By Atma Tattva Das
ISKCON’s Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture will be holding its next “Taking Care of Krishna’s Cows” course beginning July 15th, 2024. Kalakantha Das, its global minister, emphasized the importance of this course, stating, “The goal is to standardize cow protection practices in ISKCON and provide guidance to our goshalas. This training will also serve as a valuable resource for new devotees interested in this activity.”
The course, which spans six weeks with bi-weekl
On June 26, 2024, ISKCON community members from all over the world gathered in Ujjain to honor the departure of His Holiness Rupa Raghunath Swami Maharaj, a disciple of Lokanath Swami and a revered ISKCON sannyasi who passed away on June 22, 2024, in Bhopal, India. The ceremony was filled with devotion and deep respect, reflecting Maharaj’s profound impact on his followers and the ISKCON movement.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/honoring-the-departure-of-rupa-raghunath-swami/
By Gopika Radhika Devi Dasi
The year was 2009. A fledgling library and research center were inaugurated on June 28th by Jayapataka Swami, Bhakti Charu Swami, Jananivas Dasa, and Hari Sauri Dasa. Fast forward to 2024, and it has expanded to three thriving centers in Kolkata, Pune, and Mumbai, as well as branches in Puri, Govardhana, and New York. Its sphere of activities has expanded exponentially, with various prestigious collaborations and several awards recognizing its contributions.
The res
I landed in Vancouver at 10:35 am. My boarding time for Nanaimo on the Island was for 10:35, hence the rush was on for a mere 10 minute flight. Gadhadar was there to greet me in style with a kurta top and green dhoti bottom with gold trim. Walking off through the Nanaimo terminal, the tinniest you could imagine, the two of us were a sight from another world.
A lunch appointment was set for the home of Tamalie and Walter. Walter we met at the beach at Departure Bay and, there, at a majestic
By Rasanand Das
Nature of this material world is suffering: Everyone from a lowest level of living being up to mankind in this material world is suffering. Lord Krishna has declared in Bhagavad-Gita dukhalayam asasvatam (BG 8.15), that the nature of this world, when we are in ignorance of our true self, is suffering. Since everything is emanating from the Lord, it cannot be denied that there is no enjoyment in this material world, but the enjoyment of this material world is temporary, flickerin
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Art of Kirtan, launched in May 2024, is an online music school and heritage project. The initiative is headed by Bada Haridas, who has been leading and teaching kirtan for the past 50 years and is a professionally trained musician and composer. His wife, Kosarupa Dasi, manages the project, marketing, and fundraising, with assistance from their two adult children, Sri Gaura Mani and Nitai Sharana.
Bada Haridas and Visvambhar Sheth are the founding teachers of th
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Food for Life Vrindavan (FFLV) has been empowering thousands of girls in Vrindavan and surrounding areas for years. Recently, one of the students, Nandini, won the prestigious “Student of the Year Award.”
Nandini said, “I’m thrilled to get the Student of the Year award! Thanks to my school and teachers for believing in me and giving me the chance to shine. Receiving this award is like a dream come true for me. It’s not just my success; it’s a victory for ever
One of the main purposes for being on Vancouver Island is to honour the marriage of a fine couple - Tony and Jennifer. Jennifer has a Sanskrit name that I gave her some years back - Nitai Priya, which means "one who is dear to Nityananda, the saint." I wrote them a poem.
A Wedding
There is this very sweet wedding
Arranged in a host heavenly setting
Two people both quite special
Stirring up a joy festival
Both decided it's about time
To hear the bells chime
And tie the inevitable knot
To
Free will expressed in a "two-way" exchange of loving reciprocation, is the real basis and meaning of personalism and surrender, meant for the individual jiva-souls to be always voluntarily engaged in loving service to Krsna eternally.
On the Vaikuntha planets of Viṣṇu/Narayana, and Krsna’s central Abode of Goloka Vrindavana, personal voluntary contributions (service) expressed through free will, are always encouraged by Krsna to create diversity and a two-way reciprocal relationship of loving ex
Whether we are neophytes or advanced, association of pure devotees is crucial for our spiritual progress.
