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The glorious advent of Lord Krishna or Janmastami is celebrated with charming grandeur and magnificent pomp worldwide by millions of exuberant Vaishnavas. Due to the outbreak of a global pandemic, the entire devotee community has been urged to celebrate Janmastami at home.

Since the pandemic, the ISKCON GBC Strategic Planning Team has been providing useful resources online. For this Janmastami we have compiled a celebrate-at-home Janmastami portfolio, which is a compilation of guidelines and in

While attending the Janmastami festival at the ISKCON farm in Czechoslovakia several years ago, I was asked to give a lecture about the appearance of Lord Krishna. Afterwards I asked for questions and an elderly, red-haired lady raised her hand. Since almost all the devotees there spoke only Czech, I was surprised when she began to speak in English. She said, “Satsvarupa Gosvami, could you tell us something about Prabhupada, because you knew him very well?”

I started out by remembering Janmasta

By Dravida dasa

Due to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, this year the BBT published Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja book in pdf format only. You can download the book by clicking on this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BuMNtvuBKoTtSP_uTuE9k1rNqrZtzJ0O/view

Your servants,
Members of the NABBT Book Production Team

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88201

शान्ति की तलाश

नास्ति बुद्धिरयुक्तस्य न चायुक्तस्य भावना।
न चाभावयतः शान्तिरशान्तस्य कुतः सुखम्। ६६।

न अस्ति– नहीं हो सकती;बुद्धिः– दिव्य बुद्धि;अयुक्तस्य– कृष्णभावना से सम्बन्धित न रहने वाले में;न– नहीं;अयुक्तस्य– कृष्णभावना से शून्य पुरुष का;भावना– स्थिर चित्त (सुख में);न– नहीं;च– तथा;अभावयतः– जो स्थिर नहीं है उसके;शान्तिः– शान्ति;अशान्तस्य– अशान्त का;कुतः– कहाँ है;सुखम्– सुख।

भावार्थ जो कृष्णभावनामृत में परमेश्वर से सम्बन्धित नहीं है उसकी न तो बुद्धि दिव्य होती है और न ही मन स्थिर होता है जिसक

वासना

श्री भगवानुवाच
काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः।
महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम्। ३७।

श्री-भगवान् उवाच– श्रीभगवान् ने कहा;कामः– विषयवासना;एषः– यह;क्रोधः– क्रोध;एषः– यः;रजो-गुण– रजोगुण से;समुद्भवः– उत्पन्न;महा-अशनः– सर्वभक्षी;महा-पाप्मा– महान पापी;विद्धि– जानो;एनम्– इसे;इह– इस संसार में;वैरिणम्– महान शत्रु।

भावार्थ श्रीभगवान् ने कहा – हे अर्जुन! इसका कारण रजोगुण के सम्पर्क से उत्पन्न काम है, जो बाद में क्रोध का रूप धारण करता है और जो इस संसार का सर्वभक्षी पापी शत्रु है।

तात्पर्य: जब जीवात्

Giriraj Swami read and spoke on Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.12.

“As members of ISKCON we all under the authority of Srila Prabhupada. And we can serve Srila Prabhupada according to our individuality. But by definition, devotional service must be anukula—favorable—and for our service to be favorable, we have to know what our master wants. We can’t properly offer the master something he doesn’t want under the plea that that is my individuality, because that is a false conception of individuality. So, t

Vasudeva and Devaki were within Kamsa prison when Lord Krsna, in His Visnu form, appeared before them as their son. He appeared from the heart of Devaki in the dense darkness of night, like the full moon rising on the eastern horizon. The newborn child had very wonderful lotus-petal eyes and bore in His four hands a conchshell, disc, club, and lotus. On His chest was the mark of Srivatsa, and on His neck the brilliant Kaustubha gem.

