A kind Sarva Rasa from Vancouver and his friend, Bharat from California, scooped me up at Vancouver’s airport and delivered me to Port Coquitlam for some recording on a “Green” initiative that’s chalked out by the ISKCON leaders of North America. Environment should be a top concern for everyone, especially for those on the spiritual path.
My hosts in this town are Janakijivan and Nandi Mukhi and I have to thank them for one of the better rests I’ve had in months. Their place on Manning Street i
Prabhupada said, “No, you have the spark. The same quality that’s in me is also in you. You should join this movement. It is very important.”
Atma Tattva: In the early ‘80s in Bangalore, I was required to make at least two Life Members a month. I was a bad Life Membership maker and one month I had only ten days left.
I was looking in the telephone directory for Bengali names and I found a ‘Ganguly.’
I called and said, “I’m speaking from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. I want
We are discussing the road of sharanagati – taking shelter, which leads us to Lord Krishna.
Our third step is goptritve-varanam or accepting the Lord as one’s sole maintainer.
On His way through South India Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sang:
“Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna
Krishna Krishna pahi mam
O Lord Krishna! Maintain me. “
Now, seeing the Lord as one’s maintainer requires faith. Bhaktivinoda Thakur sings a song which creates such faith. He says:
“O youthful prince of Vraja. You are the Lord of
In Manchester, Nagendra dashed past me as I attempted to stop him. He did however capture a momentary glimpse of our “Veda” book and seconds later he returned to find out more.
I spoke about “Veda” and also introduced him to the Bhagavad Gita. He then revealed that a couple of years ago someone in the City Centre stood in the exact same spot as me, tried to give him a Bhagavad Gita, and he said he would come back later to take it. However, he never did. Since that day he’s sometimes felt overwh
One year ago this month, the GBC ratified and voted into law the attached ISKCON Code of Ethical Behavior. Here is a brief description of accomplishments this first year.
ADOPTED BY ISKCON AGENCIES
This first year, the Code was made an active part of proceedings in many ISKCON initiatives including the International Child Protection Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Sannyasa Ministry, ISKCON Resolve, and the Dispute Resolution Department.
ADOPTED BY TEMPLES
Several temples have made the
By Khusboo Basan
Situated at New Vrindaban, West Virginia is Srila Prabhupada’s smriti shrine or memorial shrine – Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold. The beautiful palace that was constructed by the disciples of Srila Prabhupada in 1973 as an offering of love to their spiritual master.
Over time, large parts of the concrete domes, outer wall, balustrade railing, and steps started to deteriorate, sections of wrought iron rusted irreparably, and the roof sustained leaks.
In 2009, a Palace Restoration
Donations Needed
Vraja-Govinda prabhu, his wife and two children have to leave Kherson, a city in the frontline. This city is in the south of Ukraine. Now it is one of the two toughest flashpoints of this horrendous war.
Vraja-Govinda prabhu is a wonderful Vaishnava from the Kherson ISKCON community. He is, without a shadow of a doubt, a true devotee of the holy name. Vraja-Govinda prabhu’s primary service is to preach and glorify Krsna’s holy name. He regularly attends and leads harinama and ch
I was asked to give the class to the members of the Bhakti Academy Toronto and with gladness I’ve delivered. The theme from the first canto of the Bhagavatam was on overcoming the ills of a dark age, referred to as kali. What is always good about degradation, as we observe in these times, is the opportunity to bring on brightness. Of course, to do that takes a little more than switching on a light. It takes solidarity of purpose – a combined determination to overcome weakness. Cohesive Kirtan,
By Radha devi dasi, ISKCON Vaishnavi Minister
At the 2022 Annual General Meeting, the GBC appointed South African devotee, Champakalata devi dasi to the post of ISKCON’s Justice Minister. Champakalata devi’s appointment follows the resignation of prior minister, Sesa das, on the grounds of ill health.
