We were entering into wild blueberry country. Members of the Bhakti Academy from Toronto and I were invited to do a northern blitz in the province’s cities where mining and timber have been well established. As is common on such trips, I start walking while the other load and pace the van. There are 15 of us spread out among 3 vehicles ready for an adventure. I was getting my sweet walking in and after a good 15,000 steps, my van (out of the 3) appeared.
What a great start!
Off we
As we discussed in Respect, the Basis of Civilisation, Vedic Culture is based on respect and this respect is expressed through specific codes of conduct or etiquette. In this section, we will go a little more in detail about the principles and practices of Vaisnava etiquette.
…it is the characteristic of a devotee to observe and protect the Vaisnava etiquette. Maintenance of the Vaisnava etiquette is the ornament of a devotee. …By observing the etiquette, you have satisfied My mind. Who else b
From Back to Godhead
To ensure the health of our spiritual life, we must transform material hope into spiritual hope.
Hope—the recognition within the human heart that something better is attainable—can mean the difference between life and death. In Man’s Search for Meaning, Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl writes that the rate of deaths in the concentration camp increased after Hanukkah, even though there was no change in camp’s already horrible conditions. Why did more die? Because each year r
A new Govinda’s restaurant has opened just minutes from Goloka Ecofarm, ISKCON’s rural spiritual community in the Ligurian hills of northwestern Italy. The grand opening took place on July 10, drawing more than 130 guests from nearby towns and villages. Since then, the restaurant has quickly become a popular destination for locals and visitors alike, offering sanctified meals in a peaceful and natural setting.
The restaurant serves freshly prepared vegetarian and vegan food every evening, with
In an era increasingly shaped by digital storytelling and artificial intelligence, one devotee has taken an innovative step toward making Srimad Bhagavatam accessible to a broader audience. Jagat Pavitram Das, a disciple of Hanumatpresaka Swami, has created Histories of the Universe, a 32-episode audiovisual series designed to present key teachings and narratives from the first nine cantos of the Bhagavatam in a format suitable for both devotees and the general public.
From Bookshelf to Broadc
One of our most outstanding devotees was honoured today at his cremation at St. John’s Crematorium. Vaishnava Das, AKA Willy Pillay, passed away on the 11th due to heart and other complications. His life was full, complete, rich. If you live life deeply as he did, you don’t die. And Thoreau once said that if you see death as law, then that’s dignified and don’t see it as an accident.
I recall when he and his family, Janaki, wife, and three daughters first came to our temple to do what
Dr. Larry D. Shinn, a scholar of religion, educator, and interfaith voice, passed away on April 2, 2025, at the age of 83. For devotees of ISKCON, Dr. Shinn’s departure marks the loss of not only a thoughtful academic but also a longtime friend whose balanced research and nuanced understanding of Srila Prabhupada’s movement helped shape both the Society’s self-reflection over the decades.
Born in 1941 in Indiana, Shinn began his academic journey with a deep love for religion and cross-cultural
Murari Mohini Devi Dasi leading the Mayapur Clean and Green Initiative.
The Mayapur Clean and Green Second-Hand Shop, led by Murari Mohini Devi Dasi, is a noteworthy initiative promoting reuse, upcycling, and ecological awareness within the Vaishnava community—offering a modest yet impactful model of environmental devotion.
Located on Russian Para road, on the way to Mayamari, the storefront is not owned by the project but is being rented. “We are renting the shop thanks to a nice devotee—Vraj
The most glorious weekend is over. The Chariot Fest has major positive effects on the public. If it is not the sights and sounds of the parade and stage that left impact, then the vibrations of mantra and kindness of Vaishnavas do leave a residual blessing.
There was a sector of society, a sole person, perhaps, who didn’t necessarily agree to all the mercy of Jagannatha. On the day of the parade, Saturday, from the height of a condo residence, eggs plummeted down on the crowd. Fortun
‘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:
We will all die (leave this body) CERTAINLY!
We DO NOT KNOW when will we die?
Death comes unannounced! So PREPARATION IS A MUST!
