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By Cintamani Madhavi Devi Dasi

On October 4, the First Hare Krishna Cultural Fair was held in the Quilicura commune, in the capital of Chile.

This event was attended by local authorities, as well as Arpit Sharma, the head of community affairs at the Indian Embassy, and spiritual master Chandramukha Swami from Brazil.

This event marks an unprecedented milestone for ISKCON in Chile, as the community authorities were directly involved in promoting and organizing this activity as a cultural and inte

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13745603452?profile=RESIZE_584xBy Atma Tattva Das

On September 14, 2025, ISKCON Birmingham welcomed around 150 devotees to their annual Patrons and Volunteers Appreciation event. The gathering, which has grown over the past four years into a highlight of the temple calendar, offered more than music, prasadam, and speeches. It was a chance to recognize the service and sacrifice that sustain the community, and to remind everyone of the gratitude that sits at the heart of Srila Prabhupada’s vision.

Rooted in Gratitude

“The inspi

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ISKCON Mayapur Communications has released a colorful and inspiring newsletter highlighting the month-long celebration of the Aṣṭa-Sakhīs’ Appearance Days, observed during the auspicious month of Dāmodara and concluding on Rāma Ekādaśī. The festival honored the Aṣṭa-Sakhīs (“eight friends”)—the eight principal gopīs who are the eternal maidservants and closest companions of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Throughout the month, the Mayapur community united in creative offerings, devotional performances, and h

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Diwali by Ramai Swami

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The word Diwali (or Deepavali) literally means “row of lights”. At dusk rows of deepas, small earthenware lamps filled with oil, decorate houses inside and out and are dotted along the parapets of temples. Devotees also set them adrift on rivers and streams.

It was on the evening of this day that Lord Rama returned to His kingdom, Koshala. With his huge army headed by Hanuman the Lord triumphantly entered Ayodhya, His capital, having rescued His beloved wife, Sita, from the demon-king Ravana.

A

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Real Fortune by Bhaktimarga Swami

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I believe I’m the most fortunate person in the world because I have just an outstanding team to work with on this walk.  The navigation to what is such an excellent route is all taken care of.  I have company.  Each day there are core coordinators along with fresh and new troupers.  We talk about light and deep topics when we are not chanting on our individual japa beads. There’s never a dull moment, really.  The scenery is just charming – earthy, green, and prosperous.

At Amersfoort, which i

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Diwali festival in India is a 5-day celebration starting from Dhanteras with every single day having its own significance. Out of this, on the Dhanteras day people worship Mother Lakshmi devi and seek Her blessings, especially in form of wealth. The word “dhan” means wealth. This makes them think that Dhanteras is only for worshiping Lakshmi devi, the goddess of fortune. However, this is not a complete understanding. Dhan-teras, or Dhan triodashi, is also the day when Lord Dhanvantari appeared

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13745262296?profile=RESIZE_584x13745262680?profile=RESIZE_584xBy Nitai Madhav Das

The ICC Book Distribution Committee successfully organized the Bharat Sankirtan Leaders Sanga on the 23rd and 24th of September 2025 at ISKCON NVCC, Pune. Around 150 devotees — temple sankirtan leaders, senior book distributors, and preachers — gathered from all over India. The atmosphere was filled with devotion, enthusiasm, and gratitude as devotees came together with one purpose: to strengthen Śrīla Prabhupāda’s book distribution mission and keep the sankirtan spirit alive

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13745261679?profile=RESIZE_584xBy Anuttama Dasa

The tradition of distributing Vaishnava literature in Canada dates back to 1896, when Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur sent a treatise on Lord Caitanya to McGill University in Montreal. Decades later, Srila Prabhupada himself visited Canada multiple times, beginning in 1968 with Montreal and later Toronto. His presence inspired a generation of devotees to carry forward the mission.

