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I was pleasantly surprised to see a  recent article on ISKCON News: “Christmas Drama Has Audience Enthralled.” I understood immediately that the Bhaktivedanta Players wanted to bring the sacred elements from the East and the West together in their performance from the East The Bhagavad Gita,and A Christmas Carol from the West. I understood because these texts also hold a special connection for me.  I’ve offered performances based on them, playing the roles of  Arjuna and Ebenezer Scrooge respect

If I wrote an article telling you how to double your money in ten days, would you be interested? Of course you would. Well if I knew how I’d tell you. But I don’t, so sorry.

But I can tell you something better. I can tell you how to double your blessings in ten days. Are you as interested? I hope so. After all, the more blessings the merrier, right? So read on and learn how to have a doubly blessed Christmas and thus make Christmas really, really merry.

May you always think of Krsna.

By Mahatma

In the sixth episode of Vartalap, we were blessed with the opportunity to interview one of the very first disciples of Srila Prabhupada, HG Rukmini mataji. She has been practicing Krishna Consciousness for more than half a century and is an activist in women’s spiritual empowerment and interfaith dialogue. She leads workshops and retreats internationally.
We hope this episode will empower you in Bhakti and deepen your relation with Srila Prabhupada
Following is the list of questions that were a

By Mayesvara Dasa

In 1992 Locamangal prabhu performed the extraordinary Nandula play with Peter Konikow prabhu in my back yard for the devotee audience. Peter had applied all the blue makeup in LA before coming to Ojai and he said he caused a lot of head turning attention as he drove up the Ventura Highway with Lokamanga for the evening performance. It was an extra ordinary event that charmed everyone beyond belief. If you are not familiar with this extraordinary performance of this charming t

Srila Prabhupada speaks about the qualifications to see God, who is all around us.

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, lecture given on April 9, 1971, in Bombay

Although Krishna is invisible to ordinary persons, He tells us how we can become extraordinary and thus able to see Him always.

“Srimati Kunti said: O Krishna, I offer my obeisances unto You because You a

By Maharishi Das

My customer ( friend ) Rob drove four and a half hours from Devon to pick up a bespoke hand crafted amplifier. When he arrived HG Titiksu Prabhu was just leaving and greeted him as he walked by on his way out. Rob paused for a moment, then commented “All your friends seem special,” and when I asked why, he said, “They have a certain glow.”

I explained that Titiksu Prabhu has a certain glow as he has been selflessly serving God for many years. I mentioned to him that prior to co

There was a sweet briskness in the air as we set out for a 7am exercise session of Chi Gong in the zoologico. The local folks, mostly retirees, were in Chinese silk garb, while us visitors from Canada were attired in our usual Indian dhoti and kurta. The session, held in gorgeous, natural greenery, was so relaxing. I wish that our temple and ashram had sessions like this, even for fifteen to twenty minutes a day.

It was time for our taxi to arrive and to bid farewell to Laksminath, who has been

I met a pathologist recently who works with cancer patients. She explained to me that there is a certain kind of pancreatic cancer that is most deadly and that one who contracts it can survive only a few months, at the most.

She said that because of the often-depressing nature of her job, she and her colleagues have a way of speaking among themselves to lighten the emotional impact when they receive bad news about a patient’s prognosis.

For example, when they read a patient’s lab results and fi

What is the process of sense control by Krishna Consciousness? In fact, what are senses in the first place and why is it so important to control them? 

Senses are compared to venomous snakes (BG 3.58 purport). Snakes are known to be hypnotic, sneaky, fast and extremely poisonous. They have no mercy. Doesn’t sound very friendly, right? But nonetheless, all the conditioned living entities within this material world are constantly trying to satisfy these cruel masters lifetime after lifetime  in o

I was shocked, confused, bewildered

As I entered Goloka’s door;

Not by the beauty of it all,

Nor the light or its decor.

But it was the devotees in Goloka

That I was amazed to see;

I knew them all on the earth

But they had so little bhakti.

There stood my sankirtan leader

The one who stole Krsna’s money twice;

Next to him was my old TP

Who was never ever nice.

Krsna Das, who never preached,

Who seemed so insincere,

Was sitting ecstatically with Krsna,

To whom he seemed so dear.

