By H.H. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami
(On December 9th, 2021 (Odan Shasti), disciples and servants of H.H. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami will be celebrating his 84th vyasa all over the world. On this occasion we are pleased to share below excerpts from his lecture’s question/answer session.
The excerpts from chapter ‘Prayers’ are adapted from the book “Sripada in Switzerland – Lectures, conversations and instructions of His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami in Switzerland published by BI, Kol
From the purport of text 11.7.8 from the Bhagavatam, we read, “When a woman loves a man, she is most eager to see him, and she daily sees him dressed in different clothes. Actually, the woman is interested not in the clothes, but in the man. Similarly, within every material object is the Supreme Personlity of Godhead; therefore, one who has developed love of God is constantly seeing the Lord everywhere, and not just the superficial material objects that cover the Lord.”
Nice example on “proper p
Guest: What is the value of accepting this sacrifice for the human being?
Prabhupāda: For better benefit.
Guest: But now can it be accepted as a kind of masochism?
Prabhupāda: What he’s speaking? Masochism? What is this masochism?
Devotee: Self-inflicted pain. “I want to hurt myself.”
Prabhupāda: No. It is not like that. Just like if you are diseased, doctor says that “You don’t eat this.” So that is not self-inflicted. The idea is that just to become cured from your disease you accept the ins
As I stand where earth, sea, and sky meet, and watch the sun rise before me, it’s easy to feel the emotion of gratitude. Who am I to be so blessed and where does all this life and beauty come from?
Prabhupada says it well:
Every living entity, especially persons in the human race, must feel grateful for the benedictions offered by the grace of the Supreme Lord. Therefore anyone with a simple heart of gratefulness must be Kṛṣṇa conscious and offer devotional service to the Lord. Those who are act
Having been appointed just a matter of weeks ago, one of the first meetings the new Ambassador for Ireland, Mr. Akhilesh Mishra, wanted to arrange was with ISKCON!
A very nice, knowledgeable and humble man we spent about 40 minutes discussing Sanskrit (which he has studied and his father was a professor of), Vedic culture and the achievements of Srila Prabhupada.
Before leaving we presented him with the complete edition of the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta. Somehow that seemed hugely appropriate giv
From Back to Godhead
Understanding the concept of destiny disempowers passivity and empowers a focus on duty.
Indian thought is sometimes deemed fatalistic, holding that everything is destiny, predetermined by our past actions, and thus leaving little room for human initiative. While Indian literature is filled with diverse thoughts, some of which may be fatalistic, the bhakti literature, which is among the most influential Indian literature, offers a far more nuanced and empowering outlook on l
There are places in Sudbury I just had to revisit as part of my personal “memory lane.” First of all Ramsey Lake, a sixty-five feet deep and eight kilometre-long body of water within the city limits; a place I would gravitate to fourty-nine years ago.
Damodara, my host in the city, drove a few of us to Cambrian College, where I attended as a fine arts student. Two boys accompanying us are current students in the computer science field. The campus has expanded since my time.
Finally, I just had t
By Kamala Radha devi dasi
Godhead is a new Los Angeles-based Krishnacore band. Krishnacore is a subgenre of hardcore punk that draws inspiration from the Bhakta Yoga traditions. Although some hardcore punk bands had already made references to Krishna Consciousness in the 1980s punk scene, this subgenre was established in the early 1990s by bands like Shelter and 108. Godhead recently released their first EP and just had their first show on November 21st at Programme Skate & Sound in Fullerton, C
By Radhapriya
On Saturday, November 27th, over 50 leaders from across Canada got together for the annual Canadian leadership conference to present, strategize, and generate ideas for the future. Centers from the West Coast such as Sarangati to the East Coast such as Halifax were represented. The all-day conference, organized by Vrnda Dasi, Canadian Zonal Supervisor, was split into two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Because of the ongoing pandemic, this year’s conference w
By Madhava Smullen
Light of the Bhagavata, a new 25-minute film by ISKCON guru and GBC Bhaktivaibhava Swami, brings to life the timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita, teaching the viewer about the nature of the soul and taking them on a meditative and enlightening journey from planet earth, through galaxies, to the eternal, blissful world of freedom from all anxieties.
The film is designed to appeal to newcomers who are curious about Krishna consciousness and would like to find true inner peace
It is the constitutional position of the living entity to be a servant of Krsna. Therefore, this means that we are always in a relationship with Krsna. Service is our natural position. If we are not serving Krsna, then we are serving others – family, profession, society at large, animals, plants and so on – in so many ways, we are serving other living entities. Therefore, serving is our nature. But ultimately, everything finds its origin in Krsna and everything is only a spark of Krsna’s splendo
This is where it all began for me. My seed for bhakti was planted on Yonge St., in Toronto, and Victoria, B.C., where I had brief encounters with Krishna monks. However, it was here in this town, Sudbury, the nickel capital of the world, where my actual practice of devotion began. That’s why I’m excited to be back. To arrive here hits some sentimental nerves. It pushes emotional buttons. I met devotees during Christmas in 1972.
First of all, I really like the airport. If I say, it’s an incredibl
By Sadbhuja Das
As everyone knows, the Nrsimhadeva Deity will be installed on a separate altar in the East Wing of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. The temple room of Nrsimhadeva will be smaller than the central hall, but nevertheless, it will be beautifully decorated and very majestic. The Grand Opening of this wing is scheduled for 2023.
One of the features of the Nrsimhadeva temple room, in addition to a huge chandelier, will be eight, two-meter (7’) figures of demigods, who, standing on
I trekked in the rain to see our beloved Vaishnava Prabhu at the Toronto General Hospital. His heart is not in the best condition and so he deserved a visit. Being in the CIUC is a very protected and secure division of the hospital, which is number one in the country and one of the best in the world for cardio challenges. Visitation is quite restricted so I was lucky, as the priest, to come in. Vaishnava’s family comes daily. His wife, Janaki, brings tasty prasadam from home, blessed by Krishna.
My wife and I once stayed at her friend’s apartment. We knew that she was an avid collector of clothes, but we were amazed to find not only closets full of unused clothes – many with price tags still attached – but also boxes and boxes of unworn shoes.
As it turned out, my wife’s friend had a compulsion to find the perfect jacket or pair of shoes. She believed that if she were to succeed, her social image would be rightly aligned, and she would feel joy.
Unfortunately, when she got home her new
The curve that sets everything straight.
Nowadays I find myself increasingly cautious when sending emails or pinging my friends on messengers. This is not because I’m worried about privacy or security, but because of the danger of misinterpretation. Occasionally I’ve messed up a relationship because of a reckless choice of words or an inconsiderate presentation of thoughts. The written word is a serious form of communication. It’s archived, allowing us to revisit it. But it’s limited, since it l
