founder acharya Srila Prabhupada by Vaisesika Prabhu.
GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) is pleased to invite you to the Day 2 of our 3 day series celebrating Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival reflecting on the role of Srila Prabhupada as our preeminent
