With my Holland/Inda trip now completed, I would like to close with the poem, “Holland”. The poem, “Mayapura,” is already done.
Dad and Mom used to talk about endless canals
Of tulips, flat terrain, bicycles, and windmills
That became a big part of their personal annals
From days of somber skies, weather with bone chills
My visit to the Netherlands confirmed all
Photos of family from the period pre-to-post war
Were flashing in my head as was the spo
Through bhakti-yoga we can finally reunite with the person we’ve wanted all along.
The Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, discusses dhyana-yoga, or meditative yoga. Texts 13-14 say: “One should hold one’s body, neck, and head erect in a straight line and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life.”
Srila Prabhupada’s purport to these
A devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Southeast Asia on Friday. Thousands are feared dead as emergency workers and locals begin searching for survivors in the miles of toppled buildings left behind. The quake’s epicenter was near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, and was felt hundreds of miles away in neighboring countries. In light of this disaster, ISKCON Myanmar has shared an official statement with ISKCON News updating the devotee community on the impact, including the situa
As any student of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa will attest, its descriptions of the universe are difficult to comprehend when compared to contemporary understandings. These differences have long challenged Vedic scholars, who have tried in various ways to find reconciliation.
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa‘s significant position as a foundational spiritual text in the Vedic tradition has made this imperative. Richard J. Cole’s Exploring Purāṇic Visions of the Universe briefly examines many of these scholarly ex
At the airport, our drama group looked interesting to the staff in Visakhapatnam. Some of us are white, some brown, and some black. We’ve got the races more or less covered. The devotees from Africa, in particular, are colourful in splash-coloured lungis. Then, there’s me in my saffron. One of the staff pulled out a camera, “We’ll use the photo as promotion, if you don’t mind?”
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Pradyumna: (leads chanting)
sanjaya uvaca
dantva tu pandavanikam
vyudham duryodhanas tada
acharyam upasangamya
raja vacanam abravit
[Gita 1.2]
Translation: “Sanjaya said: O King, after looking over the army gathered by the sons of Pandu, King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began to speak the following words:”
Srila Prabhupada
Prabhupada: Dhatarantra inquired from Sanjaya, kim akurvata: “After my sons and my brother’s sons assembled to
What do you say when your child or a student asks you where birds and other animals came from? If you are educating and teaching them on a Vedic basis, you might quote to them Bhagavad-gita 10.6, where Krishna answers thus: “The seven great sages and before them the four other great sages and the Manus [progenitors of mankind] come from Me, born from My mind, and all the living beings populating the various planets descend from them.”
Perhaps you will also show interested young people the relate
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 January 2015, Bhaktivedanta Manor, England, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.10.23)
Misers hold on to whatever wealth they have and do not want to share, and the result is they are being deprived. So here we are in Europe, we brought wealth from all over the world. We got it by hook or Captain Cook, somehow or other, we brought it in. Here it is and now we are sitting on it. But gradually, it is running out. London is still going strong but if you go a bit North, people are poor! It
There comes a time, sometimes regularly, where we may feel, Oh, Krishna. I can’t do this anymore. This ‘this’ will be different for everyone. It happened to Arjuna in the Gita – he wanted to give up, not to fight, and go off to the forest to be alone. He did not want to deal with people and life’s problems. He told Krishna: I’m not fighting, I can’t do it, I can’t see the point, better if I don’t act and move to the side.
