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By Atma Tattva Das

Toowoomba, QLD: In a jubilant display of spirituality and community camaraderie, the city of Toowoomba witnessed its first-ever International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Ratha Yatra Festival on July 22, 2023. Organized by Hare Krishna Toowoomba, the event drew over 900 participants from both Toowoomba and beyond, making it a resounding success and an occasion to remember.

The vibrant procession through the streets of Toowoomba, Australia, was a culmination of d

What is a sangha really all about? It has everything to do with brotherhood, sisterhood – family. It appears that this weekend’s program has succeeded in establishing a bonding between some really great people.

In addition to the seminars presented at the meditation hall, there was an organized kirtan scheduled in town, yet rains came that really deterred outdoor events. Yet, one local woman had arranged something called “Evolution” which drew a group of free-spirited people to a beautiful lot.

Padayatra reached Zaregaon on July 17, 2023. It’s a small village in Karmala Taluka and Solapur district. The villagers welcomed us with beautiful garlands. The roads were decorated with rangoli. One of our devotees named Panduranga Jadhav belongs to this village. He invited us for prasadam and prepared Maharashtrian puran poli, a very famous Marathi dish. In all festivals, Maharashtrians make Puran poli. It was offered to our Lordships and we all honored prasadam.

The next day we went for naga

By Krishna Premarupa Dasa

At the age of 70+, Srila Prabhupada travelled fourteen times around the world and planted seeds of devotion to Sri Krishna wherever he went. It’s described in Shastra that wherever a pure devotee places his Lotus Feet, that place turns into a place of pilgrimage (1).

Last weekend we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s first visit to Switzerland (2). Srila Prabhupada arrived at Zurich Airport on Sunday, April 1, 1973. From there, his disciples brought

The poet’s vision is “to see infinity in a grain of sand and eternity in an hour.” In much the same way, a person who ponders Lord Krsna’s words in Bhagavad-gita can see the Transcendence even in the daily affairs of this material world.

Case in point: a recent article reported that each year, 20 million Americans suffer sports injuries. It seems a large percentage of these mishaps occur to people thirty-five and older who refuse to recognize that their bodies are aging. One prominent doctor qu

In our quest for a meaningful and fulfilling existence, we often encounter internal conflicts. One such conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, arises when we find ourselves unable to follow through with what we inherently understand to be right. This state of incongruity can leave us feeling confused and unfulfilled, tarnishing our peace of mind. To illuminate the path towards overcoming cognitive dissonance, we turn to timeless wisdom and insights.

Understanding Cognitive Dissonance: A Divid

By Thomas Haribol

Last week, the Parliament of the World’s Religions (PoWR) gathered thousands of people of faith, spirituality, and ethical convictions to Chicago, USA, for their 2023 convention. This year’s theme was “A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights.” The historic gathering welcomed participants from around the world to the emblematic city where the first Parliament was held 130 years ago. 

It is one of the world’s largest inter-faith gatherings, with 6,500 participatin

After quite the lengthy journey our ride from Gananoque to the current location in Quebec, the duet called Mahapurna and I settled in a heavenly lot with lake and massive meditation hall, a centre for “The Art of Living” folks. The occasion is something that occurs annually as “Vaishnava Sangha”. Vaishnava refers to those loyal to Vishnu (God). Sangha is defined as seeking association. The devotees of Ottawa organized the function which is highlighted by presenters on the science of devotion.

B

Devotees often ask me, “If Krsna is really merciful towards His devotees, why do so many devotees seem to experience misery? I hear in all these lectures that Krsna is so merciful but I don’t experience it – I just had an accident!” Others tell me: “A good friend distanced himself from me,” or “This great devotee is dying from cancer, so how can we make a general statement that Krsna is merciful to His devotees? Maybe He is merciful to Srila Prabhupada, but not to me or those I know…” I would l

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare,

Padayatra in Nepal had started on January 19, 2021. Brahmacari Sahastranam dasa from Ukraine, who had been serving in Nepal for twelve years engaged in community and farm services lead the padayatra.

Another devotee,Premharinamdasa from Pune, Maharashtra, who had participated in the Dindi-yatra and served in Padayatra India, joined Brahmacari Sahastranam. Then Sahastranam Dasa had to go back to Ukraine. Then I by mercy of my spiritual master took up padayatra services. Some devotees joined in be

Cherie Dillon runs a butterfly sanctuary and teaching garden and is quite passionate in sharing her information on nature’s way of evolution from a caterpillar to a gorgeous butterfly. Krishna Kalam made his turn with the steering wheel in the driveway of the sanctuary when Cherie came out for an early morning breath. Arjuna, who was the other passenger in the vehicle, asked to go for a pee when Cherie responded, “Just go to the edge of the lot by the bushes. The acid will be good for attractin

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

Question: Namaste Swamiji. It is said that we should always associate with selfless people, and that’s very critical. Then, how should we interact with the people who are selfish? As you say, we should also love them as they are also part of God. So, if we are surrounded by such people, how should we act?
Radhanath Swami: By being a good example. Of course, if those people open their minds and hearts for us to speak to them about higher virtues and higher truths in life, then that is our servic

By Radha Mohan Das  

Bhaktivedanta Manor celebrated its 50th anniversary in style last weekend. Amongst a huge myriad of devotional activities, there was a grand procession of 14 beautifully decorated trained oxen across the centre’s 79-acre estate.

Her Grace Vishaka Dasi, current Temple President of Bhaktivedanta Manor, said, “We are absolutely delighted and deeply honoured to be celebrating 50 years of Bhaktivedanta Manor – this year marks a historic milestone for our Temple; from the extrao

As you take your seat with your family or friends in a restaurant, you expect to hear the above question. You may then ask for the menu card, or if you know exactly what you want you may proceed to tell the waiter what he is supposed to do.

Many of us think of a benign God in exactly the same way. We in India have a term for it – manokamana-pürti (fulfillment of mind’s desires). Many devotional songs (bhajanas), especially the modern variety, extol God as someone who fulfills all your material

In spite of the fact that everything comes from the Supreme Being, He is still aloof from it all. He does not disengage Himself from His eternal pleasure pastimes with His devotees in the spiritual realm. So, in the process of creating the material worlds, the Supreme expands Himself into various forms, which are His plenary parts. 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,

Active Listening

Adapted, with permission, from The Art of Teaching, by HG Bhurijana Prabhu

Who Owns the Problem?

The first step in trying to solve a problem is to identify who owns it, because you need to approach the situation differently if you own the problem or not. The owner is whoever is tangibly and concretely affected by the problem.

If the problem belongs to the other person, it is appropriate to listen, trying to understand exactly what is going on. If you own the problem, the counse