Today is Bhadra-purnima. Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.13.13) states, “If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.” As explained in the purport, “One should place Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne because it is the king of all literature. On the full-moon day of the month of Bhadra, the sun, which is compared to this king of literatures, is present in the constellation
srimad bhagavatam (53)
Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.13.13) states, “If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.” As explained in the purport, “One should place Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne because it is the king of all literature. On the full-moon day of the month of Bhadra, the sun, which is compared to this king of literatures, is present in the constellation Leo and looks as if raised u
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi,
Each October, ISKCON’s Ministry of Education under the leadership of Tapan Misra Das, organizes “Books Are the Basis” Week, a global program dedicated to strengthening the culture of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. Approved by the Governing Body Commission (GBC) in 2020, the initiative unites temples, congregations, and individual devotees around a shared vision: that the books of Srila Prabhupada should be among the most widely read spiritual literature in
Over one weekend, the ISKCON London Sankirtan team had the opportunity to attend the World Yoga Festival, bringing Srila Prabhupada’s books to a large gathering of people interested in yoga, meditation, spirituality and personal development.
For us, it was a wonderful reminder of how much potential there is for book distribution outside traditional religious settings. Over the course of the weekend, more than 20 Srimad Bhagavatam sets were distributed, along with a large number of Bhagavad-gitas
By Acyuta Gopi Devi Dasi
Alive. This was the most overwhelming feeling I had while reading Krishna Dharma’s Birth of the Unborn: Tales of Lord Krishna, A Dramatic Retelling of Srimad Bhagavatam: The Beautiful Science of God. If you are new to the writing of Krishna Dharma, this book is an exquisite treat. If you have read his Mahabharata or Ramayana, then this book is a cozy homecoming to a beloved friend and trusted author.
After reading both his Ramayana and Mahabharata several years ago, I
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi,
The Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) in Kolkata will open admissions this year (AY2026-27) for two new postgraduate degrees, an M.A. in Bhagavad-gita and an M.A. in Srimad Bhagavatam, both affiliated with Central Sanskrit University (CSU), Delhi, a central university functioning under India’s Ministry of Education.
A Decades-Old Instruction
In a letter dated November 9, 1975, Srila Prabhupada wrote to Tusta Krishna Swami: “Your idea for the scholastic inst
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi,
Bala Nimai Das has released Inside the Mind, a poetic children’s book drawn from the Fourth Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, accompanied by an original short film of the same name. The project distills teachings from one of the Srimad Bhagavatam‘s most detailed philosophical exchanges into accessible verse and imagery for readers of all ages.
A Project Born from Personal Study
The book’s origins lie in the author’s practice of writing poetry to deepen his enga
By Sesa Das
OK, I admit it. I’m a junkie, a New Year’s resolutions junkie. Every year I make so many resolutions, and every year I fail to keep them. I know I am not alone in this. Is there a support group out there?!
This pesky little urge to make a commitment to a project or to reforming a habit to mark the beginning of each New Year is not new and seems to be quite universal. Brooke Williams’ article, The History Behind New Year’s Resolutions, published in The Colonnade, The Official Student
In Śrimad Bhāgavatam 4.8.53, Nārada Muni reveals a confidential mantra to Dhruva Mahārāja, instructing him to chant it for seven nights to witness perfect beings flying in the sky2. The verse highlights the mystical Siddhaloka, where yogic perfections allow inhabitants to transcend physical limitations. It emphasizes meditation with mantra chanting as a path to divine realization.
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 4
My dear Vidura, I have summarily explained the causes of devastation. One who hears this description three times attains piety and washes the sinful contamination from his soul.
SB 4.12.48, Translation and Purport:
The great sage Maitreya reco
Over the last few years, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) has been gathering helpful videos on the Cosmology of the Srimad Bhagavatam. These insightful presentations, offered by several well-known ISKCON devotees, authors, and scholars, provide diverse perspectives on the rich subject matter.
