A beautiful and heartfelt yajna ceremony was held to honor a significant moment in the journey of the Avanti Schools Trust. The ceremony was conducted to express deep gratitude to Nitesh Gor OBE (Navina Krsna das), the Founding CEO, and to warmly welcome Dr James Biddulph MBE as the new CEO of the Trust.
The ceremony was filled with spiritual energy, love, and a sense of auspiciousness, involving kirtan led by young people from Avanti House Secondary School. The event was attended by Trustees
This year’s Hare Krsna Festival at the National Mall was another amazing event. Literally thousands of people from all walks of life, all ethnic backgrounds, and age groups couldn’t help but hear this chanting of the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra. As a direct result, so many people were feeling genuine spiritual ecstasy by Nama Prabhus’ causeless mercy. Honestly, the atmosphere was so spiritually surcharged, they couldn’t resist and found themselves spontaneously jumping in and started dancing along
“O Radha! O beloved of Madhava! O you who are worshiped by all the young girls of Gokula! All glories unto You! All glories unto You!” (Sri Radhika-stava, by Srila Rupa Gosvami)
Sri Janmastami is celebrated with much grandeur all over the world, because it is the birthday celebration of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Can there be any festival greater than this? If this question is asked to devotees in Sri Dham Mayapur, the answer will be ‘Yes.’ Sri Krishna may be God, but there is o
In the late 70s, our Los Angeles community organized what was probably the biggest Ratha Yatra to date, especially in the western world. It was promoted in such a dynamic way. The whole town was curious about a fest involving chariots. Is it like the second coming of “Ben Hur?” Alice Coltrane, legendary jazz musician, was going to appear and present mantras on the stage (I remember the melody she sang of the maha mantra from a recording). Ramesvara Swami, the leader of the LA community,
The ISKCON Law Department held its first Law Conference in the Asia Pacific region. The Conference, held in Sydney, Australia, brought together a diverse audience of more than 25 devotee attorneys, those in the provision of legal services, law students, temple leaders, National Council members, and SABHA members from eight jurisdictions. Their shared mission was to explore the role of law in serving and protecting ISKCON for future generations and expansion.
Led by ISKCON General Counsel Devak
Concluding Statement from the Executive Committee of the Governing Body Commission Regarding Trivikrama Dasa
16 July 2025
Dear ISKCON Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Following the 24 June 2025 resolution by the Guru Services Committee and the Sannyasa Standing Committee regarding Trivikrama Swami’s removal from the positions of sannyasi and initiating guru in ISKCON, and the 27 June follow-up statement by the GBC Executive Committee (EC), we wish
The Jhulan Festival is celebrated in the month of Shravana (August), from the eleventh day of the bright fortnight (Ekadashi) to the full-moon day (Purnima). This festival commemorates the childhood pastimes of Sri Krishna with His friends, the young cowherd boys and girls, swinging underneath the trees.
Every day, the Deities of Sri Radha Madhava are adorned with various jewelries and gently swayed on a swing decorated profusely with flowers. The main temple hall is beautifully decorated wi
The idea is to go about looking for signs of Krishna. This is the time of the year when there are ample reminders of our dear Creator, especially through the realm of nature. The gorgeous chicory plant at the edge of the road, barnyard, or lake, is so stunning. The blue hue that this wildflower is identified with is captivating to look at while the plant itself is a delicious drink, a substitute for coffee without the harmful caffeine. In this regard, this jewel of the outdoors is quite u
By ISKCON Communications North America
On Saturday, July 12th, during the annual Rathayatra parade organized by ISKCON Toronto, multiple eggs were thrown from a residential balcony onto the public street where thousands of parade-goers had gathered. One egg struck a female participant on the hand, causing localized swelling. Several other eggs landed on the ground, creating alarm among those nearby.
