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Position of demigods and pure devotees

Hare Krishna dear devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Position of demigods

Sometime we have confusion on the position of demigods. We also observe that Vaishnavas, especially Gaudiya vaishnavas, do not worship demigods whereas the spiritual master and acharya are worshiped thrice a day! Is it mere sentimentalism or is there a solid philosophy behind it. Srimad Bhagavatam answers this question in the below verse, as to whose shelter devotees should seek, and

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Delicious Banana Peels

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Once Krishna went to Vidura's house. Vidura was Krishna's devotee, and was also very affectionate to Arjun and his four brothers; in fact, on several occasions he had saved them from great danger. Because of this, Krishna was very fond of Vidura. When Krishna got to Vidura's house, Vidura was not there, so Krishna pleaded with his wife Vidurani," Oh, Vidurani Maiya, I am so hungry! Please give me something to eat." Vidurani was very affectionate to Krishna and she was anxious to serve Him. She b

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Bhagavad-gita As It Is - 18.22

TEXT 22
yat tu krtsna-vad ekasmin
karye saktam ahaitukam
atattvartha-vad alpam ca
tat tamasam udahrtam
SYNONYMS
yat—that which; tu—but; krtsnavat—all in all; ekasmin—in one; karye—work; saktam—attached; ahaitukam—without cause; atattva-arthavat—without reality; alpam ca—and very meager; tat—that; tamasam—in the mode of darkness; udahrtam—is spoken.
TRANSLATION
And that knowledge by which one is attached to one kind of work as the all in all, without knowledge of the truth, and which is very meager, is s
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Mayapur Community Hospital Needs Help

Millions of devotees and visitors from all over the world and local pilgrims visit Mayapur every year and this is well known fact. A small team of dedicated Doctors, Dentists and Nurses have been tirelessly working to provide basic health care to all these devotees and visitors with the available facilities in Mayapur.

There is an acute need to add certain very essential facilities to medical care and support which Mayapur is offering in order to cater to emergencies and bare essential health c

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Question: When it comes to stumbling blocks in spiritual progress, with things like lust, pride and disturbances of the mind, I can clearly see them coming or even realise that they are there. Yet still they remain in my mind and I realise that by simple knowledge and awareness, they do not disappear. How do I deal with this, noting that we are conditioned and are aware of it, but we still continue to be conditioned by it?

Kadamba Kanana Swami: Krsna says:

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śara

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I had before me two waves of people. First, there was the group of boys on tour for the summer, having the time of their lives, and second, Brian Carivana's group of mature folks who are here from all over the U.S. and Canada.  One woman is from Lincoln, Nebraska, which brings back walking memories from my U.S. adventures.  They, the second group, are spiritually inquisitive.  "How does Hare Krishna compare to other paths and how does it compare to my own?" was the thinking?

The two groups w
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There are twelve petals in Srila Prabhupada’s centennial celebration lotus and one is dedicated to congregational development.

• We must create an atmosphere most conducive to development of congregational community extending from the ISKCON temples, from our preachers.

• The seed of devotion within the hearts of our contacts and friends must be carefully nurtured.

• We must communicate with and fully understand the needs of our congregation.

• We must prioritize and establish programs necessary to

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Bhagavad-gita As It Is - 18.21

TEXT 21
prthaktvena tu yaj jnanam
nana-bhavan prthag-vidhan
vetti sarvesu bhutesu
taj jnanam viddhi rajasam
SYNONYMS
prthaktvena—because of division; tu—but; yat jnanam—which knowledge; nana-bhavan—multifarious situations; prthak-vidhan—differently; vetti—one who knows; sarvesu—in all; bhutesu—living entities; tat jnanam—that knowledge; viddhi—must be known; rajasam—in terms of passion.
TRANSLATION
That knowledge by which a different type of living entity is seen to be dwelling in different bodies is kn
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Our surrender to Krishna

 

Is God unfair ?

“Why God has made somebody so opulent and why somebody so poor?” This is the general question we hear. Does God discriminates between different souls? Srimad Bhagavatam clears the doubt

naiñä parävara-matir bhavato nanu syät

jantor yathätmä-suhådo jagatas tathäpi

saàsevayä surataror iva te prasädaù

sevänurüpam udayo na parävaratvam

Like the ordinary living entity, my Lord, You have no such discrimination, thinking like ‘He is my friend; he is my enemy, he is favorable, he is unfavora

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By Parasuram dasa

In 1902 Srila Prabhupada personally organized the first Iskcon Rathayatra Festival, in Calcutta, he was eight years old.