Vasudeva could understand that the child was the Supreme Person

From Bhagavad-gita As It Is, purport 13.8-12: “False ego means accepting this body as oneself. When one understands that he is not his body and is spirit soul, he comes to his real ego. Ego is there. False ego is condemned, but not real ego. In the Vedic literature it is said, ahaṁ brahmāsmi: I am Brahman, I am spirit. This “I am,” the sense of self, also exists in the liberated stage of self-realization. This sense of “I am” is ego, but when the sense of “I am” is applied to this false body it

For many devotees in our movement, Krsna is anything but a friend. They do not dare to think in this direction. Some feel it is sahajiyaism, or taking things too lightly, while others think, “He is so far away and inaccessible. A friend is someone I can call with my smartphone or write a whatsapp to. Krsna is a friend? Is this just a swami-hype? How can we relate to this?” My dear devotees, you can only find peace in your life if you become aware that:

Krsna is your best friend and there are de

[Questions & Answers from Srimad Bhagavatam Class, ISKCON Ujjain, Jan 17, 2015] Question: Why is there so much suffering in India, so much deprivation?

HH Bhakti Charu Swami: Good point. Now tell me are they following Krishna? Are those people who are suffering, accepting Krishna? Especially India is the land of dharma (Dharma Kshetra). In the land of dharma when one acts in a sinful way, the reaction of the sin is multiplied by thousands of times. Similarly on the Dharma Kshetra, if someone

Hare Krishna

This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the BBT did not print a Vyasa Puja book. But we did prepare one that is available in pdf format. Please download from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BuMNtvuBKoTtSP_uTuE9k1rNqrZtzJ0O/view?usp=sharing.

Your servant,

Dravida dasa

HAPPIEST OF HAPPY SRI KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI.

IN DIVINE CONVERSATION WITH LORD SRI KRISHNA

On the most auspicious occasion of our Sri Krishna Janmashtami

OUR LORD SRI GOVINDA’S ETERNAL SEARCH.

Sri Vaishnava bhaktha (SVB) :   Jai Sri Krishna ! Jai Sri Nandagopala ! Jai Sri Murali Manohara ! Jai Sri Sriman Narayanaya .  Countless obeisance to your most exalted self , LORD, MASTER, CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF ALL THE UNIVERSES.  HAIL HAIL !  RESPECTFUL  SALUTATIONS!  OUR  ROYAL MOST HIGHNESS.  HAPPIEST

Janmastami is about focusing on the lotus feet of Krsna, about meditating on Krsna, thinking about Him, reading about Him and just getting totally absorbed in the thoughts of Krsna. This is the purpose of Janmastami, to somehow or other be completely absorbed in Krsna. In some temples, the Krsna book is being read the whole day on Janmastami. So in this way, devotees can go in and out of this room and hear about pastimes of Krsna all day, and it is a nice thing to do for Janmastami. Many devotee

The Greater Toronto Area has entered into its third phase of lifting restrictions imposed due to the pandemic. At Gage Park in Brampton, Stephen Philips and I could see how the public there was taking advantage of trees, grass, benches, flowers and the gazebo. I remember that gazebo. At eighteen years of age, a friend, Ron Casier, and I hitchhiked from Chatham, a good 300 kilometres through country roads, for an experience, and reached as far east as this gazebo. We took a nap at the shelter. It

भेदभाव

विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि।
श्रुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः । 18 ।

विद्या– शिक्षण;विनय– तथा विनम्रता से;सम्पन्ने– युक्त;ब्राह्मणे– ब्राह्मण में;गवि– गाय में;हस्तिनि– हाथी में;शुनि– कुत्ते में;च– तथा;एव– निश्चय ही;श्वपाके- कुत्ताभक्षी (चाण्डाल) में;च– क्रमशः;पण्डिताः– ज्ञानी;सम-दर्शिनः– समान दृष्टि से देखने वाले।

भावार्थ विनम्र साधुपुरुष अपने वास्तविक ज्ञान के कारण एक विद्वान् तथा विनीत ब्राह्मण गाय, हाथी, कुत्ता तथा चाण्डाल को समान दृष्टि (समभाव) से देखते हैं।

तात्पर्य: