By Krishna Premarupa Dasa
At the age of 70+, Srila Prabhupada travelled fourteen times around the world and planted seeds of devotion to Sri Krishna wherever he went. It’s described in Shastra that wherever a pure devotee places his Lotus Feet, that place turns into a place of pilgrimage (1).
Last weekend we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s first visit to Switzerland (2). Srila Prabhupada arrived at Zurich Airport on Sunday, April 1, 1973. From there, his disciples brought
The poet’s vision is “to see infinity in a grain of sand and eternity in an hour.” In much the same way, a person who ponders Lord Krsna’s words in Bhagavad-gita can see the Transcendence even in the daily affairs of this material world.
Case in point: a recent article reported that each year, 20 million Americans suffer sports injuries. It seems a large percentage of these mishaps occur to people thirty-five and older who refuse to recognize that their bodies are aging. One prominent doctor qu
In our quest for a meaningful and fulfilling existence, we often encounter internal conflicts. One such conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, arises when we find ourselves unable to follow through with what we inherently understand to be right. This state of incongruity can leave us feeling confused and unfulfilled, tarnishing our peace of mind. To illuminate the path towards overcoming cognitive dissonance, we turn to timeless wisdom and insights.
By Thomas Haribol
Last week, the Parliament of the World’s Religions (PoWR) gathered thousands of people of faith, spirituality, and ethical convictions to Chicago, USA, for their 2023 convention. This year’s theme was “A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights.” The historic gathering welcomed participants from around the world to the emblematic city where the first Parliament was held 130 years ago.
It is one of the world’s largest inter-faith gatherings, with 6,500 participatin
After quite the lengthy journey our ride from Gananoque to the current location in Quebec, the duet called Mahapurna and I settled in a heavenly lot with lake and massive meditation hall, a centre for “The Art of Living” folks. The occasion is something that occurs annually as “Vaishnava Sangha”. Vaishnava refers to those loyal to Vishnu (God). Sangha is defined as seeking association. The devotees of Ottawa organized the function which is highlighted by presenters on the science of devotion.
B
Devotees often ask me, “If Krsna is really merciful towards His devotees, why do so many devotees seem to experience misery? I hear in all these lectures that Krsna is so merciful but I don’t experience it – I just had an accident!” Others tell me: “A good friend distanced himself from me,” or “This great devotee is dying from cancer, so how can we make a general statement that Krsna is merciful to His devotees? Maybe He is merciful to Srila Prabhupada, but not to me or those I know…” I would l
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare,
Padayatra in Nepal had started on January 19, 2021. Brahmacari Sahastranam dasa from Ukraine, who had been serving in Nepal for twelve years engaged in community and farm services lead the padayatra.
Another devotee,Premharinamdasa from Pune, Maharashtra, who had participated in the Dindi-yatra and served in Padayatra India, joined Brahmacari Sahastranam. Then Sahastranam Dasa had to go back to Ukraine. Then I by mercy of my spiritual master took up padayatra services. Some devotees joined in be
Cherie Dillon runs a butterfly sanctuary and teaching garden and is quite passionate in sharing her information on nature’s way of evolution from a caterpillar to a gorgeous butterfly. Krishna Kalam made his turn with the steering wheel in the driveway of the sanctuary when Cherie came out for an early morning breath. Arjuna, who was the other passenger in the vehicle, asked to go for a pee when Cherie responded, “Just go to the edge of the lot by the bushes. The acid will be good for attractin
Question: Namaste Swamiji. It is said that we should always associate with selfless people, and that’s very critical. Then, how should we interact with the people who are selfish? As you say, we should also love them as they are also part of God. So, if we are surrounded by such people, how should we act?
Radhanath Swami: By being a good example. Of course, if those people open their minds and hearts for us to speak to them about higher virtues and higher truths in life, then that is our servic
By Radha Mohan Das
Bhaktivedanta Manor celebrated its 50th anniversary in style last weekend. Amongst a huge myriad of devotional activities, there was a grand procession of 14 beautifully decorated trained oxen across the centre’s 79-acre estate.
