(Excerpt from “Advancements of Ancient India’s Vedic Culture”)
By Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa)
When we talk about the planet’s earliest civilization, we are talking about the world’s earliest sophisticated society after the last ice age. This means that according to the Vedic time tables, various forms of civilization have been existing for millions of years. But the first record of an organized and developed society was the Vedic culture that arose in ancient India with the Indus Sa
A Vaishnava does not want to criticize anyone. For example, in Vrindavan, there was one very, very exalted Vaishnava.
One day, there was a mahotsava, a festival. Many people were invited. This person noticed that one Vaishnava was not there, so he questioned what happened to him.
Somebody said that he has done this and that, so we did not invite him. This very senior Vaishnava got up and started to walk to the door. When asked why he was leaving, he said, “For such a small little fault you have
Krishna is self-satisfied and does not need anything, but out of His mercy He will accept our offerings of love and devotion.
Krishna’s supreme opulence surpasses all description and comparison. Millions of goddesses of fortune serve Him in the spiritual realm. He is the supreme controller, the ultimate refuge, and the proprietor of everything. Yet, because of His love for His devotees, the all-powerful Lord accepts their loving offerings.
Krishna consciousness helps us recognize and reestablis
The purpose of this paper is to both establish the importance of the seva of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books as well as understanding the essence of the message in Prabhupada’s books which is the performance of devotional service, regardless of one’s role or place in society.
Firstly I would like to present my own personal reading resume: I have read the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta five times, the five-volume set of the unedited letters of Srila Prabhupada three times, the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is
ON DAYS SET ASIDE FOR SELLING Back to Godhead magazine, he packed copies in a cloth sack and boarded the morning train to Delhi. With nowhere to stay in Delhi he had to return to Vrindavan by evening, which gave him only a few hours of daylight. Sales were minimal and he did not always collect enough to cover costs. Some days, he made appointments with wealthy men to request support. A few responded with token donations for his cause. He befriended an Ayurvedic doctor who promised assistance. On
“Gone are the days of traveling in a van,
Of street corners, Santa suits and donation cans.
I had three different IDs and a wig or two,
Lord Chaitanya’s army – The brave and the few.
I went to jail, out on bail,
Our determination seemed never to fail,
Long time ago, when I was young,
My best years to serve were yet to come.
I loved it all and I don’t look back,
Except for humility that I did lack,
With whom I served, a lasting bond,
Enduring friendship, forever fond.
All your devotees sacr
Sulalita Devi Dasi, a dedicated member of the Hare Krishna Movement, has harmonized her spiritual practices with her creative talents. From her early days as a young devotee to her work as a poet and podcaster, her journey highlights how Krishna consciousness can transform lives and inspire artistic expression.
Early Inspirations
Sulalita’s creative path began in Moscow’s vibrant Krishna consciousness community during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Due to a civil war, her family had relocated f
Doves, deer, turkey vulture, and then there are sandhill cranes. One crane couple hung around the grounds. They are inseparable at the Veda Foundation. At one point, they got super excited to see one of their kind soaring in the sky. I can’t describe the noise they make, but it’s positive.
Purnachandra, the person maintaining the grounds and operations in general, conducted a maha-yajna in honour of Narasingha, the lion avatar. Sunday is the day for that. Remarkable about this outdoor yajn
73/08/18 London, Bhagavad-gita 2.12
By His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):
na tv evaham jatu nasam
na tvam neme janadhipah
na caiva na bhavisyamah
sarve vayam atah param
[Bg. 2.12]
“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.”
Srila Prabhupada: This is a very important verse. The modern scientists, philosophers, they say that after finishing this body, we no more exist
According to the shastra, the way to counteract the very deeply strong tendency for possessiveness in the grihastha life is to giving charity to the Vaishnavas and the brahmans, to the mission of the guru. According to the shastra, the first fifty percent you have give it to your guru’s mission. And then whatever else you have, maintain, that is the ideal standard. You never be possessive if you do that, because the first priority with whatever you get goes to Guru and Krishna. You cannot do fi
ISKCON Valsad, situated in Gujarat, India, celebrated the installation of Srila Prabhupada’s murti on December 21st, 2024. This milestone is not just a symbol of the temple’s expansion but a manifestation of the deep love and dedication of the local devotees, who have worked very hard to bring Srila Prabhupada’s presence to their community.