If it can happen to Arjuna, who had everything going for him, including ta
Over the years modern science has speculated and researched to find out the number of species on earth, the method that main stream science has adopted is experimental which is commonly known as “seeing is believing”, but without going much in detail regarding the imperfectness of this method, which is based on imperfect senses of the human being and imperfectness of the instruments developed by the human beings by these imperfect senses, it is extremely difficult to understand or gauge the vast
Sometimes I hear devotees say that they have been chanting Hare Krishna for thirty or forty years or more, and are still waiting to feel the taste for it, or the ecstasy from chanting, or from doing devotional service. I even heard where some devotee workshops were saying that it is not uncommon that devotees do not feel this bliss even after years of chanting, and that sometimes people leave the movement because they don’t feel the higher taste. They did not get what they expected. But the cure
When hungry a child not only cries but tries to put anything and everything in his tiny little mouth. Once fed, he becomes quiet and either peacefully plays or simply sleeps. Our hungry heart also always creates tantrum like a child. A mother is aware of her child’s wants but we are unaware about our heart’s needs. Being constantly starved our heart soon makes our life miserable. And we anxiously search for the elixir to calm the angry heart. But none of our attempts completely succeeds. Our sol
In January the two most sacred dhams in the world were the venues for ISKCON’s #1 and #2 book distribution teams. Vrindavan was #1 with 131,338 book points, and Mayapur was #2 with 120,443 book points.
A big reason these teams rack up such huge scores is the huge numbers of people who visit these holy places and buy Srila Prabhupada’s books. Also, both these temples field fired-up traveling sankirtana parties (like Mayapur’s ten big bus parties).
Read More https://www.dandavats.com/?p=114686
Recently, India Today held its 2025 Conclave at the Taj Palace in New Delhi, where key leaders explored the Age of Acceleration in which we are living. One of the key topics explored was “Playing God: the Right to Live Forever.” A panel made up of Dr. Sajeeve Nair, Henrique Jorge, and ISKCON’s Gauranga Das discussed the risks and implications of AI clones, digital immortality, and biohacks to extend human lifespans.
In his comments, Gauranga Das addresses the ethical and religious implications o
Vaishnavi receives Savitri award from Jayapataka Swami at Mayapur ceremony.
The Mayapur Community Sevaks (MCS), in collaboration with the Co-Directors Body, organized the first-ever Savitri Awards on the eve of International Women’s Day to honor the invaluable contributions of second and third-generation Vaishnavis within ISKCON Mayapur. Inspired by Savitri, a revered figure known for her unwavering devotion and selfless service, the awards recognized the humility and steadfastness of Vaishnavis
Some of the greatest monks of the last two millennia, like Sankaracharya, Ramanuja, Madhava, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, visited the location where the Kurma/tortoise avatar has been honoured near Srikakulam. Our group was told to prepare for a 3 AM pickup by the bus. I hate to say it, but no one in this country tends to be on time.
ISKCON’s official websites and social media channels have transformed the organization’s global outreach, creating unprecedented opportunities for spiritual connection in the digital age. With tens of millions of views across platforms, ISKCON has successfully leveraged digital technologies to spread Krishna consciousness, foster community engagement, and provide spiritual resources to devotees worldwide. This digital ecosystem has become particularly vital in connecting geographically dispersed
The hero of India’s epic Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna, is at a crossroad. He is intelligent, well-intending, and overwhelmed by a dilemma we all might recognize: the apparent incompatibility of worldly responsibilities and other-worldly aspirations. Arjuna is a warrior who feels the call to a more peaceful, non-invasive life. On the verge of a mammoth war he refuses to fight, even though the enemy is an aggressor who must be brought down. Like Arjuna, once we acknowledge the call to a more enlightened
Last month, Bhaktivedanta National School (BVNS) in Swarupganj marked its first anniversary with an inspiring celebration. The event was held at the Natmandir, a newly constructed monument dedicated to Radhapriti Devi Dasi and Sankarsan Das, both disciples of Srila Prabhupada.
This Annual Day Celebration of the new branch of BVNS reflected the school’s commitment to academic excellence infused with spiritual values. BVNS stands as an example of holistic education, blending the CBSE curriculum wi
Members of the Bhagavata Dharma Nusantara group present President Widodo with a copy of the Gita.
Every Sunday, the 7th President of Indonesia holds an open house to give the public an opportunity to visit his home in Solo. Recently, devotees from ISKCON Indonesia participated in this event and presented him with a copy of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, has been the 7th President of Indonesia since 2014. He previously served as the Mayor of Surakarta from 2005
