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Naturally, during the course of a month, I think about my biological family. Surving are five siblings. In order of age they are Connie, Jerry, Rose Ann, and set of twins, Paul and Pauline. I am the oldest. When there is a birthday among us, we share in a congratulations over the phone. We talk silly at that time. What’s unique about us is that we are all a year or a year-and-a-half apart from each other, so in our time growing up together, we were quite close in our dealings with each other. T

The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Africa (BBT) hosted the 10th Annual Bhaktivedanta Swami Lecture, presented in honour of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), the founder of ISKCON and the BBT. His literary contribution continues to be appreciated by global audiences for his Vedic commentary on national priorities like education and leadership.  The lecture premiered today, August 30th, on YouTube.

This year’s Bhaktivedanta Swami Lecture focuses on AI, Humanity, and God

In this video, His Holiness Bhakti Rasamrita Swami speaks about Transcend, an all-in-one app that allows devotees to access the teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada at their fingertips.

With over 8,000 hours of audiobooks and 600+ spiritual eBook titles in 11 languages, Transcend offers the right path to anyone interested in learning more about Krishna consciousness. The user-friendly app interface makes spiritual learning convenient than ever before. Whether you're

By Kaliarupa Jagannath Dasa

ISKCON Hamburg on the 19th August 2023, celebrated their Annual Rath Yatra Festival starting from Saturn, Mönckebergstraße. Amongst the participants were Sri Shashi Tharoor – Indian Member of Parliament & Smt. Soumya Gupta – Consul General of India in Hamburg, Germany. Sri Shashi Tharoor was ecstatic & shared “Delighted to participate in a Rath Yatra in Hamburg organised by ISKCON & do my share of pulling Lord Jagannath’s chariot through the neighbourhood! Smashed t

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

London Mellows is an annual kirtan festival organized by a committed team at ISKCON London for the temple congregation and the wider devotee community in the UK. This year the event was held on August 12th, 2023. In addition to UK-based kirtaneers, the event welcomed visiting kirtaneers, including Amala Harinama Dasa, Nadiya Mani Dasi, Ananta Gauranga Dasa, and Lilarani Gaurangi Devi Dasi.

The first London Mellows event took place in July 2016 as a special off

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

On August 25, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the temple president of ISKCON Greece, Dayanidhi Das. In the private conversation, which lasted about 15 minutes, Dayanidhi Das shared a copy of “Bhagavad-gita As It Is” in Greek and spoke about ISKCON’s initiatives and objectives in Greece and worldwide.

Prime Minister Modi applauded Dayanidhi Das in a tweet for spreading Indian culture amongst the Greek youth and his active participation in community

It was good to see a number of devotees come from the US and other regions of Canada to our temple. The draw is a guru and sannyasi who has been involved in our Canadian project of ISKCON for decades. His name is Gopal Krishna Goswami, and it was a joy to spend some moments alone with him in the guest quarters catching up on the latest goings on in the world.

Yet, the world is not in the best state. Wildfires tax us. Floods, hurricanes, and heatwaves are creating chaos. Disasters are displacing

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

The UN 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign aimed at addressing gender-based violence and promoting respect and fair treatment of women. From a Gaudiya Vaishnava perspective, the campaign emphasizes the importance of treating all individuals with respect and recognizing their inherent worth, regardless of material circumstances such as gender. In Bhagavad Gita 12.15, Krishna identifies those qualities that endea

Every year, a cherished tradition unfolds as the Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education’s staff, teachers, students, and guests unite to seek the blessings of Srila Rupa Gosvami by commemorating his Disappearance Day on August 26th and 27th at the VIHE.

VIHE is inviting devotees from around the world to join them for this auspicious event (in person at the venue or by joining us online), where we will engage in the recitation of slokas and astakas penned by Srila Rupa Gosvami himself. The pro

Radha Krsna Jhulan Yatra (or swing festival) starts on ekadasi of the waxing moon of Sridhara month. Many temples in Vrndavana celebrate Krsna’s swing festival, some for one day, others for more days.

Traditionally, many of the Deities of the Lord wear various clothing with green over this period until Balaram Purnima. It is a wonderful service for Their pleasure.

Monsoon season is humid and the temperature is hot despite the cooling rains. With so much water coming from the sky and just about

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