By Madhusudana Visnu Das
Few months ago, we received a call from a monk belonging to Swaminarayana sect in Gujarat. He expressed the desire to learn Bhagavad Gita As It Is. It was quite a surprise for us. On inquiring from him the purpose behind his request, he informed us that their chief-guru had written in their sacred literature called siksha-patri, the manual of good instructions, that every sincere seeker should study Bhagavad-gita very nicely. Since, he had heard from many people that IS
Wonderful ceremony in Mayapur!
More photos: Click here
As a Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition focused on uplifting human society out of suffering and helping us to connect with the Supreme, the ultimate shelter and source of peace, ISKCON members are distressed to see the world so deeply impacted by the turmoil of COVID-19.
We offer our prayers for the well-being of all those affected by the pandemic. We pray for those souls who have passed away, and for their family members and friends. We also pray for those currently ill and their loved ones. And, w
Gauranga Gardens is a new department of Iskcon Mayapur which has initially allocated approximately 3 acres for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables by and for the devotees of the community, and as we prove the effectiveness of this noble service to the land and the community, we can make this project last in time and be part of this new life that has just begun!
We are sending you some inspiration from the Gauranga Gardens. Check the latest photos and videos of this wonderful
By Karnamrita Das
I have been a late bloomer my whole life, and yet time sometimes comes to my aid to teach me lessons that only are understood years later. A 19 ½ as a young brahmacari, we learned that “sleep was death” and was a waste of time, so if Prabhupada recommended 6 hours for those in the mood of goodness, then surely we should lessen that.
Thus, we experimented pushing the envelope back to 5½ to 5 hours etc. For a while, when I was a pujari in the old San Francisco, Valentia Street,
There was a fanzine called “Write Thing” and in one issue, there is this story about an American fan named Kim Korstand, who met George while studying in Berlin in 1976. This is in the Oct/Nov 1978 issue.
“Well my time in Berlin was just starting, I hadn’t made many friends yet, so I was all by myself. All that I had to my name in possessions was a stereo and my Beatles records. So I played them nonstop. I started to get into the lyrics and not just the beat. I started wondering what was the me
No work of spiritual literature has ever been revered as much as the sacred Bhagavad Gita; which not only continues to inspire Indians even today, but also remains admirable even to this day in the western countries.
Mr. Terence, a guest who read the Bhagavad Gita at a motel in CA commented “ I got my first Gita in a hotel room and ever since I read the first verse my life has been ever increasing in Krsna Consciousness. Life is a journey back to Krsna. Peace… Thank You!”
Source: http://www.da
An old Farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Bhagavad-gita. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way that he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa! I try to read the Bhagavad-gita just like you but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bhagavad-gita do?”
The Grandfather quietly
By Karnamrita Das
The irony doesn’t escape me
that I couldn’t leave Vrindavana
even if I wanted to. I ponder my life.
So many devotees want to visit
and here I’m on an extended stay
first for 11 months and now 5 more.
I know it is special mercy for me
yet, it is the toughest love ever
though I can still smile at my plight.
I am externally “in” Vrindavana
though far from eternal lila here
and the self-forgetfulness of love.
As usual I have to face my shortcomings
and yet also see my good fortune
ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) has released the minutes from its February 11th to 22nd Annual General Meeting in Mayapur, West Bengal (which took place before the Coronavirus pandemic).
Among them are several important resolutions.
1. The GBC resolves to provide a group called the SABHA with the resolutions they have passed, as well as tabled and rejected proposals. Formed in August 2017, the SABHA provides checks and balances on the authority of the GBC, and course correction for i
Kirtan Space, an online educational effort that started in 2016, has been revamped and will offer a free ten-week foundational kirtan course on Youtube starting May 25th.
“During this time, when you may be not working and may be stuck at home, is a good opportunity to learn a new instrument,” says director Balaram Nityananda Das.
Balaram has been steeped in sacred music, or kirtan, since childhood, studying it while in gurukula in Mayapur, West Bengal, and later spending time with the renow
Bhakti Learning will extend their “Stay at Home Offer” on its online Krishna conscious program for children, for another month. The new end date for the Stay At Home offer is May 24. The April batch of “Stay At Home” subscribers will automatically receive an extension of an additional month of curriculum. New subscribers are invited to join us. For more information visit www.bhaktilearning.com
On the 1st of May, Bhakti Learning delivered its third round of content to full subscribers. This mont
By Sanjaya Gohil (Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK.)
“When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa incarnated Himself at Vṛndāvana, He took pleasure in becoming a beloved son of such a vaiśya family. Nanda Mahārāja was a big protector of cows, and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as the most beloved son of Nanda Mahārāja, used to tend His father’s animals in the neighboring forest. By His personal example Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to teach us the value of protecting cows.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda (Light of the Bhāgavata, Text 9)
Over the last few years, we ha
February 1971: BENARES, INDIA Festival glorifying Lord Chaitanya
Radha Govinda Swami: I was in Benares at that time when Srila Prabhupada was touring, traveling India with his 40 disciples. I read in a newspaper in America Krishna-bhakti is preached. Naturally, I was a devotee of Krishna so I liked this topic. So I went there. Then there was a procession from Dashashvamedha Ghat to Tapan Misra’s house that is now in Benares.
When the procession finished, I approached Srila Prabhupada and I spok
By Madhava Smullen
Devotees from the Five Truths Pancha Tattva Center in Omsk, Siberia organized a Srimad-Bhagavatam online marathon, in which the translations of all 18,000 verses were recited over ten days, from April 10th to 19th.
The marathon, which aimed to inspire devotees and benefit the world during the current dark times under a global pandemic, was entitled Spiritual Victory in Seven Days. This time period was also set to be the original length of the event, based on how long it t
We shall read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Five, Chapter Eighteen: “The Residents of Jambudvipa Offer Prayers,” from the series of prayers recited by Prahlada Maharaja to Lord Nrsimhadeva. Text 8 is a very important prayer, or mantra, and in it many words are repeated twice. When something is repeated twice, it gives great emphasis. For example, one might say, “It is a terrible, terrible thing.” The repetition of “terrible” is for emphasis.
TEXT 8
om namo bhagavate narasimhaya namas tejas-teja
