We are pleased to present the June 12, 2024 GBC Meeting Highlights Report. This report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the online GBC meeting highlighting the key topic discussed.
The meeting commenced with an invocation of prayers led by Bir Krishna Goswami, followed by a reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam (8.3.1) by Nrsimha Kavaca Das. The passage from the chapter titled ‘Gajendra’s Prayers of Surrender’ was read with its translation: “Thereafter, the King of elephants, Gajendra,
The Maritime pilgrimage goes on. Three cities covered today.
It started in Fredericton on the north side. My travel companion, Nityananda and I, hit a new trail which led us to the location where dozens and dozens of boys were at baseball practice, and at 8 in the morning. Not bad for sleep-in Sunday morning. These kids weren’t exactly attending church, but you could see they were serious about something of value – better than doing games on their devices.
They weren’t sure what to make of
It’s a general concern of devotees which we hear in many of the classes, forums and seminars on what can be the real key to balance one’s material and spiritual lives.
There is a very interesting statement made by famous French priest and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience but we are spiritual beings having a human (material) experience.” It’s true that because of our past conditionings, desires and lifetimes of karma, we are having a
From Back to Godhead
All conscious activity, whether in the course of duty or in defiance of duty depending upon the individual temperament is regulated by what Freud called the “pleasure principle.” Few will argue the fact that whatever action a living entity does, he does to produce a certain amount of pleasure in his life. With this in mind, we would like to consider what the highest form of pleasure the ultimate state of conscious existence may be.
From the teachings of Lord Krishna in The
By Paramatma Dasa
On Sunday, June 16, 2024, Mr. Robert Faucher, the United States Ambassador to Suriname, along with his wife, visited the Sunday Feast program at our ISKCON Temple at 459 Kwattaweg, Paramaribo, Suriname.
When Ambassador Faucher began his career in the US Foreign Service in 1985, his first post was Suriname. He returned to serve as the US Ambassador in January 2023. Recently, Faucher contacted the Temple to plan a visit to the Sunday Feast, coordinating the details with Harindu
Nityananda and I took that Trans Canada Trail, the other side, leading to that best of bridges for pedestrians, “The Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge.” Before arriving at that iconic thoroughfare, we were benefitting from the oxygen delivering trees on either of the trail’s side, which included of cedars, white pines, oaks, maples, birches – they were our companions.
It is surprising how well used this paved trail actually is. Mostly they are pedestrians. I would say that if you have the chance to wa
On this full-moon day, sixteen days before Ratha- yatra, Lord Jagannatha is bathed. He becomes sick and is confined to rest for fourteen days. He is then offered special care until He comes out for Ratha-yatra.
A special bath of Jagannatha takes place on the Purnima of Jyestha month to commemorate the appearance day of Lord Jagannatha.
On June 16th, 2024, ISKCON Finland celebrated its 40th anniversary as an officially registered religious society in the country. The Education Ministry of Finland registered Krishna-liike ISKCON Suomessa (ISKCON Finland) on May 9th, 1984. The Finnish yatra joyfully celebrated its 40+ years in Finland with their special guest, Dhirasanta Dasa Goswami. He is one of the founding fathers of ISKCON Finland, along with Smita Krishna Swami.
“We are very thankful to all the devotees who have served and
The ISKCON Ministry of Education will host its annual virtual Symposium of Education, “PAN America Mini-Symposium 2024,” on Friday, June 21st, 2024, at 6:00 pm CDT, for two hours only on Zoom, FaceBook Live, and YouTube Live platforms.
Those interested in participating can register for this event here.
This symposium will provide ISKCON educators and leaders around Pan America with another opportunity to connect with other educators serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission and expand their frame of
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
ISKCON New Mayapur temple, housed in a 100-year-old castle with an area of approximately 83 hectares, is receiving a much-needed restoration and renovation under the guidance of Temple President Locananda Das and Vice President Gandharvika Rai Devi Dasi.
