By Gopika Radhika Devi Dasi
On July 7th, the city of Kolkata resounded with joyous kirtan as the transcendental Ratha-yatra procession of their Lordships Sri Sri Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra Devi made its way through the crowded streets. This is the 53rd Kolkata Ratha-yatra. Started by Srila Prabhupada in 1972, the Kolkata Ratha-yatra has since become a cornerstone of the city’s spiritual and cultural milieu. Continuing a tradition from the past several years, the Bhaktivedanta Research C
A kind Brhat Mrdunga, a Dutch Canadian farmer boy, took me down a familiar road, a trail I've blazed more than once - Highway 1, all way to Burnaby before launching off to Toronto. This route is always scenic and yet the scenery makes changes. There are the mighty rivers, the Thompson and the Fraser narrowed within mountains.
Since my last trek down this lane erosion has shifted soil bringing down rocks and trees. Some of the buildings, the Alexandria Lodge are deteriorating, as well the group
From Back to Godhead
The desire to be soul-conscious inspires a move to a soul-compatible place.
“The soul [jivatma] is unborn, eternal, immortal, and primeval. It does not die when the body dies.” (Bhagavad-gita 2.20)
I first heard details about jivatmathe soulin 1971 during my maiden overseas trip. I was reuniting with my then-boyfriend (later husband) John in India, and to me, a born and bred atheist, jivatma was a quaint irrelevant idea.
An idea, however, can be like a seed: it can germinat
From Back to Godhead
Why we should surrender to Lord Krishna’s lotus feet.
At the junction of two ages, amidst two immense armies arrayed on the battlefield at Kurukshetra, Arjuna scans his foes and becomes confused. When Krishna expounds eternal dharma to enlighten him, Arjuna addresses Krishna as pavitram paramam: “the purest of the pure.” (Bhagavad-gita 10.12) Arjuna adds, “All the great sages . . . confirm this about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.”
Apart from the Bhagavad
Srila Prabhupada has told us that the culmination of all of our preaching in Krsna Consciousness is to induce people to wholeheartedly chant the holy names of Krsna. The chanting of the Holy names must continue. Srila Prabhupada said we can do without temples, we can do without everything. We don’t need money. If we can get it, we will use it. We don’t need property. If we get it we will use it. We don’t need vehicles. If we get it we will use it. We don’t need good PR, Public relations. If we
On July 7th, ISKCON Kolkata celebrated its 53rd Rath Yatra, the second-largest Rath Yatra in the world after Puri. The presiding deities, Lord Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra, were mounted on beautifully decorated chariots, a sight to behold. These chariots were then pulled through the streets by many of the thousands who participated, creating a deeply devotional scene.
The Pahundi ceremony (taking Their Lordships towards the Rath cart) started around 8.30 am, followed by a cultural program
Tom, the mayor, came out to acknowledge our fest, as mentioned, the first. Also Tracy, the member of Parliament for the area, graced us with her presence. A modest-sized chariot was the attraction for the 1200 folks that came, lest we forget the beautiful deities as passengers within.
The efforts behind this event are the combination of Hari Kirtan from Kamloops and the relatively young members of the local Hindu society, mostly from the Punjabi community. Both groups worked hand in hand, appr
A special delegation spent a day at Bhaktivedanta Manor. They work as Counsellors of Agriculture and are advisors for their embassies, including the US, Germany, Ireland, Brazil and the Netherlands.
During their visit, they met Visakha Dasi and explored the beautiful grounds. Then Pradeep took them around the cow sanctuary to learn about the cow protection project. That was followed by a trek to Holland Farm where the temple grows herbs, vegetables and fruits with help from the ‘Worldwide Organ
Though faith in God is in decline, faith as an intrinsic human trait remains, only to be directed to an endless array of less worthy subjects.
Faith is not disappearing, just finding new destinations.
Not far from where I live outside London, there’s a strikingly beautiful solid-stone St. John the Baptist church, part of which was built in the thirteenth century, its tall steeple visible for miles around. The entire UK is heavily dotted with similar churches, for in former centuries it was nor
Dance and chant. This is best exercise. We allow them to dance very… Yes. High jump. Actually that is exercise, and at the same time ecstasy. If they dance and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, it is automatically a very big exercise and spiritual advancement. (Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lecture given on Oct. 2, 1968 in Seattle)
The hall is packed with devotees. The kirtaniya, who was gesticulating up and down the harmonium, has just increased the pace of the kirtan. The Mrdanga & Kartal artists are not behind and the
By Devananada Pandit Das
Sri Vakreshwar Pandit was present with Sriman Mahaprabhu during His pastimes in Navadwipa and after his acceptance of Sannyasa he also accompanied Him to Jagannath Puri. During the time of the Lord’s residence in Puri he continued to live with Him there as well. Sri Vakreshwar Pandit took birth in the village of Guptipara near Triveni. He was an especially proficient dancer and kirtaniya and could dance continuously for 72hours.
