I believe I’m the most fortunate person in the world because I have just an outstanding team to work with on this walk. The navigation to what is such an excellent route is all taken care of. I have company. Each day there are core coordinators along with fresh and new troupers. We talk about light and deep topics when we are not chanting on our individual japa beads. There’s never a dull moment, really. The scenery is just charming – earthy, green, and prosperous.
At Amersfoort, which i
Diwali festival in India is a 5-day celebration starting from Dhanteras with every single day having its own significance. Out of this, on the Dhanteras day people worship Mother Lakshmi devi and seek Her blessings, especially in form of wealth. The word “dhan” means wealth. This makes them think that Dhanteras is only for worshiping Lakshmi devi, the goddess of fortune. However, this is not a complete understanding. Dhan-teras, or Dhan triodashi, is also the day when Lord Dhanvantari appeared
By Nitai Madhav Das
The ICC Book Distribution Committee successfully organized the Bharat Sankirtan Leaders Sanga on the 23rd and 24th of September 2025 at ISKCON NVCC, Pune. Around 150 devotees — temple sankirtan leaders, senior book distributors, and preachers — gathered from all over India. The atmosphere was filled with devotion, enthusiasm, and gratitude as devotees came together with one purpose: to strengthen Śrīla Prabhupāda’s book distribution mission and keep the sankirtan spirit alive
By Anuttama Dasa
The tradition of distributing Vaishnava literature in Canada dates back to 1896, when Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur sent a treatise on Lord Caitanya to McGill University in Montreal. Decades later, Srila Prabhupada himself visited Canada multiple times, beginning in 1968 with Montreal and later Toronto. His presence inspired a generation of devotees to carry forward the mission.
One milestone came on Thanksgiving Day in 1971, when the Vancouver devotees distributed the first large b
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
The Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) has launched a digital platform providing online access to the Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhan, the comprehensive four-volume encyclopedia compiled by Sri Haridasa Dasa Babaji (1898-1957). The initiative, undertaken in collaboration with Haribol Kuthir, addresses the growing need for accessible digital archives of traditional Vaishnava literature and was commemorated at a special program held on July 6, 2025, at Haribola Kuth
The glorious starting point for a team of seven was at the North Sea, Zandvoort Beach, and we explored on foot Bennebroek by some amazing sand dunes, the forests at mansion Buitenplaats Leyduin, numerous residences at Heemsteds near Haarlem and Zwaanshoek to the finish point, Hoofddorp. The initial companions were Yadu, an avid cyclist, Helga, our filmmaker, Stephan, whom we called our safari master, Namacharya, and Rabindra Svarupa, who are my hosts. Others joined at certain junctions and so
By Giriraj Swami
In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami says that the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya are like a lake with many beautiful lotus flowers, which are love for Krishna—Radha and Krishna. As our acharyas tell us, the Caitanya-caritamrta is perhaps the most important of all the books of the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and on this date thirty-seven years ago, Srila Prabhupada completed his translation of the Caitanya-caritamrta.
Whenever Srila Prabhupada was
We are gathered here in the auspicious month of Kartik, which is also known as Damodara. Srila Prabhupada wrote in The Nectar of Devotion that just as Lord Damodara is very dear to His devotees, so the month of Damodara is also dear to them. And in the month of Kartik, in the year 1974, Srila Prabhupada completed his translation of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, in Juhu, Bombay.
When Srila Prabhupada was in Bombay, we used to go to his quarters every morning at six o’clock, when he would go for his
By Khusboo Basan
Yudhisthira Maharaj said, “O Janardana, O protector of all beings, what is the name of the Ekadashi that comes during the dark fortnight (Krishna paksha) of the month of Kartika (October November)? Please impart this sacred knowledge to me.”
The Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna then spoke as follows, “O lion among kings, please listen as I narrate to you; The Ekadashi that occurs during the dark part of the month of Kartika is called Rama Ekadashi. It is most auspicious, for it at on
By Visakha Devi Dasi
In appointing Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally to be the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leaders of the Church of England have made an exemplary statement. They have seen past Bishop Sarah’s bodily identification (a woman!) to her extraordinary personal merit.
