I circled Sparta Lake one last time on this trip for four circumambulations, observing birds in pairs - the red-winged black bird, red cardinals, gold finches, ducks, geese. One single bird stood out alone - the heron, who is often like a hermit. There it was, single-pointed in thought, patient for a fish to appear. Well, I wasn’t patient enough to wait for a poisson to come as bait.
I was in a hurry with that last revolution of the lake. Haripad whisked me away for a drive to Pennsylvania an
A conversation with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
In June 1976 at New Vrindaban, a Hare Krishna farm community in West Virginia, Srila Prabhupada fields questions sent to him from the editors of Bhavan’s Journal, one of Bombay’s leading cultural and religious periodicals.
Devotee: Here is the first question:
“It is said that the greatest strength of Hinduism is its catholicity, or breadth of outlook, but that this is also its greatest weakness in that there are very fe
ISKCON belongs to the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya (denomination or tradition), a monotheistic tradition within Vedic or Hindu culture. Hindu culture is vast, and the term encompasses numerous theologies, philosophies religious traditions and spiritual cultures. Thus, dialogue with Hindu traditions has been difficult for many seeking such dialogue. There are no official representatives of Hinduism, as the term Hinduism does not imply a single spiritual tradition. This statement therefore is repr
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
An ideal government will treat all its citizens, both humans and nonhumans, equally, without envy.
dhrtarashtra uvaca
dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre
samaveta yuyutsavah
mamakah pandavas caiva kim akurvata sanjaya
[Bhagavad-gita 1.1]
In the history of Mahabharata, there was a dispute in the same family who would occupy the throne. Dhrtarashtra was the eldest son of the king, and the next was Pandu, By the law of primogeniture, the eldest son bec
By Radha Mohan Das
Every Sunday at 7:00am sharp, devotees and friends gather outside Stanmore Station to begin a 5.5-mile walk to Bhaktivedanta Manor. Taking around 1 hour and 30 minutes for most participants, the walk is quickly growing in popularity.
The driving force behind this inspiring initiative is Yashu Shah, who shared:
“I’ve been walking every morning for an hour for the past 15 years, mainly for health reasons. Then, at the start of spring in March, just four of us began walking this
By Parijata devi dasi
Devotee Care in ISKCON: Building a Culture of Care
Devotee Care (DC) is an important and growing initiative within ISKCON aimed at nurturing the well-being of devotees and fostering a culture of care and support within the ISKCON community. Rooted in the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, Devotee Care seeks to ensure that devotees feel valued, supported, and connected.
Devotee Care broadly addresses 12 Areas of Care, which together cover the holistic needs of a devotee:
Spir
By Atma Tattva Das,
The ISKCON Ministry of Education is entering an exciting new phase of global development. This phase is characterized by expanded initiatives aimed at strengthening educational standards, enriching curricula, and supporting schools and learning communities across the worldwide movement.
As ISKCON continues to grow in diverse cultural and geographic contexts, the demand for structured, accessible, and spiritually grounded education has become increasingly important. Rooted in
We traveled about 4 hours north of Manila to do some programs at a Nama-hatta outreach centre with a couple of van loads of devotees from Taguig and Laguna. It was a long weekend so the traffic was horrendous.
Nevertheless, we all enjoyed the trip chanting japa and had nice prasadam along the way. Once there the centre programs were great and on Sunday morning we went to a famous holiday place nearby for “beach kirtan” and prasadam.
Source: https://ramaiswami.com/harinama-at-the-beach-philippin
The colours of spring are astounding. Mauves, pinks, purples, reds, yellows and an incredible variety of greens are on display on the front and back yards of the residences and city parks like Ramsden. This space was formerly a brick-making station in the 1800’s. Many of the local homes and municipal buildings were erected by the brick factory and are still standing since the Victorian era which was a time of great optimism.
“Of seasons, I am flower bearing spring,” is how Krishna addresses t
We are entering the sacred month of Purusottama, which comes once every three years and is said to be three times more potent than Kartik. During this month, devotees increase their chanting and hearing, and in particular they read Chapter 15 of the Bhagavad-gita, “Purusottama-yoga,” daily.
