By Atma Tattva Das
In the vibrant metropolis of Istanbul, Turkey, a growing community of Hare Krishna devotees led by Nrsimha Krsna Das and his wife Krsnamala Devi Dasi have made remarkable strides in spreading the message of Krishna consciousness. In a predominantly Muslim country with its unique religious and political sensitivities, their efforts to establish authentic friendships and preach the timeless teachings of Lord Krishna have been nothing short of inspiring.
Nrsimha Krsna, a dynamic
“Prabhupada was now surrounded by devotees, and I brought out the photo package prepared by Ramesvara Maharaja, which detailed the magnificent observance of Ratha-yatra by the disciples in Los Angeles. Prabhupada became ecstatic seeing the bright, colorful photos, which were as good as a movie. As he examined each, he seemed to be diving deeper and deeper into an ocean of nectar. Of the photo showing hundreds of people waiting in line to see the doll exhibit, he triumphantly stated, ‘I told
Some pedestrians and picnickers at Jacki Parker Park were taken by surprise when a host of chanters came in with explosive enthusiasm to do as we like to do – beast those drums, clang the kartalas, and let out all the lung power possible. People were not necessarily having their peaceful excursion in the green, although most approved of our bhakti beatitudes with smiles and dancing to the beat. We just couldn't help ourselves. We were warming up for the following day's Chariot Fest in the Millw
The marginal living entities (jiva-souls) are NEVER created by Krsna or manifest from the impersonal brahmajyoti.
The number of jiva-souls is unlimited and has always been unlimited, no jiva-souls are ever created because the jiva-souls have always existed as Bhagavad Gita As it Is confirms.
Being “generated” from the marginal plane does NOT mean the jiva-souls “originated” from some imaginary place in the Brahmajyoti or Spiritual Sky called tatastha-sakti.
The marginal living entities (jiva-souls)
An online “Couples Retreat” program is being facilitated by Mahatma Das and Jahnava Devi on 4th August and 5th August (6:30-10:00 pm EST) in English and Spanish languages or on 12th August and 13th August (7:00-10:30 pm EST) in English, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese languages. You can select either option based on your language and time preference. It will teach the “Seven Principles for Making Relationships Work.”
Jahnava Devi is a marriage counselor/relationship coach by profession and has be
Shyama Rasika Devi Dasi, a Washington, DC devotee, has dovetailed her passion for prasada into cultivating meaningful relationships with several area organizations that serve seniors.
With the support of her husband Nikunj Ras and encouragement from her spiritual master HH Radhanath Swami and friends like Rukmini Devi Dasi, who played a significant role in inspiring her to use her cooking skills in the service of Krsna and promote prasadam distribution, Shyama Rasika recently established a smal
The Jhulan Festival is celebrated in the month of Shravana (August), from the eleventh day of the bright fortnight (Ekadashi) to the full-moon day (Purnima). This festival is celebrated to commemorate the childhood pastimes of Sri Krishna with His friends, the young cowherd boys, and girls, swinging underneath the trees.
Every day the Deities of Sri Radha Madhava are adorned with various jewelleries and gently swayed on a swing decorated profusely with flowers. The main temple hall is decorate
It was on our bucket list to dip into the cool waters of Lake Sylvan at 5:30 am. The weather report told us of 30-plus degree weather the two previous days. The heat spell was definitely on, but then the forecast changed. The latest report revealed low temperatures of 10 degrees Celsius, so we changed our minds about going to the lake.
Despite the cool air coming off the lake, a Russian family and Fijian family met at a beach shelter. We made a commitment to meet a local man in his late fifties
The well-known UK Gurukula started in the 1980s at Chaitanya College and later housed at the Bhaktivedanta Manor has moved to nearby Hartspring Cottages with a new leader and a positive focus on the future.
After facing multiple challenges, a group of devotees came together in 2019 to secure the future of the UK Gurukula, as it had been serving the Bhaktivedanta Manor community for over 30 years. A charity called “The Gurukula Trust” was established to take on the school’s proprietorship, whi
It was time to bid farewell to the devotees of Calgary, and the hour arrived when we were destined to move on to Red Deer. Mahadeva, Annapurna, and I were driven by an enthusiastic, and younger than me, Satyavrata, to his home turf in Red Deer. With these travels, our accommodation and meals were covered.