One significant sustainability initiative at ISKCON New Mayapur is the implementation of a centralized heating system designed to operate on carbon-neutral principles. By utilizing fallen wood from the forest,
By Kamala Priya Devi Dasi
From June 6-9, 2024, over 20 youth leaders from 12 different countries gathered at the ISKCON Almvik Eco-village in Sweden for a transformative four-day seminar. The event focused on critical topics such as Child and Youth Protection, First Aid, and Security. Participants hailed from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Italy, France, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia, making it a truly international event. The seminar was organized by Kamala Pr
Setting a Good Example
We should concentrate on training the children up in Krsna consciousness, not so much formal academic educationa little reading, writing, mathematics, that’s allbut more by giving them facility to follow the examples of the older devotees in the regular Krsna conscious program.
Letter to Satsvarupa dasa, February 16, 1972
Let the children associate with the elders as much as possible in the routine Krsna conscious program.
Letter to Aniruddha dasa, February 16, 1972
The
On June 8, 2024, ISKCON Nairobi celebrated its 38th Annual Festival of Chariots, attracting over 2,000 participants from all walks of life. “The four-hour procession passed through the [capital city of Nairobi] with many onlookers joining in the vibrant Kirtan,” said Govinda Prema Dasa, Preaching Coordinator for East Africa. The festival ended with a sumptuous feast for all.
Celebrating over 50 years in Kenya, ISKCON has built meaningful relationships with many organizations in the vibrant cit
“The Krishna Capital Gate Centre was inaugurated with great enthusiasm and joy [on June 9, 2024 in Hainault, London]. This newly established centre marks a significant milestone in the efforts to support humanitarian aid and community service. The event was graced by the presence of the Mayor of Redbridge, Sheila Bain, who was the chief guest, Pushpita Gupta and Nav Johal the Councillors from Redbridge. We also had the presence of Dayal Mora Das, Temple President of ISKCON London, and Parasuram
On the north side of the St. John River in Fredericton is another stretch of the expansive TransCanada Trail. My heart always warms to see a sign indicating that I am on that very long trail of 28,000 kilometres from coast to coast. In this city it is rails-to-trails piece, relatively flat; the way I liked it.
Vyas, Nityananda and I met super-friendly folks, to the exception of one young man on a bike, headphones and all, on a road rage. As for as he was concerned, we didn't exist, although
Hare Krsna devotees🙏 Dandavat Pranaam 🙇🏻 🙇🏻
HDG Srila Prabhupada has mentioned that ulu dhwani is Baikuntha Dhwani. It is widely performed in eastern part of India. Usually ulu dhwani is given by matajis. I Have a doubt that are prabhujis allowed to give ulu dhwani, if they are practiced to perform it nicely?
Sorry if I am doing an apraadh to ask this question 🙏🙇🏻
All glories to Srila Prabhupada 🎊 Hare Krsna 🙇🏻🙇🏻🙇🏻
From Back to Godhead
How the Gita teaches the eight steps of hatha yoga, the topic of Patanjali’s Yoga-sutras.
According to a survey by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, an estimated 13.4 million Americans practice yoga, and many more experiment with it every year. Yoga is everywhere—from Mumbai to Moscow to Monte Carlo. But while yoga is meant to bring one closer to God, many of today’s yogis have a different agenda, the most common being to keep their bodies in shape.
“They’re not
On Saturday, June 1st, 2024, the vibrant community of ISKCON Minnesota came together to launch their first-ever Monthly Sankirtan Festival at Minnehaha Falls, the largest park in Minneapolis.
“Minnehaha is a Lakota tribe word that means ‘waterfall or jumbling water.'” said Rama Kisora Dasa, a member of the community, “When sitting by the falls, I have always thought of it as ‘dancing water’ as I watch it spill down from above.” The 53-foot waterfall at the park attracts more than 850,000 visit
Just outside the city of Kazan in Tatarstan, a Muslim state in the Russian Federation, I was distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books near a market with a friend. We had planned to distribute for about three hours and then leave for lunch, but by the end of the third hour, I still hadn’t distributed a single book, so I started to pray.
Near us a few old ladies were selling knitted items and apples from their gardens. One of them—a small, elderly lady wrapped in a shawl—came over to me and started
It's morning time, 6am, and I'm noticing that all those young folks sitting cross-legged chanting on their meditation beads might just like my proposal to get out for a stretch and continue with their japa meditation.
"How many of you would you like to go for a japa walk?"
Spontaneously, I'see about a dozen of them spring off their mats and head for shoes. There we are, touching nature, breathing the best air, into a park's green and having a piece of each other. And that's what a brief, l