“Like the festival at Puri, Abhay’s Ratha-yatra ran for eight consecutive days. His family members gathered, and the neighborhood children joined in a procession, pulling the cart, playing drums and hand cymbals, and chanting. Wearing a *dhoti* and no shirt in the heat of summer, Abhay led the children in chanting Hare Krsna and in singing the appropriate Be

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People

By Madhava Smullen

Yoga Magazine in the UK has published a ten-page feature article in its June issue, written by ISKCON devotees, on the life and spiritual legacy of ISKCON Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada.

Yoga Magazine says it is “the number one yoga, health and fitness brand in the UK and USA.” The publication is aimed at upscale cosmopolitan women aged between 25 and 45, who desire to improve their health and wellbeing.

Devotees made a connection when editor Dr. Malik received some of Sril

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Several practices led to an excellent presentation made by the young women of this community.  It was back at New Year's, January 1st, when at the tail end of a Prabhupada Festival, I mentioned to one of our Ukrainian girls: "It would be nice if we could develop a garbha dance team a type of folk dance: Gujarati, spiritual."  From that remark, voiced before Sasha and her husband, Yura, a seed was planted.
 
Sasha had some experience already, in her home country, dancing in kirtan with a group
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Brave The Street by Bhaktimarga Swami

Jai and I decided to brave the street and walk to the dock from the ashram.  I say ‘brave’ because we were both fatigued from the previous day's hectic but sweet activities.  There were options for reaching that destination by subway, car, uber, taxi and more, but it is always my experience that energy is produced from output.  Jai and I put it out.

We made it in time to meet with Ananda Gauranga and crew, who were poised for a fire ceremony.  In this fire ceremony, four candidates were already
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No walking today, although brain and heart were on the run.  10:15 a.m. was my slot for leading the Twelve-Hour Kirtan.  It is an annual chanting session that begins with American pandit, Dravida, chanting Sanskrit mantras to invoke auspiciousness.  Many participants came, especially young men and women.

It is a relief to see that in the Krishna movement there is activity going on amongst the youth, although we could do with more.  We all know that the new gen have many options out there, no
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By Hari Narayana Dasa

This time it was the occasion for the celebration of the 8th annual Rath yatra festival in the capital city of Jakarta, on the occasion of Jakarnaval at the time of the 492nd anniversary of Jakarta. Devotees sang melodious harinaam, and danced and pulled the rath.The excitement kept swelling, in the heart of the Capital City, where the community members had gathered to watch the carnival on Sunday afternoon, June 30, 2019. The costume and ornamental vehicle parade were ad

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Robin is from the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and she asked if I could answer some questions, so I agreed.

"So what brings you here to London?"
 
"I'm the MC for tonight's show here at the auditorium.  It's called Festival of India, and it will feature talent in music, dance and philosophy."  I further explained that I'm from these parts, here in the southern Ontario farmland, and that  I entered monkhood, getting interesting in the lifestyle, when I was going to college in her
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In Calcutta, 1971, the temple was in quite a bad state because the temple president had become preoccupied in an incense business he had started to raise funds. In the course of his absorption in the business, the devotees in the temple were being neglected. He hardly spent any time with them, and they really had no one to look after them. They were barely surviving. A strong-bodied devotee named Sudama Vipra, who had belonged to the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang, was so famished that he would

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Once you were in the body of a very small child
Then you grew up to become a little wild
Your body as a youth showed all this passion
When people carry on in a certain kind of fashion
And then you took the body of a man
Energy went to responsibility as you plan
Before long your body gets old
You then exit to enter another life of gold
The body will perish but you will not
What I tell you is very good food for thought
The soul is immortal... it will persist
It cannot be injured by sword or b
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Qualities of the Best Human Beings

 

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By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Lecture given in Los Angeles, May 17, 1973

Spiritual merit, not wealth, distinguishes the most honored persons in Vedic society.

bhagavan api viprarshe
rathena sa-dhananjayah
sa tair vyarochata nripah
kuvera iva guhyakaih

“O sage amongst the brahmanas, Lord Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, also followed, seated on a chariot with Arjuna. Thus King Yudhishthira appeared very aristocratic, like Kuvera surrounded by his companions,

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Bhagavad-gita As It Is - 18.20

TEXT 20
sarva-bhutesu yenaikam
bhavam avyayam iksate
avibhaktam vibhaktesu
taj jnanam viddhi sattvikam
SYNONYMS
sarva-bhutesu—in all living entities; yena—by whom; ekam—one; bhavam—situation; avyayam—imperishable; iksate—does see; avibhaktam—undivided; vibhaktesu—in the numberless divided; tat—that; jnanam—knowledge; viddhi—knows; sattvikam—in the mode of goodness.
TRANSLATION
That knowledge by which one undivided spiritual nature is seen in all existences, undivided in the divided, is knowledge in the
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