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Nirjala Ekadashi is the most important and significant Ekadashis out of all twenty four Ekadashis in a year. Nirjala means without water and Nirjala Ekadashi fasting is observed without water and any type of food. Nirjala Ekadashi Vrat is the toughest among all Ekadashi fast due to strict fasting rules. Devotees abstain not only from food but also from water while observing Nirjala Ekadashi Vrat.

अध्याय सत्तावन – सत्राजित की हत्या और मणि की वापसी (10.57)

1 श्री बादरायणि ने कहा: यद्यपि जो कुछ घटित हुआ था भगवान गोविन्द उससे पूर्णतया अवगत थे, फिर भी जब उन्होंने यह समाचार सुना कि पाण्डव तथा महारानी कुन्ती जलकर मृत्यु को प्राप्त हुए हैं, तो वे कुलरीति पूरा करने के उद्देश्य से बलराम के साथ कुरुओं के राज्य में गये।

2 दोनों ही विभु भीष्म, कृप, विदुर, गान्धारी तथा द्रोण से मिले। उन्हीं के समान दुख प्रकट करते हुए वे विलख उठे, “हाय! यह कितना कष्टप्रद है !”

3 इस अवसर का लाभ उठाकर, हे राजन, अक्रूर तथ

I had a great picnic with Parama, Rukmini and their young 19-month-old darling who was totally mesmerized by people, the dogs and the trees. It’s not that she hasn’t been to a park before. This one, Ramsden, according to her parents, is new and full of activity; something different.

The heat was on. That may account for the smaller than usual turn-out of people. Attendance did pick up in the evening, which was my second visit to the green space. At this point Nimai and Vishal joined me on the g

अध्याय छप्पन – स्यमन्तक मणि (10.56) 

1 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने कहा: कृष्ण का अपमान करने के बाद सत्राजित ने अपनी पुत्री तथा स्यमन्तक मणि उन्हें भेंट करके प्रायश्चित करने का भरसक प्रयत्न किया।

2 महाराज परीक्षित ने पूछा: हे ब्राह्मण – राजा सत्राजित ने क्या कर दिया कि भगवान कृष्ण उससे रुष्ट हो गए? उसे स्यमन्तक मणि कहाँ से मिली और उसने अपनी पुत्री भगवान को क्यों दी?

3 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने कहा: सूर्यदेव अपने भक्त सत्राजित के प्रति अत्यन्त वत्सल थे। अतः उनके श्रेष्ठ मित्र के रूप में उन्होंने अपनी

Hare Krishna dear friends of Vaishnavas Care! Please pray for the departed devotee, HG Akshara Prabhu, who left his body in a car accident in Cherkassy (Ukraine). He used to be a temple president and heart and soul of the Cherkassy Yatra.

Source: https://bit.ly/3cRutN1

On the full-moon day, sixteen days before Ratha-yatra, Lord Jagannath is bathed. He becomes sick and is confined to rest for fourteen days. He is then offered special care until He comes out for Ratha-yatra.

A special bath of Jagannath takes place on the Purnima of Jyestha month, to commemorate the appearance day of Lord Jagannath. According to Skanda Purana when Raja Indradyumna installed the wooden deities he arranged this bathing ceremony. This day considered to be the appearance day of Lord

What a treat it was on a Zoom call with 45 colleagues who are influential bhakti yoga instructors from different parts of the globe. It was a planned, three-hour seminar for gurus in the diksha category. Presenters such as Bhaktivaibhava Swami from Germany, Atmanivedana Swami from India and Ravindra Svarup from America, spoke marvelously on the topic of challenges for a guru.

