Blog

Bhisma-panchaka is five days dedicated to Bhismadev, The son of mother Ganga and his father King Shantanu-Bhismah santanavo birah. He is the grandfather of Pandavas, descendant of Great king Bharata in Kuru dynasty. The period falls in the last 5 days of the month Kartik, the resounding 5 days of chaturmasya. It is said to commemorate the life of Grandfather Bhismadev, a key figure in the history of India, one who is known as a powerful warrior and commander-in-chief of the royal army who renou

Hare Krishna!

As we immerse ourselves in the divine vibrations of Kartik Maas, also known as Damodar Maas, the Mood at ISKCON South Bangalore is filled with joy and spiritual fervor.

This holy month of Karthik holds a special place in the hearts of devotees around the world, and our temple is enhancing this.

Kartik Maas, often referred to as the best among month for performing austerities, is a time when devotees intensify their spiritual practices to deepen their connection with Lord Krishna.

Bloomington devotees celebrate Diwali at local senior center.

Diwali celebrations have been happening worldwide, and for ISKCON devotees, these festivities can often create strong connections with their local communities and even inspire creative service opportunities. We looked at four examples, from Bloomington to Brooklyn and Utah to the UK.

Diwali, or the “Festival of Lights,” is a five-day celebration widely recognized as the Hindu New Year. It is traditionally marked by the illumination o

By Radhapriya

On November 4th, His Holiness Bhaktimarga Swami was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce (CHCC). The Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce is the first registered not-for-profit organization in Canada dedicated to the unification of Canadian Hindus and their economic interests. The CHCC wanted to bestow honour on him and ISKCON with this award and ceremony.

When Srila Prabhupada brought Krishna consciousness to the West, there was pra

Inspired by the announcement of the upcoming “Safe Families, Strong Communities” campaign from ISKCON’s Vaishnavi Ministry, 15-year-old devotee Ila H. shares her reflection “From the Eyes of Our Youth.”

“Earlier this year, I wrote an essay focused on the role of gender equality in sustainable development; part of this essay was focused on Goal 5 of the “2030 Sustainable Development Agenda” adopted by the United Nations in 2015.

When shastra (scripture) expresses, like in today's verse from Canto 10, that God has nothing to do, the phrase that actually refers to Krishna having nothing to do in a mundane sense; and secondly, that the cosmic world runs on automatic power without any strain on the part of God. He does keep busy, however, and when claiming to be a follower (as I do), I am also inclined to keep active.

At noon, friends and family drove from New York, Toronto, and locally, to honour the one year anniversary

From a multi-billionaire to pauper in the street, everyone is seeking the wealth of love. The gaudy gizmos, exotic holidays, luxury cars, sports bikes, late night dance parties, Valentine ‘s day, thousands of friend lists on Facebook, millions of followers on Twitter and 70 mm celluloid screens, may titillate or stimulate the senses and mind, but in the real reel of our life it cannot quench the thirst of love in our heart.

This thirst can be better apprehended by the analog of the gardener. A

Devotees gathered for the Sunday Feast in Kyiv, with over 30 newcomers attending on average.

In October, HH Niranjana Swami shared his “Third Report from Ukraine” with North American leaders.  Along with Zonal Supervisor Acyuta Priya Das, they detailed a broad range of topics on the current state of the community and ongoing service in the country.

Among the highlights were exciting updates on the translation and printing of Srila Prabhupada’s books in Ukrainian and the daily distribution of hi

In July, ISKCON News reported that Krishna devotee Gopal Patel (Gopal Lila Das) was invited to speak at TED’s Countdown Summit, the invite-only gathering held in Detroit, Michigan, on July 11-14th.  The event welcomed the world’s top leaders in technology, science, business, government, philanthropy, and faith to explore solutions to the growing problem of climate change.

TED invited 15 religious leaders from multiple traditions to bring their unique perspectives to the problem and solutions fo

His Grace Prabhupada dasa will be remembered for his dedication to ISKCON from the early days of Srila Prabhupada in London to crossing the globe and spending his latter years in Australia. He was fortunate enough to have association with Srila Prabhupada and assist with the legal battles against Bury Place.