Champakalata devi, a disciple of HH Indradyumna Swami has been practicing bhakti yoga since 1978 when her parents joined ISKCON in Durban, South Africa. She has an impressive resume of ISKCON serv
Rishi Sunak and his wife celebrated the festival of Janmashtami at Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire, near London. Mr. Sunak and his family have made visits to the temple in the past. Today, Mr. and Mrs. Sunak were welcomed with the customary tradition of the blowing of a conch shell, and they were garlanded before they toured the Temple, which was donated by George Harrison of the Beatles. The couple were greeted by Her Grace Visakha Dasi, the temple president, who said “We invite everyone
By Kumari Kunti Sherreitt
This month the ISKCON Nepal devotees have met two important dignitaries through their outreach efforts: the Prime Minister of Nepal and the Chief Minister of UP.
On August 7th, Patri das, the GBC Co-Regional Secretary for Nepal along with other ISKCON Nepal devotees met with the honorable Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba Jiu at the Prime Minister’s office in Kathmandu, Nepal. In the meeting, they invited him to their upcoming Janmashtami festival and did a s
Dear Devotees
Hare Krsna
All Glories to Guru and Gauranga. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The most auspicious of all months is just weeks away! The Month of Kartika is said to be very auspicious that whatever little Spiritual activities performed in this month are rewarded with greater spiritual results than usual. Just Imagine immersing your consciousness in this month by visiting 30 Sacred Holy places in Gaura Mandala Bhumi where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates performed blissful
What is really good news is the preparation for this year’s MANtra retreat. Behind us all are the virtual sessions of 2022 and 2021. This exciting program, now back to physical interactive-ness, carrying the theme “Together Again” will take place in the Appalachian Hills of West Virginia and New Vrindavan. The time soon approaches us – September 9th, 10th & 11th – when men of the Vaishnava orientation will bond on “conscious” living.
Whatever the endeavor in the past four years, whether virtual
By Mathuresa Das
Many initiatives to promote Sastric education in different countries of Latin America have been formed. The desire of responsible and capable members of our communities to help devotees to excel in the knowledge of the scriptures in a systematic and scientific way is very praiseworthy and worthy of being supported.
In an effort to integrate these different initiatives, H.H. Hanumatpresaka Swami promoted the creation of the Spanish language magazine, Jayam, in mid-2018, as part o
Non-violence when wrongly applied can cause greater harm to society than direct violence.
The first question often asked about the Bhagavad-gita is why was it spoken on a battlefield? Despite a common view that religion is a major cause of war, in most people’s minds the two should remain separate. Religion or spirituality should result in peace not conflict. If one’s spiritual practices bring about the bloodthirsty desire to eliminate the followers of some other faith th
Yogic consciousness refers to the awakening of the soul of an individual. In contrast to the medical world, this refers to the spiritual awakening not physical. Physical awakenining is like awakening a person from coma in a hospital. Spiritual awakening is awakening the soul or real self of an individual. Awakening of a person from his external identity to the true nature and real identity of self.
This can happen when a person follows certain systematic steps of spiritual practices like asanas,
Vyasa-puja offering to my eternal Spiritual Master Srila Prabhupada who was born on this day in 1896 (126 years ago) celebrated this year on August 20th 2022.
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krsna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatî Gosvâmî. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanya deva and delivering the Western co
Do bless the order
Of the saffron man
Who owns no home
No burrow or tree
Who speaks of life
It’s unending circle
And the option
To move beyond
He is poor by choice
All that’s his is
A staff, a pot
And a piece of cloth
There is no mistress
No fancy food
No soft comfort
And no perfumes
The thirst for name
In hunger for fame
Must all be behind
They have no place
He welcomes the wind
Heat, cold and rain
Indifferent he is
To the season’s spin
Declare him meek
When he’s on his feet
Touchin
saḿsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-
trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam
prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
The spiritual master is receiving benediction from the ocean of mercy. Just as a cloud pours water on a forest fire to extinguish it, so the spiritual master delivers the materially afflicted world by extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is an ocean of auspicious qu
Hare Kṛishna!
Please Accept Our Humble Obeisances, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!
ISKCON Mayapur welcomes all you for a Festive Month!
An all-auspicious Month and one you wouldn’t want to miss out!
Festivals are the Summum Bonum of ISKCON. exude with colourful decorations, palatable feasts, elaborate rituals, kirtans, dance and dramas, the festivals make spiritual progress a fun-filled experience for the devotees of ISKCON. The original Vedic flavor is thus revived, and anyone who participate
