The travels which began on Sunday night are not over. The waiting, the sitting, seems endless. However, I have my japa beads to cling onto, and that is what sustains me. Finally, after four airports, three countries and a lot of patience, I met with Guyanese devotees, Prabhupadev and Sanjay, at the Ogle Airport.
The sun also greeted me with a 27 degrees Celsius temperature, a stark difference from the low minuses of Alberta. Once reaching the Nimai Nitai Study Centre in Georgetown, I indulg
Hare Krishna! On 2 Feb 13, Sat is the Disappearance Day of Sri Jayadeva Goswami, a great devotee of Lord Sri Krishna, poet and composer of Dasavatara-stotra, a poetic glorification of Lord Krishna’s main incarnations.
SRI JAYADEVA GOSWAMI
&
“SRI CHAMPAHATTI”
AT “SRI KOLADVIPA” ISLAND OF SRI NAVADVIPA-MAYAPUR DHAMA
SRI SRI GAURA-GADADHARA
The beautiful life-sized Gaura-Gadadhara Deities at Champahatti were installed and worshiped by Dvija Vaninatha, the younger brother of Gadadhara Pandita. They
Shri Jayadeva Goswami appeared in either the eleventh or twelfth century of the Shaka era. There is a difference of opinion about his place of birth. The majority opinion holds that he was from the village of Kendubilva, presently in the district of Birbhum. Others claim that he was born in either Orissa or South India.
Kendubilva is situated about twenty miles south of Siuri on the banks of the Ajaya River. In the Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhana, it is stated that Jayadeva found his Radha Madhava
On New Delhi Television (NDTV), a panel of three experts, including Yudhistir Govinda Das, the National Director of Communications of ISKCON India, discussed the impacts of the Ayodhya Temple on India’s future, especially in terms of religious tourism.
Founded in 1988, NDTV is one of the most watched and respected news networks in India and a leader in online programming. NDTV noted in the segment that international brokerage firm Jefferies predicted in a recent report that the Ayodhya Temple c
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
The inaugural celebrations of the New Navadvip Dham from December 22-25, 2023, coinciding with Gita Jayanti and the 10th anniversary of the Sadhu Sanga Retreat, was a huge success.
The event embraced a familial ambience leaving an indelible mark on the 150 participants, including prominent local residents. The highlight of the event was cooperation among devotees. Govinda Caran Das, one of the organizers of the Sadhu Sanga Retreat said, “The response was overw
Patience was tested with airlines. “Delay” was the common word. Passengers even made their way to board the plane. We sat for two hours inside with a promising “ready to go” when (out of the blue) we were assigned to “deplane” and “come back later.” I was quite impressed with people’s tolerance level. There is always something to be learned from others and it doesn’t always come out of a book or one’s personal guru. Messages are heard (or should be heard) from all angles. God, as guru, is every
By Atma Tattva Das
In a heartwarming celebration marked by devotion and unity, the Panca Tattva Mandir in Fond Du Sac, Mauritius, recently witnessed the auspicious installation of new deities, a significant milestone inspired by the vision of Srila Prabhupada that propels the temple into a new era of spiritual prominence.
The initiative to install the Panca Tattva Deities at the temple dates back to a visit by Srila Prabhupada to Mauritius on October 1, 1975. He expressed a dream that Mauritius
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Mayapur Clean & Green, an environmental initiative led by Murari Mohini Devi Dasi, has embarked on a mission to strategically position 108 Mayapur Clean and Green recycle bins throughout the whole of Mayapur.
MC&G has already successfully placed 20 bins around the Holy Dham. Murari Mohini said, “Every home, every shop, every building needs to have one of these bins. It should be available in all the ghats of Mayapur, including all the homes and buildings.”
Beg
On 17th January, Prabhupada Prana Das, Temple President of the ISKCON Karuna Bhavan temple in Lesmahagow, Scotland, met with Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf along with other representatives of the Scottish Hindu Foundation (SHF).
According to its website, the SHF “is dedicated to preserving and promoting the vibrant tapestry of Hindu culture in Scotland…[bridging] the gap between the Hindu community and the wider Scottish society, fostering understanding and cultural exchange.”
