By Thomas Haribol
The 22nd Annual Diwali in London (DiL) celebrations brought thousands of people to Trafalgar Square for the annual “Festival of Lights” on Sunday, October 29th. ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Manor was this year’s hosting organization for the joyful event, a partnership between the DiL Committee and the Greater London Authority (GLA) representing diverse organizations and religious traditions across the city.
London’s Mayor Sadiq Kahn said of the celebration, “Diwali is a joyous occ
Two chaps, both brahmacharis (monks) from Pune, offered to take me to some kind of trail. Actually, we are looking at a lake called Katraj Lake which takes a mere fourteen minutes to circumambulate. It was at the brahma muhurta hour, the time before dawn, that we walked it, and yet again. I was quite surprised to see a good turn out of people doing their own version of a workout on this lake which has an island in the centre with a stature of Sivaji Maharaja, a defender of the Hindu community,
Today is the appearance day of Sri Virabhadra Gosvami, who is described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 11.8–12, as follows:
“After Nityananda Prabhu, the greatest branch is Virabhadra Gosani, who also has innumerable branches and subbranches. It is not possible to describe them all.
“Although Virabhadra Gosani was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He presented Himself as a great devotee. And although the Supreme Godhead is transcendental to all Vedic injunctions, He strictly followed the Vedi
Sri Virachandra or Virabhadra Prabhu appeared on the ninth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Kartika. Krsna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami has given this description of Him in the C.C. Adi 11.8-12
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “Vīrabhadra Gosāñi was the direct son of Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu and a disciple of Jāhnavā-devī. His real mother was Vasudhā.
In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (67) He is mentioned as an incarnation of Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Therefore Vīrabhadra
By Srila Krsna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami
Sri Viracandra or Virabhadra Prabhu appeared on the ninth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Kartik. Krsna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami has given this description of Him in the C.c. Adi 11.8-12:
“After Nityananda Prabhu, the greatest branch is Virabhadra Gosani, who also has innumerable branches and sub-branches. It is not possible to describe them all. Although Virabhadra Gosani was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He presented Himself as a great devotee
This year it was ISKCON’s turn to host the annual Diwali in London (DiL) event, which was especially appropriate because it is Bhaktivedanta Manor’s 50th anniversary.
Special features provided by Bhaktivedanta Manor included a tent showcasing many of ISKCON’s achievements and what is on offer, and book tables. The junior Bhaktivedanta Players put on a delightful performance of The Ramayan.
Read more: https://www.krishnatemple.com/iskcon-bhaktivedanta-manor-hosts-diwali-in-london/
Here is the much talked about project video for Cardiff’s Tŷ Krishna Cymru Project (means ‘Krishna House Wales’ in Welsh language)!
The project will not only be a first class ISKCON temple housing marble deities of Śrī Śrī Gaura Nitāi on a beautiful altar, but a cutting edge preaching centre, equipped to introduce newcomers to Krishna Consciousness at their own pace.
State of the art facilities will include prasadam restaurant, yoga studio, ayurvedic treatments, guest accommodation, rooftop gard
By Thomas Haribol
Despite the ongoing warfare and shelling, programs for devotees in Tel Aviv are still being held every weekend. According to ISKCON Israel, “Devotees continue to gather almost every day, offer wicks to Lord Damodara and to have kirtan.” In the midst of their travails, they are redoubling their efforts to extend their “Food for Life” programs in the face of overwhelming need.
“The sons and daughters of many devotees have been drafted into the army; we all pray for them, as well
The day four of the GBC Mid Term Meeting, hosted at ISKCON Pune, commenced with Srila Prabhupada Guru Puja prayers followed by a presentation on the new ‘Transcend‘ app from the BBT. The meeting was presided over by the GBC Executive Committee, consisting of Revati Raman Das (Chair), Guru Prasad Swami, and Tapana Misra Das.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/day-four-of-the-gbc-mid-term-meeting-in-pune-india/
I got to the sink and coughed up a green and black gob of phlegm after the traffic trail from Pune's Airport. That's quite common after moving through the dusty streets of anywhere in India. I opened the faucet and let the despicable lump wash down the sink's hole. It was a clear confirmation that I'm in the land of Bharat – India.
