Chitrakoot Dhama Yatra
In the Holy Footsteps of Lord Ramacandra’s Forest Home
One of India's great pilgrimage sites, the Holy Dhama of Chitrakoot is remotely located amidst the dense forests of Bundelkhand, on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, far-away from any major city. In the deep forests of Chitrakoot (Chitrakuta), Lord Sri Ramacandra, Sita and Lakshmana spent 11-and-a-half years of Their 14 years of exile. Lord Rama exhibited many wonderful pastimes here. He especially best
By Atma Tattva Das
In music, few artists have achieved the remarkable synthesis of spiritual depth and artistic greatness within research, education, and innovation at the highest level, as Bhadra Rupa Das. From his early days as a prodigious soloist flutist in Lima, Peru, to his international acclaim as a master of his flute invention, Bhadra Rupa’s journey has been a fascinating tale of dedication and devotion. Beyond his captivating melodies, his engagement with the timeless verses of the Gi
According to the latest report on HH Jayapataka Swami from Mahavaraha Das, he is still under medical care at the Rela Institute in Chennai. “Since last night, he has been a little less responsive to commands and feeling extremely weak. Doctors think this may be due to kidney dysfunction, which is accumulating a substance in the blood, which is leading to less responsiveness,” said Mahavaraha Das.
His report goes on to say that the doctors have decided to keep Jayapataka Swami in the ICU for at
As is the case when I come to Calgary, the Greenway becomes my trail at the city's east end, and my walking companions are usually Gaurachandra and Vanipriya, a couple of Italian and Orissan descent respectively. They were eater today to see any wildlife while on our japa meditation walk. Their main aim was to have a a sighting of coyotes and their babies, but that just need not transpire today.
The wetlands along the Greenway draw coots, and where it is more more dry, gophers, magpies, deer,
Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Tejiyas das sent me this remembrance, and I thought to share it with you.
During Srila Prabhupada’s visit to the Hyderabad farm, there was a lot of tension created by one devotee, as he was so politically minded that he could see me and Hamsaduta only as enemies (his mindset was “enemy or friend”).
Srila Prabhupada tried to mediate, sometimes roughing me up with words such as “Do not be bureaucratic,” and even instructing me to “go out in back and fight it out with t
Lord Caitanya’s magnanimous desire was to bless the whole world with His infinite mercy by displaying His most sublime lila of tasting and widely distributing the supreme fruit of love of God, Krishna prema. He thus desired to engage all willing souls to help Him distribute His sublime gifts everywhere. To fulfill his divine desire, Lord Nityananda Mahajan became the chief distributor of this transcendental harvest of pure love through the chanting of the nectarean Holy Names of Lord Krishna, t
Every day ideally sometime during the day, ideal time is in the night before you rest, but anytime, best is if its fixed, sometime during the day you step back enter this mode of goodness space, instead of I have got so many things to do when the mind is distracted, you go in mode of goodness space and you reflect –
1) What is in my life that I have received that is meaningful to me and you write it down.To write things down it has to be clear, it’s not just a thought because when you write you
By Maharishi Das
The phone rings at 6 AM. I had gone to sleep at 3 AM, as quite often I work late, and then chant my rounds.
“Hi Mik. This is Mr Cooke.”
Mr Cooke explained that he was driving back from a music festival in Germany. I was very sleepy, but asked him how I could help. He told me he would be passing by my house, and needed to get something from me.
My mind started thinking about what he might purchase. Would it be a big sale? After all, I am conditioned as a businessman!
Two hours l
Camp: Rela Institute, Chennai
01:30 PM IST 1st August, 2023
Dear disciples and well wishers of HH Jayapataka Swami
Please accept our humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
All glories to Guru and Gauranga
HH Jayapataka Swami continues to be in Rela Institute, Chennai, Since last night he has been a little less responsive to commands and feeling extremely weak. Doctors think this may be due to kidney disfunction which is accumulating a substance in the blood which is leading to less r
By Lila Sakti Devi Dasi
The dedicated efforts of ISKCON devotees from New Ramana Reti in Alachua, FL, have culminated in a significant act of compassion, as a sizeable humanitarian aid shipment has finally reached the Vaishnava communities in Ukraine.
