The foundation stone has been laid for a historic new temple in Birnagar, the birthplace of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur!
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, born Kedarnath Datta, was a revered saint, scholar, and pioneer of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. A distinguished High Court judge in Jagannath Puri, he was also a deep devotee whose life was dedicated to reviving and spreading the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Among his many contributions, he was the first to present the profound philosop
In addition to walking and a home program in Oakville, I had been preparing for a Conscious Kirtan Workshop. Here are guidelines for chanting:
Hare Krsna! Like attracts like. As humans have souls, so to do monkeys, apes. gorillas, baboons all animals, insects, birds, fish, trees, and plants. God is complex hundreds times more than the body and he’s in everyone’s heart guiding their activities.
Why would the Creator make animals alive with emotion and the ability to feel pleasure or pain. Just for them to be alive - then die, vanish, disappear? There’s people out there who don’t believe human or animals have souls.. That would mean
Occasionally, I meet some bold fellow, tall, confident, seasoned, Jewish, who strikes a conversation like the one yesterday.
“I have a friend who was with Rajneesh, but you’re not one of those, right? You’re with Krishna?”
“That’s right!” He went on and on in a most jovial way about India and the Beatles. Then he finished with, “You can attain brahman (salvation). Brahman means spirit. Abraham!” He was trying to tie, linguistically, Hindi and Hebrew together, then left the conversati
There are various kinds of yoga; such as karma-yoga, based on purifying our activities; Jnana-yoga, based on acquiring spiritual knowledge and insight; Raja-yoga, the mystical yoga system; and Bhakti-yoga, attaining union with God through love and devotion. From these yoga systems, additional systems have also developed. But these four basic forms of yoga are all discussed in the primary and essential Vedic text of the Bhagavad-gita. But out of all of them, Lord Krishna specifically directs us
Picture a small Midwestern town: cold weather, silent streets, gray skies, and no crowds in sight—this is what many Krishna communities face. In such situations, how can they do sankirtan?
In Southeast Michigan, The Harmony Collective Team (THC) has discovered a radiant solution. For the past three months, they’ve brought Krishna’s message to psychic and holistic festivals across the Midwest, finding eager souls ready to embrace wisdom. These indoor gatherings have become a beacon for book d
Newly married Aksh and Gopika attend a Grihastha Vision Team Retreat in 2015.
Inspired by Krishnanandni Devi Dasi,* foundress of the Grihastha Vision Team (GVT), a young devotee couple, Aksh and Gopika Sharma, have launched Better Together – A Vaisnava Family Podcast. The new offering provides a much-needed platform for discussing marriage and family life within Krishna consciousness and aims to create a space for devotees to explore the realities of the grihastha ashram, weaving together insi
Jack Boken is the CEO of Happy Jack Yoga, established in Ontario. He is finishing up his degree in Harvard Divinity School, is a wonderful human being, and a practitioner of bhakti yoga, as well as a host of other genres of yoga.
Jack was kind to invite me into his broadcast this morning as a guest speaker where a series of speakers present their specialization in their brand of spiritualization. I have a number of areas that I dabble in when it comes to the spirit, but of interest to the
When it comes to making relations work for a lifetime, probably the most powerful and handy tool available is forgiveness. Every relationship goes through a patch where it begins to ferment from love to hate. The search is for a process that stops the fermentation from taking place.
When one embraces hate one forgets. When one embrace love one forgives. Hatred is like a storm. Every storm always begins with a small speck of dirt. Very soon the entire sky is engulfed with a dust tornado. Similar
I said to Sandip, “I read about a form of addiction that is increasingly being recognized by specialists as the world’s most widespread and least discussed form of addiction: sexual addiction.”
“Sexual addiction? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just as alcoholics don’t have control over their desire for alcohol, sex addicts don’t have control over their sex drive. Drug addicts, for instance, are not necessarily evil or criminal but are in the grip of a habit that makes them act irrationally an
Sridham Govinda Das, Bhakti Purushottam Swami, Braja Vilas Das and Subhekshana Das at the 9th Tribal Convention in Mayapur.