The incident was imme
Each year, the streets of Accra come alive with vibrant kirtan, smiling devotees, and the majestic presence of Lord Jagannatha on His chariot. What began two decades ago as a humble extension of Ghana’s Food for Life initiative has now become a cherished annual celebration of Krishna consciousness, the Accra Rathayatra Festival. At the heart of this journey is Srivas Das, whose spirit of service has shaped
Srila Prabhupada incorporated ISKCON on July 13, 1966, in New York City, which corresponds to today on the Vaishnava calendar. One exchange between him and Bhavananda indicates some of the significance of the occasion:
Bhavananda: In Svarup Ganj there’s one big astrologer. So, he saw your photograph, and he said, “This is the face of the most powerful spiritual personality on the planet.”
Prabhupada: [laughs] Hare Krishna.
Brahmananda: Then what else?
Bhavananda: Then he said that “I can tell
The water makes the feet numb in the beginning, and then with a mind-over-matter spirit, we overcame. The most beautiful thing about early morning is that opportunity to rise above.
Along with a dozen members of the Bhakti Academy, we drove to those cliffs (or bluffs as they call them) in Scarborough, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sunrise, but frankly, today was not going to reveal one of our favourite planets. It was overcast. The time in the water was precious, clean, and refreshi
In the Bhagavad-gita (7.14) Lord Krishna refers to maya, the deluding material energy, as mama maya: “My maya.” We Vaishnavas accept His word on this, with profound philosophical implications.
The chief philosophical opponents of Vaishnavas are the Mayavadis, or impersonalists, who posit ultimate reality as one homogeneous impersonal energy, with no second thing: All the unique entities we perceive, whether things or living beings, are merely mirages. Variety and individual identity are illusion
My name is Ishan das. I created the Balaram mridanga in L.A. It is really quite a story. But I’ll give you the brief version.
If, in our marriage, we focus on what we need and negate the needs of our partner, the relationship can’t last. If we give up who we are to please our partner, we may suffocate and become frustrated, resentful and depressed. One who is self-controlled doesn’t need to lord it over another, and neither does that person need to be overpowered by another. Marriage is a balance between satisfying our self and satisfying our partner. It means maintaining an awareness of the other person and their desi
Today, I’ve lost a father figure, mentor, and one of the gentlest, most spiritually grounded souls I’ve ever known. Vrindavana Candra Prabhu guided me on the path of Krishna consciousness for over 26 years. Even before I was married, I saw him daily at Mangal Arati—he’d open the temple door for me with a smile that radiated affection.
Every morning, I would arrive at the temple for Mangal Arati, and there he would be—opening the door for me with a broad smile, a hearty welcome, and the warmt
Kamalini Devi Dasi, with her husband, Apurva Dasa, shares new details from her escape from their car surrounded by flood waters.
On Tuesday, July 8th, ISKCON News reported on the miraculous escape of Kamalini Devi Dasi, a longtime ISKCON educator and servant, whose car was rapidly overtaken by floodwaters after heavy rainfall in North Carolina.
This weekend, she shared a video with ISKCON News, offering a firsthand account of the terrifying experience and reflecting on the deeper spiritual con
They are just 2 or 3 weeks old – twins of parents, Parama Gauranga and Rukmini, and for these two boys it was their first visit to a temple. They behaved like a couple of rsis (sages), as quiet as could be. Basically, they slept through the whole ceremony, a name-giving ceremony. The oldest one has the name Nimai, and the fellow that was born following his brother received the name Nitai Rama. The crackling of the small firepit did not phase them in the least.
Well, that was a program
5 April, 1974
In the Mahabharata, Vidura explained to Dhritarastra, “Destiny determines the consequences of our actions, not our actions themselves.” This means that we are not like programmed robots that have no free will, or no choice. Our past karma does determine what will happen in our life, but it does not determine how we will react to it.
Destiny is something like a weather forecast on a journey. A weather forecast can tell us whether our journey from one place to another is going to be snowy or sunny
