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When Lata Mangeshkar sung for Iskcon

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India’s “Nightingale” Sings for Krishna
Lata Mangeshkar, the world’s most prolific recording artist (with more than twenty thousand songs to her credit), recently went on a rare concert tour of North America.
Lata Mangeshkar known as “the nightingale of India,” the humble Miss Mangeshkar has won the Padma Bushan, India’s highest national award, and so many “Filmfare” awards (her country’s equivalent of the Oscar) that she’s had to declare herself ineligible for more. Time magazine called her “

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When I was young, I was always searching for ways to develop my devotion to The Lord. As I have grown older, I not only seek to develop new ways, but how to nourish them as well.

In my search, I seek to understand as well as to grow, as I feel they go hand in hand. I have found there are all kinds of devotees and while learning, I found some on the impersonal path. I was interested to see what the difference was from personalism. Krishna tells us that the personalist seeks to engage himself in l

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Live to Give ’21

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This last Live to Give campaign from the BBT ran from September 21st, 2021 through January 7th, 2022. Several devotees around the world participated. Many full-time sankirtan devotees, traveling sankirtan parties, participated as well as families, children, and congregations members participated part-time and weekends for this occasion. This year’s campaign tried many new approaches to preaching and book distribution:

  • Devotees set up tables/displays for Gita Jayanti (also known as World Gita D
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By Saki Rangadevi Devi Dasi 

Each and every one of us wants two things in life: to love and to be loved. Devotee Care is one such initiative by ISKCON that takes care of the devotees and embeds the culture of care using different platforms. Their vision and mission is to provide contentment to the devotees both spiritually and materially by looking after their diverse emotional, spiritual, physical, and social needs. The idea behind the project is to help devotees feel valuable and comfortable

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Vasantha Panchami Feb 6th, 2022

…Of course spring is a season universally liked because it is neither too hot nor too cold, and the flowers and trees blossom and flourish. In spring there are also many ceremonies commemorating Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes; therefore this is considered to be the most joyful of all seasons, and it is the representative of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa.

BG 10:35
Of hymns I am the Bṛhat-sāma sung to the Lord Indra, and of poetry I am the Gāyatrī verse, sung daily by brāhmaṇas.

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I decided to pace along on the temple/ashram’s balcony floor and in the course of it, chanted some rounds on my beads. The japa, or chanting, with a good dose of faith, is the means to elevate my consciousness. Altering consciousness is a lifetime endeavour, if not several lifetimes.

For our meditation, I would like to bring to the readers attention verse 2.54 from the Bhagavad-gita.

Arjuna said: O Krishna, what are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is thus merged in transcendence? How do

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Day Snow Walk by Bhaktimarga Swami

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I walked on ice, asphalt, rock-salt and snow

This is much like the make up of the world we know

They are elemental surfaces that exist under our feet

Diverse they are in colour, texture along the snowy heap

 

When walking in the winter you see less folks on the prowl

They are seasonal movers like some choosy night owl

The quiet is conducive for good meditational time

Which might get interrupted at a snow bank climb

 

Snuggled in coat, pants and favourable footwear

It becomes an exercise in brea

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Night Snow Walk by Bhaktimarga Swami

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I was on Bloor St. and those pretty snowflakes were twirling down. That excited three young men, perhaps international students from India, whom I passed by. I know they were excited. I could see it on their tan faces, as they were clicking away and with some selfie efforts, they were taking in what they could of the magic with white lit lights all edged along the night street.

I thought for a moment as to whether I should introduce myself being that they likely would respond well. I did not ha

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The other day I had to make a long train journey to Manchester, some three hours north of London, so I took the opportunity to read Navadwipa Mahatmya by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura. In this book, which is an account of Nityananda Prabhu taking Jiva Goswami on a pilgrimage around the holy land of Navadwipa, Bhaktivinode Thakura describes the simultaneous oneness and difference of Sri Vrindavan Dhama and Sri Navadwipa Dhama. In Vrindavan Krsna dances with the gopis, and in Navadwipa, the holy pla

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Don’t Worry About This World

10068299868?profile=RESIZE_400xDevotee: Hiraṇyākṣa was taking the gold from the earth. Now they are taking the oil. So the weight, the oil makes weight in some parts of the globe, no? So when they take it and they put it some place else or they convert it in the earth, the earth is losing weights in some parts. That is no going to cause…

Prabhupāda: I think I have explained this. Instead of contemplating what will happen to this world, you have got a short duration of life, say fifty, sixty years. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and go

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The plight of man is a wonder indeed!