Devotees gather for the first-ever Rathayatra festival in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Recently, the first-ever Rathayatra festival in Ethiopia took place, quietly but significantly, inside the compound of the Indian Embassy in Addis Ababa. For Mahaprasad Govinda Das, the only full-time ISKCON preacher currently active in the country, the festival marked a historic milestone in a long and determined effort to establish Krishna consciousness in one of Africa’s most religiously sensitive regions. “The
After a strong theatrical debut across India earlier this week, the much-anticipated animated film Mahavatar Narsimha, directed by Ashwin Kumar, is now facing an urgent and unexpected crisis: piracy.
Positive reviews and an enthusiastic reception were marred when illegal mobile recordings of the film began to surface on social media, seriously endangering the film’s financial viability and future prospects for similar productions.
“While devotees and friends of ISKCON may be eager to share thi
Indra, the great god of rain, was very present at the commencement of our havan, the sacred fire that represents the divine tongue of Vishnu. We were ready for a downpour and secured whichever tent was available. Everyone knows what it means when rain is determined. It finds its way. I’ve done plenty of camping when in the middle of the night wetness would be felt and make your time quite unpleasant.
Here we were, all huddled tightly together, very sheltered, for an initiation ceremon
Excerpts from OBL Kapoor’s “The Saints of Bengal” (Srila Prabhupada’s Godbrother)
Vamsidasa Babaji was a siddha-mahatma in the disciplic succession of Sri Narottama Thakura. The name of his diksa-guru was Harilal Vrajavasi and the name of his vesa-guru was Ramananda Vrajavasi. But it was difficult to know that he was siddha, because he lived far away from the world in a solitary place on the bank of Ganga near Baral Ghata in Navadvipa, as if he was renounced by the world, as an idiotic and worth
How is it possible to understand the mood of separation of the Brijbasis without the equivalent amount of love for Krsna. Of course, it is not possible.
…
… Here are some mundane poems about love in separation. Rupa Gosvami heard one such mundane love poem recited in Ratha-yatra by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and composed a parallel poem expressing Lord Gauranga’s mood.
…
This one is especially similar to Siksastaka: ~love considers hours – months, and days – years~
To die and part is less evil,
Bu
How Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar and Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Manifested in Jaipur With the Help of Sitala devi dasi
By Sridevi Dasi
Sitala devi dasi, a resident of Mayapur Dham, had been ordering deities for ISKCON since 1975. Many temples around the world have used her services to obtain their deities. In the 1990’s the devotees of New Raman Reti asked her to order deities in India for our Temple. “It took a while for consensus to be reached among devotees here as to who should be the Lords
From July 11-13, 2025, at the New Godruma Dhama Farm outside Kuala Lumpur, 45 youth from Malaysia’s MySkills Foundation experienced something rare: a spiritual retreat grounded in love, simplicity, and purpose. Behind this heart-transforming event stood the husband-and-wife team of Rasa Parayana Das and Rati Gopika Devi Dasi, who have quietly spent the past decade transforming the lives of “at-risk” youth through Krishna consciousness.
Their “Welcome to Vrndavana” Outreach Retreat, an ISKCON P
First Padayatra Ministry Meeting at the newly inaugurated Lok Archives Office in Sri Pandharpur Dham.
In a significant milestone for the ISKCON Padayatra movement, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Swami, Global Minister for Padayatra, convened a strategic and heartfelt meeting with key leaders and stakeholders on July 5, 2025. The gathering took place at the newly inaugurated Lok Archives Office in Sri Pandharpur Dham, a serene and spiritually charged venue.
The Padayatra Ministry extends heartfelt grati
New York’s Chariot Fest encountered much rain last month. Toronto’s event of this day was wet but of a different kind. The humidity brings on the humility. In the parade, people were beaten down. Who said Canada’s cold? The intense heat warranted a good swim on Centre Island’s southern beach. Arjuna Sakha and I did what we believe was the smart thing to do – to get wet in the lake water.
The parade was grand, but with some hiccups. The thing that made it pleasant was the cooperativ
Jahnava Sundari Devi Dasi, founder of Cintamani Yoga in Florence, Italy, has built a vibrant spiritual and healing community by fusing traditional yoga with bhakti principles. Through years of personal hardship, spiritual surrender, and a deeply intuitive approach to healing, her work has inspired many to explore Krishna consciousness in an accessible yet transformative way.
Early Years and Introduction to Bhakti
Jahnava Sundari’s spiritual journey started not with quiet reflection, but with e
