By Atma Tattva Das
This year, ISKCON Turkiye hosted Bhakti Camp, attracting over a hundred devotees from Europe and the Middle East to a forest retreat near Istanbul. The camp provided an opportunity for spiritual growth and community engagement. Led by Zonal Supervisor Nrsimha Krishna Das, the theme was “Stronger Together,” which emphasized unity and collaboration among participants. Nrsimha Krishna noted that the event was organized with the involvement of various departments, contributing to
This quite elderly couple in the Canadian Tire hardware store were looking at heating units like I was. In our browsing at the various choices the woman asked a simple and practical question, “Do you know which one of these heaters can plug into an old house that has outlets with only two prongs ?
I mentioned to the smiling couple that I don’t work here but that a supervisor to the store is just down the aisle, so I pointed in that direction. It appeared that they were not ready to shuffle th
“The soldiers in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must always possess physical strength, enthusiasm and sensual power. To keep themselves fit, they must therefore place themselves in a normal condition of life. What constitutes a normal condition will not be the same for everyone, and therefore there are divisions of varṇāśrama—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa.” (SB. 8.2.30, purport).
Śrīla P
Frequently asked Questions on Mentoring
When I was initiated in 1975, Srila Prabhupada wrote a letter to my temple president at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, asking him to make sure I followed all the rules. He wrote:
13th November, 1975
My dear Prabhavisnu das,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter undated and accept upon your recommendation the following as my initiated disciples….I also accept the following as twice-born brahmanas and their threads and mantra sheets are
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय बारह भक्तियोग
क्लेशोSधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् ।
अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दु:खं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते ।। 5 ॥
क्लेशः- कष्ट;अधिकतरः- अत्यधिक;तेषाम्- उन;अव्यक्त- अव्यक्त के प्रति;आसक्त- अनुरक्त;चेतसाम्- मन वालों का;अव्यक्ता- अव्यक्त की ओर;हि- निश्चय ही;गतिः- प्रगति;दुःखम्- दुख के साथ;देह-वद्भिः- देहधारी के द्वारा;अवाप्यते- प्राप्त किया जाता है।
I was reflecting on an incident that occurred in 1996 – my first Trans Canada walk. I have it now in the form of a poem.
SPEAKING TO THE DAY
At a tiny hamlet, Echo Bay
As I ambled along the way
Out of a shallow ditch
Emerged a man, not rich
Appearing a trite unkempt
Tarnished teeth, but of good intent
He wanted to share a fine message
Something I had come to cherish
The gist is what he had to say
“When I wake up I speak to the day
Like a person I know
It gives me
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
On September 18-26th, ISKCON’s Ministry of Education organized the annual Books Are the Basics Week 2024, a week-long program dedicated to enhancing the culture of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books around the world. This program was approved by the Governing Body Commission (GBC) in 2020. This event unites devotees from around the world with a shared vision of how Srila Prabhupada’s books must be the most-read literature in the world, thus enhancing the foundat
By Sankirtana Das
A companion article to As the US Election Approaches: “Our Original, Constitutional Position.”
Right now, for the upcoming USA election (or wherever elections take place), devotees have a tremendous opportunity to present Krishna Consciousness and help educate citizens in the qualities of good leadership, along with the four principles of dharma: truthfulness, internal and external cleanliness, compassion, and self-sacrifice. These are essential moral principles of all religiou
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
On October 26, 2024 at Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh, six devotees lost their lives while returning from Tadipatri. The accident took place near Nayanapalle Cross in Singanamala Mandal when their car, due to a sudden tire burst, went out of control and collided with an oncoming lorry. All six passengers lost their lives at the scene.
The devotees were Sridhar Swamy (30), Shanmukh (26), Santosh (28), Pranav (13), Venkatesh (28), and Prasanna (26). They ha
From Back to Godhead
“Both the Vaishnava theists and the materialists each present their own set of amazing stories. The choice is . . . which set of amazing stories to believe.”
It is the grand conceit of the materialistic worldview that “man is the measure of all things.” When we dig a little deeper, we find that this premise is based on a profoundly arrogant presumption, namely, that all reality can ultimately be subordinated to our sense perception and intellect.
At the same time, many
I have seen time and again how devotees who have undergone brahmacari training, and who later take up the reins of householder life, enter the workplace with skills far above those of the average man or woman. It is not that the skills and mentality of the devotional training have no value in the work theatre. On the contrary, the training as given by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada raises the devotee to a level above that of others.
