[Stephen Knapp News List] Ramayana Sites in Sri Lanka

Ramayana Sites in Sri Lanka
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki and an important part of the Hindu canon. One of the most important literary works of ancient India, the Ramayana consists of 7 chapters (Kanda), and narrates the story of Rama’s wife Sita being abducted by Ravana, the demon (Rakshasa) king of Lanka.

According to the Ramayana, King Ravana brought Sita Devi from India in a "Pushpaka Vimana" wh

International Vaisnavi Retreat, February 20-24, 2013

Dear devotees,

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

On behalf of the Vrindavana Institute for Higher Education, I am heartily inviting you to take part in the upcoming third International Vaisnavi Retreat, to be held at the foothill of Sri Giriraja Govardhana from February 20 to 24, 2013.

We have organized this year’s schedule so it includes Sri Nityananda Prabhu’s appearance day festival. Thus the theme of the ret

"Om Dhamodharayae Vidhmahe
Rukmani Vallabhaye Dheemahe
Tanno Krishna Prachodayaath !"

LORD KRISHNA WITH ARJUNA
[KRISHNA SHOWING HIS UNIVERSAL FORM TO ARJUNA]

The innermost narrative kernel of the Mahabharata tells the story of two sets of paternal first cousins--the five sons of the deceased king Pandu (the five Pandavas) and the one hundred sons of blind King Dhritarashtra (the 100 hundred Dhartarashtras --who became bitter rivals, and opposed each other in war for possession of the ancestral Bha

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada'

My Dear Gopala Krishna das,

Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated August 30th, 1969 with enclosure of your money order check for one hundred dollars Canadian. Another check for fifty-five dollars for my book fund was not enclosed. I think you are sending it by separate mail. If you have not sent it as yet, you can deposit it in The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce at Sherbrooke and Aylmer Branch. I have got a savings account there under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swa

Bhakti is transcendental even to mukti. People generally consider dharma artha kama moksa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Adi 1.90]. In the beginning dharma, artha, economic development, kama, sense gratification, then moksa, merging into the supreme one. But bhakti is above that. Siddher gariyasi. It is above mukti. Mukti is not very much important thing for a bhakta.

So that is our mission. This Krsna consciousness movement is that we are simply trying to convince people what Krsna has said, that's all. We are

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada'

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada'

Once there was an old man and a young boy who were traveling with a donkey.
The young man was leading the donkey and the old man was riding on the donkey.
When they passed through a small village, some of the townspeople yelled abuse,
"Look at this old man taking advantage of this poor young boy!  What a rascal!"

After they had passed through the village, the old man said, "We had better swap
over, otherwise they will abus

War and pious deeds have often come together at this ancient North Indian site.

KURUKSHETRA, about one hundred miles north of New Delhi, is best known as the place where the great battle of the Mahabharata was fought and Lord Krsna spoke the Bhagavad-gita. But long before that, Kurukshetra had played a dominant role in the history and culture of ancient India. For thousands of years it was a hub around which the Vedic civilization spun in its full glory. Kurukshetra's religious importance is desc

Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said who is guru. He asked everyone to become guru. His mission is that people are suffering all over the world for want of this Krsna consciousness, or God consciousness. That's a fact. So He is advising everyone, especially those who are born in India,

bharata-bhumite haila manusya-janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara
 [Cc. Adi 9.41]

That is His mission. He is requesting every Indian, every Indian, because they have got the facility for understanding what is Bh

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada'

*Bhakti* (Devotion) is the easiest path to attain God-realization . Fixing the mind on your Ishta-devata and chanting His *Namam* ( names) constantly will lead to God .

Gandhiji is a good example . Though, he did not receive any formal spiritual education from a Guru, young Gandhi  followed his family tradition and chose Bhagavan Sri Rama as *Ishta-deva* . He  started reciting *Rama-namam* continuously  .  This practice

8.29.2004
Tuesday, August 29, 1967   Vrindaban, India

My dear Hamsaduta,

Please accept my blessings. Thank you for your recent letter.

I am glad to know that you are comfortable in Boston, and that you are engaging your energy there in making nice Krishna prasadam. I am also very pleased to know that Himavati is definitely going to have a baby. It is a very wonderful thing, and surely Krishna will bless your home with His presence, as both you and your wife and His sincere servants; The best prepa

Basically, brahmacarya means celibacy.

karmana manasa vaca
sarvavasthasu sarvada
sarvatra maithuna-tyago
brahmacaryam pracakshate

“The vow of brahmacarya is meant to help one completely abstain from sex indulgence in work, words, and mind—at all times, under all circumstances and in all places.” (-Yajnavalkya-smriti, as quoted in Bg. 6.13-14)

There are eight aspects of brahmacarya, as described in Shridhara Swami’s commentary on Shrimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.12:

smaranam kirtanam kelih
prekshanam guhyabhashana

क्या केवल कौशल्या के लाल है राम ?

क्या केवल दशरथ के राजदुलारे है राम?

क्या केवल लखन, शत्रुघन व भरत के भ्राता है राम?

क्या केवल वशिष्ठ के शिष्य है राम?

क्या केवल अहिल्या  के उदधारक है राम?

क्या केवल सीता के करुनानिधान है राम?

क्या केवल हठी केवट के तारक है राम?

क्या केवल शबरी के जूठे-बेर के भूखे है राम?

क्या केवल हनुमत के अतुलित बल के दाता है राम?

क्या केवल सुग्रीव, निषाद व विभीषण के मित्र है राम?

क्या केवल रावन व कुंभकरण के संघारक है राम?

....

राम है हर माता की चाहत।

राम है हर पिता की विडम्बना का सहारा।

राम है

A Sincere Soul

I saw a girl sitting on the grass and studying and was going to approach her, but for some reason I talked to some other people instead. Yet I felt that Krishna really wanted me to offer her a book. The people I talked to took books, which ended up being the last books I had in my bag. However, later that day when I had more books I saw her again, and she waved at me to come and talk to her. I proceeded to say hello and offer her some books and she joyfully introduced herself and t

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada'

"The Journey of Self Discovery"

Hare Krishna

Part one of a six session course about the essence of spirituality and its scientific basis. Learn about the scientific understanding of existence of soul, and spiritual dimension of life.

All are invited for this course about spiritual dimension in our life. This seminar is meant for everyone, young and old. The soul has no age or gender! It is neither Hindu, nor Muslim, nor Christian. Soul is part of God, and God is for everyone. So everyone is welcome

जन-जन को जो अपनी ओर कर्षित कर ले वो है कृष्ण।

जात-पात का भेद जो मिटा दे वो है कृष्ण।

दुष्ट पूतना को भी जो माँ के समान आदर दिला दे वो है कृष्ण।

जन-मानस की पीड़ा को मिटाने के लिए जो गोवर्धन का सारा

गोचारण कर जो गोमाता को देवतुल्य दर्जा दिला दे वो है कृष्ण।

विधाता को भी जो सच्चा ब्रह्मज्ञान करा दे वो है कृष्ण।

आओ हर एक के ह्रदय में कृष्ण भाव जगाये, विषय-वासना रूपी कंस का मर्दन कर मन को निर्मल बनाये।।

द्रोपदी की लाज बचाकर जो दुष्ट दुसासन को लज्जा का पात्र बना दे वो है कृष्ण