There was a Q&A session and a portion of time given to breakout groups. I was asked to facilitate. I’m bashful with thes

अध्याय पचपन – प्रद्युम्न कथा (10.55) 

1 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने कहा: वासुदेव का अंश कामदेव पहले ही रुद्र के क्रोध से जल कर राख हो चुका था। अब नवीन शरीर प्राप्त करने के लिए वह भगवान वासुदेव के शरीर में पुनः लीन हो गया।

2 उसका जन्म वैदर्भी की कोख से हुआ और उसका नाम प्रद्युम्न पड़ा। वह अपने पिता से किसी भी तरह कम नहीं था।

3 इच्छानुसार कोई भी रूप धारण कर लेने वाला असुर शम्बर, शिशु को जो अभी दस दिन का भी नहीं हुआ था, उठा ले गया। प्रद्युम्न को अपना शत्रु समझ कर शम्बर ने उसे समुद्र में फेंक दिया और फिर

If we are at all aware of how dependent we are on God—for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and our very ability to eat and drink and breathe, to think and feel and will, and to walk, talk, and sense—we will feel grateful and want to reciprocate God’s kindness. We will want to do something for He (or She or They) who has done, and continues to do, so much for us.

We often take things for granted until we lose them. I use my right hand to chant on meditation beads, and one

On Saturday, June 5th, ISKCON North America came together to raise awareness and unify devotees and temples as a demonstration of cooperation and love for Srila Prabhupada and our devotees in the affected regions in India.  

In Mayapur and Bangladesh, over 7,000 devotee families are suffering due to a lack of resources. There is an astounding 126 ISKCON centers in Bangladesh, and these devotees and the surrounding congregation are struggling to feed their families. Basic needs such as rice, dah

It’s been a while since I met cousin Corry and our young Muslim friend, Victor, so we decided to meet again, as we used to before the dawn of winter and the Covid lockdown. A third person also came along; much to my surprise it was a distant relative, Jeanette. She’s not just an ordinary Jeanette. She’s “ScubaJeanette” and, as the name implies, she loves the water and has spent many seasons in clear and salty water exploring. She also has a shark scar bite on her left leg to prove her escapades

अध्याय चौवन – कृष्ण रुक्मिणी विवाह (10.54)

1 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने कहा: सारे क्रुद्ध राजाओं ने अपने कवच पहने और धनुष धारण कर सेना सहित भगवान कृष्ण का पीछा करने लगे।

2 जब यादव सेना के सेनापतियों ने देखा कि शत्रुगण उन पर आक्रमण करने के लिये आ रहे हैं, तो हे राजन, वे सब उनका सामना करने के लिए मुड़े और दृढ़तापूर्वक अड़ गये।

3 घोड़ों, हाथियों तथा रथों पर सवार शत्रु राजाओं ने यदुओं पर बाणों की ऐसी वर्षा की जैसी कि बादल पर्वतों पर वर्षा करते हैं।

4 रुक्मिणी ने अपने स्वामी की सेना को बाणों की धुँआधार वर्ष

The Covid pandemic has affected ISKCON’s operations around the world, especially in regard to international travel. The New Govardhana devotee community usually has the Sacred Sounds festival in April every year, which devotees from around the world attend. However, the last couple of times a smaller local festival has been organised.

Nevertheless, around 500 devotees registered to come over the Queens Birthday long weekend and everyone was blissfully engaged in chanting the holy name of the Lo

Dr. Richard L. Thompson (1947–2008), also known by his Vaishnava name Sadaputa Dasa, was a mathematician, scientist, philosopher, author, researcher of ancient cosmology, and devoted practitioner of bhakti-yoga. In 1974 he received his PhD from Cornell University, where he specialized in probability theory and statistical mechanics. During this time, he found inspiration in the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita and became a dedicated follower of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, popularly known in the West as the

I was a junior in high school and had one more year to go before I could be free of all my bad association, but the Laguna temple president Rsabhadeva recommended me to Prabhupada for initiation, so a letter went off to him.
So what did Krishna do while the letter went to Srila Prabhupada? My parents put me in the Santa Ana Psychiatric Center as a way of deprogramming me.
All of a sudden I wasn't coming to the temple, so Ratnanabha, who worked for the phone company, tapped my parents' phone and

By Madhava Smullen 

New paperback editions of Srimad-Bhagavatam: A Comprehensive Guide for Young Readers Cantos 1, 2, and 3 are now available on Amazon.com, along with the just completed Canto 4. The first three cantos in the series, compiled by Aruddha Dasi, were originally each released in two parts starting in 2016. However the new editions, redesigned by Raghu Consbruck, and featuring new illustrations by a variety of artists, have been revised into a single volume per Canto, making them mo