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By Giriraj Swami

We have again reached December, that most auspicious time of year when the book-distribution marathon takes place. In honor of the occasion, I quote two verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam that embody the devotee’s mood in distributing Krishna consciousness.

naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyas
  tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittah
soce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyartha-
  maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan

“O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material

GBC SPT: Our team is pleased to invite you all to our bi-monthly series of interviews on the topic of Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON’s pre-eminent Siksha Guru. We are kicking off the series with one of Srila Prabhupada’s most dear disciples HH Giriraj Swami.



Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88775

By Madhava Smullen 

With the recent COP26 climate conference in Glasgow a current hot topic of discussion, ISKCON will be holding the Felication Ceremony for its biggest Value Education Olympiad yet on November 22nd. There it will recognize hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren from across India and the world who studied environmental values based on the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita.

The Olympiad, organized by ISKCON of Punjabi Bagh, Delhi, is presented by Govardhan Eco Village and ISKCON in

By Madhava Smullen 

After being virtually free of Covid-19 for most of the pandemic, New Zealand instituted a lockdown in August after discovering its first case in six months. Auckland, the epicenter of the outbreak, has remained in lockdown for over 90 days now, while most of the rest of the country has been living with minimal restrictions. Domestic borders around Auckland are set to reopen from December 15th for fully vaccinated people and those with negative test results. Meanwhile, ISKCON

One of the Gita Zoom calls for this Tuesday night is located in Owen Sound, Ontario, where our host, Sudhama, resides. Some of us decided to be there physically, so we drove up, a two-and-a-half-hour drive north west. Mahadeva was behind the wheel while his good partner, Annapurna, and I were passengers. To break up the drive we decided to hit a trail off of Hwy 10. A rails-to-trails pathway appeared to our right just prior to Holland Centre, a tiny hamlet, so this then became our down-time, a o

मार्कण्डेय द्वारा स्तुति (12.8)

35 ये दोनों मुनि नर तथा नारायण भगवान के साकार रूप थे। जब मार्कण्डेय ऋषि ने दोनों को देखा तो वे तुरन्त उठ खड़े हुए और तब पृथ्वी पर डंडे की तरह गिरकर अतीव आदर के साथ उन्हें नमस्कार किया।

36-38 उन्हें देखने से उत्पन्न हुए आनन्द ने मार्कण्डेय के शरीर, मन तथा इन्द्रियों को पूरी तरह तुष्ट कर दिया, उनके शरीर में रोमांच ला दिया और उनके नेत्रों को आँसुओं से भर दिया। भावविह्वल होने से मार्कण्डेय उन्हें देख पाने में असमर्थ हो रहे थे। सम्मान में हाथ जोड़े खड़े होकर तथा दीनतावश अप

Upon hearing the sound of the falling fruits, the demon Dhenukasura, who was living there in the form of an ass, began to approach with great force, shaking the whole field so that all the trees began to move as if there were an earthquake. The demon appeared first before Balarama and began to kick His chest with his hind legs. At first, Balarama did not say anything, but the demon with great anger began to kicked Him again more vehemently. This time Balarama immediately caught hold of the legs

A Gorakshya (Cow Protection) Perspective by Syamasundara Das

I am submitting a response to an article I read very recently by Jennifer Mishler in Sentient Media. Plant-Based Companies Call Attention to ‘the Cow in the Room’ at COP26 (https://sentientmedia.org/plant-based-companies-call-attention-to-the-cow-in-the-room-at-cop26/)

In Jennifer Mishler’s article she mentions ‘environmental harms of animal agriculture, often left out of climate change discussions—and most importantly—not addressed in

Be Very Careful, If one does not chant Hare Krishna, Sarasvati ”Maharaj” may give you a ”Slap”, and ”Sarasvati, is preaching, “Do you know Krsna?”………..
Prabhupada: This girl, Sarasvati… Some boy said, “Oh, why you are chanting? This is not very good.” She gave[him] a slap. Just see. Naisthiki. How firmly she is fixed up, although she is a small child. Bhaktir bhavati naisthiki. Nobody can deviate [her]. A pure devotee of Krsna cannot be deviated. You cannot cheat him. No. He’ll give you a slap.

