“Lord Nityananda was by nature very merciful and funny. Being merciful, He spoke to Raghunatha dasa as follows. ‘You are just like a thief, for instead of coming near, you stay away at a distant place. Now that I have captured you, I shall punish you. Make a festival and feed all My associates yogurt and chipped rice.’ Hearing this, Raghunatha dasa was greatly pleased.” —Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya 6.49–51
06.16.18 IDS PanihatiLaguna (Right click to download)
By Giriraj Swami
We have gathered at the lotus feet of the Panca-tattva on this most auspicious occasion of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami’s cida-dadhi festival. The background to this incident can be found in the early life of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. His uncle and father, Hiranya and Govardhana Majumadara, were wealthy landlords in Bengal—almost like kings—and had a huge, opulent riverside palace, with boats that plied the river. Hiranya and Govardhana were generous and devoted to brahminical
Panihati is the name of a village located in the state of West Bengal, on the banks of River Ganges (10 miles north of Kolkata). It was one of the leading trade centres in earlier days when the river route was the main means of communication. A special rice variety called Peneti was imported at this place from Jessore in Bangladesh. Probably the name Panihati might have been derived from this trade connection. Once upon a time, this place was the centre of worship of the Buddhist Tantrics
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
ISKCON New Mayapur temple, housed in a 100-year-old castle with an area of approximately 83 hectares, is receiving a much-needed restoration and renovation under the guidance of Temple President Locananda Das and Vice President Gandharvika Rai Devi Dasi.
One significant sustainability initiative at ISKCON New Mayapur is the implementation of a centralized heating system designed to operate on carbon-neutral principles. By utilizing fallen wood from the forest,
By Kamala Priya Devi Dasi
From June 6-9, 2024, over 20 youth leaders from 12 different countries gathered at the ISKCON Almvik Eco-village in Sweden for a transformative four-day seminar. The event focused on critical topics such as Child and Youth Protection, First Aid, and Security. Participants hailed from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Italy, France, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia, making it a truly international event. The seminar was organized by Kamala Pr
Setting a Good Example
We should concentrate on training the children up in Krsna consciousness, not so much formal academic educationa little reading, writing, mathematics, that’s allbut more by giving them facility to follow the examples of the older devotees in the regular Krsna conscious program.
Letter to Satsvarupa dasa, February 16, 1972
Let the children associate with the elders as much as possible in the routine Krsna conscious program.
Letter to Aniruddha dasa, February 16, 1972
The
If someone offers you some mahaprasad, then you should honor little whenever it is, whenever they offer, you can honour little bit. But as far as going out of your way to find mahaprasad at times that are unregulated to eating schedule. That is simply feeding the tendency for your tongue to continue to be uncontrolled.
jihvara lalase yei iti uti dhaya
sisnodara-parayana krishna nahi paya
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructed Raghunath Das Goswami that he who simply chases after the satisfaction of hi
Ekadashi means eleventh day of waxing or waning moon. Therefore, two Ekadashis fall in every month. Usually on Ekadashis, the devotees undertake fasting. Pandava Nirjala Ekadashi observed on the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of Moon (shukla-paksha) in the month of Jyeshtha (May-June) is called Nirjala Ekadashi because on that day the observer of the vrata should not drink even water. Since the vrata observed is in the month of Jyeshtha, it is known as Jyeshtha-shukla Ekadashi as well. Th
Ekadahsi is one of the regular celebrations in the Vaishnava calendar. It is observed eleven days after the full moon and eleven days after the new moon of every month. Even in the thirteenth, or leap, month, called adhika-masa, or purusottama-masa, which comes every three years, during which no other festivals are celebrated, Ekadasi is observed. Ekadasi is known as the day of Lord Hari and is said to be the mother of devotion. Keeping the fast on Ekadasi is one of the sixty-four items of devo
Once Bhimasena, the younger brother of Maharaja Yudhisthira, asked the great sage Shrila Vyasadeva, the grandfather of the Pandavas, if it is possible to return to the spiritual world without having observed all the rules and regulations of the Ekadasi fasts.