I asked my guru,

Holding their ‘Gita Trophies’ inside the Argentine Embassy in Paris after they won the World Cup :-)

By Janananda Gosvami

Above and beyond all the challenges and events in the world around us this week, the “World Cup” has stolen the show. Such a climax with adrenaline running at top pitch. Billions glued to the box enwrapped in one of maya’s most entangling nets – not only the football nets – but the very intoxicating effect of national identity. Like the game or not, it’s my country. ‘Oh God

I met with the President of the Republic of Mauritius, His Excellency Sri Prithvirajsing Roopun, G.C.S.K, at the State House, Le Reduit. He was pleased to accept from me Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is and my I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story and Life’s Final Exam: Death and Dying from the Vedic Perspective. He is a pious man, is very encouraging and supportive of ISKCON, and has taken darshan of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari in Juhu and Sri Sri Radha-Radhanath in Durban. He wished m

ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) today released a resolution regarding Anirdesya Vapu das (formerly known as Bhaktividya Purna Swami). The decision, while overlapping with the Child Protection Office’s (CPO) earlier decision (see article here), sets restrictions on Anirdesya Vapu das that are self-standing. The resolution also clarifies the status of the former guru’s disciples. Like all GBC resolutions, this decision is pending SABHA review before becoming ISKCON Law. The full resoluti

The first experience I had with Krishna consciousness was when a friend of mine had got a small book, Perfection of Yoga, on the Atlantic City, New Jersey boardwalk. At that time I was going to college at Rutgers in New Jersey and was home for the summer. I was also doing Yoga exercise daily so I was immediately interested in reading the book. I picked it up and read 5 or 10 pages and then put it down thinking this is not Yoga. At that time I though that yoga was physical and breathing exercise

“Nish, nish, ram, ram, nish, nish, ram, ram.” Prabhupada once imitated how we sometimes chant without focus, without concentration, without proper pronunciation – how we chant when we don’t feel like chanting. You know the mood behind this chanting; “I have to chant but I’d rather be doing something else.” And in our minds we are thinking, “I can’t wait to get these rounds out of the way.” We all do this. And it can get pretty bad. I know devotees who chant rounds while watching football games

Aid received from Iskcon Houston, Iskcon San Diego, New Vrindavana and also from other vaishnavas.
We thank his Holiness Badrinarayan Swami and His Grace Kuladri Prabhu for arranging and participating in the fundraiser.
The aid is directed at setting up autonomous electricity and water supply for the New Navadvipa temple in Kyiv.
As of December 10th, 32 solar panels a 10-kilowatt diesel generator an inverter, batteries a stabilizer a water pump and fuel have been purchased it is still necessary

Sometimes I have had dreams wherein I’m caught in a situation that seems to have no solution. For example, I have found myself where I am staying in a hotel, but this hotel is huge, with many floors of rooms, an arena for sports games, stages for entertainment, plus shops, restaurants, and all kinds of amenities, with crowds of people everywhere. I check in and then I am supposed to find my room. Or maybe I have already checked in and reached my room, but after wandering around the place, I can’

By Radhikakrpa dd

A famous Sanskrit shloka reads  

Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu
Gurur Devo Maheshwara
Guru Sakshat Parabrahma
Tasmai Shri Guruve Namah

Meaning  

Guru Brahma – Guru is Brahma also called as Generator, Guru Vishnu means Guru is Vishnu (Vishnu is the Lord who is called organizer), Guru Devo Maheshwara means Guru is the Maheshwara (Shiva or the destroyer), Guru Sakshat Parabrahma means Parbrahma  the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Since Guru leads to a path of light, Guru is Parabrhma.

In the Bhagavatam, there are twelve individuals considered Mahajan and Yamaraj is one among them. Vidura, Yamaraj’s sudra incarnation, is not explicitly mentioned as a Mahajan. For punishing Mundaka Muni, Yamaraj was cursed by the Muni to become a sudra (lower birth).  Is there a reason why Yamaraj punished Mundaka Muni?  Should we consider Vidura a Mahajan as well, since Yamaraj is a Mahajan? Does Vidura possess the traits necessary to qualify as a Mahajan?

Mundaka Muni was wrongly arrested al