What did I learn today from sastra (scripture) or from the words of the guru?
In the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna asks Krishna appropriate questions, with all of them being answered, of course.
Another item that I read from the book Chasing Rhinos, by Shyamasundar, left me satisfied:
“Sometimes, just like the wild tiger, you have got to control by repression. But when the tiger is under control, there is no question of repression. You can play with the tiger; he becomes your friend. So, repression is
Hare Krishna Dear Devotees,
Here is a link to some ecstatic and melodious Hare Krishna Kirtan that was captured during the ISKCON Laguna Beach Kirtan Mela in March 2022.
It features Indradyumna Maharaj, Vaisesika Dasa, and Agnideva Prabhu along with local talent.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKKaC0m0HIfOU58X_lPXD1x_GV5gh3XUS
Please Chant, Dance and be Happy!
Govinda Ghosh was one of the three brothers Govinda, Vasudev and Madhav, who were all dear associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. According to Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (188), Sri Govinda Ghosh is a sakhi named Kalavati in Goloka Vrindavan, who beautifully sings songs composed by Srimati Vishakha Sakhi.
Govinda Ghosh, in Mahaprabhu’s lila as well, was a celebrated singer with melodious voice. He, along with his brothers, was present in the kirtans at Srivas Angan, in the ki
On encountering Hare Krsna devotees chanting on the street, people respond with every reaction from amusement to anger. Few understand what the chanting is all about. To many, it seems a frivolity, often inspiring the remark “Get a job!”
But there’s nothing frivolous about chanting the names of God. Srila Prabhupada had great faith in the transformative power of chanting. He told us that simply by chanting Hare Krsna we would become self-realized. He spoke from experience and on the basis of th
First Installment
With commentary by Sri Srimad Jiva Gosvami and translation and purport by Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya (108) Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami
This is the first installment of the Brahma-samhita, the Hymns of Brahma, including a foreword by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, the translator and commentator, and the first two verses and purports of the Fifth Chapter of this work. Brahma is the first created entity in this universe, born out of a lotus flower sprouting from the
The greatest peace formula is simply this: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the beneficiary in all human activities. Men should offer everything to the transcendental service of the Lord because He is the proprietor of all planets and the demigods thereon.
BG 5.29, Purport: The conditioned souls within the clutches of the illusory energy are all anxious to attain peace in the material world. But they do not know the formula for peace, which is explained in this part of the Bhagavad-gītā. The greatest peace formul
The following reports have been sent to ISKCON News by the Share Your Care Team
1: Vraja Jivana Das and Yamuna Jivani Devi Dasi live in Oleshki in the Kherson region, which is presently blockaded and under Russian occupation. Currently, it is not possible to go in or out of the city and no humanitarian aid is allowed in. Due to this, stores ran out of provisions and have been empty for a couple of days now. The devotees are very grateful for the financial support that was gi
I belong to the road, at least the trail. That was the mood and spirit of our troupe that returned from the weekend Festival of India roadshow. We were reflecting on the fabulous time, grateful that we could be part of the journey. How can one ever repay the good opportunity given to us by the Supreme.
I sometimes wonder what or where I would be if not for those considerate monks I met, fifty years ago, on Elm St. in Sudbury. They changed my life, gave it purpose, principles and procedures. The
On a trip to Hawkes Bay, NZ, as part of our Every Town and Village project (ETV), I was at a book table at the Hastings Warehouse. A mature lady walked straight over and began looking at the books. She then spontaneously grabbed japa beads and asked the price. She wanted four strings of beads.
She said that she used to do a lot of meditation and wanted to get back into it. I encouraged her to also take books, as they will help her deepen the quality of her meditation and learn more about the cu
When Tota Gopinatha Dasa arrives at the Chilliwack Community Services building driving a shiny black Harley Davidson motorcycle, the loud rumbling pouring out of the polished silver tailpipes turns every head in the parking lot. At first sight, the long hair tied back into a ponytail and the big belt buckle might suggest that another biker from the halfway house has arrived for an appointment with his parole officer. But when he walks in and takes his seat behind the supervisor’s desk, you noti
Lord Krsna has innumerable expansions. As far as Krsna Himself is concerned, there are six opulences which are always present knowledge, wealth, fame, strength, beauty and renunciation. He has these opulences in totality, whereas created beings have them in part only.
Knowledge
In the world there have been men who have been considered very rich in knowledge Socrates, Plato, Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo, Francis Bacon, Da Vinci, Einstein, etc. History has afforded us innumerable geniuses whose thou
The Melbourne ISKCON devotees living in the western suburbs of Melbourne Australia have for years participated in the annual local Hindu Holi festival in which they have incorporated a mini Ratha Yatra parade.
Many hundreds of people from the culturally diverse community attended the festival and the devotees engaged them all in the festivities.
With the cooperation of the festival management, the devotees were able to distribute books and prasadam (sanctified food), and much more.
The highligh
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine produced one of the world’s largest refugee crises in history. We are now one month into the conflict and more than 3.7 million Ukrainians have had to leave their home country.
There are now almost as many Ukrainian refugees as there were Afghan refugees fleeing the (first) Taliban regime in 2001, according to figures compiled by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). They represent about 9.1% of Ukraine’s pre-invasion population of about 41.1 million – rank
If we are honest, then we must admit that we are not perfect.
If we are honest, then we must admit that we are not perfect. And if we are not perfect, then we must admit that we have some faults. Maybe we can write down some of our faults. Three days later, we are still not finished writing! So, the more honest we become about our own limitations and shortcomings, the more humility sets within us naturally.
Watch the full lecture below or on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/
Vallabha and I headed for Sault Ste. Marie’s waterfront, which has a trail starting from the Sleep Inn Motel where we rested and dreamed for the night. The trail along the St. Mary’s River is not detectible. You cannot see it for the snow banks, but we tried anyway and so we sank into the white stuff, which was hard on the surface but soft underneath. I sank first, knee-deep. He began to come to my rescue but he sank all the same. It was a good laugh.
I continued on my own down the main street.
A few nights ago, on the train from Gare de Nord to Sarcelles we sat in the train after a day on book distribution. Opposite us was a young lady whose colorful appearance looked a little different from the norm. I looked at her, and she smiled; showed her the Bhagavad-gita, and she became attracted. As a student of French literature in a Paris university, she loves to read. She had never heard of the Hare Krsna movement or Bhagavad-gita in her life. She spoke fluent English, and with no questio
Back to Godhead has inevitably undergone changes over its sixty-year history. When Srila Prabhupada’s disciples took up the service of producing the magazine, he gave them general guidelines and left most of the details up to them. Occasionally he would give specific instructions. One of those, which BTG editors have held sacrosanct ever since, was that each issue should contain an excerpt from the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Once, when some disciples expressed concern that the spiritual content of BTG
In the spirit of Srila Prabhupada Marathon, here is a story from some thirty years ago in Russia, as told by Gautama Rishi Prabhu.
You know how Sanskrit names sometimes sound funny in our languages? So this Gautama Rishi went on sankirtana with a friend called Akula Das. Akula means "shark" in Russian. Not "sounds like" but literally means shark. For our English speakers, internet says that Akula class attack submarines make lion’s share of Soviet/Russia’s nuclear submarine force. "Akula" is to
It often happens that people just give a nice donation but do not take a book. Someone will say, “I like what you are doing, but I think that you should give the book to someone who really needs it.” But THEY REALLY need it, too! So I was wondering how to give someone the book at this point in the conversation …
Recently, I met an atheist in Paris. He doesn’t like religion and God.
So I told him, “No problem. I think that you can take this small book instead: “Science and Consciousness.” It is