By Madhava Smullen 

This year’s MAN-tra Retreat, held from November 12th to 14th, explored “The Hero’s Journey,” a common story template that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a crisis, and comes home transformed. The retreat applied the template to the life of devotees, who often see a similar awakening or call to adventure, followed by trials and transformation.

There were over 100 registrants from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries for th

By Madhava Smullen

About 170 book distributors, temple presidents, GBC members, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust staff and devotees in general viewed the 12th Annual BBT Africa Conference, held online and broadcast at https://www.youtube.com/c/BBTAfrica on Saturday November 6th.

Speakers from Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Mauritius participated in the three-hour conference, which is a platform for an exchange of ideas and strategies on all matters of book distribution, publication, and innovation. Insp

The word bhakti can be translated to devotion, devotional service. Bhaja is the root form of bhakti. Bhaja dhatu includes love, service and worship. The very essence of bhakti is emotions. When we speak of rasa, it implies emotions.

Whilst we are in this material world, we become conditioned, therefore we have a lower and a higher nature. There are two sides to our nature. The lower nature has become attached to the temporary and things of small significance, like when I lost my teddy dog as a c

Every trail is unique. Every rock is distinct. Every cloud in the sky is different. Every tree has its own character. And today, I am viewing a waterfall which stands out from any other.

The water from the Sydenham River flows as cascades at Inglis Falls, a lovely drop of rushing H2O. It is one of four waterfalls in the Owen Sound district. Its gorgeousness was the reason for a second stroll for Mahadeva, Anna Purna, and I, but here we were accompanied by local friends who are all nature lovers.

भगवान की विभूतियाँ (11.16)

1 श्री उद्धव ने कहा : हे प्रभु, आप अनादि तथा अनन्त, साक्षात परब्रह्म तथा अन्य किसी वस्तु से सीमित नहीं हैं। आप सभी वस्तुओं के रक्षक तथा जीवनदाता, उनके संहार तथा सृष्टि हैं।

2 हे प्रभु, यद्यपि अपवित्र लोगों के लिए यह समझ पाना कठिन है कि आप समस्त उच्च तथा निम्न सृष्टियों में स्थित हैं, किन्तु वे ब्राह्मण जो वैदिक मत को भलीभाँति जानते हैं आपकी वास्तविक रूप में पूजा करते हैं।

3 कृपया मुझसे उन सिद्धियों को बतायें जिन्हें महर्षिगण आपकी भक्तिपूर्वक पूजा द्वारा प्राप्त करते हैं

Series: Srila Prabhupada-Our Preeminent Siksha Guru – Day 01
Speaker: Badrinarayan Swami
Occasion: Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day Special

Video: Click here

On Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival , here are some lesser-known facts related to ISKCON Founder Acharya.

GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) is pleased to invite you to the Day 1 of our 3 day series celebrating Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival reflecting on the role of Srila Prabhupada as our preeminent Siksha Guru wi

By Madhava Smullen

The new Devotee Care Team started in New Vrindaban, West Virginia in April 2021, is providing resources, assistance and association for residents of the large rural community.

The team is run by Lilasuka Dasi, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada who first moved to New Vrindaban in 1980 and has served there as a day school teacher, communications director and handcrafts store owner; and Beverly Nava, who came in 2016 and has served as restaurant manager and HR representative.

While

By Kalyana Giriraja das

There are 45 brahmacaris living in the Moscow sankritana ashrama who distribute Srila Prabhupada's books daily in Moscow and ot

There are many limbs of devotional service, 64 to be precise. By engaging in these 64 aspects, we can make so much spiritual advancement. The first is guru-padasraya – taking shelter of the lotus feet of the spiritual master. The second one is to accept initiation and receive spiritual instructions. The third is serving the spiritual master with love.

Before we reach love, we may serve out of fear. Why? Well, the sastras create a lot of fear in our hearts as it is very clear that we cannot disob