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I don’t do too well with complainers. Covid is fueling them big time these days. Another cause for the current griping is the weather. A lot of people just don’t like winter. Winter, with Covid slapped on top of it, makes it “the winter of our discontent.” That’s a quote from Richard the 3rd, by William Shakespeare. One of my very favourite literary geniuses is John Steinbeck who authored, “East of Eden,” “Grapes of Wrath” and “Of Mice and Men.” His last novel was titled after the famous line, “

अध्याय इकतीस – प्रचेताओं को नारद का उपदेश (4.31)

1 महान सन्त मैत्रेय ने आगे कहा: तत्पश्चात प्रचेता हजारों वर्षों तक घर में रहे और आध्यात्मिक चेतना में पूर्ण ज्ञान विकसित किया। अन्त में उन्हें भगवान के आशीर्वादों की याद आई और वे अपनी पत्नी को अपने सुयोग्य पुत्र के जिम्मे छोड़कर घर से निकल पड़े।

2 प्रचेतागण पश्चिम दिशा में समुद्रतट की ओर गये जहाँ जाजलि ऋषि निवास कर रहे थे। उन्होंने वह आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान पुष्ट कर लिया जिससे मनुष्य समस्त जीवों के प्रति समभाव रखने लगता है। इस तरह वे कृष्णभक्ति में पटु हो

Online Course on Thematic Essence Study of Priti Sandarbha

When: Every Friday & Saturday Night (8-10pm US/EST time) / Every Saturday/Sunday Mornings (Asia time)

Duration: 36 Lessons

Fees: FREE of Cost with a condition of atleast 70% attendance. This is to discourage irresponsible dropouts.

Course Facilitator: Carucandra das (Dr. Chandrakant P. Giri, Ph.D.), disciple of H.H. Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj. At 76, he just earned his postgraduate degree in philosophy, science, and religion from the

The company that we keep plays a significant role in our lives. Our desires, habits, and goals are often dependent on the association that we are in (saṅgāt sanjāyate kāmaḥ, BG 2.62). Associating with cultured people helps us develop good habits, and associating with corrupt people makes us corrupt generally. The holy scriptures therefore repeatedly recommend that we avoid bad association and keep good association. Here is Lord Kṛṣṇa’s direct description on the glory of saintly association, in

By Madhava Smullen

Although 2020 has been a tough year for us all, some have discovered silver linings amidst the challenges. When ISKCON New Vrindaban, West Virginia went into a two-week lockdown on Thanksgiving Day to keep the community safe, two women from opposite sides of the world found themselves in an unexpected quarantine. However the experience turned out to be a blissful one, as they learned new skills, nourished their spiritual lives, and forged a strong friendship.

Sharaniya Nathan,

The reason why we chant without taste or without being attentive is because we are chanting without remembrance of Krsna. The more we remember Krsna in our daily lives, the more naturally we will be inclined to chant with taste. For instance, while Srimati Radharani was churning yoghurt to make butter, she was remembering Krsna constantly. And as she was remembering Krsna, she was also chanting Krsna’s name. So it is this remembrance of Krsna that is really lacking in us. When we are not feeling

अध्याय तीस – प्रचेताओं के कार्यकलाप (4.30)

1 विदुर ने मैत्रेय से जानना चाहा: हे ब्राह्मण, आपने पहले मुझसे प्राचीनबर्हि के पुत्रों के विषय में बतलाया था कि उन्होंने शिव द्वारा रचे हुए गीत के जप से भगवान को प्रसन्न किया। तो उन्हें इस प्रकार क्या प्राप्त हुआ?

2 हे बार्हस्पत्य (बृहस्पति के शिष्य), राजा बर्हिषत के पुत्रों ने, जिन्हें प्रचेता कहते हैं, उन्होंने भगवान शिवजी से भेंट करने के बाद क्या प्राप्त किया, जो मोक्षदाता भगवान को अत्यन्त प्रिय हैं? वे वैकुण्ठलोक तो गये ही, किन्तु इसके अतिरिक्त उन्हो

Indira Nayee passed away from cancer. She was a great devotee, wife, parent and a devout member of our community. She moved to Canada from Africa with her husband, Tusti Mohan and their two boys (my Sunday school students) decades ago. Here is my poem—a tribute to her:
 

Indira—Remarkable

Our obeisances to a dear lady

Of refinement, nothing short of holy

Quietly she would move about

Not raise her voice, nor even a shout

Carrying the pure nature of a mother

Hard-pressed we are to find another

Foc

अध्याय उन्तीस -- नारद तथा प्राचीनबर्हि के मध्य वार्तालाप

1-5 राजा प्राचीनबर्हि ने उत्तर दिया: हे प्रभु, हम आपके कहे गये राजा पुरञ्जन के रुपक आख्यान (अन्योक्ति) का सारांश पूर्ण रूप से नहीं समझ सके। वास्तव में जो आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान में निपुण हैं, वे तो समझ सकते हैं, किन्तु हम जैसे सकाम कर्मों में अत्यधिक लिप्त पुरुषों के लिए आपके आख्यान का तात्पर्य समझ पाना अत्यन्त कठिन है। नारद मुनि ने कहा – तुम जानो कि पुरञ्जन रूपी जीव अपने कर्म के अनुसार विभिन्न रूपों में देहान्तर करता रहता है, जो एक, दो, तीन, चा

By Giriraj Swami

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, is my grand spiritual master, but I feel that I never really knew him very well until I read his biography Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava by my godbrother Bhakti Vikasa Swami. Many of the quotes and references below come from that work.

 We are all here by the mercy of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. There’s a line through whi

A new day was just about to come,

And a new year lapsed when the cold made us numb.

We rough and ready were all bundled up,

We held back conserved energy like a young pup.

