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For those who do not know, today is Diwali, the festival of lights. The commemoration has much to do with Rama’s triumph. There is a video circulating out there where Prince Charles is offering his best wishes to all followers of Rama. After all, those who follow Krishna also follow Rama. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Celebrations took place in the city that I live in and also in the temple where I live, where congregants and curiou

अध्याय सत्रह – हिरण्याक्ष की दिग्विजय (3.17)

1 श्रीमैत्रेय ने कहा: विष्णु से उत्पन्न ब्रह्मा ने जब अंधकार का कारण कह सुनाया, तो स्वर्गलोक के निवासी देवता समस्त भय से मुक्त हो गये। इस प्रकार वे सभी अपने-अपने लोकों को वापस चले गये।

2 साध्वी दिति अपने गर्भ में स्थित सन्तानों से देवों के प्रति किये जाने वाले उपद्रव को लेकर अत्यधिक शंकालु थी और उसके पति ने भी यही भविष्यवाणी की थी। अतः उसने एक सौ वर्षों के गर्भकाल के पश्चात जुड़वाँ पुत्रों को जन्म दिया।

3 दोनों असुरों के जन्म के समय स्वर्गलोक, पृथ्वीलोक

अध्याय सोलह – वैकुण्ठ के दो द्वारपालों जय-विजय, को मुनियों द्वारा शाप (3.16)

1 ब्रह्माजी ने कहा: इस तरह मुनियों को उनके मनोहर शब्दों के लिए बधाई देते हुए भगवद्धाम में निवास करनेवाले पूर्ण पुरुषोत्तम भगवान ने इस प्रकार कहा ।

2 भगवान ने कहा: जय तथा विजय नामक मेरे इन परिचरों ने मेरी अवज्ञा करके आपके प्रति महान अपराध किया है ।

3 हे मुनियों, आप लोगों ने उन्हें जो दण्ड दिया है उसका मैं अनुमोदन करता हूँ, क्योंकि आप मेरे भक्त हैं।

4 मेरे लिए ब्राह्मण सर्वोच्च तथा सर्वाधिक प्रिय व्यक्ति है। मेरे सेवकों द्

In their new book, “An Endangered Species: ISKCON Ashramites in the West,” Kalakantha Das and Jitamitra Dasi posit that ashrams are still an important part of today’s ISKCON. They explain how to create an ashram program that attracts devotees from all backgrounds in the West, especially in North America.

“Some say that the idea of joining an ashram or commune is passé, a hangover from the drop-out anticulture of the 1960s that is not the way of today’s Millennials and Generation Z,” writes Akhan

This is the month of Kartik and I was asked to speak on the month of Damodar but although Damodar is so much on my mind, even more than that is the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada actually.

We will have arati in Srila Prabhupada’s room, by his bed. At the end of the arati, Srila Prabhupada’s chadar goes around, the big grey woollen chadar and it is heavy. When I felt that heavy chadar, I felt the weight of responsibility – now we have to do something; we have to do something to take up this m

“So at the time of death… Of course, those who are devotees, their position is different. People may say, “The devotee is also dying, and the nondevotee, sinful man, is also dying. What is the difference?” So there is much difference. The example is given: just like a cat catching a rat in his mouth and at the same time carrying his cubs in the mouth. Superficially, we can see that the same mouth is being used, but one is feeling comfortable being carried by the mother, and another is feeling t

By Giriraj Swami 

I am very grateful to Srila Prabhupada for having brought me into your association. You are his sincere followers, and many of you have been serving him for decades, from when you read or heard about him or met him in person.

Once, on his guru maharaja’s disappearance day, Srila Prabhupada said, “On the absolute platform, there is no difference between the appearance and the disappearance of the spiritual master. Both are beautiful, just like the sunrise and the sunset.” So al

I was walking and taking photos of a moose family, no the actual animals, which are the largest of the deer family, but effigies of the clan made entirely of white lights. I was in the middle of snapping shots from my phone when Godbrother, Krishna das, from Lindsay, called to talk about Diwali, the festival of lights.

