By Chandni Raj
New Mayapur in Central France is working to implement Srila Prabhupada’s vision for rural farm communities where devotees can live in harmony with nature, while addressing the climate crisis. The aim is to build a Vedic village as outlined by Srila Prabhupada, where earth and her natural resources are protected, which is in perfect harmony with the modern day need for sustainability. Implementing his ideas for community living, based on Vedic wisdom, gives a lasting solution to w
I feel great. The weather is just perfect and I’m getting my avocados. What more can I want?
The only thing that becomes a bit heart pressing is the absence of some of the swamis I used to meet. My dear friend, Kadambha Kanana Swami (Dutch born) passed away last month stricken with cancer. He was a regular feature at Durban’s Chariot Fest and was loved for his classes and chanting, but his presence is no more.
I also recall being here during the time when another beloved monk, Bhakti Tirtha Swa
The following conversation between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and some of his disciples took place in October 1975 during an early-morning walk in Durban, South Africa.
Srila Prabhupada: Man came from the ape. So why is man not coming from the ape now?
Disciple: It only happened once, and that was enough to start the whole thing.
Srila Prabhupada: Only once? Another rascaldom! We see the flowers and fruits are coming every season. Why once? This is dogmatic. Do we h
By Devakinandana Das and Devasri Radhika Devi Dasi
The following letter from two ISKCON legal experts explains the current effort to seek input from ISKCON devotees worldwide in formulating a Constitution for ISKCON. ISKCON News encourages all devotees to open the link, review the draft, share their thoughts, and help build the foundation for our society’s future.
ISKCON Constitution – Your Chance to Participate!
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the Int
By Atma Tattva Das
The Durban Festival of Chariots, one of the largest Ratha Yatra festivals outside of India, returned to the Durban North Beach Front this year for a second time after COVID restrictions in 2020. The festival, which has been running for almost forty years, allows devotees to come together and celebrate the glory of Lord Jagannath.
Organized through the cooperative efforts of many devotees, the festival is also a significant financial undertaking, costing over 2.5 million rands
Sadhana (spiritual exercise) is so vital for achieving the human obligation. For traditionalists, such daily practice begins before the sun peeks over the horizon. That time of the day is so conducive for meditation and prayer. One thing I’m so grateful to our guru, Prabhupada, for is this morning program which includes a one-hour hearing or speaking from the Bhagavatam. Today it was my turn to deliver and conduct a Q&A on the topic of the honey which comes from the focus on the divine feet of
Since we don’t hear of a demon named Madhu in Krishna’s pastimes, why does Arjuna address Krishna as “the killer of Madhu”?
Madhusudana. The name always seemed curious to me. Where did it come from? In the Bhagavad-gita, one of our most sacred texts, Krishna is referred to as Madhusudana, or “the killer of the Madhu demon,” no less than five times (1.35, 2.1, 2.4, 6.33, and 8.2). And yet, Krishna didn’t kill a demon named Madhu. I looked through the vast storehouse of Krishna’s pastimes over an
Since we don’t hear of a demon named Madhu in Krishna’s pastimes, why does Arjuna address Krishna as “the killer of Madhu”?
Madhusudana. The name always seemed curious to me. Where did it come from? In the Bhagavad-gita, one of our most sacred texts, Krishna is referred to as Madhusudana, or “the killer of the Madhu demon,” no less than five times (1.35, 2.1, 2.4, 6.33, and 8.2). And yet, Krishna didn’t kill a demon named Madhu. I looked through the vast storehouse of Krishna’s pastimes over an
By HG Radha Mohan Das
The Law Department of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is pleased to announce its third annual Global Law Conference, which will be held from May 19 to May 22, 2023, at Bhaktivedanta Manor near London, UK. The Conference will address critical legal issues encountered by ISKCON and the worldwide community of devotees and friends of Krishna.
The ISKCON 2023 Global Law Conference will bring together devotee attorneys and legally minded devotees an
Or the downfall of Western civilization. The Manu-samhita (8.304-309) describes how a king or ruler of a country receives one sixth of the total karma of the subjects he rules. If the majority of people are pious and spiritually oriented, and the ruler protects those citizens to maintain a peaceful society in which such people can flourish, then the king will also share in the good activities and good karma of the citizens. Otherwise, if the ruler does not properly protect and maintain the citi
By HG Ananda Pradayini Devi Dasi
The Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education (VIHE) is delighted to announce the upcoming courses for the year 2023.