The TOVP offers a helpful introduction to the content, emphasizing the need for an open mind. “The subject is extremely complex and sometimes confusing because we are dealing with a subject that
By Savitri Devi Dasi
The Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education (VIHE) is pleased to announce its latest on-site Bhakti-vaibhava course covering Cantos One and Two, which will be held from June 26 to October 30, 2024. The full course facilitates the systematic study of the first six cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam in the association of devotees under the guidance of senior teachers, with reference to Srila Prabhupada’s books and the works of previous acaryas. It aims to expand devotees’ devotio
A recent short documentary released by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) explores the unlikely and inspiring journey of the Srimad Bhagavatam to Antarctica, the most remote continent on Earth.
Antarctica, the Earth’s southernmost continent, is primarily covered by a massive ice sheet that holds about 70% of the world’s fresh water. Despite being home to various life forms, like penguins and seals, no permanent human population resides on the continent year-round. Instead, Antarctica hosts a rot
By Ekachakra-prana Dasa
The 2023 BBT Bhadra Purnima marathon has begun with a goal to distribute at least 55,000 sets of Srimad Bhagavatam all over the world in multiple languages. The target date for the 2023 goal is September 29th.
Launched in 2017 by the BBT MCI Team (Marketing, Communications, and Innovation) under the expert leadership of HG Vaisesika Prabhu, the Bhadra Campaign aims to bring together all devotees in the world around the common goal of mass-proliferation of the Srimad Bh
By Gauranga Darshan Das
“A brief outline of the twelve cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam that represent the bodily limbs of Lord Sri Krsna and present ten transcendental topics.”
Of all the sacred Vaisnava scriptures, Srimad Bhagavatam is considered the topmost. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu hailed the Bhagavatam as the spotless authority (pramanam amalam) amongst the Vedic literatures. Srila Rupa Gosvami, in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu declared that hearing Srimad Bhagavatam is one of the five most po
I was recently looking at new property for our ladies’ ashram in Wellington. We moved out of a large house and needed to store our things before moving into our next location, so we needed a storage facility fast!
That’s when I was introduced to an Indian man named Raj. Gokula-lila recounted how Raj had spent some time at The Loft in Auckland around 2010. His brother and father also often spend time at the The Loft and Bhakti Lounge in Wellington.
Owing to the encouragement and persistence of M
Home Programme in Auckland
I did a home program in Auckland. At the end of the talk this Indian lady approached me with some questions. She was under lots of stress. She witnessed one of her friends committing suicide, a big shock. She is very attached to her father and for some strange reason she thought “What if my father dies”? Sure enough she got a call from india saying her father had a stroke and went into coma. Both these combined she was going through so much anxiety she was asking me w
The Auckland Loft recently received a letter from a prisoner in the Auckland Correctional Facility, saying that he wanted The Nectar of Devotion, Teachings of Lord Caitanya and the Krsna Book. Munjaranya went to great lengths to connect with him on the phone, and after a week she succeeded. It turns out that he had just moved there from the Christchurch prison, where he had found a Bhagavad Gita and read it. Then he had contacted the temple in Christchurch, which sent him japa beads, and he sta
Of all reading material that comes my way in a natural devotional setting – the Gita, the Bhagavatam and anything else which is a publication of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, I also include the occasional more secular material (even an occasional newspaper) – I confess to my favorite amongst all.
I just love hearing or reading of the past times of Prabhupada. There is a wealth of material out there on the subject of His Divine Grace, the founder and acharya (teacher) of the great bhakti movemen
In Stratford, I met Sandy, a Westpac Bank worker from New Zealand, who told me that she has most of these books and LOVES reading them. She said that every time a devotee comes through, she buys another book.
“These are not books you just read once and move on,” she said. “I read them through fully, then after a few months I re-visit them and start reading them over again.”
She was so inspired, and she really takes shelter of Prabhupada’s books. This time, we sat on a park bench, and I showed h

