The Chariot Fest fast approaches, mañana (tomorrow) to be exact. Many visitors from different locations in the country have arrived. From outside Germany, comes a monk, Bhakti Bhushana Swami, a wonderful peaceful monk if ever I knew one. I already mentioned about Mahavishnu Swami, who’s from the U.K. And then there’s myself, from Canada.
I met Mark, a New Yorker, now living in Santa Fe, who was startled to hear a kirtan party in one of the sections of Buenos Aires where he was on an art assignm
By Ekantita-buddhi dasa
I continue to distribute books. Even though the military is trying to catch and recruit all young men, Krsna protects me.
I walk along the main street, and of course I look around, but I continue to offer books. The people react very well and take books. Krishna protects me from the military.
On a recent Saturday, I was at a big market from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and people took 115 books. Then I went and dined at Food for Life and continued distributing until 6 p.m. The peop
Dear Prabhus,
Please accept our obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Hare Krishna!
We understand that you are all engaged in the most important service of keeping ISKCON members worldwide informed and enthused about the expansion and development of ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada’s family extends to every corner of the Earth now and it is essential to maintain unity of purpose and consciousness.
With that in mind, we would like to emphasize at this time that in two years, starting from Decembe
Jananivas Prabhu’s service was to bring frankincense to Srila Prabhupada’s room in the evening. He mentioned that usually after you fill a room with frankincense, you open the doors and windows so that the mosquitos go out with the smoke. Srila Prabhupada however liked to keep the smoke within the room and stopped Jananivas Prabhu from opening the doors and windows. Since it was Srila Prabhupada’s darshan time, there would usually be many western devotees in the room and these western devotees
Hard work with the drama practice, but while waiting for all to show up, I pulled together this poem:
Dream and Cream
It’s a blessing to be alive
In such a honey bee hive
Sharing space of purity
Where darkness becomes obscurity
In a safe ashram temple
Far from the judge mental
We sing and we play
Even on the most gloomy day
Keeping to some regimen
For even Bhakta Benjamin
We sit and hear a lesson
Always time for some question
We honour the best food
At the three point interlude
A ses
From Back to Godhead
From the Vedic literature: the history of King Prthu,
the incarnation of the ruling potency of the Supreme Lord.
Long ago, the normally peaceful wise men of a Vedic kingdom forcibly deposed an intolerably corrupt ruler. But instead of replacing him with another unprincipled politician (as has so often happened in the history of the world), they selected a perfect chief executive to command the state. The story of this ancient coup d’etat holds many lessons for the people of
By His Divine Grace A.C.B. Swami Prabhupada
Any question that is put forward may be answered by quoting the authority, and that satisfies the saner section. That is the system even in the law court. The best lawyer gives evidence from the past judgement of the court without taking much trouble to establish his case. This is called the parampara system and learned authorities follow it without manufacturing rubbish interpretations.
Jananivas Prabhu’s service was to bring frankincense to Srila Prabhupada’s room in the evening. He mentioned that usually after you fill a room with frankincense, you open the doors and windows so that the mosquitos go out with the smoke. Srila Prabhupada however liked to keep the smoke within the room and stopped Jananivas Prabhu from opening the doors and windows. Since it was Srila Prabhupada’s darshan time, there would usually be many western devotees in the room and these western devotees
By Samudrasena das
Batam is the largest city in the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia, across the Strait of Singapore, the third-largest city in Sumatra region and the eighth largest city in Indonesia. Located 20 km off Singapore’s south coast, it is an industrial boomtown, an emerging transport hub and part of a free trade zone, the Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle. Previously in 2015, there were only five families practising Krishna Consciousness in Batam, however now there are ma
The Lord is known as Bhava-grahi Janardana because He accepts service in devotional emotion if we are sincere, humble, and fully surrendered at His lotus feet (Bhagavatam: 8.23.2). The Lord is most pleased by the attitude of service rendered by a devotee, with unalloyed devotion. Devotion is a process that attracts Krsna and directly connects one with Krsna. The Lord reciprocates by inundating that devotee with His infinite mercy.
Practicing unalloyed devotional service to the Lord is practical
My last festival here was in 2019 and now that I’m back at the same service of giving class, leading the chant and directing a drama, it almost seems like I have not missed a beat. The last item is the biggest but happiest challenge.
First of all, there is a language barrier. I know little Spanish. So, how does one direct a play written in English to a Spanish-speaking group? Getting the script translated was accomplished, but, as most people know, intent can be lost in translation. A lot of th
From Back to Godhead
Why are some people by nature outgoing and talkative while others are quiet and shy? What are the forces of nature that compel people to act the way they do? How do these forces work, and who is controlling them?
Dr. and Mrs. A. B. Bright and their two children have a small home, just suitable to their needs, in a peaceful country town. Dr. Bright is the local, M.D., a thoughtful, qualified man, respected for doing his job honestly and selflessly. His hobby: reading books o
Among the most striking of these passages from the Vedic sastras are the following:
In the Kali Yuga, wealth alone will be the deciding factor of nobility [in place of birth, righteous behavior or merit].And brute force will be the only standard or deciding what is righteous or just.
Mutual liking [and not family pedigree, social status, etc.] will be the deciding factor in choosing a partner in marriage; cheating will be the order of the day in business relations; satisfaction of sexual pleasu
Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana) Canto 2: The Cosmic Manifestation SB 2.9: Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version
etavad eva jijñasyam
tattva-jijñasunatmanah
anvaya-vyatirekabhyam
yat syat sarvatra sarvada
Synonyms: etavat up to this; eva certainly; jijñasyam is to be inquired; tattva the Absolute Truth; jijñasuna by the student; atmanah of the Self; anvaya directly; vyatirekabhyam indirectly; yat whatever; syat it may be; sarvatra in all space and time; sarvada in all
Loyalty and acts of loving devotional service, are only possible in the Spiritual Worlds when the relationship with Krishna is expressed in a “two way” contributing exchange.
“Loyalty” is a “two way” street that can ONLY exist when “two” are having loving respectful exchanges of feelings.
Without this basic rule in the Spiritual Planets, there can NEVER be genuine love within one’s relationship with Krishna.
Emotions expressed in a “one way” mood without the contribution of loving exchanges only
Delhi, Wednesday 20th June, 1956 (Series #8)
Edited and Founded
Under direct order of His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhakti-Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada
By Goswami Abhay Charan Bhaktivedanta
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In the Secretariat Buildings in New Delhi there is an inscription on the stone that Liberty does not descend upon a people but it has to earned before it can be enjoyed. Actually this is the fact and we have seen it that much sacrifice had to be rendered by the people of India before the
I just meditate on mercy. The point is this – we have to appreciate that this is a mercy movement and we somehow or other just take shelter constantly. We do not measure ourselves all the time, because if we start measuring ourselves, we will always fall short and then we will become increasingly frustrated. So, there is no need for measuring, instead, we just take shelter. Take shelter of the Holy Name, take shelter of the Srimad Bhagavatam, take shelter of the devotees, take shelter of prasad
A very kind-hearted Markandeya was at arrivals to pick up my check-in, my carry-on and myself. The airport at Buenos Aires has very much improved with its renovations. I got through the customs with a cinch. On the freeway, I could see the usual tall hardwoods and, with it being spring, good fragrances are in the air. Colours too. The purple-flowering jacaranda is stunning. There’s also the very red santa rita, which gives life just by looking at it. However, in man’s world of duality there is