In anticipation, which was so very high,

Our drum mallet beats began entering the sky,

At location—Old City Hall—with its new face,

Still on Queen’s Street at its usual place.

Everyone was appareled in holiday cheer,

For an annual rite set for the New Year.

Hope was triggered for a better tomorrow,

Putting behind any of yester

अध्याय अट्ठाईस – अगले जन्म में पुरञ्जन को स्त्री-योनि की प्राप्ति (4.28)

1 नारद मुनि ने आगे कहा: हे राजा प्राचीनबर्हिषत, तत्पश्चात यवनराज साक्षात भय, प्रज्वार, काल-कन्या तथा अपने सैनिकों सहित सारे संसार में विचरने लगा।

2 एक बार भयानक सैनिकों ने पुरञ्जन-नगरी पर बड़े वेग से आक्रमण किया। यद्यपि यह नगरी भोग की सारी सामग्री से परिपूर्ण थी, किन्तु इसकी रखवाली एक बूढ़ा सर्प कर रहा था।

3 धीरे-धीरे कालकन्या ने घातक सैनिकों की सहायता से पुरञ्जन की नगरी के समस्त वासियों पर आक्रमण कर दिया और उन्हें सभी प्रकार

By Madhava Smullen

Devotees in the Czech Republic read the entireity of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is online during a nonstop 27-hour live broadcast on the sacred occasion of Gita Jayanti, December 25th.

The idea was originated by Loka Saranga Das and moderated by Madhu Pandit Das, while Priya-kirti Das advertised the livestream. The reading, conducted via Zoom and broadcast on Youtube, was also inspired by Vaisesika Das’s Live to Give Campaign.

More than thirty devotees read from th

अध्याय सत्ताईस – राजा पुरञ्जन की नगरी पर चण्डवेग का धावा और कालकन्या का चरित्र (4.27)

1 महर्षि नारद ने आगे कहा: हे राजन, अनेक प्रकार से अपने पति को मोहित करके अपने वश में करती हुई राजा पुरञ्जन की पत्नी उसे सारा आनन्द प्रदान करने लगी और उसके साथ विषयी जीवन व्यतीत करने लगी।

2 रानी ने स्नान किया और शुभ वस्त्रों तथा आभूषणों से अपने को सुसज्जित किया। भोजन करने तथा परम संतुष्ट होने के बाद वह राजा के पास आई। उस अत्यन्त सुसज्जित तथा आकर्षक मुख वाली को देखकर राजा ने उसका तन्मयता से अभिनन्दन किया।

3 रानी प

अध्याय छब्बीस – राजा पुरञ्जन का आखेट के लिए जाना और रानी का क्रुद्ध होना (4.26)

1-3 नारद मुनि ने आगे कहा: हे राजन, एक बार राजा पुरञ्जन ने अपना विशाल धनुष लिया और सोने का कवच धारण करके तरकस में असंख्य तीर भरकर वह अपने ग्यारह सेनापतियों के साथ अपने रथ पर बैठ गया, जिसे पाँच तेज घोड़े खींच रहे थे और पञ्चप्रस्थ नामक वन में गया। उसने अपने साथ उस रथ में दो विस्फोटक तीर ले लिये। यह रथ दो पहियों तथा एक घूमते हुए धुरे पर स्थित था। रथ पर तीन ध्वजाएँ, एक लगाम, एक सारथी, एक बैठने का स्थान, दो काठी (जुए), पाँच

I would like to express a happy new year to all the readers and also say that we should not be so torn by the social circumstances of these days. This is the play of the mundane world. There is always some agitation.

At noon I had lunch with one of our ashram residents, Uttamananda. He brought up a topic that is indeed upsetting. As he is driving through the day he sees how the big chain box stores are permitted to be open for business. However, “The small persons doors are required to be shut d

Dear ISKCON Leaders and Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

It is with great enthusiasm that we present to you our latest Quarterly Journal.

This issue is special for two reasons. Firstly, it has been published during a very special Sankirtan season in ISKCON. A time when there is much focus on book distribution. However, there are innumerable methods to distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books during this time. Traditionally it started with taking advant

अध्याय पच्चीस - राजा पुरञ्जन के गुणों का वर्णन (4.25)

1 महर्षि मैत्रेय ने विदुर से आगे कहा: हे विदुर, शिवजी ने इस प्रकार से राजा बर्हिषत के पुत्रों को उपदेश दिया। राजकुमारों ने भी शिवजी की अगाध भक्ति के साथ श्रद्धापूर्वक पूजा की। अन्त में वे राजकुमारों की दृष्टि से ओझल हो गये।

2 सभी प्रचेतागण दस हजार वर्षों तक जल के भीतर खड़े रहकर शिवजी द्वारा दिये गये स्तोत्र का जप करते रहे।

3 जब राजकुमार जल के भीतर कठिन तपस्या कर रहे थे तो उनके पिता विभिन्न प्रकार के सकाम कर्म सम्पन्न करने में रत थे। उसी समय सम

We at the GBC-Strategic Planning Team have one motivation: To serve you.

We started this present service of communicating with the ISKCON world out of concern for how our devotees were dealing with the Coronavirus. We were convinced that the best approach to the virus was to “err on the side of caution” and encourage devotees to take precautions. In many places in Srila Prabhupada’s books there are descriptions of how rare and special devotees are. We didn’t want to see any of our devotees unnec

We felt so delighted to see many young children and teenagers were offering ghee lamps to the Lord. For many, they have achieved exalted piety by the unknowing performance of pure devotional service, without spiritual knowledge (ajñata-sukriti). We prayed that by associating with a devotee of Krishna, the seed of bhakti would sprout one day.

Devotee and congregation members reached out to different spots in Hong Kong (Kowloon area) and shared the blessings of offering ghee lamps in the month of