Back to Lakewood Park, Kaustubha and I went for the sunrise. Unfortunately, from our viewpoint, the sun was peeking out behind the Cleveland skyline and not from the lake itself. All the same, it was a beautiful morning. Other admirers were doing as we were, and out of the lot three young “party animals” were curious about my sun-toned clothes.
“Would you be a monk?” said one, and my response was, “Yes, and you can be one too, for a day, a weekend, or a month. Or fifty years, like myself.” That
By Stephen Knapp
The original form of Lord Krishna is described briefly in the Laghu-Bhagatamrita (Chapter 5, verses 332-342) as the root of all forms of the Lord, which are endowed with good qualities. “The Lord appeared in the mortal world by His internal potency, yoga-maya. He came in His eternal form, which is just suitable for His pastimes. These pastimes were wonderful for everyone, even for those proud of their own opulence, including the Lord Himself as the Lord of Vaikuntha [Narayana].
From Back to Godhead
On the path back home, back to Godhead, householder life often seems like an obstacle course. Stumbling blocks dominate the landscape. Work, social obligations, and household matters such as rearing children and paying the bills can easily become impediments to our spiritual development. Devotees may find themselves pressed to compromise their ideals because of the often negative influence of these constraints.
So how can we successfully prevent the attrition of our Krsna c
Kaustubha and I were ambling along at Lake Erie’s edge in Lakewood Park when one of the many, shall I say, “worshipers” of the water and sun noticed my garb. “Oh! Monk! Yeah! I agree!” As he gives me a fist pump. Perhaps to say “worshiper” was a trait bit over the top, but in reality, people from this neighborhood and the greater Cleveland area come to the spot where massive and smooth concrete blocks have been placed as if stairways for giants; some kind of grandstand for viewing the sun setti
By Kamala Radha Devi Dasi
Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico hard on September 19th and many Puerto Ricans are still recovering from the destruction. As reported by NPR The category 1 storm devastated most of Puerto Rico’s plantain crops– a staple food.
Puerto Rico has been severely impacted by Fiona, leaving many homes uninhabitable, communities under water and bridges and roads ruined. Early data points to a difficult road ahead as locals work to recover.
ISKCON News was quick to reach out to th
This morning a handful of Columbus congregants and I took to trekking along the Ohio River on Riverside. What was to be more of a chanting walk ended up being more of a chatting walk. The conversation hovered around the direct versus indirect sending of the message of the Gita to the world. The trail along the river, with fresh air and blue skies, made for that clear head experience and so I offered my opinion; that we need both.
Boat rowing was going on up and down the current of the Ohio as w
From Back to Godhead
Instead of blaming others for our suffering, we’d do better to understand that we’re all fundamentally complicit in our so-called victimhood.
A victim is a person who suffers from a destructive action. Often we think of victims as innocent and neither responsible nor accountable for what’s happened – for example, people who are randomly shot or children who are abused.
There are victims, however, who may not be completely innocent – for example, a chain smoker who’s a
Let us hear about “Srila Prabhupada Personifies Devotee Care” from a very close and a dear disciple of Srila Prabhupada, HH Giriraj Swami. He is being interviewed by HG Gauranga Das.
An interview with Giriraj Swami by the ISKCON Strategic Planning Office, July 9, 2020, via Facebook.
Gauranga Dasa: Hare Krishna. We welcome all the devotees who have joined this weekly care conversation, Vaishnava seva. This week we are very honored to have with us His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja. We welcome
Ai article in The Times of London, entitled "Slowing Down the March of Time," gave an update on research at an institute of experimental gerontology. According to a spokesman, "Some enigmas of aging are beginning to be unraveled by remarkable advances in medical research. . . . Growing old, in the traditional sense, is not inevitable. We are already developing ways to counter it" The author goes on to say that although research has been going on for a century, specific factors that cause aging
From Back to Godhead
No one besides you can understand your unique experience of the world. Well, almost no one.
Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita (13.2–3):
“This body, O son of Kunti, is called the field, and one who knows this body is called the knower of the field.”
“O sc
By Archbishop Eric Escala, Continuing Anglican Church
The voice of the Shepherd, Archbishop visits Prabhupada’s House.