He is mentioned in several parts of Ranchor Prabhu’s book “When the Sun Shines – the Dawn of Hare Krishna in Britain” as Vishnu Sharma: “Ever since his encounter with Prabhupada at Conway H

It looks like security has been stepped up at Union Station in Toronto. During my arrival at 4:50 a.m., a uniformed personnel member said, "Via Rail opens at 5:30," and so a group of us train travellers tried to be patient at the corridor. I, however, decided to pace outside in front of the station.

There's the Royal York Hotel in front of me. In the western sky is the CN Tower. At the entrance of Union is the "Monument to Multiculturalism" by Francesco Perelli. Images of optimism.

Security beg

The Story of Puranjana

King Puranjana had unlimited desires for sense enjoyment. Consequently he traveled all over the world to find a place where all his desires could be fulfilled. Unfortunately he found a feeling of insufficiency everywhere. 27.12.

Once, while wandering I this way, he saw on the southern side of the Himalayas, in a place named Bharata Varsa a city that had nine gates all about and was characterized by all auspicious facilities. 27.13

While wandering here and there in th

– The Dharma of Cows

– Leading an Ahimsa Dairy in the West

– The Culture of Milk in Nandagram

– Krishna’s milking pastimes

– Starting a Gosha

As we come together to celebrate this day with our hearts filled with devotion, woven with threads of remembrance and reverence, let us pray to always be in the mood of pure love for Sri Radha and Krishna. Today is not just the celebration of Lord Krishna’s enchanting pastime as a cowherd boy; it is also a day to honor and reflect upon the divine departures of three exalted souls: Sri Gadadhara Dasa Goswami, Sri Dhananjaya Pandit, and Sri Srinivasa Acharya.

Gopashtami, the festival that mirrors

On occasion, I deliver a meal from our Govinda's Dining to Subuddhi, a godsister in her 80s, on a three-kilometre walk away. She is not too mobile these days, and but for a young male renter upstairs, she calls herself lonely. Being a perfect sunny day, there was nothing stopping me from carrying rice, veggies, dahl soup, gulabjamin, chappati, and samosa to her home off Christie Street. The walk was pleasant. I had brief encounters on the way.

As I crossed Davenport Ave., a young fellow talking

The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) would like to invite ISKCON News readers to join online for its upcoming conference, “Cosmology of the Bhagavata Purana: Current Research on History, Philosophy, and Science,” to be held on Nov. 17–19, 2003. The Bhaktivedanta Institute has invited speakers from around the world to discuss the rich cultural heritage of the Puranas engaged within a contemporary context involving cosmological perspectives drawn from Sanskrit texts such as the B

By Atma Tattva Das

By advancing spiritual and academic discourse within ISKCON, the recently revived ISKCON Communications Journal (ICJ) has emerged as an annual platform for engaging in theological and philosophical discussions and addressing contemporary sociological and institutional issues. Doing so reflects ISKCON’s intellectual vigor and an openness to contributions by sympathetic outsiders. The articles written by devotees are rooted in the teachings of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedant

By Sunanda Das  

Miracle in the Making is an awe-inspiring video shot by HG Prananatha Das depicting the rise of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) in Mayapur, West Bengal, India – Future Wonder of the World – and the opening of its Nrsimhadeva Hall, the largest Nrsimhadeva Temple in the world, from February 29 – March 2, 2024.

At a time when turmoil, strife, and all the symptoms of Kali-yuga are at an all-time high within the world, we need to pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva for His interventi

Uday and I had planned a night walk; however, the weather became very unfavourable. You could say it was a type of slush coming down. There are few things that deter me from stepping outside but once in a while.

Uday came to my room in any event, and so did Navi. Both of them ran some simple errands for me and then I pondered on what we could do with extra free minutes – something fun, something transcendental. I reached out for a copy of the Gita that I keep hand. I brought it over to where Na

In the vast canvas of life, surrendering to the divine is akin to finding solace and protection in the arms of a benevolent force. To illustrate this profound concept, let's draw a parallel with the lives of dacoits—individuals who, armed with guns, live in perpetual fear, constantly on the run, much like rats scurrying in the shadows. These outlaws emerge briefly from hiding, seize what they need, and swiftly return to cover, forever haunted by the ghost of violence.

Now, picture a transformativ