By Saroj Kumar Panda
Sri Jagannath is the Lord of the Universe. His Kitchen is considered as the largest and the biggest Kitchen in the world. It is situated south-east direction of the outer compound of Srimandir. The length of the Kitchen is 150 feet, breadth is 100 feet and height is about 20 feet. It consists of 32 rooms with 250 earthen ovens within these. Around 600cooks(Suaras) and 400 assistants serve here everyday for preparing Lord’s food.
These are three types of hearths in the Ki
On the 20th of June, 2023, the city of Jhenaidah in Bangladesh celebrated the three grand Ratha Yatra, a vibrant and significant event in the Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition.
Rath Yatra, the grand procession of Lord Jagannath, is a momentous spiritual event celebrated annually in the city of Jhenaidah, Bangladesh. Jhenaidah District, located in southwestern Bangladesh as part of the Khulna Division, holds special significance in the Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition due to its connections with renown
GBC Annual General Meeting (passed on February 11, 2023)
[Category] – Administrative Order
Whereas the GBC body has encouraged the establishment of continental committees (GBC Resolution 404/2002. Regional and Continental Governing Bodies)
Whereas North America has been designated as a ’Region’ with 5 ’Zones’ encompassing the United States and Canada.
Whereas the North American GBC members and other leaders have been functioning as a continental governance group prior to the 2002 resolution but
During the weekend of June 3-4, 2023, the Vaishnavas Care Team (Mexico) presented their Second Holistic Health Fair at the ISKCON Mexico City temple.
Vaishnava healthcare professionals and well-wishers participated in the two-day event by offering their skills to congregational members and guests from neighboring areas. Free services included reiki sessions, acupuncture treatments, physiotherapy, homeopathic treatments/demonstrations, medical check-ups by a physician, and dental care by a devo
By Thomas Haribol
This year, Surat witnessed the largest and grandest Rath Yatra in the past 25 years. “The city was filled with devotees rushing to catch a glimpse of Lord Jagannatha,” said Jagannath Damodar Das, “There was a very heavy rush throughout the path to see the Lords of the Universe on the chariot.” Surat is a district in Gujarat, India, about 180 miles north of Mumbai.
Lord Jagannath embarked on a 15 km-long journey with committed book distributors serving the enthusiastic crowds.
My beloved disciple Vrindavanesvari Dasi (Sylvia Ruth MacChambers) left her body in South Africa today at the age of 62. From the beginning, she was attracted to and attached to Srila Prabhupada, and I have no doubt that she will attain his lotus feet and blissfully continue her service to him.
Srila Prabhupada said that when a Vaishnava departs, we feel simultaneously happy and sad. We feel happy because we know the Vaishnava has gone to serve Krishna, but we feel sad because we will miss the
I was rather agitated by one dude waiting at the area at gate B3 playing his rap music quite loudly. I wasn't the only one. Others expressed some dissatisfaction with eyes rolling and blank looks. Everyone is just too kind to correct.
The five-hour flight to Vancouver was cool. The plane fully occupied with 200 passengers became a bedroom. Apart from the pilot, assistant, and flight attendants, all were fast asleep. I was one of them who entered The Twilight Zone. No loud music to disturb.
Muku
Part one: THE OPULENT ANSWER
Many devotees ask how we are to understand the Ulta, or Bahudha return Ratha-yatra in Jagannath Puri? If (as Gaudiya Vaishnavas state) we consider the Gundica-yatra, or Ratha-yatra to respresent the ecstatic emotions of the residents of Vrindavan taking Krishna home from Kuruksetra. How do we then understand the return Ratha-yatra?
Is it a festival celebrating taking Krishna away from Vrindavan?
There are two sides, two answers, that can be offered to this question.
The Rathayatra often falls in the summer season of May-June each year and Puri becomes a vibrant scene of crowd attraction during the festival. Perhaps a million plus gather to witness the tumultuous event. This is one of the ancient festivals in Bharatam and a place of huge crowd attractions like the Kumbha-mela, Makara-sankranti, and Pongal festivals. The Rathayatra festivities are organised and financed mainly by the Government of Orissa. As said, during the Rathayatra, the three Deities are
Interviews with many Western devotees glorifying Srila Prabhupada and our gratitude that Prahupada has so kindly given us this wonderful JAGANNATHA RATHYATRA FESTIVAL to celebrate.