Her Grace Vishaka Dasi, current Temple President of Bhaktivedanta Manor, said, “We are absolutely delighted and deeply honoured to be celebrating 50 years of Bhaktivedanta Manor – this year marks a historic milestone for our Temple; from the extrao
As you take your seat with your family or friends in a restaurant, you expect to hear the above question. You may then ask for the menu card, or if you know exactly what you want you may proceed to tell the waiter what he is supposed to do.
Many of us think of a benign God in exactly the same way. We in India have a term for it – manokamana-pürti (fulfillment of mind’s desires). Many devotional songs (bhajanas), especially the modern variety, extol God as someone who fulfills all your material
Lord Krsna has innumerable expansions. As far as Krsna Himself is concerned, there are six opulences which are always present knowledge, wealth, fame, strength, beauty and renunciation. He has these opulences in totality, whereas created beings have them in part only.
Knowledge
In the world there have been men who have been considered very rich in knowledge Socrates, Plato, Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo, Francis Bacon, Da Vinci, Einstein, etc. History has afforded us innumerable geniuses whose th
In spite of the fact that everything comes from the Supreme Being, He is still aloof from it all. He does not disengage Himself from His eternal pleasure pastimes with His devotees in the spiritual realm. So, in the process of creating the material worlds, the Supreme expands Himself into various forms, which are His plenary parts. Krishna is the primeval Lord, the original Personality of Godhead, so He can expand Himself into unlimited forms with all potencies. They are no different from Him,
Active Listening
Adapted, with permission, from The Art of Teaching, by HG Bhurijana Prabhu
Who Owns the Problem?
The first step in trying to solve a problem is to identify who owns it, because you need to approach the situation differently if you own the problem or not. The owner is whoever is tangibly and concretely affected by the problem.
If the problem belongs to the other person, it is appropriate to listen, trying to understand exactly what is going on. If you own the problem, the counse
Recently, the fourth annual Camp Unity, held on the outskirts of Borehamwood at Well End Scout Activity Centre, had another successful gathering. The popular event allows area children and their families to experience other cultures, foster friendships, strengthen community bonds, and serves as a springboard for celebrating diversity. Hosted by a team of multi-faith leaders, this year saw the largest registration of campers, with 48 children participating from various religious and cultural bac
"One whose happiness is within, who is active within, who rejoices within, and is illumined within, is actually the perfect mystic. He is liberated in the Supreme, and ultimately he attains the Supreme."
Such a well-put message by God, Himself, translated by our guru, Prabhupada. It was this sloka (verse) that our Tuesday evening Zoom class, plus our Pelee Island retreat group dwelt on for reflection and penetration. The statement is clear, "real happiness is within." It does not come from exte
From Back to Godhead
Though conceived of in various ways, ultimately the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person who shares intimate loving exchanges with the best of His devotees.
Here we present an excerpt from the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust edition of Srila Jiva Goswami’s Sri Tattva-sandarbha. Jiva Goswami was one of the famed Six Goswamis, leading contemporary followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Tattva-sandarbha is the first of six sandarbhas (treatises) explaining the philosophy of Gaudiya Va
Does anyone aspire to become a sannyasi? Simply having this ambition in the first place is not the desire of a truly renounced person. On the other hand, all those who relish genuine taste in Krishna consciousness, will know what proper renunciation is. For this reason, both men and women can live as sannyasis without having that title.
To emphasise renunciation before taste indicates a lack of understanding on the path of Bhakti. Devotees often preach about the importance of following the four
Why is devotee care important in our society?
We have the most complete philosophy, and Srila Prabhupada has given us the wonderful process of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Part of that process is taking care of the devotees. Actually, Krishna says that He has nothing else to do but to take care of His devotees. And since His devotees are always thinking about Him, He is also always thinking about His devotees. So actually, devotee care is one of the primary angas or aspects of Krishna consciousnes
