By Thomas Haribol
Insider Travel, with over 8 million followers on Facebook, published their 2023 roundup of the 40 most beautiful places to visit in the US, and Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold is on this prestigious list. Their recommendations are selected, in part, from a wide variety of travel sites and visitor reviews of must-see locations that span the US coast to coast.
Most of the 40 places recommended are natural sites like the California Redwoods, the Kenai Fjords of Alaska, or Acadia Nati
There is just enough time to breathe. Between my flights from Halifax and Vancouver (departure early tomorrow), it was more or less a stopover at home – Toronto – for a few hours. I was slotted to make an appearance at the Kalibhari, a Durga temple, for more than just a visit – to lead kirtan amongst our Bangla friends.
Since the 80s, I have had connections with the people of Bengal, Bangladesh, and Orissa. I won't forget my dear friend Raj Saranghi who introduced me and the Toronto community to
By Sesa Dasa
Sesa Dasa, a member of ISKCON’s Ministry for Educational Development, looks at the place of ‘virtue’ in the lives of devotees. He notes the changes that thirty years of devotional practice have made to his outlook on life and takes lessons from Mahabharata about the apparent conflict between material and spiritual duty.
Thirty years is time enough. Thirty years, out of a life of fifty-one, spent in the Hare Krsna movement, is certainly time enough. A thirty-year period provides enou
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
“I
By Krsangi Radhe Dasi
It is with gratitude and deep sadness that ISKCON extends their heartfelt condolences to the Family of Prince Buthelezi, the Zulu Nation, and followers of Prince Buthelezi, Founder and President Emeritus of the Inkatha Freedom Party.
ISKCON’s relationship with Prince Buthelezi dates back over four decades, wherein he helped secure the land on which the beautiful temple of Sri Sri Radha Radhanath in Durban was built. He was also a special guest at the temple opening on Oc
By Phuspitaa Naaidu
On September 2nd, in a remarkable display of devotion and cultural unity, residents of Batam, Indonesia, witnessed the Jagannath Ratha Yatra festival. As part of the esteemed Indonesian Cultural Week, known as “Pekan Budaya Indonesia,” this festival illuminated the depth of tradition and the spirit of togetherness, surpassing the expectations of the organizing committee. You can watch a beautiful video about the celebration here.
“Pekan Budaya Indonesia,” the Indonesian C
Our greatest problem is that we have turned away from Krishna. This one action has turned into our existential dilemma. We are lost servants. But strangely we think, at least unconsciously, that it is Krishna who has abandoned us. Only when we become eager to meet Krishna again, and serve Him with body, mind and heart – as eager as a drowning man is eager to breathe again – can we attain our spiritual success. Real love, however, will only flow when we move out of the center and put Krishna the
From Back to Godhead
The ideas of the Western philosopher Kant come close to the concept of dharma.
For some, duty is a dirty word—we want to do what we want to do. Period. To hell with duty. But let’s consider this more seriously: What is duty, and should I be concerned about it? Clearly, duty means different things to different people. And yet it’s not uncommon to wonder: What am I meant to do? Is there a reason I was put on this earth?
Duty is a term loosely applied to any action or course o
From Back to Godhead
Implicit in current theories of evolution are two basic assumptions: first, that the myriad living forms have come into being exclusively by chance and the action of natural laws; and second, that consciousness and all life processes are nothing more than physiochemical interactions. In many arenas, both within and without the academic world, a debate is raging to determine the truth or falsehood of evolutionary theory and its implied assumptions. And for good reason. For i
During the September 6th Krishna Janmashtami festivities at ISKCON NYC, Jenifer Rajkumar, a member of the New York Assembly, 38th District, presented an official proclamation that honored the NYC’s Harinam Sankirtan devotees for their many years of service to the community. Their mission, according to their website, is “the propagation of harinam-sankirtan (the congregational chanting of the holy names of God) in the streets and subways of New York City daily for as many hours as possible.” Thi
On September 6th, BBC Radio 2’s Pause for Thought episode was entitled “My Spiritual Inspiration” and presented by devotee Nimai Devi Dasi (Nima Suchak). Her reflection, an homage to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, was part of the week’s theme, “To Go Boldly.”
“Prabhupada was fearless because of his conviction in the teachings he had received from his own guru…For his bold journey was one which changed the course of my life and of thousands of others,” said Nimai.
Nimai De
My Story and Ode to Srila Prabhupada
Born into dense illusion, one of countless conditioned souls;
doomed to endless births and deaths while playing different roles.
My life a hell that made no sense, trying drugs I took my chances;
searching faces on streets and buses, hoping to find someone with answers.
Religion as I knew it seemed a total farce,
and the diet of dead animals weighed heavy on my heart.
So, trapped, I studied different books, became an avid reader:
Leary, Huxley, Buddhism, a s
It is wrap up time for my visit to B.C., and I am receiving all kinds of gifts (such as a watch) that I'm not worthy of, a pack up lunch for the plane, hugs and goodbyes of all sorts and kinds. Satyabhama has been so sweet with daily unch during my stay here, and her son, Arjuna, in his teens, offers comic relief. Vishnu Priya pops by for gifts too, and Makunda Madhava, who offered me teabags of valerian for my insomnia, stood there to hear my testimony on how this substance worked for me for t
सीतानाथ समारम्भां रामानन्दार्य मध्यमाम्
अस्मदाचार्य पर्यन्तां वन्दे श्रीगुरू परम्पराम् ।
I bow down to the lineage of Sri Sampradaya upto my own Acharya which is being started by Sri SitaRama and Anandabhashyakara Svami Sri Ramanandacharya is situated in middle of this Succession of Sri Sampradaya.
Although there are many verses which are being given in shastras to realise that Sri Sita-Ramachandra is the Original Supreme Personality of Godhead ; The Root source of all Incarnations like Sri Krishn
The Share Your Care Foundation (SYCF) has released its most recent newsletter, outlining the extraordinary service it has been offering in Ukraine over the last six months (February – July). This initiative is dedicated to support the devotees who have been affected by the war in Ukraine and is under the guidance of HH Niranjana Swami, the GBC for Ukrain. It has the approval and overwhelming support of the entire GBC body. It focuses on devotee relocation from conflict areas, devotee maintenanc
By Thomas Haribol
ISKCON NYC Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir is undergoing extensive renovations as part of its Transform Campaign. The ambitious initiative is restoring, in part, some of the original features of the Brooklyn building while creating a more welcoming facade to engage the increasing foot traffic in the neighborhood. The new elegant large front doors will bring more light, and hopefully visitors, to the growing and engaged spiritual community. The second-floor renovations include a l
Srutakirti dasa: We were on an airplane from Mexico City to Caracas, and Prabhupada started taking his puffed rice and peanuts. He ate for about ten minutes, and then he just looked and said, “Okay.” So I moved the puffed rice over, and I gave half to Paramahamsa and had the other half in front of me. After a few minutes, a stewardess was walking down the aisle and she stopped right in front of us and reached over, put her hand in my plate, and grabbed a handful of puffed rice and threw it in h
The Vancouver Krishna community celebrated the birthday of Balarama with chanting, class and feasting. I took the opportunity to read my poem, "About Balarama", a synopsis of his pastimes and why we honour him so. He is just one of those many avatars that enrich the lives of bhakti practitioners. He is indeed colourful and precious. When we chant the Maha Mantra, the words Rama Rama refers to Balarama. Being the half-brother of Krishna, he is bound to demonstrate wisdom, love, and playfulness.