1) On-site Bhakti-śāstrī course: 21 June – 11 November 2023
Special features of the course:
The VIHE onsite Bhakti-śāstrī course is an intensive course with two classes (of up to 2 hours each) per day, Tuesday to Friday, and 1 class on Mondays and Saturdays. The course includes classes, sloka memorization, essays, and exams. There are also japa s
The property at ISKCON Durban has many treasures in the form of green. You have trees and bushes – champak, peepal or banyan, siddha bakul, ashoka, gardenia, parijata, and more. Mogra is particularly a beautifully scented flower. The ashoka shoots straight up as a tree and reminds me of the grove where lusty King Ravana held Sita, princess of Videha, captive.
The siddha bakula is one of those exotic trees that the great monk, Haridas, chanted under in Puri, India. In any event, the foliage has
Madhu means sweet. It means honey. Krishna is also called Madhu. In this material world there is one type of honey and in the spiritual world there is also a type of honey. The sweet honey in the spiritual realm is the real honey which we should hanker for. In this material world there is Kandarpa (Cupid) but in the eternal world, Madan (Cupid) is Krishna and everyone is attracted by Him.
The holy name and Krishna are non different. Even great personalities such as Brahma chant the holy name in
Sri Abhirama Thakura was known as Abhirama Gopala and also as Rama dasa Bhirama dasa. “Who was previously known as Sridama, a gopa during Krsna-lila, is now renowned as Abhirama or Rama dasa. He was the favorite of Nityananda Prabhu.
One day, Krsna, Balarama and their cowherd friends were playing a game of hide and seek. In the middle of Their game, Krsna decided to go to Nadia to enjoy His pastimes there, and so, taking with Him Balarama and all Their friends, He advented Himself in Navadwipa.
In this video, Jagattarini Dasi shares the background to Leaves Of Love, her latest artistic project at The Sacred India Gallery in Perth, Western Australia.
For more information and to support the project, please visit www.sacredindia.com.au/leavesoflove
Leaves Of Love from Sacred India on Vimeo.
The North American Institute of Oriental and Classical Studies – NIOS, an Exoteric branch of ISKCON, hosted the Program ¨Building Peace around Ancient Cultures¨ at Mexican Parliament.
Mexico and India, united through culture, music and their love for their neighbor.
The forum “Building Peace around Ancient Cultures “was held in the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro, Chamber of Deputies of the Federal Government in Mexico City, on Thursday March 30th on the auspicious day of Sri Ramanavami.
Organ
With a fond farewell, the ISKCON News team says goodbye to our Managing Editor from 2020-2023, HG Kamala-Radha dasi. Kamala was an asset to the growth and development of ISKCON News, especially in the area of its social media and other internal processes. She is a wonderful devotee and advocates for inclusivity reporting for ISKCON News. In addition, she is an end-of-life care consultant and social media professional who will continue her service in those areas after leaving ISKCON News. We app
By Thomas Haribol
One of HDG Srila Prabhupada’s earliest disciples, HG Shyamasundar Das, 81, shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to narrate his personal experiences with ISKCON’s founder-ācārya. His popular 3-volume series, “Chasing Rhinos with the Swami,” spans nearly 1,500 pages of memories and includes over 600 unique photographs. “Srila Prabhupada has always been my hero. During the seven years I spent at his side—three years as his personal secretary—I observed the most amaz
My accommodation in Chatsworth, Durban, is quite adequate – a spacious guest room. There is ample room for receiving people. This morning some local devotes came to discuss what steps to take to enhance their Krishna Consciousness. The guidelines I gate included reading all you can about our founder and to take sadhana very seriously. Sadhana refers to the spiritual routines of the day.
For the Sunday Feast (or, The Sunday Love Feast, as they call it), I had suggested, “Why not talk about what
From Back to Godhead
Understanding the levels of instruction in the Bhagavad-gita can help us comprehend the overall unity of Lord Krishna’s message.
The Bhagavad-gita is no doubt a major spiritual treatise and one of the world’s greatest classics. Understanding that a hierarchical concept of reality characterizes the Gita can help us see coherence of the Gita’s message.
The Bhagavad-gita speaks on two major levels of reality and a third, intermediate, one. We can use the Sanskrit words dharma