The pure devotees of the Lord carry the message of Godhead in order to deliver the fallen souls, and therefore the common man who is bewildered by the influence of the external energy of the Lord should avail himself of their association.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.5.4, purport)
The Science Behind Krishna Consciousness
Srila Prabhupada often referred to bhakti-yoga as “the science of Krishna con
ISKCON of Harrisburg is gearing up to celebrate its 14th Annual Hare Krishna Festival of India on Saturday, July 20, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at City Island in Harrisburg. Harrisburg is only a short drive from most major cities on the East Coast – 3 hours from New York City and 2 hours from most towns and cities in New Jersey, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.
The festival will start at 11 a.m. with kirtan inaugurating the festival followed by a two-hour procession of beautifully decorated car
The annual festival of Jagannath Rath Yatra will be celebrated at the global spiritual headquarter of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Sri Mayapur Dham, Nadia.
Each year the devotees endeavour to raise the bar by adding new dimensions to the celebrations. The deities of Lord Jagannath, Baldev and Subhadra will be seated on three different carts and taken out in a grand procession. The scriptures mention that whoever takes darshan of the gleeful grin of Lord Jagannath se
Despite this world of utter craziness, I still cannot help but to see some optimism behind it. It doesn't take much to perceive some beauty in it all, whether through the first rays of the sun, a bird in flight, the smell of dawn, a lake with shimmering water backed by a mountain or a human after a fresh bath with a smile.
Gadadhar came to my cabin in Chemainus to check if I was all packed for the ferry to the mainland. Indeed I was, prepared for the two hour playing over the sea, then a drive
The ISKCON community in Mogok, Myanmar, has been significantly impacted by a recent armed conflict in the area. One side of the dispute has taken positions within the temple premises. Some devotees have evacuated, while others are taking refuge in a safe room. The Deities have been relocated to safety. Urgent prayers from the worldwide devotee community are requested. See the report below from Tapana Mishra Das, GBC Executive Committee Vice-Chair.
“Please accept my humble obeisances. All glorie
We are pleased to present the 26 June 2024 GBC Meeting Highlights Report. This report aims to provide an overview of the online GBC meeting, highlighting the key topics discussed. The meeting commenced with an invocation of prayers led by Bhakti Caitanya Swami, followed by a reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam (1.5.33, 1.6.8, and 1.6.10) by Badrinarayan Swami on the theme “How Devotees see Struggle.” The passage from the chapter titled “Conversation Between Narada and Vyasadeva” was read with it
Prem is from Mexico and has this wonderful wife, Ambika, who is one of our regular actresses in our dramas. His profession lies in massage therapy and he has his clinic in his home in The Annex. He did a great job on me this morning. I actually don't feel that I deserve this special treatment because I'm not on one of those marathon walks these days, although hankering to be which is another story.
My peers, some of whom have reached monk status (sannyasa), do take the time to receive massage,
For some time now, Taruna das brahmacari has been working on an intriguing physical model of the universe according to the approach taken in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
There are a number of ways one can try to understand the universe as described in the Puranas. Taruna das’ model is based on a particular interpretation of the plane of Bhu-mandala as proposed by the late Sadaputa das (Dr Richard L. Thompson): A map of the solar system from a geo-centric (earth-centred) perspective. Taruna das’ model
Aspiring devotees must be ever vigilant to protect themselves from subtle messages harmful to the practice of bhakti-yoga.
Diagnosing impurities in the process of hearing.
What do teachers teach? Is it only the items of an intended syllabus – a collection of information, lessons, and learning activities? No. It is generally something more.
Along with the explicit curriculum, students pick up unwritten and unofficial – often unintended – norms, values, beliefs, and perspectives transmitted thro
By Atma Tattva Das
Urugaya Das, co-founder of TH3 LOT with his wife Lalita Kunda Devi Dasi, serving Prasadam to the Sri Mayapur locals.
Amid the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, a remarkable initiative called TH3 LOT took root in Sri Mayapur Dham, India, and began to flourish. TH3 LOT is a community-driven project led by the passionate husband-and-wife duo of Urugaya Das and Lalita Kunda Devi Dasi. What initially started as a simple effort to distribute Krishna Prasadam
In the spiritually significant city of Varanasi, India, a Hindu has served as the caretaker of the Anarwali mosque for over four decades. In stark contrast to the violence elsewhere, the nearly 400-year-old mosque has become a sentinel of peace between Muslims and Hindus thanks in large part to its caretaker, Bechan Baba, who has dedicated his life to protecting and preserving a space where both Hindus and Muslims can come for prayers and worship.
To learn more about his story, see the full art