One milestone came on Thanksgiving Day in 1971, when the Vancouver devotees distributed the first large b

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By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi


The Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) has launched a digital platform providing online access to the Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhan, the comprehensive four-volume encyclopedia compiled by Sri Haridasa Dasa Babaji (1898-1957). The initiative, undertaken in collaboration with Haribol Kuthir, addresses the growing need for accessible digital archives of traditional Vaishnava literature and was commemorated at a special program held on July 6, 2025, at Haribola Kuth

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Day One in Holland by Bhaktimarga Swami

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The glorious starting point for a team of seven was at the North Sea, Zandvoort Beach, and we explored on foot Bennebroek by some amazing sand dunes, the forests at mansion Buitenplaats Leyduin, numerous residences at Heemsteds near Haarlem and Zwaanshoek to the finish point, Hoofddorp.  The initial companions were Yadu, an avid cyclist, Helga, our filmmaker, Stephan, whom we called our safari master, Namacharya, and Rabindra Svarupa, who are my hosts.  Others joined at certain junctions and so

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By Giriraj Swami

In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami says that the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya are like a lake with many beautiful lotus flowers, which are love for Krishna—Radha and Krishna. As our acharyas tell us, the Caitanya-caritamrta is perhaps the most important of all the books of the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and on this date thirty-seven years ago, Srila Prabhupada completed his translation of the Caitanya-caritamrta.

Whenever Srila Prabhupada was

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Sri Rama Ekadashi by Giriraj Swami

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We are gathered here in the auspicious month of Kartik, which is also known as Damodara. Srila Prabhupada wrote in The Nectar of Devotion that just as Lord Damodara is very dear to His devotees, so the month of Damodara is also dear to them. And in the month of Kartik, in the year 1974, Srila Prabhupada completed his translation of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, in Juhu, Bombay.

When Srila Prabhupada was in Bombay, we used to go to his quarters every morning at six o’clock, when he would go for his

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Glories of Rama Ekadashi

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By Khusboo Basan

Yudhisthira Maharaj said, “O Janardana, O protector of all beings, what is the name of the Ekadashi that comes during the dark fortnight (Krishna paksha) of the month of Kartika (October  November)? Please impart this sacred knowledge to me.”

The Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna then spoke as follows, “O lion among kings, please listen as I narrate to you; The Ekadashi that occurs during the dark part of the month of Kartika is called Rama Ekadashi. It is most auspicious, for it at on

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By Visakha Devi Dasi 

In appointing Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally to be the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leaders of the Church of England have made an exemplary statement. They have seen past Bishop Sarah’s bodily identification (a woman!) to her extraordinary personal merit.

One of Sri Krsna’s first teachings to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita is that we are not the body we temporarily inhabit; rather, we are spiritual beings, part and parcel of God. Thus a key indicator of spiritually ad

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The following information applies only to the United States. Residents of other countries should consult their local laws and guidelines.

As more U.S. states and local governments begin officially recognizing holidays like Diwali, many Hare Krishna devotees are exploring how to take time off work to celebrate our sacred festivals during this holy season.

Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, most employers (those with 15 or more employees) are legally required to provide reasonable accommodat

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By Dinanukampa Dasi  


When the COVID-19 pandemic halted international travel in 2020, devotees worldwide were left with a pressing concern. How will we “recharge our batteries” and observe the sacred Vraja-mandala Parikrama during Kartik? In response, a team of devotees inspired by Lokanath Swami’s Vraja-mandala Darsana book, launched an innovative solution: the VMP (Vraja-mandala Parikrama) App.

First released in October 2020, the VMP App transformed the centuries-old parikrama into a digital

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How does a walking marathoner get his ‘steps’ in when flying distances that don’t allow?  Well, here’s how I achieved some numbers after a six-hour flight.  The Schipold in Amsterdam where I landed in the late morning, covers about 4,500 football fields, or 27.87 square kilometres, and I traversed a small portion of that.  With Air Canada losing my check-in baggage, I was forced to walk from carousel 19 at arrivals to the oversize outlet or odd-size to carousel 16 and back in a triangle again a

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Religion and Hinduism By Dayananda Das

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The words “religion” and “Hindu” are problematic. Both are confusing, inaccurate, and not useful words.

Religion

Depending on the context, the use of the word religion can be ill-defined and even offensive—for example, when someone says that religions cause all wars or when someone says, “Science is logic; religion is belief.”

These two statements are ignorant because the person using the word religion has defined it in an arbitrary manner when in fact the word religion defies definition and th

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A Wise Old Monkey by Bhurijana dasa

 

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Hare Krsna.

The monkeys of Raman Reti can undoubtably be cute. But are they wise? Mostly they use their amazing climbing skills to wander from tree to roof to balcony for the purpose of foraging for soft leaves, berries, or other eatables. When they’re not eating they fight, mate, or sleep. But, however, I’ve noted that they can also be clever and quite brave. Many strongly built males will always fiercely fight to protect from attack the young within their family. That can be said to be a ty

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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

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