A grand celebration of the Jagannath Ratha Yatra was held in Chandai Kona, Sirajganj, under the guidance of His Holiness Subhaga Swami Gurumaharaj. The auspicious occasion of the Rathayatra festival brought together devotees to celebrate the divine presence of Lord Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra Maharani.
HG Haridev Prabhu, a disciple of HH Subhag Swami, wholeheartedly tried his best to bring together people from all walks of society to seek Jagannath’s mercy. This festival took place for th
One of the temples that Srila Prabhupada established is situated close to the US capital city, Washington DC. It is a place of worship where people from all backgrounds can go to learn about and practise bhakti-yoga.
I wanted to visit some of the temples where Srila Prabhupada stayed. He spent one week in Potomac in 1976 and it was important for me to see the property and make a film about what I experienced. I had a pleasant stay, meeting some of the devotees there.
Now, many years later, the
By Niranjana Swami
From a lecture at Towaco, New Jersey, on June 11, 2023:
We had a retreat in Ukraine recently. We could not call it a festival because people would wonder why we were having a festival during a war. It was called the Nitai Gauranga retreat, and 1,300 devotees attended. It was at a ski lodge in a beautiful place in the Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine. The devotees were so happy to see each other, being so much separated by the war.
There is a lot of conflict going on in
By Atma Tattva Das
Jalangi Devi Dasi, a prominent figure in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in South Africa, is making waves as a female manager and advocate for women empowerment and youth mentorship. With a passion for education and a commitment to nurturing the next generation, Jalangi is paving the way for positive change in her community.
Jalangi’s journey in ISKCON spans over 25 years, during which she has actively participated in various roles and responsibil
By Ananda Tirtha Das
The 2023 GBC’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) was only partially completed during the February gathering
in Mayapur. The three resolutions linked below were passed at the February meetings, reviewed by the
SABHA, and are now being published. The titles of the three resolutions are: Amendment to Deputies Duties 2023, Informed Decision-making by GBC Members is a Solemn Duty, and Formation and Recognition of the North American Governing Body.
The AGM will continue online using
Our cast for the summer drama, Big Fish Little Fish, went over the script which we pulled off the shelf from the January 1st performance. We encountered some rough edges but concluded that we'll be okay.
This was followed by a zoom class on some verses on the Gita, chapter five. Krishna is saying here that we must be like a lotus – on the water, but not getting wet. It’s great to see some young folks coming on board with these discussions which are thoughtful.
Once our chat concluded, I asked C
By Thomas Haribol
Thursday, June 22–Anuttama Dasa, ISKCON’s Global Minister of Communications, participated in a White House gathering this morning of several thousand guests—mostly Indian-Americans—when US President Joseph Biden welcomed India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official visit.
Prime Minister Modi and President Biden both offered remarks after witnessing marching bands and a 21-gun salute on the White House South Lawn. Both leaders stressed the values shared by their two cou
By Radha Mohan Das
Krishna Consciousness Society (KCSOC) is a youth project associated with ISKCON Pandava Sena, running societies to share Krishna Consciousness at universities across the UK. One such KCSOC is based at University College London (UCL), a leading multidisciplinary university ranked #8 in the world.
This year, during the annual Societies’ Awards 2023, UCL KCSOC was awarded the Bronze Society Development Award by Students’ Union. This was a result of their excellence in all of the
On the 12th June 2023 one devotee, Bhakta Max moved back into the ISKCON Kherson Temple. His mission is Biblical, he has to clean up over two tonnes of rubbish and restore the Temple to its former glory. Max is from Kherson and is in no illusion about the dangers of material existence — padam padam yad vipadam
Over a year ago the devotees had to leave their beloved Temple due to the war. Soldiers from the Russian Army occupied the Temple and used it as their base. The war has raged in Kherson s
