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Disagreement over issues is not as disruptive as disagreement over the importance of the disagreements 
When we see disruptive disagreements among friends who share our faith, we feel distressed. Why? Because we practice our faith to experience peace, not strife. Indeed, the specter of religious conflicts drives fence-sitters towards agnosticism, atheism or even anti-theism.
Why do such disruptions occur? Not because of the disagreements themselves; we can live with disagreements, and we often

Kartika month is observed this year from 16 Oct – 14 Nov , the most important month in our calendar, as it is very dear to Sri Sri Radha-Madhava. Just as there is no yuga equal to Satya-yuga, no scripture equal to the Vedas, and no place of pilgrimage equal to the Ganges, so there is no month equal to Kartika. During the Kartika month, millions of devotees worship Damodara Krishna with ghee lamps and devotional bhajans, glorifying His playful childhood pastime of stealing yogurt. And traditiona

When 15-year-old Kavan Pandya looked around his temple community at ISKCON Houston, he saw a challenge—and an opportunity. Every week, mountains of disposable plates, cups, and food scraps piled up after meals at Govinda’s Restaurant and Gauranga Hall. But instead of despairing, he decided to act.

“I am honored to share that our temple has recently launched a full composting program, making sustainability a core part of our service,” Kavan shared with an audience of North American leaders gather

From Back to Godhead

When Krishna leaves Vrindavana to become the ruler of a great kingdom, He remains the same Krishna, the treasure of His devotees’ hearts.

The Krishna deity worshiped at the Hare Krishna temple in Los Angeles, where I live, is named Dvarakadhisha, “the Lord of Dvaraka.” Dvaraka is the pristine island Lord Krishna rules in His adult years. (Although Krishna lived in Dvaraka when He was present on earth five thousand years ago, Dvaraka exists eternally in the spiritual world.

1 Sri Narada said: Asked by whom, and for what reason did Lord Krsna, the master of the universes, come to the earth? O best of the knowers of the Vedas, please tell.

2 Sri Narayana Rsi said: In ancient times, during the Varaha-kalpa, bearing a great burden and filled with grief, the earth took shelter of the demigod Brahma.

3 Accompanied by hosts of demigods, who were all unhappy at heart to be so troubled by the demons, she went to the assembly of Brahma, which is very difficult to attain.

4

“In the insurmountable darkness of sorrow in this world, the only light of hope is the association of pure devotees and their instructions on devotional service. “

Perfect happiness in this world is just a dream thing

Once there lived a king named Citraketu in the province of Surasena. Owing to his piety and righteousness, his kingdom flourished. There was one problem though. The king had no issue. Although he married one bride after another in order to have progeny, nonetheless all of them tur

From Back to Godhead

“Oh, these ropes of desires are strange indeed! A person tightly bound by them runs all around seeking happiness, but one freed from them stays calmly in one place.” (Niti-shastra)

“What’s it like to go back home to Krishna?” wondered ten-year-old Kiran at the weekly gathering for children from our congregation.

I responded by speaking about Goloka Vrindavana, our real home, where we aspire to

Dear devotees,

We are happy to announce that The Jolly Swami – Wit and Wisdom from Sridhar Swami is now available in eBook format worldwide.
His Holiness Sridhar Swami, lovingly known to all as the “Jolly Swami,” captured the hearts of devotees everywhere with his warmth, humour, and profound wisdom. Whether speaking from scripture, guiding in personal interactions, or sharing light-hearted reflections, his words carried deep spiritual strength and touched countless lives.

This collection br

Some suggestions on how to stay inspired.

Somehow, it happens that our motivation in Krishna consciousness may falter. Usually that faltering comes in the form of lacking the desire to do some practical service, associate with devotees, or develop our spiritual practices, such as improving the quality or quantity of our chanting or of our reading of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Whenever this happens to me or a friend, I realize the urgency and fragility of devotional service and the importance of

The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) is set to host a special hybrid screening of Nature’s IQ, a visually striking documentary that blends science, philosophy, and art. The film is based on the award-winning book Nature’s I.Q.: Extraordinary Animal Behaviors That Defy Evolution by Īśvara Kṛṣṇa Dāsa (Dr. István Tasi) and Balázs Hornyánszky, and is directed by Kristina Danka, Ph.D. (Krishna Lila Devi Dasi).