When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began His pa
By Atma Tattva Das
Krsna-Dasa Perez, also known as “Slot One The Servant,” has an inspiring story of resilience and transformation that weaves together spirituality and hip-hop. His journey is particularly remarkable because it includes a significant period of incarceration, during which he underwent a metamorphosis, ultimately emerging as a symbol of hope and inspiration within the Krishna-conscious community.
Having spent 12 years in prison since the age of 18, Krsna-Dasa’s life could have ea
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
In response to increasing interest in Krishna consciousness and the challenges of accommodating newcomers, ISKCON’s New Raman Reti Temple in Alachua has established a dedicated residential program for men. The new eight-bedroom facility offers structured guidance, education, and a nurturing environment for spiritual growth.
Temple President Mukhya Devi Dasi said, “For years, we fielded calls from people who wanted to learn about Krishna consciousness by livin
The nights can be cool and days warm. When Prem and I met in the middle of the valley at Saranagati Village he said most candidly, "It is 6'celsius," I agreed. It is June-vary. With this cooler than average weather we embarked on our walk at the 6 am spot and decided to head for where the sun casted some rays. Perhaps cowardly we stayed within those merciful limits. After all mountains do throw shade.
The walk was completed and the temple program began, also in the middle of the valley, on the s
By Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)
These days fewer people are interested in taking up anything that they cannot immediately apply to their lives. The common question is: “What is this going to do for me?” Or “What am I going to get out of this?” So if we cannot relate the purpose of Vedic culture or its spirituality to people today, especially to the youth, then it is not likely they will take an interest. Yet, everyone is interested in gaining more out of life, or reaching their higher
Today is Hera-pancami or Laksmi-vijaya!
Lord Jagannath along with His siblings leaves for a vacation to His aunt’s place and His consort Mahalakshmi was left behind in the main temple. While leaving he had promised that He would return the next day, but time passed by and He never came back, nor did He give any information. After the 5th Day, she became impatient and hence decided to visit the Gundicha temple to see if everything was ok.
The Hera-pancami festival takes place just five days afte
As a teenager coming of age in the 1960s, I was preoccupied with spirituality. I had become disinterested in the mainstream religion of my forbears, and I was passionately looking for a path that spoke directly to me as an individual.
I didn’t want some amorphous, otherworldly transcendence, either — this I knew for certain. Nor did I want mere political activism, which many in my day tied to spirituality in a rather tepid, tenuous way. Instead, I wanted something that truly nurtured my inner w
Hera Panchami is a unique festival associated with famous Rathayatra of Puri. ‘Hera’ means to ‘see’ and ‘Panchami’ means the ‘fifth day’. It is celebrated at Gundicha temple on the fifth day from the start date of the cart festival.
This festival is dedicated to Goddess Mahalaxmi. The temple of Lord Jagannatha is known as Sri Mandira. “Sri” means Laxmi, so the name of the temple as “Srimandira” signifies the fact that Mahalaxmi is the principal Goddess of the Grand Temple. This ritual highlight
Water is life.
The shortage of water gravely endangers the ecology of our planet. To address this impending threat exacerbated by climate change, the need for adaptation strategies, innovative and sustainable water management solutions are paramount.
Gokuldham, a unique and picturesque eco-village near Belgaum Karnataka, India, uses simple, effective and environmentally friendly methods of conserving and recharging ground water, that align with ecotheology.
Scaling up and replicating such proje
Devotees from around the UK, including the Hare Krishna Festival Team, Food for All and monks from Bhaktivedanta Manor joined forces to make most welcome presence during the famous Glastonbury Festival.
Devotees cooked and distributed 2500 plates of prasad (sanctified vegetarian for) a day, sang kirtan for 6 hours every day followed by a 2 hour hare Nama procession around the huge site. If that were not enough, over 1000 copies of Srila Prabhupada’s books were distributed to interested festival