Bhimasena then spoke as follows, “Oh greatly intelligent and learned grandfather, my brother Yudhisthira, my dear mother Kunti, and my beloved wife Draupadi, as well as Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva, fast completely on each Ekadasi and stric
Every year the North American office of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust publishes an “Art Calendar” with all the most important Vaisnava dates for North America. This year, as in past years, we noted under Pandava-nirjala Ekadasi that one should observe a “total fast, even from water, if you have broken Ekadasi.” It has been pointed out to us that the only instruction Srila Prabhupada gave concerning breaking Ekadasi is that if one does so inadvertently one should observe Ekadasi fasting the next
On June 8, 2024, ISKCON Nairobi celebrated its 38th Annual Festival of Chariots, attracting over 2,000 participants from all walks of life. “The four-hour procession passed through the [capital city of Nairobi] with many onlookers joining in the vibrant Kirtan,” said Govinda Prema Dasa, Preaching Coordinator for East Africa. The festival ended with a sumptuous feast for all.
Celebrating over 50 years in Kenya, ISKCON has built meaningful relationships with many organizations in the vibrant cit
“The Krishna Capital Gate Centre was inaugurated with great enthusiasm and joy [on June 9, 2024 in Hainault, London]. This newly established centre marks a significant milestone in the efforts to support humanitarian aid and community service. The event was graced by the presence of the Mayor of Redbridge, Sheila Bain, who was the chief guest, Pushpita Gupta and Nav Johal the Councillors from Redbridge. We also had the presence of Dayal Mora Das, Temple President of ISKCON London, and Parasuram
On the north side of the St. John River in Fredericton is another stretch of the expansive TransCanada Trail. My heart always warms to see a sign indicating that I am on that very long trail of 28,000 kilometres from coast to coast. In this city it is rails-to-trails piece, relatively flat; the way I liked it.
Vyas, Nityananda and I met super-friendly folks, to the exception of one young man on a bike, headphones and all, on a road rage. As for as he was concerned, we didn't exist, although
Hare Krsna devotees🙏 Dandavat Pranaam 🙇🏻 🙇🏻
HDG Srila Prabhupada has mentioned that ulu dhwani is Baikuntha Dhwani. It is widely performed in eastern part of India. Usually ulu dhwani is given by matajis. I Have a doubt that are prabhujis allowed to give ulu dhwani, if they are practiced to perform it nicely?
Sorry if I am doing an apraadh to ask this question 🙏🙇🏻
All glories to Srila Prabhupada 🎊 Hare Krsna 🙇🏻🙇🏻🙇🏻
From Back to Godhead
How the Gita teaches the eight steps of hatha yoga, the topic of Patanjali’s Yoga-sutras.
According to a survey by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, an estimated 13.4 million Americans practice yoga, and many more experiment with it every year. Yoga is everywhere—from Mumbai to Moscow to Monte Carlo. But while yoga is meant to bring one closer to God, many of today’s yogis have a different agenda, the most common being to keep their bodies in shape.
“They’re not
On Saturday, June 1st, 2024, the vibrant community of ISKCON Minnesota came together to launch their first-ever Monthly Sankirtan Festival at Minnehaha Falls, the largest park in Minneapolis.
“Minnehaha is a Lakota tribe word that means ‘waterfall or jumbling water.'” said Rama Kisora Dasa, a member of the community, “When sitting by the falls, I have always thought of it as ‘dancing water’ as I watch it spill down from above.” The 53-foot waterfall at the park attracts more than 850,000 visit
Just outside the city of Kazan in Tatarstan, a Muslim state in the Russian Federation, I was distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books near a market with a friend. We had planned to distribute for about three hours and then leave for lunch, but by the end of the third hour, I still hadn’t distributed a single book, so I started to pray.
Near us a few old ladies were selling knitted items and apples from their gardens. One of them—a small, elderly lady wrapped in a shawl—came over to me and started
It's morning time, 6am, and I'm noticing that all those young folks sitting cross-legged chanting on their meditation beads might just like my proposal to get out for a stretch and continue with their japa meditation.
"How many of you would you like to go for a japa walk?"
Spontaneously, I'see about a dozen of them spring off their mats and head for shoes. There we are, touching nature, breathing the best air, into a park's green and having a piece of each other. And that's what a brief, l
