Blog

By Atma Tattva Das, 

ISKCON Chile, the Embassy of India in Santiago, and the Municipality of Renca have partnered to establish a permanent “India Corner” at Renca’s Simón Rodríguez Municipal Library, giving the public lasting access to books on Indian history, philosophy, literature, and culture.

The collection was formally inaugurated on July 22 during a book donation ceremony attended by India’s Ambassador to Chile, Abhilasha Joshi; Renca Mayor Claudio Castro Salas; Bhaktibhushana Swami; along

Johor Bahru is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. Johor means jewel and Bahru means new. It is the core city of Johor Bahru District, Malaysia’s second-largest district by population. It is at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia, bordering Singapore via a busy causeway.

I visited here for the first time and went to many temples, which were spread throughout the area. The devotees here are very active with regular festival programs, Rathayatras, book distribution, Hare Krishna

Here are three helpful resources for daily spiritual sadhana and morning meditation:

1. **Srila Prabhupada Daily Quotes:**
Morning notifications with nectar quotes, purports, and life wisdom in Hindi and English.
👉 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=iskcon.spdailyquotes

2. **Vaishnava Songs & ISKCON Aarti:**
Complete songbook of Gaudiya Vaishnava songs (Mangala Aarti, Tulasi Aarti, Guru Vandana, Bhajans) with lyrics and audio.
👉 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d

For devotees traveling or looking for verified ISKCON temples, centers, and guest houses worldwide:

The official **ISKCON Address & Center Directory** provides:
- GPS navigation to the nearest temple or preaching center.
- Contact numbers for temple management and guest house bookings.
- Darshan, Mangala Aarti, and prasadam timings.

👉 Directory App on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=iskcon.address

Hare Krishna! If you are looking for authentic, unabridged Vedic scriptures with word-by-word Sanskrit meanings, commentary, and audio recitations, here are the most authentic resources:

1. **Srimad Bhagavad Gita (Hindi & English):**
Contains all 700 verses with original Sanskrit shlokas, pronunciation, Hindi/English translations, and offline audio recitations.
👉 Available on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gitam

2. **Srimad Bhagavatam (Complete 12 Cantos):**
All 12 Can

Dear ISKCON Community Members,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

In light of the tragic natural disaster that has already claimed over one hundred lives in Nepal and Tibet with over one thousand more missing, we call upon you all to please pray for those who have been affected by this catastrophe.

We have received the devastating news that seventeen dear devotees from our ISKCON communities in Ireland, South Africa, and the UK are currently missing. They were

A catastrophic flash flood struck the Nepal–Tibet border region on August 26 after a glacial collapse and ice-rock avalanche temporarily dammed a mountain river, releasing a massive surge of water, mud, and debris. As of August 27, over 350 people had been confirmed dead in Nepal and three in Tibet, with nearly 1,400 still missing. Thousands of rescue personnel have been deployed, while helicopters are evacuating survivors and delivering aid to communities cut off by destroyed roads and bridges.

The big brother is finally here!

And with the appearance of Sri Balarama, Sri Krishna Janmashtami is now just around the corner. The whole of Sri Mayapur Dham seems to be preparing its heart to welcome the Lord of our hearts!
These days in Mayapur are filled with one beautiful festival after another. Jhulan Yatra, Balarama Purnima, and the preparations for Sri Krishna Janmashtami all come together, creating an atmosphere filled with kirtan, darshan, seva and remembrance of the Lord.
On Balarama

29 July – 24 November 2026

Cāturmāsya, meaning "four months," is one of the most sacred periods in the Vaiṣṇava calendar. It is a time dedicated to increased remembrance of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa through simplicity, austerity, and deeper devotional practice. Rather than being merely a period of giving up certain foods, Cāturmāsya is an opportunity to strengthen one's relationship with the Lord by increasing sādhana, service, and spiritual discipline.

Traditionally, Cāturmāsya begins on Śayanī Ekādaśī,

On this date in 1965, at the age of sixty-nine, Srila Prabhupada left India on a steamship bound for the United States, with the intention of bringing the teachings of Krishna and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to the English-speaking world. With him was a trunk full of his translations and commentary on the First Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and about forty rupees in cash.

Within a year, he had attracted a few committed followers willing to help him spread his mission. Over the next decade, Srila Pra

These excerpts have been taken from Satswarup dasa Goswami’s Prabhupada-lilamrita ch 11-12.

With the manuscript for Volume Three complete and with the money to print it, Bhaktivedanta Swami once again entered the printing world, purchasing paper, correcting proofs, and keeping the printer on schedule so that the book would be finished by January 1965. Thus, by his persistence, he who had almost no money of his own managed to publish his third large hardbound volume within a little more than two

According to the lunar calendar, today is the most auspicious 54th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s departure for the United States of America.

On the 13th of August, 1965, just a few days before Janmastami and a few days before his sixty-ninth birthday, Srila Prabhupada boarded the cargo ship Jaladuta with only a small suitcase, an umbrella, a bag of dry cereal, some boxes of books, and a few rupees in his possession. He was about to embark on the mission that his spiritual master had given h

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the fountainhead of all incarnations. Lord Balarama is His second body. They are both one and the same identity. They differ only in form.

Balarama is the first bodily expansion of Krishna, and He assists in Lord Krishna’s transcendental pastimes. He is the source of the entire spiritual world and is the adi-guru, the original spiritual master.

He assumes five other forms to serve Lord Krishna. He Himself helps in the pastimes of Lord Krishna, and

To complete our spiritual journey we need strength – much spiritual strength – so that we can act upon our higher convictions. But how and where do we find this strength?
The answer is we need to go to the Lord Himself! He is the reservoir of everything, including infallible spiritual strength, the “acyuta balah”. The aspect of Lord Krishna who is particularly responsible in granting spiritual strength is Lord Balarama, who acts in the pastime of Lord Krishna as His beautiful older brother.
Lor

Gargamuni said: This child, the son of Rohini, will give all happiness to His relatives and friends by His transcendental qualities. Therefore He will be known as Rama. And because He will manifest extraordinary bodily strength, He will also be known as Bala. Moreover, because He unites two families—Vasudeva’s family and the family of Nanda Maharaja—He will be known as Sankarnana.

sri-garga uvaca
ayam hi rohini-putro
ramayan suhrdo gunaih
akhyasyate rama iti
baladhikyad balam viduh
yadunam aprt

APPEARANCE

Sri Baladeva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. He is equal in supremacy to the Supreme Godhead, yet wherever Krishna appears, Sri Baladeva appears as Krishna’s brother, sometimes elder, sometimes younger. In his vaibhava-prakasa feature, Lord Krishna manifests Himself as Balarama. The Balarama feature is as good as Krishna Himself, the only difference being that the bodily hue of Krishna is dark and that of Balarama is fair. These two Lords, Krishna and Balarama, are e

Sometimes people ask who is Lord Balarama? And the answer is that He is the brother of Lord Krishna. However, He does many things besides that.
How we understand this is to first recognize that, according to Vedic scripture such as the Srimad Bhagavata Purana, it is described that Lord Krishna is the primeval Lord, the original Personality of Godhead, so He can expand Himself into unlimited forms with all potencies. They are no different from Him, but may exhibit differences in form and functio

“O Kesava! O Lord of the Universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of Lord Balarama, the wielder of the plow! All glories to You! On Your brilliant white body You wear garments the color of a fresh blue rain cloud. These garments are the color of the River Yamuna, who feels great fear due to the striking of Your plowshare.”
“All glories to Rama-ghata, where Lord Balarama performed His rasa dance. All glories to Lord Balarama, the son of Rohini. All glories, all glories to the residents o