From Back to Godhead
How to protect our spiritual lives from the constant allure of mundane topics.
Srila Prabhupada a few times repeated a story he had heard from a friend about a preacher trying to persuade coalminers in Sheffield, England.
“Do you know Jesus?” the preacher asked.
All the miners wore a number on their shirt, so they asked the preacher, “What is Jesus’ number?”
“I am referring to Jesus the Savior,” the preacher said. “He doesn’t wear a number.”
“Then we don’t know him,” they r
Why follow Caturmasya?
Durward is an old friend of mine, and he called me about something important. When I say old, I mean I've known him since 1973. Also, he's in his 80s. His message was, “I don’t think I’ll be here much longer. My breathing is not good. Please come to my apartment and take my deities of Krishna. I know you’ll give them a good home.”
Gabriel and I acted on his request immediately and met Durward, who is a member of ACTRA, and is a retired actor living in the Performing Arts Lodging. It was difficu
By Atma Tattva Das
Nrsimhananda Das, a dedicated and influential devotee within ISKCON South Africa, has embarked on a remarkable journey of spiritual growth and service since 1985. His passion for studying and teaching Srila Prabhupada’s books led him to participate in establishing the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture as co-international director. The institution is a significant initiative to develop and continue Krishna Conscious education within ISKCON South Africa and abroad
In India, they are not less than 95% villagers &
Mahatma Gandhi wanted this village organization.
I think this is a solid program
Srila Prabhupada in letter to Radheswaranand Goswami,
Perth, Australia 10th May 1975
Venu-Madhuri as mission is to fulfil Srila Prabhupad’s desire of having village organisations.
Venu-Madhuri was invited to present its work at the G20 conference at Ahmedabad. The theme of two days conference was Acharanam (आचरणम) Indic Wisdom for Sustainable Lifestyle, hosted b
It was absolutely great to see Marcel again after about four decades. He hails from London, Ontario, and became involved with the mission of Prabhupada back in ’74 when he and a group of his buddies joined our ashram when we were located in cabbage town of Toronto. There was Henry and Cindy, Rick, Robert, all from the London, St. Mary’s area. Not all of the group stayed with Krishna. It is hard to say what paths they took, and it is very apparent that they lost track of each other. They all had
Lynchburg, Tennessee
Here they tell us about their self-sufficient spiritual community in the Appalachian foothills.
In the southern Appalachian foothills, near Lynchburg, Tennessee, you’ll find another kind of farming community.
“We started out in 1976,” says Balavanta Dasa. “At first we figured we’d just plant corn or some other cash crop and make a lot of money for Krsna. But when I told our spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, he sat back thoughtfully and said, ‘Making money on our farm? That
We are all very fortunate, whether we are present in person or whether we are present through electronic means, because it does not really matter. It is transcendental sound vibration and it is the connection with this sound that is very important. Srila Prabhupada was very unique because he had faith in recordings and he recorded the Holy Name and he had faith that all the potency was in this Holy Name. This was revolutionary! Prabhupada would give second initiation by tape where he would spea
Bhagavad-gita is having an influence on a friend of mine and on my sister-in-law.
I received a shipment of these books and asked Krishna to help me distribute them to those ready to receive this knowledge. So far, I distributed two Gitas.
The first was to my sister-in-law, who has always been searching for this sort of knowledge. Like me, she searched high and low, only to be dissatisfied with the results of her searches.
When I received the book, I instantly understood that what it contains is
On my way to speaking at Ohio State University (OSU) last night, I visited Hitchcock Hall, where Srila Prabhupada and Allen Ginsberg had presented a program. And I reread the account of the event in BTG, which began, “On the night of May 12, 1969, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and poet Allen Ginsberg filled a campus auditorium at Ohio State University in Columbus to twice its capacity. About two thousand students flooded the stage and aisles, and soon after His Divine Gra
Last Sunday our Bhakti Academy group had a reading from the Krishna Book about Govardhan Hill and the torrential rains sent forth by the angry god of thunder, Indra. Since that time, it has been raining every day, and today was no exception. Torrential? No! But wet? Yes.
A window of opportunity for a walk arose when the same group felt a dry spell this afternoon, but then drizzle and double/triple time came, just as they, and I, entered Ramsden Park. The only shelter from Indra’s liquid was the
ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam
“Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Hari, Lord Krishna, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon which spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all l
By Thomas Haribol
Devotees worldwide have sent their heartfelt prayers to His Holiness Sivarama Swami Maharaja, who was recently hospitalized in Budapest on Sunday, June 25th. He has faced several health challenges over the last few months, most especially chronic spinal issues, making walking difficult. He successfully underwent minimally invasive surgery on Monday. Despite less-than-ideal conditions, he continues to work on his writing projects.
Today, he hosted nine doctors and nurses for pr
June 28- Tragedy struck during a ‘Phera Rath’ (return chariot) procession in Kumarghat, Tripura, where multiple devotees died of electrocution when a chariot top made contact with a 133kv overhead cable during the parade. The fatal incident occurred around 4:30 pm on Wednesday. Emergency personnel were on hand to help extinguish the flames and give medical aid to victims, many of whom have now been transported to a local hospital.
Different news outlets are reporting the number of deaths betwee
When you pet a cat it gives a purr
Showing there's so much contentment in her
When a cat starts to whine
It is clearly then a sign
She is indeed not flaunting
But expressing she is wanting
I think the Earth is like that
Yes, like that of a cat
When you walk on Earth's surface
It does not make her nervous
Your footsteps are actually a massage
You are treating her like a Maharaja
It is a form of pampering
Something for which she is hankering
Now, I've been doing the walking marathon
And Earth ma
From Back to Godhead
The Vedic king Rantideva showed what
realization is required for true compassion.
WHAT WOULD modern-day social services make of a man who gives away the food meant for his own children to satisfy the hunger of strangers? How would they judge this man, whose family “shivered for want of food,” while he persisted in his unusual dedication to charitable impulses?
The story of this man, King Rantideva, who lived thousands of years ago, is told in the Ninth Canto of the Srima
The luxurious growth of one of Krishna’s greatest devotees, who appears in a special form, attests to the devotion of two of her dedicated caretakers.
Srila Prabhupada once quoted an atheist as saying, “What is the use of watering the Tulasi plant? It is better to water eggplant. By watering the eggplant one can get some fruits, but what is the use of watering the Tulasi?”
Rudrani Devi Dasi, one of Tulasi’s caretakers at ISKCON Vancouver, responds to this challenge.
“Tulasi is not an or
By Dayal Gopal dasa (Nepal Padayatra leader)
I had a nice experience when a group of Noida’s full-time devotees recently spent seven days with the Nepal Padayatra.
It was a precious time. Where would I get such an opportunity to be with full-time devotees for a week? By the mercy of Sri Guru and Gauranga, I got their association and liked it very much! I felt good as there was no duplicity, no reservation, we were all brahmacaris together as a team – new devotees, senior devotees and also exper
By Mathura Lilesvari Devi Dasi
HARRISBURG, June 27, 2023 – The International Society for Krishna Consciousness of Harrisburg (ISKCON of Harrisburg) is gearing up to celebrate its 13th Annual Hare Krishna Festival of India on Saturday, July 8, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at City Island in Harrisburg. Harrisburg is only a short drive from most major cities on the East Coast – 3 hours from New York City and 2 hours from most towns in New Jersey, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.
The festival will s
