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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,

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

By Atma Tattva Das

In a significant milestone for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the ISKCON Child Protection Office (CPOi) commemorates its 25th anniversary, underscoring its unwavering commitment to protecting the young souls within the community. Spearheading this transformative journey is Kamalesh Krishna Das, the International Director of CPO, whose dedicated leadership has played a pivotal role in nurturing the organization’s profound impact. From its modest

By Thomas Haribol

When people say, “God will give you a sign,” they usually don’t mean that literally, but for me, that’s exactly what He did.

In 2015, I was driving south on I-15 to vacation at Capitol Reef National Park. This busy interstate carries millions of cars to the “Mighty Five” national parks in southern Utah. I’d traveled this western artery many times, but on this particular drive, I was gobsmacked to see a colorful “sign” along the road, a billboard showcasing a “Krishna Temple.”

The hawk was in flight and had something clutched to its claws, and while the bird was beelining itself above me, I saw a second bird, a blackbird, making irregular dashes at the hawk. More than once it lunged towards the larger bird. Within seconds, the smaller bird gave in and took its own course, most likely frustrated by its intruder who likely stole something from the tinier bird.

This outdoor trekking that I do in the morning offers dramas such as this that you won't find when pacing on a

It's well known that the Vedas mention cases of polygamy. It's mentioned that this practice was common in previous ages since many men would remain as lifelong celibates, as Brahmacaris and later Sannyasis, and thus not enter into family life, just like many others would die in wars. In this way, the female population in Vedic societies would be almost always greater than the male population available for marriage, and the problem would be solved by some men marrying more than one woman.

Another

By Rasananda Sankirtana Dasa

Association means protection. By associating with devotees, we are protected from the dangers of the material world the same way a calf is protected by the herd of elephants. However, the voice of kali is telling us to leave the herd behind and everyone is accepting it proudly like wearing a t-shirt saying, “leave the herd behind.” Right, because isn’t our refusal to follow the herd that led us to Krishna consciousness? Our emancipation from Big brother and Uncle Sa

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

Bhaktivedanta Charity Trust, under the guidance of its lifetime chairperson, HH Jayapataka Swami, in cooperation with the Gaura Foundation, is restoring one of the holy places (Lila Sthali) in Navadwip, Mayapur. This is traditionally recognized as the place where Lord Balarama was approached by village Brahmanas to rescue them from the ferocious attacks of the demon Mayasura. Still, it has sadly been neglected for a long time.

Sri Radha Govinda Dasi, the found