The situation in Ukraine posed challenges for the shipment, with the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war disrupting regular transport routes. As a result, essential supplies, including deity worship paraphernalia, incense,
From the sounds of it, this place in northern Ontario really does have a name that’s appropriate. The gods must be bowling above. The rumble of thunder was prevalent for some time. This concerned the organizers of the Chariot/India Fest. The forecast also predicted showers.
So, that’s what came, descending upon the park’s grasses, or shall I say, the camomile. This popular tea herb, also known as pineapple weed, is just so tangy and aromatic after a rain.
I think the rain deterred some people f
Krishna-the essence of life
What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear “Krishna”? Some god abiding Hindus might say he is the supreme power while some nonchalant ones will say he is god, so what? Or some others might say to our surprise-is he god?
But the people who love Krishna will feel as if some musical name has been spoken about and they wait for something more to be spoken...Krishna to them is their world...the name keeps reverberating in their head and the golden mantr
Thirty members of the Krishna Culture Festival Tour reached the mid-point of their six-week tour with a visit to the iconic Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah.
Since 1995, ISKCON Youth Ministry volunteers have led the Krishna Culture Festival Tours (aka Youth Bus Tours) across North America to inspire youth in Krishna consciousness.
“The mission of ISKCON Youth Ministry bus tours is to inspire, train, engage and empower youth in Krishna consciousness to their fullest potential,
I admit to being a sucker for historic parks such as Old Fort William just outside of Thunder Bay, reconstructed outpost for the fur trading industry back in 1815. This place is inspirational because it takes you to a time of harsh survivalism, simple standards, austerity, and a collaboration. Sounds attractive to a monk.
The collaboration or working in concert is about the Scotsman as the administrators, the French voyageurs from Montreal, and the trapping Indigenous Ojibwe people. While sitti
As long as we are in this world, we have to work and interact with it. It’s hardly practical, or desirable, to ignore the world or the loving relationships we have with the people in it. Nor is it possible to completely avoid environments fraught with negativity and lower vibrations. So how does one fortify oneself from being influenced by these energies?
Those who daily engage in spiritual practice are content because they enjoy pleasure from within. They understand that everything has a rela
From Back to Godhead
Since my early childhood, I have wondered about the limits of the universe I live in. At night, as the stars twinkled enigmatically overhead with the moon majestically presiding over the celestial assembly, I used to ponder on what lies beyond this universe. Suppose I ventured out into the enchanting night sky and at some fine hour reached its limit, what would I find beyond it? If I ever found the boundary, would I be able to distinguish between the two sides of it inside
Time is an important topic in the Bhagavad Gita. Actually it’s one of the Gita’s five main topics. These include: 1) isvara – the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna 2) the jiva – the minute living entity 3) prakrti – material nature 4) karma – our actions and reactions, and 5) kalah – eternal time.
For me, I didn’t detect how much there was about time in the Gita until recently. Now, time is all over the place. Krishna, the Supreme Lord, is instructing the warrior prince Arjuna. He explains His own conn
The 6th annual MAN-tra Men’s Retreat will be returning to the Holy Dham of New Vrindaban, West Virginia, USA, Friday, September 29th thru Sunday, October 1st.
With an aim to empower devotee men to integrate Krishna consciousness into all aspects of their lives, the MAN-tra Retreat was conceived by H.H. Bhaktimarga Swami and H.G. Anuttama Prabhu in 2018. Every year the retreat features a variety of special guest speakers covering topics relevant to devotee men, as well as dramas, ecstatic kirtan
On US Mount Rainier flows a majestic waterfall
Dropping a steep 188 feet by a gorgeous rock wall
It commemorates a celebrated eastern mystic
Who connects to the cosmos and all that’s holistic
His name is Narada and he’s so novel
Unconventional in behaviour yet a real role model
At times he may come across as eccentric
But in reality he is most authentic
He moves with heart subtly through all atmospheres
In the heavens, middle, and lower regions he appears
Covering a spectrum like a rainbow’s col
Ekadashi is known as 
Madhav tithi, 
Lord Sri Krishna is most pleased when anyone observes 
Ekadashi for His satisfaction.
Padmini Ekadashi occurring in the holiest month of Purushottam.