By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

In the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown, when the streets of Mayapur were silent and the gates of local neighborhoods were closed, a small group of Western devotees began a daily Harinam Sankirtan that would grow into one of the most consistent preaching efforts in the area. Among them was Purnamasi Devi Dasi, who joined the group during Pandava Nirjala Ekadasi in June 2020. The group—now known as the Jiv Jago Harinam Sankirtan Team—completed five years of d

By Govinda Ranjana Das

In the beloved Vaishnava prayer “samsara davanala lidha loka,” we hear of the blazing forest fire of material existence that engulfs all living beings, and of the spiritual master who, out of boundless compassion, appears to rescue us from these flames. Srila Prabhupada was such a teacher who, despite our complete lack of qualification, delivered the timeless wisdom of Krishna consciousness to the Western world. Through his disciples and grand disciples, this sacred knowle

Since its founding in 1966, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) – often known as the “Hare Krishna” movement – has grown into a worldwide network of temples and outreach programs. In city squares and remote villages around the globe, ISKCON temples welcome people from all backgrounds to chant the sacred “Hare Krishna” mantra, partake in communal worship, and celebrate India’s rich devotional traditions. Beneath the familiar robes and melodies lies a thriving culture of s

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, lovingly known as ISKCON, is more than a spiritual organization—it is a movement that embodies the timeless beauty of devotion, community, and divine love. Born from the vision of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1966, ISKCON has blossomed into a global sanctuary for seekers of spiritual truth, drawing hearts from every corner of the world into the warm embrace of Krishna consciousness.

At the heart of ISKCON’s beauty lies **Bhakti**—pur

By Rsi Kumara Dasa

We are delighted to announce the completion of a monumental literary and devotional achievement in Gaudiya Vaishnava history: Danavir Goswami has successfully finished the printing of the Sri Garga-samhita in thirty volumes, the culmination of a 20-year endeavor. Each volume features the original Sanskrit text, Roman transliteration, English synonyms, translation, elaborate commentary, and thirty-two pages of colored plates per hardbound volume. The complete sets will be avai

By Jaya Krishna Das

The Bhaktivedanta Players have been a beacon of Krishna-conscious cultural awareness in the UK since their founding in 1977. They’ve performed not only across Britain but internationally too. My journey with the troupe began at thirteen, when my brothers and I were asked to play monkeys in a Ramayana production at Bhaktivedanta Manor. That moment sparked a lifelong passion for drama, transforming it into a spiritual practice and an offering of love to Lord Krishna.

Over the y

In this important and timely podcast, Basu Ghosh Das, Secretary of the ISKCON India Bureau, joins members of the ISKCON India Scholars Board (IISB)—Krishna Kirti Das (IISB Convenor) and Sridhar Srinivasa Das (author) —to discuss the recent Supreme Court proceedings held on 16 May, 2025, concerning the long-standing legal dispute between ISKCON Bangalore and ISKCON Mumbai.

The discussion explores the ongoing debate around the validity of initiations conducted under the Ritvik system. Drawing from

The Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada, registered ISKCON in India as a society and public trust in Mumbai in 1971. It was his desire that there should be only one ISKCON, i.e., the one he registered in Mumbai, and all the other temples and centres would be under its administrative control. This is also evident from the fact that, during his lifetime, Srila Prabhupada had opened several ISKCON temples, including Vrindavan, Mayapur, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and New Delhi, and they functioned

By Aditya Devi Dasi  

We have opened Govinda’s Kadamba Kafe in New York City right at the front of our temple building in Brooklyn, offering a fresh new take on prasadam distribution in the city. The opening ceremony took place on the auspicious day of Aksaya Tritya. Jayadvaita Swami, Dilip Chauhan, the Deputy Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Innovation at the NYC Mayor’s Office, Temple President Hansarupa Dasa, Arcita Dasa, and many other Vaishnavas came for the occasion. A puja was perf

Question: Maharaj, sometimes we try to restrain our urges such as eating less. For some time we can but after a while we feel dissatisfied and cannot continue with our practices. How can we practically apply this in our lives and maintain the standard?

Answer: Everything should be done with moderation. There is a famous saying: ‘Haste means waste. Slow and steady wins the race.’ If we are given something very palatable we may say, ‘No, no. Take it away.’ But inside we are meditating on that sen

The Gita Condensed

A concise refresher on Lord Krishna’s immortal teachings.

In 1968 His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada published the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, which has since sold tens of millions of copies in dozens of languages. As a lifetime devotee of Krishna and a consummate Sanskritist, Srila Prabhupada spells out the clear conclusions of the Gita that are often obscured by arms-length commentators with their own agenda. Srila Prabhupada’s purports (commentaries) illum

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

The ISKCON History Archive Project, led by Lokarama Das, is an initiative endeavoring to collect memories and build an archive about ISKCON’s history following Srila Prabhupada’s departure in 1977, which has remained largely undocumented.

While the early years of the movement, under Srila Prabhupada’s leadership, have been well-documented by multiple books, including the multi-volume Prabhupada Lilamrita, the decades that followed were not, explained Lokarama.

We shall discuss the conversation between Sri Ramananda Raya and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, ramananda-samvada, recorded in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Eight: “Talks Between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya.”

TEXT 1

sancarya ramabhidha-bhakta-meghe
  sva-bhakti-siddhanta-cayamrtani
gaurabdhir etair amuna vitirnais
  taj-jnatva-ratnalayatam prayati

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is known as Gauranga, is the ocean of all conclusive knowledge in devotional servi

Five hundred years ago in the district of Puri, in the village of Bentapur adjacent to Brahmagiri Alalanatha, there lived a great devotee named Bhavananda Raya.

Bhavananda had five sons, the eldest of which was Ramananda. Descendants of this family-line are known as Choudhurya Pattanayaka. It is said that Lord Caitanya visited the birth-place of Ramananda in Alalanatha every year.

Ramananda was the Governor of East and West Godavari and a minister of King Prataparudra.
A great statesman of that

We continue our discussion of the conversation between Sri Ramananada Raya and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, ramananda-samvada, recorded in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Eight: “Talks Between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya.”

TEXT 1

sancarya ramabhidha-bhakta-meghe
  sva-bhakti-siddhanta-cayamrtani
gaurabdhir etair amuna vitirnais
  taj-jnatva-ratnalayatam prayati

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is known as Gauranga, is the ocean of all conclusive knowledge in de

Today is an auspicious day in Krishna consciousness. Of course, every day is auspicious in Krishna consciousness. When we first arrived in India, in Bombay, Srila Prabhupada was invited to a program on the lawn of an aristocratic gentleman’s house. Most of us went ahead, and Srila Prabhupada followed with a few disciples. When we arrived, our hosts told us, “It is very auspicious that you have come today, because today is a holy day.” We had never heard of the holy day and were somewhat doubtfu