Blog

August 2, 2024 UPDATE:

In our latest report from Partha Dasa, ISKCON News was told that residents were allowed back into the Valley for a few hours on Saturday to assess the damage. The fire has left a devastating impact, destroying three family homes and four smaller cabins belonging to single men. Tool sheds, fencing, outbuildings, cellars, and machinery were also lost. The community is in dire need of support to rebuild and recover from this tragedy.

How you can help
Today, the Saranagati Ve

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

On July 29, 2024, Her Grace Saranagati Devi Dasi, a disciple of Giriraj Swami, departed her body around 1 pm in Mayapur. She was cremated that evening at Prabhupada Ghat. She left her body while her spiritual master was speaking to her via video call. As Maharaja blessed and encouraged her by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, she took her last breath and quit her material body.

She had been diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, a cancer that was traveling t

In the text “Caitanya Caritamrta “ we read about a flood - the flood of love of God, that is. Flooding is always an interesting dynamic. More commonly a flood refers to an over abundance of water that comes as a sudden melt down of ice or snow, or a gush of water from the skies.

Human relationships in this modern world are scary. There is so much fear whether a relationship will last. For instance, will a marriage work out or not?  Why have we changed? 

This is because of the culture that we live in and the changes in the Western world and in the modern world that we witness around us. Previously, holding marriage as sacred was a very serious social thing. And if one wanted to break a marriage, it was considered as a disgrace, to the extent that the entire society an

Materialistic society teaches us to be aggressive and calculating so we can push our way through. In Vaisnava culture it is opposite – we offer respect. The reason: when you give respect without expecting something in return, you open yourself up to the power of divine blessings.

Imbibing a culture of respect, where you are deferential towards others in general but especially towards elders and vaisnavas, brings a tremendous potency to you that cannot be accessed otherwise. The driving force of

A look at what the Srimad-Bhagavatam has to say about time, a concept that has challenged philosophers for centuries.

Time is a little difficult to define. Philosophers and theologians have tried for at least twenty-five centuries. Albert Einstein remarked, in the midst of slightly more esoteric statements regarding physics, that time was what his wristwatch measured. St. Augustine said that he knew what time was as long as no one asked him to explain it. And sounding a note of frustration in

In an inspiring display of dedication and endurance, 75-year-old Sivarama Swami, the former GBC of Hungary, successfully swam across the largest lake of the country, Lake Balaton, on July 20th to support an important translation project. This event is a celebrated annual swim, attracting thousands of participants from various parts of Hungary and beyond.

A historic and spiritual journey

The Hungarian Balaton cross-swim, which began in 1979, has grown into one of the largest open-water swimming

The Governing Body Commission (GBC) has released its latest Meeting Highlights Report for July 24th, 2024. The report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the online GBC meeting highlighting the key topics discussed. You can read the report here or watch a video report on their YouTube channel. You can also follow the GBC on their Facebook page.

Source: https://iskconnews.org/highlights-report-from-july-24th-gbc-meeting-released/

There is never, ever a dull moment in Krishna Consciousness. The internal fire alarm bell went all blaring out repeatedly until the fire brigade came. I was doing my announcements at 5am when the incident happened. The fire panel indicated the source of possible smoke or flames was coming from the main floor. Six men came in full fire fighter gear. One attempted to open the panel. The alarm kept scorching. No source found. The panel was re-set with a host of fire fighters and our own men (a doz

By Nama Prabhu Dasa

5 April, 1974

Seattle

Dear Sukadeva,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter, undated, and I have noted the contents…

One of the symptoms of a devotee is that he is kind, so if our Godbrother becomes ill it is our duty to help him get the proper medicine and treatment so that he can recover…. So there is no question of ill treating of our own Godbrothers simply because they are sick, nor should you allow such neglect to go on. So long we have

‘Death literacy’ is a must for all who have taken birth. Certainly, we should all enquire and seek out – “What is death? Who actually dies? What happens to us after death? Why do we die? We really do not want to die but why are we forced to?”

Well, if we are not interested or think it is a taboo to talk about it, here is something we need to remind ourselves:

1. We will all die (leave this body) CERTAINLY!

2. We DO NOT KNOW when will we die?

3. Death comes unannounced! So PREPARATION IS A MUST!

Some time ago I forgave four devotees who were responsible for causing great pain and frustration in my life. Actually I didn’t forgive them of my own accord. I was asked to forgive them – for my own benefit. First I focused on the ways these people hurt me. Then I was asked to look at them in a different light; to consider that they were just doing the best they could in the particular situation they were in. Next, I was asked if I would be willing to forgive them, not with the hope that they

On July 16, 2024, Nilachal Vedic Village (NVV), ISKCON Talasari, hosted an event dedicated to supporting local villagers and children and promoting environmental sustainability. Nataraj Gauranga Das, under the guidance of Radhika Kanai Das, coordinated the event in collaboration with the Inner Wheel Club of Borivali.

The club’s visit to the NVV started with a feeding visit to the cows at the farm, followed by participation in a sacred Gaupuja. After the Gaupuja, the members had a darshan of the

History was made on July 27th, 2024, when the first-ever Slovak Rathayatra Festival was held at Freedom Square in Bratislava, Slovakia. In addition to the joyful procession through the heart of the city, a successful festival was held, sharing prasadam, spiritual literature, kirtan, and other cultural programs. The hundreds of local guests who gathered in the country’s capital also received information about the three Hare Krsna centers and restaurants in the country.

Devotees from the United S

Our Gita zoom chat focused on Chapter 18.14 . “The place of action (the body), the performer, the endeavour and the ultimately the Supersoul - these are the five factors of action."

I must share the blessed purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

“When we love those who love the Lord, the Lord reveals his love to us. Krishna sends his loving devotees to this world, so that we can transfer our attachment.”- Radhanath Swami

Shivananda Sen, he was taking all the 200-300 devotees from Bengal to Puri. They were walking so many days. And a little dog just started following. And that dog… he wasn’t a kind of pedigree, beautiful kind of dog. He was just the kind of dogs that you find in the streets of India. He followed. He followed. And Shivan

From Back to Godhead

When the 2017 Super Bowl game, the summit of American professional football, was held in Houston, a devotee convinced me and a few others to try to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books at a huge pregame event downtown. Venturing into the passionate, teeming crowd, we sold a few books, but not so many. This experience reinforced what was already obvious: mundane sport certainly has a powerfu

I recently connected with a childhood friend who also became a monk. As you can imagine, we had lots to talk about, and lots in common. In his tradition, one of the monastic vows is to never touch money; and if he does, even by accident, he observes complete fasting for a day. Serious detachment. Admittedly, if I had adopted that vow I’d be dead and cremated by now – financial transactions seem a staple part of my daily life! But money is dangerous, and time and time again we see how it can att

By Atma Tattva Das

The severe aftermath of Typhoon Gaemi, one of the most powerful typhoons to hit the Asia-Pacific region in nearly a decade, has caused extensive flooding and landslides in the Philippines. In response to this disaster, the Krishna Balarama Ashram in Manila has acted swiftly and compassionately, providing crucial aid to the affected communities.

Typhoon Gaemi, also known as Typhoon Carina, brought heavy rains to the Philippines, and the capital city of Manila and surrounding a