Blog

By Thomas Haribol

The North European BBT has released its annual report for 2022, highlighting the expansion of both distribution and printing, as well as informative features on devotee service, preservation projects, translation efforts, and digital initiatives.

Some highlights from the report include:
– A significant 27% increase in the number of books distributed. 1,395,513 in 2021 to 1,836,891 in 2022. That’s the highest annual number in almost 25 years.
– The top five distributing countri

By Atma Tattva Das

In a transformational initiative to bridge spiritual healing and personal growth, the Bhakti Recovery Group (BRG) is gearing up to host an empowering convention in Alachua on September 23-24th. Rooted in the principles of Bhakti yoga and the 12-step recovery process, this event aims to provide devotees with the tools and training they need to establish and sustain their support group meetings held online and in-person worldwide. With its unique approach, the BRG addresses the

I rose earlier than the rest of the gang. This way I get my rounds of japa in for chanting the maha mantra. I made my way to Pebble Beach in Marathon. A red fox walked parallel to me on the trail next to mine in the woods. A local man came on the trail the fox was on. The fox was not for meditation, but for food. He put his snout to the ankle of the man who then kicked the animal away.

Back at the hotel where we stayed and began loading the vehicle, out came Rene, a cyclist. He started his jour

By Atma Tattva Das

In a world driven by specialization, some individuals break the mold, embracing multiple passions and roles to enrich their lives and communities. Damodara Katha Das, a spirited soul residing at the Gita Nagari Eco Farm, is a remarkable example of such a modern-day Renaissance man. With an intriguing journey and a tapestry of talents, he has seamlessly blended traditional spiritual practices with diverse skills, embodying a multifaceted life dedicated to service and devotion.

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

An enthusiastic preacher of Krishna Consciousness and disciple of Srila Prabhupada, Subhangi Devi Dasi, left her body on the morning of August 6, 2023, in Sri Dham Mayapur. Her final rites were held on August 8, 2023, following the arrival of her son from Germany.

A very dedicated servant of Srila Prabhupada, she used to enthusiastically preach at the entry of Srila Prabhupada’s Pushpa Samadhi by distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books despite suffering from Par

With the tiny bit of trekking that I did on the prairie frontier this morning, I noticed some heads turn. A monk is not a usual sight on this expansive landscape. On our return to large Winnipeg from Brandon, the space of infinity is obvious whether viewing from a car or on foot; you feel tiny but free in a certain kind of way. About the only thing that protrudes out of the horizon is a low level of trees and the occasional grain elevator.

Apart from the drive back to Winnipeg, it became a mix

Most of us will have children at some point in our lives. Nowadays people have a fear of having children, but when they come, very few regret it. In the Vedas is explained that happiness (even in a material sense) comes from performing our duties, not from running from them. We can see that in the Bhagavad-Gita Arjuna wanted to avoid his duty to fight, but Krsna warned him that it would just bring him frustration. Similarly, begetting and educating children is one of the main duties for someone

From my book I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story:

On August 15, Indian Independence Day, some of the tenants assembled in the garden at noon, stood in silence for a minute before the small statue of Gandhi, and then proceeded with their annual celebration—garlanding the statue, hoisting the flag, singing the national anthem, and distributing sweets.

“Where is the question of independence?” Prabhupada challenged as Hari-sauri gave him his massage on the balcony adjoining his bedroom. “We are

By Thomas Haribol

The Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education (VIHE) will offer an Online Cosmology Seminar from September 24-October, 9, 2023. The instructor for this informative offering will be Giridhari Dasa (Dr. Tiziano Valentinuzzi). 

Giridhari holds a Ph.D. in Astronomy from Padua University (Italy) and has studied Vedic scriptures for nearly 30 years. His extensive research on Vastu, Vedic Sciences, and Bhakti Yoga has been conducted under the spiritual guidance of Radhanath Swami. He

The Institute of Science and Spirituality (ISS)- the Indian Knowledge Systems Centre of ISKCON Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and Central Sanskrit University (CSU) Delhi are organizing a two-day international conference on “Philosophy of Vaiṣṇava Vedānta: Culture, Legacy and Traditions” to be held August 26-27th, 2023.

