Recently I was in New York attending an initiation ceremony. As I watched the new devotees, young and old, take their vows, I reflected on my own beginnings.
Over 35 years ago I sat before the fire and took the same vows. I am grateful to still be practicing. Later that day I heard a talk which shared 4 reasons why devotees sometimes give up the process of Krishna consciousness, the one they once started so enthusiastically. Turning them into positives, here are 4…
By Vaishnava Das
From CHANT AND BE HAPPY – THE POWER OF MANTRA MEDITATION
It’s a scene that has been repeated countless times on the thoroughfares of cities throughout the Western world-from Hollywood Boulevard and Fifth Avenue in America, to London’s Oxford Street and the Champs Elysees in Paris. There, in…
ISKCON’s temple in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, is situated in a prominent area of town, and occupies a central and very visible location. Immediately across from the temple is a Bus Stop that has had the name of ISKCON Cross Road BRTS Bus Stop for a long time.…
If we are at all aware of how dependent we are on God—for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and our very ability to eat and drink and breathe, to think and feel and will, and to walk, talk, and sense—we will feel grateful and want to reciprocate God’s kindness. We will want to do something for He (or She or They) who has done, and continues to do, so much for us.
We often take things for granted until we lose them. I use my right hand to chant…
There are various answers in various scriptures to this question. In the Bhagavad-gita, we have the verse: paritrāṇāya sādhūnāḿ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām dharma-saḿsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge (Bhagavad-gita 4.8). Krsna says here that He appears millennium after millennium to annihilate the demons and to re-establish the principles of religion. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Kuntidevi is explaining that the Lord appeared…
Do you hanker to chant Hare Krsna with love? Would you like to serve Nama Prabhu with a pure heart and focused attention? You may like this guided meditation with soothing background music as a way to create favorable vasanas (impressions in the mind/citta).
The meditation canhelp you shift from inattention to a deeper loving focus while chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra in japa and kirtan. You can listen to it periodically for another boost to your sadhana. Choose a quiet place…
By Jonathan B. Edelmann
This phenomenal world or material world in which we are placed is complete in itself because the twenty-four elements of which this material universe is a temporary manifestation, according to Sankhya philosophy, are completely adjusted to produce complete…
Quotes from Radhanath Swami
1) From letters
“The culmination of all our preaching efforts is when a sincere soul experiences his or her spiritual home when they visit our temple. I cannot overestimate the great importance the service, which you have accepted as a guest receptionist. I am most…
Dear assembled Devotees,
I was doing some work at my home, and I was listening to some Srimad Bhagavatam lectures giving by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada told a humorous story about a rabbit that killed a lion. It was so transcendentally pleasing that I thought I would share this nectar with all the assembled devotees on this world wide web…
The Festival of the Holy Name, an annual community staple in Alachua, Florida is celebrating its tenth anniversary starting this week with an incredible ten days of kirtan.
The festival began in 2010, when second generation devotees Govinda Syer, Gaura Shakti Allin and Govinda Cordua decided to create an immersive…
In his talk on the Bhagavad-gita 9.20–22, on December 7, 1966, in New York, Srila Prabhupada stated:
“The Lord says a very nice thing. What is that?
ananyas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesam nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham
[Gita 9.22]
[But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form to them I carry what they lack and preserve what…
Dear Devotees, Friends and Well-wishers of HH Lokanath Swami.
We would like to briefly inform you of Maharaja’s current health situation.
Last month Maharaja was diagnosed with acute laryngitis and his voice was badly affected. He was not able to speak clearly and gradually it was becoming more severe. After consultation with a renowned ENT specialist in New Delhi, Maharaja was suggested to undergo Laryngoscopy and was given proper treatment and therapy.…
The Samadhi Dance Company from Amsterdam performs on the Apollo Theater's stage in London
David C. Photography
On November 24th, the UK ISKCON devotees celebrated their 50th Anniversary in grandeaur at the famous Apollo Theater in downtown…
Hridayananda das Goswami stayed with me in Carpinteria over the weekend, and we had many enlivening and enlightening conversations. I could really appreciate Srila Prabhupada’s statement that Maharaja has a “transcendental brain.” He is intent on serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission, especially in America, and our common interest is to please Srila Prabhupada and become Krishna…
By Devamrita Swami
The following is the preface to the author’s new book Hiding in Unnatural Happiness, soon to be released.
Some people seem hard-wired for material success. Apparently on an endless winning streak, often since birth, their life a continual bubble-bath of comfort, convenience, and gratification, they glory in wealth and acclaim.
Their polar opposites, at the dark end of the street, are the legions of the hard up and…
