By Visakha Devi Dasi
I am not a brahmana, I am not a ksatriya, I am not a vaisya or a sudra. Nor am I a brahmacari, a householder, a vanaprastha or a sannyasi. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna, the maintainer of the gopis. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 13.80)
Although each of us must carefully follow the particular principles of the role we are playing in society – whether as a wife or husband, a brahmacari or san
Gargamuni Swami, a young man in his early twenties was alone, a traveling mendicant. He had recently arrived in Gainesville from Miami where he had been teaching with three other sannyasis. They had decided to go separate ways, he making his way up to Gainesville.
Far from being cosmopolitan like his hometown of New York, Gainesville was a small college town, with only two main streets and a paltry excuse for a downtown. However, in the last couple of years it had become a bastion of progressiv
By Vibhava Krsna Das
Seven decades ago in a remote Muslim village in the Kashmir valley (where a bus would come once in a day to drop the passengers) on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya, a child was born in one of the few Hindu families that lived there. Although the family belonged to Brahmin class due to their association with the local Muslims for years they gradually fell from the Brahmanical standards and became voracious meat-eaters. The boy gradually grew up very intelligent and
Calling all those who want to relish and spread Lord Chaitanya’s mercy! Srila Prabhupada once referred to the Chaitanya Charitamrita as “the real Bengali sweet.” This literature, which goes into the essence of our tattva as Gaudiya Vaishnavas specifically, shares the sweet pastimes of Lord Chaitanya’s sankirtan movement and confidential mood to the world. Being His faithful followers, it is our duty to both accept and distribute this mercy.
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Srila Prabhupada at the Bhaktivedanta Manor with his disciples.
The Prabhupada disciples in the UK are hosting a Reunion Sanga in Lincolnshire, UK, from June 13-16th, 2025, inviting all Godbrothers and Godsisters and their partners who have served in the UK at some time over the past 57 years.
The 3-day sanga will be held at The Vedanta, a devotee-owned and managed 4-star retreat centre in Lincolnshire (a three-hour drive north of Bhaktivedanta Manor). It will be a Prabhupada-centered event, wit
Russian devotees have a strong presence here, not so much in administrative posts, but physically and culturally. Every day, without fail, you are bound to see and hear a group of musical Russians engaged in kirtan for the public’s pleasure. For our drama’s opening acts, we have a group of young female dancers. Their teacher, also Russian, asked me to give a gift to each performer, a token of their graduation. Young Vanamali, who does some martial arts display, is very Russian, and is also i
We usually feel that there will be another day but what if there is no other day? What if this is our last day on this planet, the last day in this body? Did we accumulate sufficient blessings in this life to make it our last? Spiritual life is about accruing blessings throughout one’s devotional life; blessings from the Supreme Lord and His devotees. These blessings are the building blocks in our spiritual life, through them we develop saintly qualities.
Blessings help us become humble, tolera
We usually feel that there will be another day but what if there is no other day? What if this is our last day on this planet, the last day in this body? Did we accumulate sufficient blessings in this life to make it our last? Spiritual life is about accruing blessings throughout one’s devotional life; blessings from the Supreme Lord and His devotees. These blessings are the building blocks in our spiritual life, through them we develop saintly qualities.
Blessings help us become humble, tolera
By Abeer Saha
Popular wisdom, from doctors and moms alike, is that yoga and happiness go hand in hand. Photographs and renditions of enlightened yogis often wear beatific smiles. So ingrained is this image, of the peaceful, blissful yogi, that sometimes even dedicated practitioners are lured into a false imitation of the state of brahma-nirvana (transcendence) or samadhi (trance), seeking to meet the expectations of a yoga culture that puts happiness up on a pedestal. But are “real” yogis immun
Blind since birth, Yamuna Jivana Das discovered Krishna consciousness early in life. A deep yearning for understanding and engagement shaped his spiritual path. Despite the challenges of navigating a predominantly sighted world, he immersed himself in devotional service, studying scripture through audio recordings and learning from personal interactions with senior devotees.
“In the beginning, I was just listening to classes and kirtans, and that was it,” he shared. “I always wondered, how can a
The Temple of Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) Marathon 2025 Euro Tour has been officially announced, promising a spiritually uplifting journey across Europe to inspire unity, devotion, and support for the completion of the TOVP in Mayapur, India. Scheduled from April 10 to May 13, the tour will visit key cities across the continent:
– Sweden: April 10-12 & 16 (Stockholm & Goteborg)
– Germany: April 20-24 (Lielberg & Cologne)
– Austria: April 25 (Vienna)
– Hungary: April 26-28 (Budapest)
– Croatia: Apri
Many sacred events are taking place; the worship of param guru, Bhaktisiddhanta, the opening of a museum in honour of the Founder/Acharya, Prabhupada, and many more features of this year’s festival. In the meantime, our cultural events keep going on, especially the drama. The more unfortunate thing is some of these important features are clashing with each other.
Puja (worship) is consistent in the headquarters of ISKCON. Every day I walk by the bhajan kutir, or the place where our guru, Sril
The following conversation between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and some of his disciples took place in July 1975 on an early-morning walk in Chicago.
Srila Prabhupada: Where does Darwin begin?
Disciple: He begins in the ocean. He says that some fishlike animal climbed out of the ocean and began to breathe the air.
Srila Prabhupada: Then where did the ocean come from?
Disciple: He doesn’t say.
Srila Prabhupada: Then his theory is not perfect.
Disciple: Scientists say the
The Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja book team, made up of Ananda Tirtha Das, Praghosa Das, Satya Medha Gauranga Das, and Kaisori Devi Dasi, has issued a call for submissions for the 2025 Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja book reminding us “the most wonderful day of the year is fast approaching: Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja day! Please sharpen your pencil or boot up your keyboard and let your love and appreciation flow for the most wonderful personality, whom we’re so fortunate to have as our eternal mast
This is several questions made in the form of an article. I find them intriguing and aspire for answers. I beg kind insightful devotees to offer insights, and, if they find time, to evaluate or critique the answers which i have offered according to my own limited understanding. The very questions are written in bold text. The purpose of this is for my insignificant self to gain clearer understanding on the subject. That would help me in completing a written presentation on Vedic culture, which
On Friday, August 13, 1965, a small, beat-up cargo ship set sail from Calcutta. In addition to the crew, one passenger, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, disembarked in New York City with 40 rupees, a three-month visa, and a mission to bring Krishna consciousness to the Western world.
60 years later, thanks to vigorous public engagement, widespread distribution of religious literature, and the highly visible practice of chanting “Hare Krishna” in public spaces, the success of Bhaktivedanta Swami’s miss
This young man, who looked European to me, was going around on the campus grounds picking up neglected trash. He had a specific bag in hand for his collection. I could tell it was a service of a volunteer nature and that softened my heart. I let him know, “It’s great what you’re doing.” I moved when I discovered he was behind me. He identified himself as “Sam!”
Part 2
FURTHER DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE VEDIC SANSKRIT ITSELF, AS WELL AS WITHIN THE CLASSICAL SANSKRIT ITSELF
REPEATING INTRO
This is several questions made in the form of an article. I find them intriguing and aspire for answers. I beg kind insightful devotees to offer insights, and, if they find time, to evaluate or critique the answers which i have offered according to my own limited understanding. The very questions are written in bold text. The purpose of this is for my insignificant self