One of Sri Krsna’s first teachings to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita is that we are not the body we temporarily inhabit; rather, we are spiritual beings, part and parcel of God. Thus a key indicator of spiritually ad
The following information applies only to the United States. Residents of other countries should consult their local laws and guidelines.
As more U.S. states and local governments begin officially recognizing holidays like Diwali, many Hare Krishna devotees are exploring how to take time off work to celebrate our sacred festivals during this holy season.
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, most employers (those with 15 or more employees) are legally required to provide reasonable accommodat
By Dinanukampa Dasi
When the COVID-19 pandemic halted international travel in 2020, devotees worldwide were left with a pressing concern. How will we “recharge our batteries” and observe the sacred Vraja-mandala Parikrama during Kartik? In response, a team of devotees inspired by Lokanath Swami’s Vraja-mandala Darsana book, launched an innovative solution: the VMP (Vraja-mandala Parikrama) App.
First released in October 2020, the VMP App transformed the centuries-old parikrama into a digital
How does a walking marathoner get his ‘steps’ in when flying distances that don’t allow? Well, here’s how I achieved some numbers after a six-hour flight. The Schipold in Amsterdam where I landed in the late morning, covers about 4,500 football fields, or 27.87 square kilometres, and I traversed a small portion of that. With Air Canada losing my check-in baggage, I was forced to walk from carousel 19 at arrivals to the oversize outlet or odd-size to carousel 16 and back in a triangle again a
The words “religion” and “Hindu” are problematic. Both are confusing, inaccurate, and not useful words.
Religion
Depending on the context, the use of the word religion can be ill-defined and even offensive—for example, when someone says that religions cause all wars or when someone says, “Science is logic; religion is belief.”
These two statements are ignorant because the person using the word religion has defined it in an arbitrary manner when in fact the word religion defies definition and th
Hare Krsna.
The monkeys of Raman Reti can undoubtably be cute. But are they wise? Mostly they use their amazing climbing skills to wander from tree to roof to balcony for the purpose of foraging for soft leaves, berries, or other eatables. When they’re not eating they fight, mate, or sleep. But, however, I’ve noted that they can also be clever and quite brave. Many strongly built males will always fiercely fight to protect from attack the young within their family. That can be said to be a ty
By Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)
In the Bhagavad-gita (4.7), Sri Krishna clearly explains, “Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion–at that time I descend Myself.”
From all that we have learned in the previous chapters about the holy name of the Lord, we can understand that during this age of Kali-yuga it is the holy name, especially in the form of the Hare Krishna mantra, that is the present incarnati
On October 3, 2025, devotees from around the world gathered online to honor Her Grace Hladini Devi Dasi, a beloved disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and a dedicated servant in the African preaching effort of Bhakti Tirtha Swami, whose extraordinary devotion, humility, and final act of fearless sacrifice continue to inspire generations of devotees.
Hosted under the auspices of Hare Krishna Africa, the gathering brought together disciples of Srila Prabhupada, Bhakt
California has become the third U.S. state to recognize Diwali — a major festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism — as an official state holiday. The measure, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, allows government employees a day off on the festival and comes amid efforts to better reflect the religious diversity of the state. Supporters say the change helps validate and celebrate communities that have long advocated for broader recognition of their faiths.
The decision was met with both praise and
I am a lucky guy who gets to live in the residential quarters of where our guru, Prabhupada, stayed in June of 1976. I sleep where he slept, not on the same bed, of course. That wooden-based bedstand is preserved and on display in the next room which is set in his sitting quarters.
The well-renowned Bhaktivedanta Players continue their 40th anniversary celebrations with great enthusiasm. This year, they took a core team of devotees to the island of Mauritius, where devotees hosted five festivals to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s historic arrival there on 1st October 1975. On that occasion, the Prime Minister of Mauritius personally invited Srila Prabhupada for a state visit, honouring him as a spiritual ambassador.
More than 1500 people attended t