This past Sunday I had the opportunity to visit the ISKCON temple in Buenos Aires, needless to say, it was a very nice experience.
I had read many books of His Divine Grace Abhay Caranaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda “The man who built a house that everyone can live in”.
I must say that it is very true.
Although we were few visitors, we were received with all the lov
By Khusboo Basan
The viral infection has killed nearly 75,000 cattle in India and spread to more than 10 States and UTs, hitting Rajasthan the worst
The lumpy skin disease outbreak continues to affect dairy farmers, especially small cultivators in India and South Asia. The infection, caused by the capripoxvirus, is spread by blood-feeding insects. It is an infectious viral disease in cattle, which often occurs in epizootic form. The disease is characterized by the eruption of nodules in the ski
It was a drizzle of a morning but that was no roadblock for some enthusiasts to circum-ambulate the lake at New Vrindavan. There has been no conversation during the strolls around the lake, named Rada Kunda. When our mantra sessions were completed at today’s half-point, I had several devotees from various locations say that it was the first time they ever walked with a swami and just chanted those mantras. It is my hope at least some of them would return to their respective places and form japa
Depression is indeed a menace to society, affecting 264 million+ people every year and claiming many lives. Despite a variety of treatments available, people still look for a lifestyle by which they can come out of it.
To help people rise above this problem, the monks at ISKCON Gurugram have come up with a highly appreciated short film – “Rise In Love- A story about Defeating Depression”. The film takes us cinematically through the amazing ups and downs in Rahul’s life as he overcomes depressi
In connection with the Institute for Spiritual Culture we will be offering five deep and transformational courses throughout the month of January 2023 in Mayapur. Please see the course schedule below:
* 2nd to 6th of January 2023: Mentorship in Krishna Consciousness
* 9th to 13th of January 2023: Meeting Death with Joy
* 16th to 20th of January 2023: Being in Harmony With the Other Gender
* 23rd to 27th of January 2023: Family Life as an Ashram
* 30th of Jan to 3rd of February 2023: Our Children A
Many devotees saw Srila Prabhupada drive away small and large dogs by raising his cane and crying out, “Hut!” When Nanda Kumara was travelling with Prabhupada, he saw Prabhupada do this in a dangerous situation and later he had the opportunity to try the technique himself.
While Prabhupada and the devotees were walking on the beach in California, a large Doberman pinscher dog approached them, snarling and baring his teeth. Prabhupada continued walking peacefully, but Nanda Kumara stopped an
By Kadamba Kanana Das
Please follow this link for more photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CXSSKzJ7ygNFs8FAA
Bali is a world-famous Indonesian tropical island paradise famed for its sandy, picturesque beaches, blue oceans, volcanic mountains, paddy fields and lush tropical greenery. Bali is also known as the “Island of the Gods”. Each home is adorned with temples of various sizes and one can perceive the omnipresence of Balinese Hinduism in their everyday life
Inspired by HH Subhag Swami Maharaj,
By Bhaktin Leah Bielat
The 8th annual Orlando Rathayatra was held on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, at the unique location on the campus of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida.
The Rathayatra took over the beautiful UCF campus and despite it being a weekday, a good number of devotees were present as well as many UCF students. Devotees and well-wishers pulled Lord Jagannath’s cart through the streets, led by a campus police car. Passersby were drawn to the procession by t
By Thomas Haribol
After a three-year COVID-related hiatus, the hills of West Virginia were covered in colorful clouds again as locals returned to Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold for the 2022 Festival of Colors.
Guests enjoyed the musical stylings of Devananda Prabhu, NamRock, Ananda Groove, and Malini devi dasi, who also led participants in dance and yoga. Local Sarah R. of Wheeling, WV, said, “This was our first time, and we had a blast! We are definitely making this a yearly thing!”
Food was pl
I spent the bulk of the day in the residence of Chandra and Kalpana with their son Gertik (it’s his birthday), 14, and daughter Dashika, 11. They live in a place called Dublin, a bedroom community to Columbus.
Ohio state university at 60,000 students has one of the largest student populations in the US. Chandra was kind to take me to several park trails. The area is just perfectly manicured with grass. The entire neighborhood, in fact, with ponds, fountains and trees, leaves one in awe of this
