(The Following article is based on a class given by Srila Narasingha Maharaja at Sri Sri Radha-Damodara Temple in Vrndavana on October 20th 2009)

In his illumination on the eighth verse of Sri Upadesamrta, Srila Sridhara Maharaja discusses faith in relation to what faith is and what it is not. This is the Vedic process of learning. When you learn about something you must also understand what it is not. Take gold for example – when you learn what are the qualities of gold, you must also learn what

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

In Krsna's instructions to Arjuna, He emphasizes duty both 
for the common man and for the self-realized soul.

sva-dharmam api caveksya
na vikampitum arhasi
dharmyad dhi yuddhac chreyo 'nyat
ksatriyasya na vidyate

"Considering your specific duty as a ksatriya, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and so there is no

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

TEXT 23

yotsyamānān avekṣe 'haṁ
ya ete 'tra samāgatāḥ
dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddher
yuddhe priya-cikīrṣavaḥ

SYNONYMS

yotsyamānān—those who will be fighting; avekṣe—let me see; aham—I; ye—who; ete—those; atra—here; samāgatāḥ—assembled; dhārtarāṣṭrasya—the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; durbuddheḥ—evil-minded; yuddhe—in the fight; priya—well; cikīrṣavaḥ—wishing.

TRANSLATION

Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

PURPORT

It was an open secret that Duryodhana wan

Toronto Sankirtan Story 2011 – EVERYONE Matters, Every BIT counts!

By Mahasundari Madhavi devi dasi

At the end of 2010, the Toronto Sankirtan Team set an ambitious goal to distribute a minimum of 35,000 books during 2011. This seemed like a tall task given that it was more than three times the number of books distributed in the whole of 2009! But as Srila Prabhupada emphatically said, “Impossible is a word in a fool’s dictionary.” Devotees in Toronto truly imbibed that mood and endured extreme wea

Pliasaur

Varuna riding Makara that resembles Pliasaur

In Sanskrit 'Makara' is a word that means ‘sea dragon’ or ‘aquatic-monster,’ long thought to be a mythical creature in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Paintings and sculptures of this fantastical creature are found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and Japan — practically everywhere in Asia.

The Makara in India is known to be the vahana(vehicle) of Ganga-devi - the goddess of the river Gan

Have you met anyone in this world who wants to fail in an exam, or want to lose his job or want to meet with an accident?  Do we find anyone who boldly declares that “The goal of my life is to lead an UnHappy life”.

Have you ever wondered why everyone wants or struggles to be happy?  From a beggar on the street to a business magnate, everyone makes plan to ensure a happy and fulfilling life. Even small babies who do not know anything about “Being Happy” or “Being UnHappy” want to be happy.

What

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Life after life you have acquired a new material body automatically 
and naturally. Acquiring a spiritual body takes practice.

na tv evaham jatu nasam
na tvam neme janadhipah
na caiva na bhavisyamah
sarve vayam atah param

"Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings: nor in the future shall any of us cease to be." (Bhagavad-gita 2.12)

From this verse it is to be concluded that we are not going to

in hindi::--

HARE KRISHNA TO ALL:-

DAR PE SIR JHUKANA TU SEEKH LE BANDE..

EK DIN YE KAT JAYEGA..

ROYEGA TU AAGE..

AB TU JO AKAD DIKHAYE GA...

WAQT KO TU BADAL NHI SAKTA..

WAQT HI TUJHE SABAK SIKHAYEGA...

WAQT HAI USKE  (KRISHNA)  ISHARO PE CHALTA...

JISNE TUJHE BANAYA HAI....

TU USKO BHULEGA TO..

WAQT TUJHE YAAD DILAYE GA....

DAR PE SIR JHUKANA TU SEEKH LE BANDE..

EK DIN YE KAT JAYEGA..

ACHA KARLE BURA KARLE...

SABKA FAL TU HI PAYEGA

AAJ ACHAA KAR KAL ACHAA PAYEGA...

DAR PE SIR JHUKANA TU SEEKH LE BANDE..

EK DIN

The Best Years of my Life

By Svarupa dasa

The following is an interesting story I heard I would like to share with all the devotees -
“I first saw the devotees in 1967 on TV; I was in year eight at school and was immediately attracted. In 1970, while coming down from an acid trip, someone handed me a BTG. In 1971 I watched Srila Prabhupada arriving at Sydney also on TV and the next day was on my way to Sydney. Feeling unqualified, I went bush to mediate and chant Hare Krishna, I learnt the chant fr

The statements in the Bhagavatam and Mahabharata and the Puranas are all different historical incidents. Mahabharata is called, according to Vedic authorities, as the history of India. I do not know who first designated it as an “epic”. That is the cause of the fall down of Hindu culture. They did not believe in their Vedic literatures presented by Vyasadeva…

The facts that I am presenting in this article are nothing new. They have been presented many, many, many, times in the past and when I le

We are completely subjugated by of our senses. Our senses drag us in different directions and like a faithful servant we follow them.  Srila Prabhupada compares the material senses to a serpent. One cannot keep friendship with a venomous snake because it can kill us any time.  Similarly we should never keep friendship with our senses because it can cheat us and degrade us at any time. It is very difficult to control senses. Although we may succeed in controlling it for sometime but soon we get v

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Speaking about Bhagavan Sri Krishna is difficult because He transcends thought and word. Krishna is that truth, unable to explain which, thoughts and words return defeated. He is pure knowledge, pure bliss, pure love and the embodiment of *Vedic Dharma* —yet He is beyond all this as well.

Sri Krishna lived on this earth 5,000 years ago, but His message and work have equal importance in the present and the future. The rea

tapta-kancana-gaurangi
radhe vrindavanesvari
vrishabhanu-sute devi
pranamami hari-priye

I offer my respects to Radharani, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vrindavana. You are the daughter of King Vrishabhanu, and You are very dear to Lord Krishna.

23rd September, is the glorious celebration of a special event, although it occurs annually. Every year it fills the hearts of the devotees with effervescent joy – The build up to another year of pomp and festivity, and

KRISHNA: HISTORY BEHIND THE MYTH

By N.S. Rajaram

Historical Krishna: a rational approach

            Having set the stage for our search by clearing some of the debris accumulated over a century and half, let me next take a look at the records that are available to us, and define also the problem of the Historical Krishna as I see it. The first point to note: I don't think it is advisable to try to decide the date of Krishna — or of the Mahabharata War — based on any single record. For instance, s

Memorial for "Mr. Rathayatra" - by Devamrita Swami

A memorial for the great ISKCON devotee Jayananda Prabhu, "Mr. Rathayatra," who departed in 1976 at the age of 38, has been a discussion topic at the GBC meetings in Mayapur. As Haridas Thakur wanted to leave this world before Mahaprabhu, so Jayananda, a master of selfless service and sacrifice, wanted to leave this world before Srila Prabhupada.

Kesava Bharati Maharaja tells how during the intense weeks preceding a San Francisco Rathayatra, he

Invisible all the year but visible once a year: The divine feet of Srimati Radharani

Radhastami, the appearance day of Srimati Radharani, was celebrated with great fanfare at Iskcon, Kolkata on 23^rd Sep, 2012. Devotees in large numbers started assembling in the temple since morning on this auspicious occasion. The program began with Mangala Arati at 4:30 a.m. Radhastami is the only day in the entire year when the devotees get an opportunity to take darshan of the beautiful lotus feet of Srimati