2020. It’s been a rough year. Brutal for some. Revelatory for others, especially that the leaders in the Kali-yuga (the age of quarrel and hypocrisy) are pretend leaders. There is no proper training on how to be a leader. This pretending has been going on for quite some time, and now it has only become more evident.

In Mahabharata, the teacher, Dronacarya, sent the two prime candidates for leadership into the city to perform a task. Duryodhana is sent to find someone better than himself. Yudhist

“The secret of success in Krishna Consciousness is to render service to Krishna to the best of our capacity. There is no other alternative to this. The more we render service therefore, the more we are able to advance.

Regarding your feeling yourself as unqualified, whatever you can do, then do it, but you should try your best for Krishna. This is important. Ultimately everything is depending on Lord Krishna. You just have to always remember this.”

(Srila Prabhupada Letter, June 27, 1969)

“Do yo

Stephen was with the Canadian Forces some years back and so I thought to ask him to accompany me on the Sunday night walk, brisk and cold so it was. I thought he was tough enough to accept the cold. He accepted the offer. I also thought, “I’ll get to know him more.” He has that commanding officer’s voice. He used it as we carefully ambled along avoiding black ice on the road’s surface. He carries a good conversation. At one point I requested, “I hope you don’t mind but I spend some time chanting

Devananda Pandita lived in Nabadwipa-dhama, in the section known as Kuliya, or Koladwipa (near where the present-day Sri Caitanya Saraswata Math of Srila Sridhara Maharaja is now located). Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used him to manifest the glories of Srimad-Bhagavatam to the world.  Devananda Pandita was highly renowned for his expertise in considering the sayings of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Many people used to go and study the Srimad-Bhagavatam under him. 

One day Srivasa Pandita went to hear the Srima

From New Raman Reti’s Temple President, HG Mukhya Devi Dasi (Alachua)

No one could have imagined the many changes to our lives that the COVID virus pandemic brought in 2020. But there was always the feeling that 2021 would have us back to ‘normal’, the way it always had been.
Instead, we are seeing a new normal, new ways of coming together, more online seminars, classes and kirtans. Online reading groups and study groups, getting to know devotees around the world through their talks, reflections

By Radhakunda dasa

ISKCON Noida recently held its fifth eighteen-day padayatra to Vrindavan under the leadership of Noida temple president Vamsidhar dasa. The first padayatra was in 2016, ISKCON’s golden jubilee year, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic it had to be cancelled in 2020. However, by the mercy of our spiritual master, Lokanath Maharaja, we were successful this year. Padayatra began on October 3 from the ISKCON Noida temple as a large group of devotees and congregation members set off o

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) joins the world in mourning and
paying tribute to a prolific religious leader and human rights icon, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
We offer our condolences to the Tutu family and to the entire South African nation.
In the year 1986 Archbishop Desmond Tutu became the first black Archbishop of Cape Town
and later, after 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela spent his first night of freedom in his
residence that showed the important position he h

By Karuna Mayi Shankla and Jahnavi Shankla

In the summer of 2021, two cousins Kana (age 8) and Meera (age 14), got Vaisesika Prabhu’s inspiring book Our Family Business. Meera says, “Reading Our Family Business made me and my cousin Kana filled with excitement to distribute books.”  Kana said that after reading the book it made him realize that life isn’t just about maintaining our existence (eating, sleeping, playing), but about using our life to share Lord Krishna’s blessings with others.

Read

I’ve been in touch with Neil who’s a sculptor from Ontario and who forwarded me some pics of his new wood sculpting assignment. This is a project we’ve been speaking about since the summer last. The pics show the select maple wood he’s going to use for rendering two pieces – one of a flute-playing life-size Krishna and another of a Radha who will pose with a blessing from the hand, also life-size.

These two exciting pieces will adorn the future project for Huntsville. Neil is most excited about

“Krishna is very kind, and He is giving the full remunerations to His sincere servants. We should always remember that Krishna is always grateful to His devotees. If some ordinary man gives sufficient remuneration to a worker, why Krishna will not give sufficient remuneration to His servants? But we should always remember that whatever Krishna gives us, that never becomes ours. It is Krishna’s. The more we receive from Krishna, the more we engage the remunerations in the service of Krishna. That

THE EXPRESSION "Krsna consciousness" indicates a life of progressing spiritual awareness that prepares one to enter the eternal association of Krsna (God) even before the death of the body. Devotional service to Krsna (bhakti-yoga) is a practical life of rendering service to God under the guidance of the Vedic scriptures and a personal spiritual master. When the spiritual master is bona fide, the results of such spiritual service are complete detachment from the alternating pains and pleasures o

The Mission

That is wanted, that all of you will take upon yourselves the responsibility of preaching widely everywhere the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. By that responsible commitment to your spiritual master, that is your qualification for getting Krsna’s blessing upon you. And only in this way will you be able to make your spiritual progress rapidly.

