I love the lines of Shakespeare that made me think a little bit more about Diwali, the light festival of optimism. Here it is from William Shakespeare, “How far that little candle throws its beams. So shines a good deed in a weary world.”
I had to ponder on what kind deed did I execute today? Well, here goes. I had to dredge memory, but could only come up with something miniscule compared to the heroic deeds of others. It was on my night walk when the sidewalk got tight and with a municipal tre
“The throne is yours, Bharatha. All yours.” The words dripped from Kaikeyi’s lips like sweet poison, enchanting yet deadly. She held the world in her hands and was handing it to him, gift-wrapped. Only a fool would walk away. Did it matter that her delicate fingers were steeped in blood and tears? His father’s blood and the tears of all of Ayodhya?
Power, such a seductive thing. It begins when we are infants and learn that a shrill cry can get you immediate attention. First we cry because we ne
There are bumper stickers that say, “I’d rather be hang-gliding”. For devotees of Krishna it could read, “I’d rather be distributing books”. Book distribution is that beautiful experience that melts the heart and is not
easily forgotten.
However, sometimes we neglect to distribute books, so Krishna sends certain reminders. Here are several reminders I have experienced:
Once I was standing outside the LA temple when a couple approached me. “Don’t you remember us? You gave us a calendar.” I vague
Like Ravana of the Ramayana, the heroes and heroines of today’s movies have a fatal flaw.
The Ramayana is an ancient Vedic saga of action, romance, wisdom, and adventure; a saga that has inspired a quarter of the world’s population for millennia; a saga that depicts a past when beings of celestial might both divine and demoniac interacted on our terrestrial realm; a saga of the struggle between good and the evil; a saga in which God descends and teaches virtue, righteousness, and spirituality b
Food for Life Hungary reached a historic milestone on 17 November when the head of the humanitarian program, Bhakta Vatsala Dasa, received the “For the City of Budapest” award from the capital’s mayor, Gergely Karacsony. The honor, given on Budapest’s 150th Birthday, also conferred honorary citizenship on Bhakta Vatsala. The 150th celebration commemorated the unification of the three historical parts of the city: Buda, Pest, and Óbuda.
Dozens of honorary citizens, artists, and celebrities who h
INSTED OF A JACK'O'LANTERN, A DEVOTEE FROM VANCOUVER CARVED OUT OF A PUMPKIN THIS EXTRAORDINARY PIECE DEPICTING KRISHNA LIFTING GOVARDHAN HILL.
I get so fascinated by Shyamasundar’s book, “Chasing Rhinos.” There were a few spots that I shared with Cory and Uday.
One of George Harrison’s acquaintances, David Wynne, had connections with the Queen. He offered her a Bhagavad-gita As It Is. According to David, she read the book for about half an hour and remarked, “How marvelous it would be to compl
Certain phrases and ideas tend to be especially memorable for devotees who regularly read Srila Prabhupada’s books. One such idea is that we must know not only that God is great but also how He is great.
Here’s one example of Prabhupada making this point.
The highest summit of spiritual perfection is knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unless one is firmly convinced of the different opulences of the Supreme Lord, he cannot engage in devotional service. Generally people know that Go
The third verse of the Siksastakam is trnad api sunicena – “one should be humbler than a blade of grass.” You may wonder, “How can I be humbler than a blade of grass?” Let’s look at one way this is possible.
May you always think of Krsna.
Mahatma Das
Do Not Resist
Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that grass doesn’t resist when it is walked on or thrown around. It doesn’t complain or scream out, “How dare you step on me or throw me here and there?!” As we say in California, “It goes with the flow
We concluded our last discussion on the existence of the self with the recognition that accepting our own existence somehow or other implied the existence of God, quoting Srila Prabhupada’s words “One can understand the nature of the Supreme by thorough study of oneself” (Bg 2.16, purport) (http://www.dandavats.com/?p=12367#more-12367).But by what process can this understanding be achieved?
Descartes concludes from his first two meditations that the self exists. He begins to ponder the nature o
ISKCON Malaysia Headquarters, Sri Jagannatha Mandir, Kuala Lumpur created a record this year where a team of devotees conducted Damodara Program or also known as Deepa-Damodara Programs at a total of 25 local primary schools (ages 5 to 12) in the whole of Damodara month (from 27th Oct to 29th Nov). This is a grand milestone for Sri Jagannatha Mandir, with a total lamp shown at 104,747 and with 8656 total plates of Prasadam distributed.
The Damodara Month preaching was inspired by HH Srila Jaya
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Staff and well-wishers join Anuttama Dasa, ISKCON’s global Minister of Communications, to celebrate the opening of the new office; asking for Srila Prabhupada’s blessing.
The ISKCON Mayapur Communications Department, which temporarily closed due to budget constraints and the challenges posed by the 2019-2020 COVID-19 crisis, has officially reopened in Room Number 204 of the Lotus Building, ISKCON Mayapur.
The reinstatement ceremony featured respected personal
By Atma Tattva Das
Earlier this year, devotee Texito Langa released his latest musical offering, a single titled “Oh Afrika!” that is a poignant call for collective spiritual awakening and intentional unity to overcome the many struggles that plague the continent. This musical endeavor not only reflects Texito’s personal journey but also carries profound significance for the broader International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) community on the mother continent.
