In this time of social upheaval, how do we build bridges across differences? How do we inspire a shift in mindset on an individual, organizational, and global level? A dialogue facilitated by Gauravani Das with Sastivar Das (ACBSP) and devotees from the Urban Center in Washington D.C. (IFAST) – Madhavacharya Das, Ekavira Das, and Jagannatha Pandit Das.
By Lilasuka dasi
Every temple, project and school in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is required to have a trained and active Child Protection Team (CPT). CPT’s have two main functions – to help prevent and to respond to child abuse concerns in local ISKCON communities. CPT’s have the special focus of helping local management implement policies that enhance safety, including screening those in positions of trust; awareness training for adults and children; and resp
I’m going on close to one week since starting my two-week quarantine. It’s relatively an easy one to tackle. For members I also want to acknowledge that this year marks 125 years since the birth of His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Celebrations have begun to recognize his great efforts and contributions to this world.
As expressed in words in a recent letter to me the other day, referring to Prabhupada as “the one who I believed radically changed American society in ways that
अध्याय आठ – भगवान कपिलदेव से सगर-पुत्रों की भेंट (9.8)
1 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने आगे कहा: रोहित का पुत्र हरित हुआ और हरित का पुत्र चम्प हुआ जिसने चम्पापुरी नामक नगर का निर्माण कराया। चम्प का पुत्र सुदेव हुआ और सुदेव का पुत्र विजय था।
2 विजय का पुत्र भरुक, भरुक का पुत्र वृक और उसका पुत्र बाहुक हुआ। राजा बाहुक के शत्रुओं ने उसकी सारी सम्पत्ति छीन ली जिससे उसने वानप्रस्थ आश्रम ग्रहण कर लिया और अपनी पत्नी सहित वन में चला गया।
3 जब बाहुक वृद्ध होकर मर गया तो उसकी एक पत्नी उसके साथ सती होना चाहती थी।
On Saturday, March 13, 2021, the first virtual Child Protection Office (CPO) North America conference was held on Zoom. This was a long-cherished dream of the North American CPO regional director, Lila Suka Dasi, who has wanted to provide ongoing support for the teams that have been created to prevent child abuse in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
The Child Protection Office was established by the Governing Body Commission (GBC) of ISKCON in 1997. The GBC's guideli
One of my dear friends from the area, Mr. Prasher, gave me good news. In India, Vrindavan and Varanasi, two sacred places in the state of Uttar Pradesh, are going back to old ways. Restrictions on animal slaughter and, according to him, liquor sales are now implemented. Good news indeed.
Now, how far such restrictions are enforced is another matter. India is traditionally the land of dharma, meaning a place of high principles, but with a thousand years of invasion, influences are such that it h
अध्याय सात – राजा मान्धाता के वंशज (9.7)
1 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने कहा: मान्धाता का सर्वप्रमुख पुत्र अम्बरीष नाम से विख्यात हुआ। अम्बरीष को उसके बाबा युवनाश्व ने पुत्र रूप में स्वीकार किया। अम्बरीष का पुत्र यौवनाश्व हुआ और यौवनाश्व का पुत्र हारीत था। मान्धाता के वंश में अम्बरीष, हारीत तथा यौवनाश्व अत्यन्त प्रमुख थे।
2 नर्मदा के सर्प-भाइयों ने उसे पुरुकुत्स को दे दिया। वासुकि द्वारा भेजे जाने पर नर्मदा पुरुकुत्स को ब्रह्माण्ड के निम्न भाग (रसातल) में ले गई।
3 रसातल में भगवान विष्णु द्वारा शक्ति प
Bhavatarini Devi Dasi, or Pishima as she was commonly known to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) devotees, was the younger sister of Srila Prabhupada. Pishima departed from this world on March 13, 1980.