10068298268?profile=RESIZE_400xOnce a man was chased by an elephant in a forest. Seeing no respite, he climbed a tree but he slipped, was about to fall before he could hold on to a branch. He looked up and found that the elephant is waiting to devour him and two rats, one black and one white, were slowly nibbling the branch he was hanging on to. He understood that very soon the branch would fall to the ground.
As the man looked down, he discovered that there were many snakes. Suddenly a drop of honey fell on his face. He pull

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From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 11:

“In the Hari-bhakti-vilasa there is the following statement about self-surrender: ‘My dear Lord, a person who has surrendered himself unto You, who is in firm conviction that he is Yours, and who actually acts in that way by his body, mind and words, can actually relish transcendental bliss.’”

“In the Nrsimha Purana, Lord Nrsimha-deva says, ‘Anyone who prays unto Me and takes shelter from Me becomes My ward, and I protect him always from all sorts of cal

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Everyone Is Eternally Servant of God

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Pressman: Do you know how many followers there are in the United States now?

Prabhupāda: Unlimited. (devotees roar) Some of them admit and some of them do not admit. That’s all. (laughter) Everyone is eternally servant of God, but some of them admit and some of them do not admit. That is the difficulty. But anyone who does not admit, he is servant of somebody. That is a fact. He cannot be master. Everyone is servant. But one who knows that “I am servant of Kṛṣṇa,” his life is perfect. That’s al

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Twenty-four Gurus by haktimarga Swami

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Based on a story from Canto 11 of the Bhagavatam, I have this literary piece to offer the readers:

 

Twenty-four Gurus

 

A monk had come to visit a king in his royal town

And the king asked the monk why he wanders around

“You are wise, wonderful, and ever so competent

What is it that molded you to be ever so confident?”

 

The monk replied, “Your majesty, nature sent me twenty-four gurus

Each one taught me a lesson, so they became my truths

If you have the time, I’ll reveal my meaningful list

Fo

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I signed up with my daughter for a Mother’s Day yoga class in the park about 12 years ago. Being a beautiful crisp Autumn morning, we thought this would be a relaxing way to start our Sunday.

A girl named Ambarissa led the most peaceful class I had ever attended. I think that the kirtan at the end made it even more special. After meeting this girl just once, she invited us to a home kirtan, to have dinner and meet other like-minded people. Usually, I would be more likely to shy away from this ki

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Nityananda Trayodasi Sevas

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We want to use this opportunity to warmly invite you for this year Nityananda Trayodasi celebration which falls on the 14th of February 2022. With pleasure we want to invite you and your family to participate in this festival and receive the mercy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. We hope you will join us in serving Lord Nityananda Prabhu with your time, energy, and donations.

Sri Nityananda Trayodashi is the auspicious appearance day of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna appeared in N

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When first learning of bhakti-yoga and exploring the meaning, I asked a lot of questions. One answer came to me without the need to ask any question. My mentor advised me to offer everything in service to Krishna, in a mood of devotion. This she explained, is the way back to remembering our love for Krishna and going home to Godhead.

Rasarani devi dasi was gifted to me as part of the Mentor Program at New Govardhana. I met her and we were paired up before I really understood what a Siska Guru w
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On Being Subordinate

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Srila Prabhupada Conversation.

The following conversation between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and a guest took place in September 1968 at the Seattle Krsna center.

Guest: Can you explain subordination?

Srila Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada: Subordination? Yes, it is simple. Everyone must be subordinate to somebody else. Are you not subordinate to somebody?

Guest: Yes, in a material sense. But in the spiritual sense, I don’t feel subordinate to anyone.

Srila Prabhupada: When

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