As mentioned in one of our recent discussions with newbies to Krishna in Thunder Bay, "We eat prasadam, which is food blessed and then consumed. God (Krishna) gets first serving then there are
By Sacinandana Swami
Haribol! Haribol! Haribol! (chorus)…Hare Krishna. I’m Sacinandana Swami and am every excited to be here with all of you. Hare Krishna… yes now since Malika Mala has arrived, we all feel complete. Before Malika Mala arrived it felt as if one kidney was missing. Ha ha.. But now we are complete. Hare Krishna.
I wanted to ask you before I start:
Were you successful in practicing what you were discussing at the end of this morning program?
Yes? Was it working? 50 -50?
Please ke
From Back to Godhead
The preeminent philosopher in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s line explains why, in this age, the Puranas are essential for accessing the Absolute Truth.
[Excerpted from Sri Tattva-sandarbha, by Srila Jiva Goswami, translation and commentary by Gopiparanadhana Dasa. Published by Giriraja Publishing, a branch of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. The book is available from the Krishna.com Store.]
Sri Tattva-sandarbha is the first of Srila Jiva Goswami’s Bhagavata-sandarbha, or Shat-sandar
The last verse which Arjuna speaks in Bhagavad Gita, has many gems for us.
अर्जुन उवाच
नष्टो मोहः स्मृतिर्लब्धा त्वत्प्रसादान्मयाच्युत।
स्थितोऽस्मि गतसन्देहः करिष्ये वचनं तव।।18.73।।
Arjuna said: My dear Krishna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.
Now let us try to churn this verse.
My dear Kṛṣṇa: Krishna is our dear friend , suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ , actually
Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, is simultaneously an individual "PERSON" as an eternal spiritual body, who's Bodily rays that emanate from His Bodily form, ARE the all pervasive perpetual Spiritual Sky (brahmajyoti).
There is no origin to Krsna's marginal energy (jiva-souls) who are an unlimited number of individual jiva-souls who have existed for as long as Krsna has existed, which is eternity.
The jiva-souls are eternal spiritual living PERSONS and can never be
Chitrakoot Dhama Yatra
In the Holy Footsteps of Lord Ramacandra’s Forest Home
One of India's great pilgrimage sites, the Holy Dhama of Chitrakoot is remotely located amidst the dense forests of Bundelkhand, on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, far-away from any major city. In the deep forests of Chitrakoot (Chitrakuta), Lord Sri Ramacandra, Sita and Lakshmana spent 11-and-a-half years of Their 14 years of exile. Lord Rama exhibited many wonderful pastimes here. He especially best
By Atma Tattva Das
In music, few artists have achieved the remarkable synthesis of spiritual depth and artistic greatness within research, education, and innovation at the highest level, as Bhadra Rupa Das. From his early days as a prodigious soloist flutist in Lima, Peru, to his international acclaim as a master of his flute invention, Bhadra Rupa’s journey has been a fascinating tale of dedication and devotion. Beyond his captivating melodies, his engagement with the timeless verses of the Gi
According to the latest report on HH Jayapataka Swami from Mahavaraha Das, he is still under medical care at the Rela Institute in Chennai. “Since last night, he has been a little less responsive to commands and feeling extremely weak. Doctors think this may be due to kidney dysfunction, which is accumulating a substance in the blood, which is leading to less responsiveness,” said Mahavaraha Das.
His report goes on to say that the doctors have decided to keep Jayapataka Swami in the ICU for at
As is the case when I come to Calgary, the Greenway becomes my trail at the city's east end, and my walking companions are usually Gaurachandra and Vanipriya, a couple of Italian and Orissan descent respectively. They were eater today to see any wildlife while on our japa meditation walk. Their main aim was to have a a sighting of coyotes and their babies, but that just need not transpire today.
The wetlands along the Greenway draw coots, and where it is more more dry, gophers, magpies, deer,
Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Tejiyas das sent me this remembrance, and I thought to share it with you.
During Srila Prabhupada’s visit to the Hyderabad farm, there was a lot of tension created by one devotee, as he was so politically minded that he could see me and Hamsaduta only as enemies (his mindset was “enemy or friend”).
Srila Prabhupada tried to mediate, sometimes roughing me up with words such as “Do not be bureaucratic,” and even instructing me to “go out in back and fight it out with t
Lord Caitanya’s magnanimous desire was to bless the whole world with His infinite mercy by displaying His most sublime lila of tasting and widely distributing the supreme fruit of love of God, Krishna prema. He thus desired to engage all willing souls to help Him distribute His sublime gifts everywhere. To fulfill his divine desire, Lord Nityananda Mahajan became the chief distributor of this transcendental harvest of pure love through the chanting of the nectarean Holy Names of Lord Krishna, t