On Wednesday, April 7, 2021, ISKCON’s Vaishnavi Ministry will honor Pishima’s disappearance day with two guest speakers: Srutirupa Devi Dasi (ACBSP) and Ananga Manjari Devi Dasi (ACBSP) who were privileged to have Pishma’s personal association. They will share sharing
Yes I hold back. There is every reason to surrender to You, every reason to hold on to You. Yet I hold back. This is my precarious condition, dear Lord. While I keep trying to coax my mind to understand what is good for me and what’s in it for me in surrendering to You, I come across this beautiful song by Purandara Dasa, Your unalloyed devotee. This is the song that helps me realize that indeed I have nothing really worth offering to You but still if I offer whatever I have, it is actually in
अध्याय छह – सौभरि मुनि का पतन (9.6)
1 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने कहा: हे महराज परीक्षित, अम्बरीष के तीन पुत्र हुए-विरूप, केतुमान तथा शम्भु। विरूप के पृषदश्व नामक पुत्र हुआ और पृषदश्व के रथीतर नामक पुत्र हुआ।
2 रथीतर निःसन्तान था अतएव उसने अंगिरा ऋषि से उसके लिए पुत्र उत्पन्न करने की प्रार्थना की। इस प्रार्थना के फलस्वरूप अंगिरा ने रथीतर की पत्नी के गर्भ से पुत्र उत्पन्न कराये। ये सारे पुत्र ब्राह्मण तेज से सम्पन्न थे।
3 रथीतर की पत्नी से जन्म लेने के कारण ये सारे पुत्र रथीतर के वंशज कहलाये, किन्तु
Debate
• is oppositional: two sides oppose each other and attempt to prove each other wrong
• has winning as the goal
• lets one side listen to the other side to find flaws and to counter its arguments: “listening to refute”
• defends assumptions as the truth
• causes critique of the other position
• defends one’s own positions as the best solution and excludes other solutions
• creates a dosed-minded attitude, a determination to be right
• prompts a search for glaring differences
• involves a
Road to Vrindavan is a new film that examines the importance of education for girls in India and the insight needed for tradition to be applied in ways that uplift rather than oppress its future.
- Online Premiere Information -
Dates: Available to stream March 30th, 8 PM - April 5th, 6 PM EDT
Website: https://watch.showandtell.film/watch/roadtovrindavan
Cost: Free. A donation is strongly encouraged to support girl's educations at the Sandipani Muni School in Vrindavan, India.
Reviews: Describ
My area of movement is restricted. Walking around outside is taboo for the time being. My one meal a day is placed outside the door of my quarters. I pack my laundry into a garbage bag and leave it outside that same door. Mail is slipped under my door. If I need to communicate at all with a resident monk, I will call them on the phone. In the case of Cameron, we talked through the glass door and innovated some measure of sign language.
This is the way it will be for a few days and I have psycho
अध्याय पाँच – दुर्वासा मुनि को जीवन-दान (9.5)
1 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने कहा: जब भगवान विष्णु ने दुर्वासा मुनि को इस प्रकार सलाह दी तो सुदर्शन चक्र से अत्यधिक उत्पीड़ित मुनि तुरन्त ही महाराज अम्बरीष के पास पहुँचे। अत्यन्त दुखित होने के कारण वे राजा के समक्ष लोट गये और उनके चरणकमलों को पकड़ लिया।
2 जब दुर्वासा मुनि ने महाराज अम्बरीष के पाँव छुए तो वे अत्यन्त लज्जित हो उठे और जब उन्होंने यह देखा कि दुर्वासा उनकी स्तुति करने का प्रयास कर रहे हैं तो वे दयावश और भी अधिक सन्तप्त हो उठे। अतः उन्होंने तुरन
By Madhava Smullen
A new assisted living residence for devotees who cannot live independently is set to open within six months' time in Vrindavan, India, the holy place of Lord Krishna’s pastimes.
The fourteen-room facility will prioritize the first generation of ISKCON devotees who are now beginning to retire; as well as the next generation and then the extended families of devotees. “Our idea is to give devotees who have given their life to the movement a comfortable living arrangement in the
Our virtual Thursday afternoon Gita sessions have been very stimulating for me and if I gauge properly, others on the call are also having a great time. After a sweet time in the park, pulling in the sun’s Vitamin D and working on the next poem, I sat myself comfortably to share this week’s verses from The Gita, 9:12, 13 and 14. We took special note of the subject: mahatma (mentioned in the 13th verse), and what the qualities of a “great soul” are. The first point I discussed was that a mahatma
अध्याय चार – दुर्वासा मुनि द्वारा अम्बरीष महाराज का अपमान (9.4)
1 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने कहा: नभग का पुत्र नाभाग बहुत काल तक अपने गुरु के पास रहा। अतएव उसके भाइयों ने सोचा कि अब वह गृहस्थ नहीं बनना चाहता और वापस नहीं आएगा। फलस्वरूप उन्होंने अपने पिता की सम्पत्ति में उसका हिस्सा न रखकर उसे आपस में बाँट लिया। जब नाभाग अपने गुरु के स्थान से वापस आया तो उन्होंने उसके हिस्से के रूप में उसे अपने पिता को दे दिया।
2 नाभाग ने पूछा, “मेरे भाइयों, आप लोगों ने पिता की सम्पत्ति में से मेरे हिस्से में मुझे क
“If I had not been there with Srila Prabhupada for days and weeks and months, my life would be nothing but dry, tattered scraps.”
Adapted by Nandimukhi Devi Dasi from Remembering Srila Prabhupada (© 1998 Daniel Clark)
HIS DIVINE GRACE A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, my spiritual master, enacted his life’s activities from his birth in 1896 to his passing in 1977. I knew him for the last eleven years of his exemplary pastimes. But to say I knew him is going too far. I watched him. I listened
