It`s Christmas at our farm near Prague – finally! I’m waiting for Santa Claus, I’m waiting impatiently. After a while he comes to our house. We’re unwrapping a few presents for the good kids, I’m packing a few things for what seems like a long vacation. I excuse myself for having to go, wish the family all the best, hand over the presents and with Santa get into the van belonging to Food for All London. We are leaving for a long journey to war torn Ukraine.
Santa Claus (Parashuram Prabhu) colle
An Open Letter to The Present
And Future ISKCON Devotees
January 14th, 2023
Dear Esteemed Vaishnavas and Vaishnavis,
Our most respectful obeisances to you all. All glories to our beloved Founder-Acharya, Srila Prabhupada.
We are a group of women disciples of Srila Prabhupada who has been sincerely serving his ISKCON for fifty-some years.
We’ve been on the front lines of preaching; we’ve helped build and maintain temples; we’ve translated, produced, and distributed BBT books, and brought many of
Being the Lord’s active principle in both creation and lila. He is known to be the second body of the Lord, manifesting as Balaram to Shri Krishna, Lakshman to Shri Ram and Nityananda Prabhu to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. All other forms and expansions of the Lord emanate from this second body. Nityananda Prabhu is thus the source of Sankarshan, all the Vishu’s, and Ananta Shesha. As Vishnu tattva He and Advaita Acharya are worshipped in the same category as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In the manifested ea
A talk by Giriraj Swami at the conclusion of a meeting held in his honor at the residence of Lalita Sakhi dasi (Smt. Lalita Piramal), in the presence of HH Radhanath Swami and devotees from Juhu and Chowpatty.
Srila Prabhupada is so great we cannot even begin to estimate his greatness. In one sense he is like God, because anyone can surrender to him at any time and in any place and he will reciprocate. He will help the person to connect with the disciplic succession and progress on the spiritua
There they were, like kids in a candy shop. The Bhakti Academy crew joined me for a visit to a household in Stouffville. The proprietor, Ajay, handed me a copy of the Krsna Art Book, which I passed on for viewing to BA for their perusal. They were enthralled.
Page after page illustrates and summarizes pastimes of Krishna, which are full of energy, mysticism and holiness. Thus, the group was huddled about the book, a coffee-table sized gorgeous publication. It was the first time they had viewed
Below is a link to joyful Kirtan that was captured during the Kirtan 50 retreat in USA (Dallas, TX) in December 2022
Kirtan 50 Playlist
The following Kirtaniyas are featured.
Every once in a while, I meet a real nice person as a passenger on the plane next to me. The timing on the flight between Vancouver and Toronto couldn’t be better for dodging storms. Vancouver got clobbered and there’s more to come. Predictions indicate that storms will hit Toronto, so there was a break of winter chaos and that happened to be my flight time for Air Canada 108. The stress reliever is always mantra power, so that’s what I resorted to. An additional soothe space was in meeting Mik
Here is how the funds have been used:
By Doyal Gauranga Dasa
A complete solar power plant was already unloaded at New Mayapur yesterday. Tomorrow we start installation. We plan to install in a week. This station will provide all our emergency needs (water, heat, sewerage, communications). It will also become the basis of an autonomous system, where biogas generators and bulls will eventually be connected.
The biogas plant is already in operation, but without the equipment, which should arrive fr
73/08/18 London, Bhagavad-gita 2.12
By His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):
na tv evaham jatu nasam
na tvam neme janadhipah
na caiva na bhavisyamah
sarve vayam atah param
[Bg. 2.12]
“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.”
Srila Prabhupada: This is a very important verse. The modern scientists, philosophers, they say that after finishing this body, we no more exist
From Back to Godhead
“Whom are we worshiping in the temple? This query of mine was unanswered till I reached ISKCON.”
I was born and brought up in a Hindu family in Delhi, and we used to go to various temples and offer prayers before the gods. Two questions, however, always tickled my mind: Why do we worship so many gods, and who is the real God? As I never got answers to my questions, I considered all the gods equal, and in my teenage years all religions and faiths became one for me. Be it Hin
Drumila Dasa: Mystical Story!
A friend of mine Jude Acer, a big name in the world of chess (tied Bobby Fisher when he was younger), told me a great chess celebrity was going to be here today. So I tried my best to make it, but was late, and he was already gone. I was having a particularly tough day, so bad that I turned back the other way to head back towards my car, (wasn’t quiting, just changing my usually route) and I never ever do that, I always tough it out. Then I realized that he was at
Roads have been quiet. Silent night was early. People preferred to stay at home. Snow had accumulated to levels that made it restrictive to travel. Snow plows were doing their best to clear but it takes time. This area isn’t ready for such a dumping dynamic.