Apparently he and I, as well as other God-siblings, will be conducting a Zoom presentation on the 18th. It is according to the Vedic calendar, the time of viewing lights and lamps

चारों चिरकुमारों (सनक, सनातन, सनन्दन तथा सनत्कुमार) को पार्षदों के साथ श्रीभगवान का दर्शन  - 3.15.38-45  ~~श्रील प्रभुपाद~~

अध्याय पन्द्रह – ईश्वर के साम्राज्य का वर्णन (3.15)

1 श्री मैत्रेय ने कहा: हे विदुर, महर्षि कश्यप की पत्नी दिति यह समझ गई कि उसके गर्भ में स्थित पुत्र देवताओं के विक्षोभ के कारण बनेंगे। अतः वह कश्यप मुनि के तेज को अपने गर्भ में एक सौ वर्षों तक निरन्तर धारण किये रही, क्योंकि यह अन्यों को कष्ट देने वाला था।

2 दिति के गर्भधारण करने से सारे लोकों में सूर्य तथा चन्द्रमा का प्रकाश

By Rukmini Krishna Das

With deep sorrow, we would like to communicate to the global devotee community the departure of His Holiness Bhakti Madhurya Govinda Goswami Maharaja at around 6.00 AM on the 14th of November, 2020 due to a second cardiac arrest and complications arising out his surgery for cervical spondylitis and a cardiac arrest. He had been unwell for quite a long time. He was COVID-negative, when last tested a couple of days before being shifted from the hospital to the ISKCON Punjabi

Happy Dipavali. A Good News for You!
Welcome to Puri Parikrama 2020!

As Supremely Merciful as Lord Jagannath, His Divine abode Puri dhama is reaching to you, wherever you are, in any part of this planet and you can join us in Puri Parikrama Online everyday from 2nd Dec-5th Dec. Do not miss the mercy of performing Puri Parikrama on the specific day prescribed in Scriptures(on the tithi of Marga sirsa masa Pancami – the 5th day after Purnima, in the month of Marga sirsa, this year it falls on 5th

In 2018 and 2019, His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami took us to Vrnda-kunda, where we offer our obeisances to Vrndadevi, who while arranging the pastimes of Radha, Krsna and Their associates, is also churning rasa. Check out Maharaja’s full kirtans and lectures below, along with a few photos, at Vrnda-kunda during Parikrama 2018 and Parikrama 2019.

It is Vrndadevi, who is the stage manager, always creating situations to provide joy to Radha and Krsna, to Krsna and His cowherd boyfriends, and also

In 2019, His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami took us to the Sri Sri Radha Madana-Mohana Mandir in Vrndavana in anticipation of the trip to Jaipur during that year’s parikrama. It is here where a shipwrecked captain constructed a temple for the Madana-Mohana Deity in accordance with the advice he received from Sanatana Gosvami. Check out Maharaja’s full kirtan, lecture and tour below, along with a few photos, at the iconic Sri Sri Radha Madana-Mohana Mandir during Parikrama 2019. If you watch the w

On this eve of Remembrance Day we give homage to those who sacrificed their lives in defence of innocent citizens. I saw that pedestrians passing by the park bench where I relaxed were bearing the symbolic poppy.

Saurav, 19, a student at U of T, whom I sat with, is from a Punjabi descent and I assume he knows not a lot about the gruesome world war of the 20th century. However, his ancestors may well know of the years of British occupancy and of the Partisan riots. These events are just ugly all

अध्याय चौदह – संध्या समय दिति का गर्भ-धारण (3.14)

1 श्रील शुकदेव गोस्वामी ने कहा: महर्षि मैत्रेय से वराह रूप में भगवान के अवतार के विषय में सुनकर दृढ़संकल्प विदुर ने हाथ जोड़कर उनसे भगवान के अगले दिव्य कार्यों के विषय में सुनाने की प्रार्थना की, क्योंकि वे (विदुर) अब भी तुष्ट अनुभव नहीं कर रहे थे।

2 विदुर ने कहा: हे मुनिश्रेष्ठ, मैंने शिष्य-परम्परा से यह सुना है कि आदि असुर हिरण्याक्ष उन्हीं यज्ञ रूप भगवान (वराह) द्वारा मारा गया था।

3 हे ब्राह्मण, जब भगवान अपनी लीला के रूप में पृथ्वी ऊपर उठा रहे थ

Every year from 2014 to 2019, His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami took us to Govardhana. In some years, we did a full parikrama of Govardhana, in other years we visited places of significance around Govardhana such as Surabhi-kunda and Puncari, and in other years we celebrated Govardhana-puja at the Krsna Balaram Mandir in Vrndavana. Check out Maharaja’s full kirtans, lectures and puja below, along with a few photos, at and around Govardhana and also on Govardhana-puja during Parikramas 2015, 2017

I think of Giri Govardhana as being similar to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, because Giri Govardhana is Krishna Himself. But although he is Krishna Himself, according to the acharyas, he is in the mood of a devotee. And many devotees worship Giri Govardhana in that mood—that he is a devotee of Krishna and of the devotees of Krishna. There is a famous verse in Srimad-Bhagavatam in which the gopis, specifically Srimati Radharani, praise Govardhana Hill as the best servant of Lord Hari.

hantayam adrir