Texito’s journey in t
By Prishni Sutton
The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) hosted its second international conference, “Cosmology of the Bhagavata Purana: Current Research on History, Philosophy, and Science,” on November 17–19 at the BIHS Headquarters in Gainesville, FL. Use of this lovely facility, the former home of the president of the University of Florida, was secured with the generous support of Hridayananda Das Goswami.
This conference was a natural outgrowth of three prior BIHS cosmology
This conversation between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and physicist Gregory Benford took place in October, 1973, at the Los Angeles Krsna center.
Dr. Benford: You are probably familiar with what Western theology calls “the problem of evil”: Why does evil exist?
Srila Prabhupada: Evil is the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of sunlight. If you keep yourself always in the light, where is the question of darkness? God is all-good. So if you keep yourself al
Srila Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers) Today is birth, appearance day of Srimati Radharani, Radhastami. Fifteen days after Krsna’s birth, Radharani appeared. (pause) Radharani is Krsna’s pleasure potency. Radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini-saktih. The Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has got varieties of energies, as it is confirmed in the Vedic literature. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. The Supreme Lord has
“In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.”
(Bhagavad-gītā 2.40)
“Activity in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or acting for the benefit of Kṛṣṇa without expectation of sense gratification, is the highest transcendental quality of work. Even a small beginning of such activity finds no impediment, nor can that small beginning be lost at any stage. Any work begun on the material plane has to be completed, other
श्रीमद् अगस्त्य संहिता अध्याय १३१-१३५
सिंहासने समासीनः सहितः सीतयानुजैः ।
अतसी कुसुम श्यामो रामो विजयतेऽनिशम् ॥१॥
अर्थ- अतसी यानी तीसी के पुष्प के समान श्याम वर्ण वाले अपने अभिन्न स्वरूपा श्रीसीताजी के साथ दिव्य सिंहासन में विराजमान एवं अनुज श्रीभरतजी श्रीलक्ष्मणजी श्रीशत्रुघ्नजी तथा श्रीहनुमानजी से सदा सेवित सर्वेश्वर श्रीरामजी सर्वदा सर्वोत्कर्ष रूपसे विजय प्राप्त करें अर्थात् सभी परिकरों से सेवित दिव्य सिंहासनासीन श्रीरामचन्द्रजी को सादर दण्डवत् प्रणाम करता हूँ।
स्वाश्रमे संश्रितं शिष्यैः प्रातर्
मरकत मणि सम श्याम है श्री सीतापति रूप ।
कोटि मदन सकुचात लखि नमै 'मलूक' अनूप ॥१॥
कह 'मलूक' श्रीराम ही धर्मोद्धारन काज ।
श्रीमद्रामानन्द भे भाष्यकार यतिराज ॥२॥
जगद्गुरु रामानन्दजी आचार्यन शिरताज ।
तिनहिं 'मलूका' नमत है जय जय श्रीयतिराज ॥३॥
कह 'मलूक' प्रस्थान त्रय भाष्य रच्यो आनन्द ।
श्रीवैष्णव मत कमल रवि स्वामी रामानन्द ॥४॥
जिनकी अनुपम कृपा से तत्त्व परयो पहिचान ।
उन श्रीगुरुपद पद्म का धरत 'मलूका' ध्यान ॥५॥
वेदान्तसिद्धान्त —
तत्त्व विशिष्टाद्वैत है यही वेद-सिद्ध
Glory of the Name of Lord -
पद्मपुराणे श्रीशिववाक्यं पार्वतीं प्रति:
पद्मपुराण में श्रीशिवजी का वाक्य पार्वती जी के प्रति:
नामचिन्तामणी रामश्चैतन्यपरविग्रहः ।
पूर्ण शुद्धो नित्ययुक्तो न भेदो नामनामिनः ॥३॥
श्रीरामनाम महाराज चिन्तामणि हैं अर्थात् चिन्तनमात्र से समस्त अभीष्ट पदार्थों को प्रदान करने वाले हैं तथा श्रीरामजी साक्षात् सच्चिदानन्दस्वरूप हैं दोनों पूर्ण पवित्र एवं नित्ययुक्त हैं नाम और नामी में भेद नहीं है।
अतः श्रीरामनामादि न भवेद् ग्राह्यमिन्द्रियै ।
स्फुरति स्वयमेवैतिञ्जह्लादौ श्रवणे मुखे ॥
By Sri Krishna Chaitanya Swami
On November 22, 2023, a historic moment unfolded with the Bhumi Puja and Ananta Sesa Sthapana for a new temple project in Sri Dhama Pandharpur, dedicated to Sri Sri Radha Pandharinatha, Sri Sri Sita Rama Laksman Hanuman, and Sri Sri Gaur Nitai.
The ISKCON Bhu Vaikuntha Project marks a significant step in establishing a dynamic center in Sri Pandharpur Dham, the spiritual hub of Maharashtra. This endeavor aims to cater to the needs of the hundreds of thous