Scheduled for Saturday, September 27, at 1:00 PM EST, the event will take

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi,

ISKCON Australia’s Women’s Minister, Krishnarupa Devi Dasi (ACBSP), was recently invited to serve as a faith-based project advisor for the “Faith as a Strength: Prevention of Violence Against Women” initiative. The program, launched by Australia’s peak body for preventing violence against women, Our Watch, in collaboration with the Nossal Institute for Global Health at Melbourne University, brought together religious leaders from diverse traditions to develop

As devotees, we don't realise the great fortune of being able to wear the attire of a Vaishnava, apply Tilak on our forehead, wear Tulsi beads on our neck, chant the Holynames of Krishna, associate with His wonderful devotees, engage in His service, honour His prasadam, visit His holy dhamas, circumbulate Tulsi, see His holy deities, hear His Katha, participate in His festivals, read His words in the scriptures. These are by no way ordinary activities. These are blessings of an immeasurable kin

By Rama vigraha Dasa

From Back to Godhead

To say that most politicians are incompetent, and in many cases downright dishonest, isn’t very controversial. We’ve all read about their blunders, their tricks, and their schemes. So the aim of this article is not to give proof of their failure to bring about world peace and prosperity; it is rather to show that the root cause of their incompetence is selfish materialism, and that the remedy is the re- spiritualization of society through the worldwide

Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana) – Canto 2: The Cosmic Manifestation – SB 2.9: Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version
Verse – 33

aham evasam evagre
nanyad yat sad-asat param
pascad aham yad etac ca
yo ’vasisyeta so ’smy aham

Synonyms: aham — I, the Personality of Godhead; eva — certainly; asam — existed; eva — only; agre — before the creation; na — never; anyat — anything else; yat — all those; sat — the effect; asat — the cause; param — the supreme; pascat — at the end; aham — I, the Persona

From Back to Godhead

False Prestige heads a list of weeds, such as Lust, Greed, and Anger, that block the growth of the vine of Bhakti.

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita metaphorically describes love of God as a creeper, or vine. The following story is based on that metaphor.

I reared my head like a cobra, not to strike at someone but to catch the sun. Holding a jumbo glowing flower at the top of my green leaves, I dominated the garden with my presence.

My name is False Prestige, and I call myself an

Lord Kapila was very much satisfied by His mother’s questions because the answers stimulate one’s desire for liberation from the conditional life of material existence. Such questions are called apavarga-vardhanam.

Those who have actual spiritual interest are called sat, or devotees. Satam prasangat. Sat means “that which eternally exists,” and asat means “that which is not eternal.” Unless one is situated on the spiritual platform, he is not sat; he is asat.

The asat stands on a platform which

As part of  World Clean Up Day events around the world, the children of Gurukula – The Hare Krishna Primary School, located near Bhaktivedanta Manor, joined hands to care for their environment through a spirited community clean-up.

Organised by the school’s Eco Council, the initiative saw students aged 4–11 working together to tidy both the Gurukula grounds and the neighbouring Hilton Hotel car park. The Eco Council designed posters to promote the event, delivered a school-wide presentation on t

By Shyama Krsnapriya Devi Dasi 

The School of Rupanugas is offering three upcoming online courses in Hindi this fall to help deepen devotees’ spiritual understanding and strengthen teaching capacity within the movement. The ISKCON Disciples Course, Teachers Training Course 1, and Teachers Training Course 2 will all be conducted online, making them accessible to participants across India and beyond.

The ISKCON Disciples Course held from September 29 to October 3 is designed to help devotees bette

1.) First let us analyze what our relationship is with Vrndavana and then see how we can develop it. Lord Caitanya explained that these are the five most important aspects in devotional service, which if even a little bit performed, can quickly bring one to the stage of love of God.

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana, mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the