Vaiṣṇava Vedānta is the largest Hindu philosophical school, known for its devotion to Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, and as such, was a key to the spread of the Bhakti movement in th

Gaurav and I took to the river trail along the Assiniboine that led to 'The Forks' where that river converges with the Red. But while water flows in these two forces, so little H20 has come from the skies in days. The prairies need the rains. Will they come?

The three energies that are so much spoken of in the Bhagavad-gita are very evident in all aspects of life. As we paced along, we were noticing that when greeting people, each pedestrian displayed one of those three modes – either goodness,

From Back to Godhead

Is life meaningless until we give it meaning?

A young woman from South Africa, where I live, is a candidate for the Mars One project, the brainchild of a Netherlands-based group hoping to set up a colony on Mars by 2025. She anticipates years of vigorous training, many grueling hours of intense research, an eight-month-long journey in a confined spacecraft, and difficult living conditions on a strange planet. She is excited to be part of the first human settlement on Mars,

The preeminent philosopher in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s line explains why, in this age, the Puranas are essential for accessing the Absolute Truth.

Sri Tattva-sandarbha is the first of Srila Jiva Gosvami’s Bhagavatasandarbha, or saṭ-sandarbha, six treatises that firmly establish the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaisnavism. In the texts leading up to this section, the author has discredited direct perception and inference as valid means to acquiring perfect knowledge. He has concluded that only the eternal

J. Robert Oppenheimer’s relationship with Indian philosophy, Sanskrit, and the Bhagavad Gita has experienced a revival with the recent controversial Hollywood drama, “Oppenheimer.”  While many articles have focused on the atomic physicist recalling a verse from the Gita when he witnessed a nuclear explosion, the author Syama Allard takes a deeper look at the relationship and parallels between Arjuna and the 20th-century scientist:

“(RNS) — On July 16, 1945, in the desert 210 miles south of Los

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

ISKCON Prison Ministry, an initiative of the BBT (Bhaktivedanta Book Trust) Mail Order Department in Los Angeles, has been a spiritual lifeline providing spiritual support and guidance to incarcerated people for five decades.  

The mission of ISKCON Prison Ministry is to spread Lord Caitanya’s mercy to those who find themselves in prison within the “prison house of the material world.” Candramauli Swami, who represents ISKCON Prison Ministry at the Mayapur Fes

After a long prairie ride on that familiar TCH (Trans-Canada Highway) from Saskatchewan, we finally landed in the next province, Manitoba, and more specifically, the city of Winnipeg, at 2 am. The next morning (today) was the inauguration of Winnipeg's Ratha Yatra (Chariot Fest), and for that, our team of four was required to be there at 10:30 am. Fine!

The popular Hindu temple on St. Anne's Road was the venue for the event. It was a good choice. The temple became packed in no time prior to our

Nowadays we frequently have the impression that 16 rounds are some kind of eternal standard and it was always this way, but actually Vaishnavas in previous centuries had different standards for Japa.

In the times of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the minimum standard for Vaishnavas (followed even by householders) was to chant one lakh or 100,000 names. This was taught by Mahaprabhu himself, as narrated in the Sri Caitanya Bhagavata:

"As the devotees invited the Lord (Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu) to ta

Hare Krishna,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The 47th LA Ratha Yatra was truly a transcendental phenomenon. Guests began arriving the Wednesday before so that they could be engaged in the service for Lord Jagannatha. Some came from as far as Australia.
This was the best of the best for LA and thousands of people came out to see Their Lordships on their chariots.
This slideshow is a pictorial essay of the preparations, the parade and the ecstatic festival on

Sacrifice comes from the word sacred, and in one of the ancient wisdom literature’s there’s a mention about how nobody can live peacefully without some kind of sacrifice, some austerity in their life. 

The term ‘austerity,’ conjure images of stern monks, impossible disciplines, and self-denial, however, austerity is not about severe asceticism but about doing something that leads to spiritual fulfillment.

Welcoming Austerity Brings About Change a Heart

A new program in one of the state prisons

By Mahatma Das

In this article I use the letters X and Y to make my points. X represents either the ideal person we want to be or the ideal goal we wish to achieve. Y represents our conditioned side and acknowledges the reality of being somewhat handicapped in achieving our ideals or even being at a great distance from them. In other words, X is who we want to be and Y is who we are now. In some cases these are polar opposites. Y can even be a self we don’t admit exists, or if we do, a self we d