I do like India, though. You have to see the bright side. When you are a monk, you get all the hospitality of the sweetest kind, greeted by kirtan, garland, and happ
Chaitanya Charan Das, “The Spiritual Scientist,” is one of ISKCON’s premiere teachers and prolific authors. He graciously agreed to share his two-part reflections on the Damodarashtakam with ISKCON News to help devotees enter this month of spiritual auspiciousness more fully.
“Prayer is the universal language by which the human heart communes with the divine heart. Poetry is an artistic means to verbalize deep emotions. Singing is a popular method to express one’s emotions.
The integration of t
OCTOBER 28 – The Mid-Term (MTM) GBC Meeting is being held this year at ISKCON Pune from October 25-29th to discuss a broad range of topics and proposals. GBC Communications has shared the following details:
“25 October, 2023 – The GBC Mid Term Meeting, hosted at ISKCON Pune, commenced with Srila Prabhupada Guru Puja prayers followed by a reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam. The meeting was presided over by the GBC Executive Committee, consisting of Revati Raman Das (Chair), Guru Prasad Swami, a
When you are a leader
You are on someone's meter
When your voice is heard
There's analysis on every word
When you simply make a move
Once set, it's hard to remove
You will never satisfy everyone
It's natural for all under the sun
Yet decisions must be made
So one need not be afraid
Just have fixation on duty
That is a true leader's beauty
Be ready to accept correction
The willingness to take direction
That is the measure of great honour
No personal trait could be stronger
Remember, you are not
An important judgment was announced by the New York State Court on October 25, 2023.
Below is a previous ISKCON News press release from Oct. 16, 2017, which summarizes the case:
“A North American legal case that has lasted almost two decades took a decisive turn in favor of ISKCON this past week. This long-running case, known in ISKCON as the Long Island Court Case, began in 2004 in Freeport, New York. At that time, a group of “ritviks” opposed to the ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC) from
In a 2X6 metre rustic hut, the home of Gaura Hari, Madan Gopal (my sponsor for this French trip) fixed breakfast with his own homemade bread for the three of us. That provided some energy for our day's journey to Chateau de Chenonceau, a castle located on the Cher River. After Versailles, the structure with the grounds is the biggest tourist attraction for castles.
What did we see?
Impressive architecture, fine interiors of furniture, utilities, and artwork for the high-end folks of the 16th c
It was the summer of 1969. A brahmacari came up to me and said, “I’m going to Japan to open a temple and I need a wife. Do you want to get married?” I was in shock, as I had never even talked to him before, and I said, “Ask Srila Prabhupada.”
Being a new devotee and excited about Krishna consciousness, the last thing on my mind was getting married, but I wanted to surrender and do whatever Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna wanted me to do. Looking back now, I don’t think I would have done it
By Pavni Gaurangi
A grand temple project reaches its completion to help the people of Ludhiana, Punjab, serve the Lord better.
Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, the Spiritual Master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, wanted him to preach the holy name, far and wide. This gave birth to his mission of introducing ancient vedic wisdom to a global audience and Srila Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He saw it grow into a
After WWII, a new hopefulness was in the air. The United Nations had been established to help solve the world’s problems. The economy was booming. Suburbs were being built at a fever-pitch rate. The G.I. Bill allowed returning veterans free college educations, and there were more students in college than ever before. Every family wanted their own home, their own car, and all the modern conveniences. Television was a new thing on the market. The space age was beginning, and education and sc
By Anuttama Dasa
October 27, 2023 – “Krishnas: Gurus. Karma. Murder.” was released by Peacock via streaming service in the United States on October 24. The documentary, a 3-part, 3-hour mini-series, is an in-depth study of the gradual descent into acts of abuse, violence, and crimes committed by Keith Ham, formerly known as Kirtanananda Swami and his associates. It also carefully showcases, via heart-wrenching interviews with some victims, the culture of secrecy and exploitation that he creat
An assistant, Mahananda, is a local monk (brahmachari) here. He is young, and it's a special day for him. He is transitioning into a different colour of cloth. He will change from the saffron of a monk and now be dressed in white in preparation for householder (married) life. It was announced that he is engaged to a young woman, Elenor. Congrats!
I wrote them a poem:
PARTNERSHIP
Partnership is when two are one
In pain and in fun
Sharing any burden
Is the method to learn from
Listening is that