In a previous age during the Purusottama Month, Kaundinya Muni repeatedly chanted the following mantra every day throughout the sacred Adhika Masa:
govardhana dharam vande
gopalam gopa rupinam
gokulotsavam
Understanding the Glory of Purushottama Month
Purushottama Month, also known as Adhik Masa, is an extra lunar month that appears approximately every three years to harmonize the lunar and solar calendars. While materially minded people once considered this month inauspicious because it was not assigned for worldly ceremonies and rituals, Lord Krishna Himself transformed its destiny by bestowing upon it His own name — Purushottama, “The Supreme Personality.”
The scriptures describe how this neg
By Radha Mohan Dasa
Dedicated volunteers from Bhaktivedanta Manor were recently honored with an invitation to the annual King’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
Hosted each year by the British monarch, the prestigious event recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions through public service, community engagement, and charitable work.
Among those invited were Ketan Patel and Ashok Parmar, accompanied by their wives, in recognition of their many years of devoted voluntary ser
ISKCON Navi Mumbai has officially released the schedule and registration details for the International Gita Scholarship Test (IGST) 2026. The global initiative, designed to promote value-based education and mental clarity among youth, will culminate in a unique opportunity for top-performing candidates: an immersive, fully sponsored spiritual retreat.
The Grand Prize: A Gateway to Vedic Excellence
Moving beyond traditional scholarship models, IGST 2026 offers winners an experiential award intend
Virat Rupa drove me to the Newark Airport as my final stepping and flying on American soil and sky. I had time on this one hour flight to Canada to reflect on this twelve day trip covering five states. I would not have minded to walk seriously some of those lengths. I reflect on the kindness of the devotees who provided accommodation in their homes, excellent meals, a platform from which to teach from the Gita, trails to explore.
It was also exciting to witness some expansion of Krishna Consc
Rasamandala dasa has offered us this article to help clarify some of the concerns and reservations that many of us may have with educational approaches to Vedanta and Hinduism. He reassures us with his positive treatment of the subject and with his obvious experience in the field of teaching Hinduism and Vaishnavism in British schools. He has systematised our objectives very well and marries this to the difficulty in interpretation experienced between members of the tradition and those non-prac
Every civilized person is familiar with the concept of seva or service. Service can be of different types and of different qualities. At home, every member of the family is serving everyone else. Traditionally, the father traditionally earns for the family and is therefore known as the “breadwinner,” while the mother takes care of the home itself by cooking, cleaning, and creating a comfortable and congenial atmosphere. The children obey their parents and perform basic chores or run minor erran
With a desire to increase communication, understanding and harmony between world faiths, King Charles III of the United Kingdom arranged for faith leaders to gather with him.
With that important goal in mind, 30 leaders from Muslim, Sikh, Baha’i, Christian, Hindu and other faiths gathered at the Lambeth Palace Library in central London, an eight-story modern building dedicated to divine scriptures.
Visakha Dasi, president of Bhaktivedanta Manor, was one of the leaders to meet the King. Upon meet
By Atma Tattva Das,
Devotees and senior leaders from across South Africa gathered at ISKCON Lenasia on May 9, 2026, to commemorate the 47th installation anniversary of Sri Sri Nitai Gaurahari, regarded as the first life-size deities installed in the country by the Hare Krishna movement. The in-person observance included abhishek ceremonies, kirtan, historical presentations, and reflections from senior Vaishnavas who participated in the development of ISKCON communities across Southern Africa fro
By Sri Radhika Devi Dasi
Strong families serve as the foundation of healthy ISKCON communities. But in today’s fast-paced and often demanding world, Grihasthas face unique challenges in maintaining harmony within while simultaneously serving the institution. Addressing the need to deepen connection while staying rooted in Bhakti values, The Atma Center for Empathic Leadership is offering a virtual course titled Relational Leadership for Couples, beginning on June 1st, 2026. This 22-week-long jou
I’m enjoying the trek around Sparta Lake once again, but some people who live in this private lake community are not paying much attention to what they have. A road from up the hill connects to the laneway around the lake. Out from that uphill road emerges a black car (the make I don’t know) with a large dent on the side. The windows were closed but I could hear the loud rap music. It was hard to see the driver for the smoke inside, but I could sure smell the weed seeping through. It was strong