(Letter 29th December, 1972)

Therefore if we want to please Kṛṣṇa, we have to take this risk. Kṛṣṇa, guru. My spiritual master took this

Loma Hoffman, a Back to Godhead reader, wrote, "I was intrigued to read in the last issue that there existed a woman spiritual master in the Vaisnava tradition, named Srimati Gangamata." But Lorna complained that Srila Prabhupada omits mention of women in his writings. She quoted a sample:

" 'We can know God, however, because He has communicated with men …,' " and added. "Has Lord Krsna not communicated also with countless women and children?"

"I would join your movement tomorrow," Loma continue

We’re already the willing servants of our families, our countries even our dogs.
Why do we hate to be told we’re the servants of God?
“Maharaja Pariksit attained the highest perfection, shelter at Lord Krsna ’s lotus feet. simply by hearing about Lord Visnu. Sukadeva Goswami attained perfection simply by reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam. Prahlada Maharaja attained perfection by remembering the Lord. The goddess of fortune attained perfection by massaging the transcendental legs of Maha-Visnu. Maharaja

Over 7000 plates of full meal Prasadam was distributed to flood victims in various places in Klang Valley ( an urban conglomeration in Malaysia centered in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia.)

Kuala Lumpur, over 18000 residents have been evacuated from their homes following continuous rain since Friday 17/12. It made several roads impassable with many stranded overnight in their cars. It is Malaysia’s worst flooding in years . The amount of rain in one month fell in Klang Valley in one day inunda

ISKCON Mayapur presents New Year Shubharambha – Auspicious Beginning…

In order to invoke auspiciousness to begin the year 2022 ISKCON Sri Dham Mayapur invites world wide devotees to take part in our special New Year’s Shubharambha program, which includes:

•    Special Narasimha Puja
•    Feeding the cows
•    Go Puja
•    Ganga Puja
•    Kirtan

You can all participate in this auspicious beginning by donating only Rs.3000 by which you and your family will receive the immense good fortune of welco

While this yatra (community) in British Columbia is engaged, like many places on the globe, in sharing Gita wisdom, a group of us felt the need to buckle down, roll up sleeves, and pull up socks for a temple internal and external clean-up. Our president and servant-leader, Manu, is partaking in the venture with enthusiasm along with Vrnda, who’s visting here from Winnipeg, Visuddha Satva, Prem, Krishna Shanti, and I. We focused on the inside of the building. Some clutter had to go. Items needed

• Jai SriKrishna Jai SriHari Jai SriRama.

THE PHASES OF LIFE.✨
Is it me ? Is it me?🤗

A glorious childhood
fairy tale & princess like,🧚‍♂️
Happiness and Health,
Warmth and no worry.🎈

Then the minor storms,
hit the teacup. ♨️☕
A trailer before the tornado.
Why me? Why me?☀️

Later for decades, 🌤
Tsunamis, hurricanes,🌗
Volcanoes and boulders,🌘
The dark tunnel never ended.🌚

Net result,
Resilience and Reclusivity,💧
Fire & fortitude,🌈
Fear filtered fantasies,
Cowardice to courage.🌀
Fair weathered friends
we

By Madhava Smullen

Prabhupada’s Palace at New Vrindaban, West Virginia – Srila Prabhupada’s preeminent smriti samadhi, or memorial shrine, in the West – is getting a brand new roof and beautiful new domes as part of its ongoing restoration.

Devotees began building the Palace themselves back in 1973 as a residence for Srila Prabhupada, when he expressed a desire to retire to New Vrindaban and translate his books. Young, inexperienced, and unpaid, they trained themselves in construction and artisa

The first-ever online youth girls camp for unmarried girls of India will be held on December  18th- 16th, 2021. This virtual event was originally to take place earlier in 2020 when the pandemic hit the world. 

This event is an excellent opportunity for youth girls struggling with peer pressure and the inability to balance both studies and Krishna consciousness. Besides focusing on the aspect of balancing life, they will also address the period of transition from youth to womanhood. 

This event i