The meeti
This was the first morning of another semester of bhakti training with the group, Bhakti Academy, a successful venture for mostly younger folks. Venkatesh is from South India, and has taken these semesters very seriously, to the point where, in addition to taking an administrative role in the temple, he also had the strong desire to change the colour of his cloth to saffron, affirming his celibacy.
Just before my departure for the airport to destination Calgary, I handed over to him his new
ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor’s Temple President, Visakha Dasi, joined 21 other senior faith representatives and those in the field of education from across Hertfordshire County for a special interfaith event. They each signed what is called the “Hertfordshire Faith Covenant” which included a shared set of principles that will shape engagement between faith communities and public services in the area. According to a report by Radha Mohan Das, the Manor’s Communications Officer, “It aims to promote
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
The Mayapur Community Hospital is a testament to physical well-being and a beacon of holistic healing, transcending the conventional realms of medical care. Here are some of the updates on the phenomenal developments in the hospital including new staff, state-of-the art equipment, website, digital records, donation options, construction updates, and more.
Going Digital with Patient Care
Following an initial pilot program, The Mayapur Community Hospital has now
By Atma Tattva Das
In the face of Cyclone Belal’s imminent threat to the island of Mauritius, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Mauritius assures that all devotees are safe and sound, with no reported damage to any of their temples or centers. Unfortunately, the cyclone has claimed the life of one Mauritian motorcyclist, and significant flooding has been reported in the capital city, Port Louis, and other parts of the island.
Srinjay Das, the Director of ISKCON Public
When I told our Gita Chat Zoom Group that we were enjoying a climate of minus thirty to forty degrees Celsius, they were in awe. “How can anyone feel comfort during such a cold snap?” you ask. Well, in such conditions of extremeness, one is more or less forced to be a bear. Yes, you hibernate for a stretch. I was able to do that with three heart-warming indoor programs, since coming here to Calgary. It’s a nice city, but beware, it has its chill factor for a short time. Two very well-attended p
From Back to Godhead
Personal Letters from Srila Prabhupada
As a genuine spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada takes personal responsibility for the advancement of each of his students in the spiritual life of Krsna consciousness. Although now his transcendental instructions are available in book form, when Srila Prabhupada first began the Krsna consciousness movement, the only way his new disciples could get the answers to their many questions was to ask Sri
17 January 2024- At their annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released a “Faith in Action” report to world leaders who are gathered at the iconic event. According to the WEF press release, the report “offers examples of businesses partnering with faith-based groups to support vulnerable populations and address the world’s interconnected crises.” Among the eight case studies highlighted in the report is a new partnership between the International Society for Kris
CNN-News18’s Aman Sharma reported live as the ISKCON Sri Rama Padayatra arrived in Ayodhya after a nearly 650 kilometer journey from Delhi which began last month. This extraordinary journey of the bullock cart pilgrimage, which began on December 10th, is just one part of ISKCON’s commitment to join many from around the world who are celebrating the opening of the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
At every stop along the 41 day journey, the Padayatra devotees organized Sri Rama Katha along with
I can’t help but keep to the theme of the extreme, weather-wise. The sun and snow cast a brightness but with -40 Celsius there exists a brutality that is hard to explain.
Indoors at the Radha Madhava Cultural Centre, we sat in warmth and comfort—all sixty of us—delving into the story of Narada. After a beautiful encounter with sages who spent four months of the rainy season at his home, his life was changed. Narada was just a young boy looked after by his mother. When she died of a snake bite,
By Rameshwar Tirth Das and Vasundhara Gupta
ISKCON Ayodhya distributes prasadam to over 100,000 visitors on the on January 15th, 2024, the occasion of Makar Sankranti. Vinay Bhushan Chaitanya Das, the director of “Food for Life,” quoted Srila Prabhupada’s iconic words that no onewithin 10 miles of an ISKCON Temple should go to bed hungry.
ISKCON Ayodhya prepared 12 pavilions across the holy dham, the most important being the one at the famous Lata Mangeshkar Chowk, also known as Veena Chwok.
As hundreds of thousands descend on Ayodhya for the grand opening of the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Temple on January 22, ISKCON has formerly inaugurated its festival tent in ceremonies and celebrations today in the presence or several senior ISKCON members.
The program commenced with invocation of mantras, offering of an arati to the Padayatra Deities of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada.
This was followed by the opening of the month long yajnashala (fire sacrifice). Later all the leaders