The sun shone through.
I had to cancel on delivering the class this morning. My right leg is in too much pain. I attribute it to a seizing of the leg muscles from the cold. The temples furnace broke down and the floor tiles have been rather
Today is “Makara Sankranti” which is celebrated when the Sun begins the northward journey, marking the beginning of the “uttaraayaNa puNyakaalam”. Sun enters the sign of “Makara”, (Capricorn) from Cancer currently. (This is also called equinox when the day and nights are the same). Starting from this day, the duration of day starts to increase until “dakshiNaayanam” comes.
Traditionally, this period is considered an auspicious time and the veteran Bhishma of Mahabharata chose to die during this
Arjuna is known as Paranthapah because he is a chastiser of the enemy. He enters the Kurukshetra battlefield with a fighting spirit on a chariot bearing the flag marked with Hanumān being driven by Krsna and drawn by white horses. He wanted to see the combatants and asked Krsna to maneuver the chariot into the midst of the armies of both parties.
Arjuna observed the opposing side and got bewildered for participating in the annihilation of his whole clan. Arjuna loved, respected, and revered man
A snowstorm hit Vancouver Island just as it did on the mainland. All night long – isn’t that a song? Anyway, here’s a poem about Norm:
I met a man by the name, Norm
At the time of a big snow storm
He is 66 and has no legs
But substitute bionic pegs
He is no scholar like Socrates/Plato
And explained he became a couch potato
He’d been clicking the one-eyed monster
Switching channels, faster and faster
His sedentary roll made him quite fat
With 380 pounds all under his hat
One day he got electr
सीतानाथ समारम्भां रामानन्दार्य मध्यमाम्।
अस्मदाचार्य पर्यन्तां वन्दे श्रीगुरू परम्पराम् ।।
As said in Sudarshan Samhitā,
राघवस्य गुणो दिव्यो महाविष्णुः स्वरुपवान ।
वासुदेवो घनीभूतस्तनुतेजः सदाशिवः ।।
मत्स्यश्च रामहृदयं योगरुपी जनार्दनः ।
कुर्मश्चाधारशक्तिश्च वाराहो भुजयोर्बलं।।
नारसिंहो महाकोपो वामनः कटिमेखला।
भार्गवो जंङ्घयोर्जातो बलरामश्च पृष्ठतः।।
बौद्धस्तु करुणा साक्षात् कल्किश्चित्तस्य हर्षतः ।
कृष्णः श्रृङ्गाररुपश्च वृन्दावनविभूषणः ।।
ऐते चांशकलाः सर्वे रामो ब्रह्म सनातनः ।
[Narad Panchratra Sudarsh
To get to this lovely town, located on Vancouver Island, you take a ferry from the mainland and sail to Nanaimo, then drive for 30 minutes. The arctic factor appears to have hit the island with snow flurries for the better part of the day and night.
At the home of Gadadhar and Manoharini I met Norm Thompson, 66, who came to our program of “Tales from the Trails.” Due to the imposing storm few people turned up, but it was Norm, who was determined, regardless of the weather, to see me. Recently,
Topic of separation is difficult to enter.
Because to experience separation you need to experience Krsna.
But by the mercy of Vrndavan dust, Govardhan, just by sitting here, some perception of this deeper reality comes. The deeper reality is the sweetness of dealing is very attractive.
To enter we need to primarily become what? A servant.
We can’t enter Vrndavan in a mood of Krsna’s competitor. We know who will win and who will loseJ.
anyabhilasita sunyam
jnana-karmady anavrttam
If we want to b
* A New Year Message from the ISKCON Governing Body Commission *
Dear ISKCON Members and Friends,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Looking back on 2022, we want to thank you for your many continued services to Srila Prabhupada, and to Lord Caitanya’s mission of spreading Krishna consciousness to every town and village in the world.
After several years of differing degrees of being isolated from one another and from our communities due to the pandemic, we loo
The Yaksha inquired, ‘What is it that makes one a true brahmana: birth, behaviour or learning?’
Maharaj Yudhisthir replied, ‘It is behaviour alone that qualifies one as a true brahman. Thus, brahmanas must be very careful to exhibit exemplary behaviour. One whose behaviour is faultless will never meet with obstructions on the path of life. Teachers and students alike, who are addicted to sinful habits, should be considered illiterate, even though they may be very leaned in the shastra. Only one