The first thing that a brahmacari must do is exerci
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय ग्यारह विराट रूप
मत्कर्मकृन्मत्परमो मद्भक्तः सङ्गवर्जितः ।
निर्वैरः सर्वभूतेषु यः स मामेति पाण्डव ॥ 55 ॥
मत्-कर्म-कृत- मेरा कर्म करने में रत;मत्-परमः- मुझको परम मानते हुए;मत्-भक्तः- मेरी भक्ति में रत;सङग-वर्जितः- सकाम कर्म तथा मनोधर्म के कल्मष से मुक्त;निर्वैरः- किसी से शत्रुरहित;सर्व-भूतेषु- समस्त जीवों में;यः- जो;माम्- मुझको;एति- प्राप्त करता है;पाण्डव- हे पाण्डु के पुत्र।
भावार्थ : हे अर्जुन! जो व्यक्ति सकाम कर्मों तथा मनोधर्म के कल्मष से मुक्त हो
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय ग्यारह विराट रूप
भक्त्या त्वनन्यया शक्य अहमेवंविधोSर्जुन ।
ज्ञातुं द्रष्टुं च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परन्तप ।। 54 ।।
भक्त्या- भक्ति से;तु- लेकिन;अनन्यया- सकामकर्म तथा ज्ञान के रहित;शक्यः- सम्भव;अहम्- मैं;एवम्-विधः- इस प्रकार;अर्जुन- हे अर्जुन;ज्ञातुम्- जानने;द्रष्टुम्- देखने;च- तथा;तत्त्वेन- वास्तव में;प्रवेष्टुम्- प्रवेश करने;च- भी;परन्तप- हे बलिष्ठ भुजाओं वाले।
भावार्थ : हे अर्जुन! केवल अनन्य भक्ति द्वारा मुझे उस रूप में समझा जा सकता है, जिस रूप म
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय दस श्रीभगवान का ऐश्वर्य
यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा ।
तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंSशसम्भवम् ।। 41 ।।
The video discusses an upcoming book by Professor Kenneth Valpey, also known as Krishna Kshetra Swami, focused on yoga and animal ethics. Through a conversation among animals, viewers learn that the book will explore animal welfare from a yogic perspective, highlighting ancient Indian insights on humanity’s connection with animals and nature. The animals express excitement about the book’s potential to foster compassion and understanding. To make it freely available as an open-access resource,
This video covers the first day of ISKCON Chowpatty’s Kartik Yatra 2024, held in the holy land of Sri Mayapur Dham. The event is filled with ecstatic kirtans, dancing, and the spiritual teachings of HH Radhanath Swami, who reflects on the life and mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the vision of ISKCON’s founder, Srila Prabhupada.
HH Radhanath Swami begins by recounting Srila Prabhupada’s dedication to spreading the message of Krishna Consciousness worldwide. When Srila Prabhupada was esta
ISKCON Tucson was recently featured in the Arizona Daily Star which has a large online readership and over 230,000 print subscribers in the region. The article gave readers a window into the Sunday Feast, a brief history of the community, and highlighted several community members and how they came to Krishna Consciousness.
You can read the full article here. To follow the expanding service of the Tucson community, receive updates on their Temple project, and more, read their latest newsletter,
By Mathura Lilesvari Devi Dasi
Since the launch of our food truck at UCLA, Krishna Lunch So Cal is thrilled to announce that its sales have increased threefold in just six months. This remarkable growth is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, as well as the enthusiastic support from the UCLA community. While sales were never the main objective, the success puts the team in a strong position to expand this devotional project and share their experience with other devotees who
By Savitri Devi Dasi
The Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education (VIHE) is pleased to announce a series of courses for the upcoming year that will allow devotees worldwide to deepen their study of Bhakti texts. These courses offer an opportunity for dedicated sadhakas to immerse themselves in the teachings of the scriptures and to grow in their personal devotional practices.
VIHE has long been a place where devotees come to study sacred texts under the guidance of experienced teachers, and this
On my zoom call with a group from the east coast (I alternate with the west coast each week) we dwell on the concept of giving thanks and how it is instinctively human to do so. It is also a reality for practically every species of life. When the Pilgrims from the U.K. sailed their way to the New World in the 1600’s they established a rapport with the Indigenous people who taught about survival strategies by way of susentance. That noble and kind gesture led to the Thanksgiving feast.
Now, on