The 9th Tribal Convention, organized by the India Tribal Care Trust, was held in Mayapur from March 21 to 23, 2025. The three-day event witnessed the participation of hundreds of devotees from across India, bringing together 25 tribal communities, ISKCON leaders, and volunteers.
Deeply inspired by the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, the India Tribal Care Trust aims to upl
Gourangi Gandharvika Devi Dasi describes the Baisakh Month Challenge.
The Baisakh Month Challenge, organized by Bhakti Kids, an initiative of ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry, is set to begin from April 14 to May 12, 2025, inviting devotees of all ages to immerse themselves in a month of intensified devotional practice. Inspired by Jayapataka Swami, the challenge is part of a growing series of interactive spiritual programs created under the Bhakti Kids.
Speaking about the importance
Paul is staying with us in the ashram for a month, lives part time in Canada and part in Govardhan, India. He’s a filmmaker and has done some fine documentaries. Among other likes, he’s fairly bold at dipping like other polar bear dippers do, as well as walking.
Along with Karuna Sindhu and I, Paul took to a stroll through the iconic Annex of Toronto where homes are stately, typical of late 1800’s with that warm brick look. We ended up talking the whole way through and just didn’t get to that
From Back to Godhead
When Charles asked his son and daughter-in-law a Hare Krishna couple to move in with him, he knew he’d have to adapt, but his reward was more than he could ever imagine.
Charles was born in 1917. He grew into a man of courage and principles, serving his country in the U.S. Navy for twenty years and then the Civil Service for twenty more. Assigned to a submarine fleet during World War II, he saw his share of pain and suffering and, like many veterans, came to value a safe, s
Please Don’t Be a Blind Follower! What Does Blind Following Mean? Blind following means: “Oh, there is a swami. So many thousands of people are following. Let me become his disciple.” This is called blind following. You do not know what is that swami, whether he is a swami or a rascal. You do not know. But because everyone is going, “Oh, let me become his disciple.” This is blind following, without any knowledge, blind following. —Bg Lecture 4.34-39, Los Angeles, January 12, 1969. Everyone who
Gourangi Gandharvika Devi Dasi describes the Baisakh Month Challenge.
The Baisakh Month Challenge, organized by Bhakti Kids, an initiative of ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry, is set to begin from April 14 to May 12, 2025, inviting devotees of all ages to immerse themselves in a month of intensified devotional practice. Inspired by Jayapataka Swami, the challenge is part of a growing series of interactive spiritual programs created under the Bhakti Kids.
Speaking about the importance
At the 1st Annual Indian Community Association Forum held in Atlanta, Georgia, Svaha Devi Dasi (Dr. Sharmila Ford) was honored with the Prabasi Bharata Saman award for her outstanding contributions to cultural preservation and spiritual service. The Consul General presented her with the medal and certificate that the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, conferred during the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas 2025, held in Odisha. It is the country’s highest honor for Indians living overseas. The March 8th
Are birthdays important to celebrate in ashrams or monasteries? Some people might argue, “What is the use in honouring the body which is not our true identity and which is destined to die? The body is a mere bag of chemicals.” Of course, some folks in today’s world give glory to drugs and chemicals. Let’s have a party!
One thing to consider is that those who have given quality time in service to the Lord through the channel of the body, where it is not just perceived as a machine, but an
Written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami in 1958,
Published December of that Year in Gauḍīya Patrika,
The Magazine of the Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti.
Verse 1.
I am sitting alone in Vṛndāvana-dhāma
In this mood I am getting many realizations.
I have my wife, sons, daughters, grandsons, everything,
But I have no money so they are a fruitless glory.
Kṛṣṇa has shown me the naked form of material nature,
By his strength it has all become tasteless to me today.
yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ
“
Although narcissism is a broad subject, it is marked by an exaggerated self-importance and perceived superiority, abnormal levels of selfishness and entitlement, and extreme self-centeredness. Generally speaking, a narcissist is a person who thinks too highly of themselves and continuously feeds on the egotistic admiration from others, typically rooted in unresolved and exaggerated feelings of inferiority and shame. As a result, they often manipulate and exploit others to fuel their delusions