Over 450 devotees from across the country attended the installation ceremony, which was conducted by Jagadish Chaitanya Das, a head pujari from ISKCON Vrinda
This year, Manor celebrates a momentous occasion: the 40th anniversary of the Bhaktivedanta Players, one of its longest-serving departments. Drama has always been an integral part of Bhaktivedanta Manor’s services for its pilgrims. Closely intertwined with the Manor’s vibrant festivals – Janmashtami, Diwali, Gaura Purnima, Ramanavami, and many more – the Bhaktivedanta Players consistently deliver spectacular performances that entertain, educate, and captivate audiences of all ages.
You can read
My baggage of books I authored, The Saffron Path and The Walking Monk – Poems.1, was dispatched successfully, destined for Tampa from the Toronto Airport. In the line for security there was a long wait for the bins to arrive for our carry on. Once my goods got through, the buzzer alarmed, addressing my new bionic knees. I waited for quite some time for a male security to search me. Next, I went in queue for the US customs. It was a long lineup. I covered at least three rounds on my japa m
By Amy Fallon for sbs.com.au
For many devotees, the journey involving Krishna consciousness often begins with food.
“If you come here and you’re hungry, we’ll feed you – no problem,” says Ajita Cozzi, 57, the director of New Govardhana, a lush 400-hectare site that is Australia’s
largest Hare Krishna farm. It’s located in the village of Eungella in northern NSW.
Followers of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), founded in 1966, sometimes referred to their
movement as th
The rich theology of the Vedic literature can end speculative attempts to resolve the apparently contradictory concepts of predestination and free will.
Kimberly picks up a tape by a rock band known for its satanic image and clicks it into her Walkman. Putting on the earphones, she turns the volume way up.
“Maybe I was just made evil,” says Kimberly to herself. That leads to another thought. “Maybe some people are made good. Like Heather. Everything always seems to go right for Heather. G
atmaupamyena sarvatra
samam pasyati yo ‘rjuna
sukham va yadi va duhkham
sa yogi paramo matah
TRANSLATION
He is a perfect yogi who, by comparison to his own self, sees the true equality of all beings, in both their happiness and their distress, O Arjuna!
PURPORT
One who is Krsna conscious is a perfect yogi; he is aware of everyone’s happiness and distress by dint of his own personal experience. The cause of the distress of a living entity is forgetfulness of his relationship with God. And the ca
By Jack Dodson (Kala-Svarupa Das)
Many people today, whether they are part of ISKCON or not, believe that while the Vedic tradition is full of spiritual knowledge, technical material knowledge is either absent or inaccessible to the modern person. In his essay collection, Vedic Mathematics and the Nature of Time, Vasyl Semenov (Dvija Govinda Das) systematically takes us through mathematical aspects of the Vedic tradition that are equivalent to the techniques in the Western World, and in some ca
I have never seen such a large pool of blood within the confines of our walls at 243 Avenue Road. Our head priest (pujari), Brahma, entered the temple at 3:40 AM, and when he reached the bottom of the stairs, a blood vessel burst at the base of his leg.
Fortunately, our young men of the Bhakti Academy assisted him, cleaned him, and hurried him to Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment and advice. Brahma then returned when the Academy head, Visahka, and her husband, Punya, drove him back home.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s instructions come to the aid of those of us who shudder at the mention of the word “surrender.”
Growing up, my older brother and I would sometimes get into physical fights. I can’t remember what we would fight about, but a few times a month when my parents weren’t home we would end up in a skirmish. He would often bend my arm behind my back, telling me to surrender by saying “uncle.” I would scream and push and stomp until the pain would become unbearable. Then I would ye
