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Bhakti Center NYC celebrated its seventh annual Diwali Festival on November 1st, attended by over 1,000 people. The popular evening event included kirtan, food stalls, dance, drama, and children’s activities like henna and face painting.

Several well-known publications, like the Gothamist, list the Bhakti Center as the number one place to celebrate Diwali in the city. Local print and television media covered the event, most notably CBS New York, which broadcast a live report from the event. You

भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक

अध्याय चौदह प्रकृति के तीन गुण

ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च ।
शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ।। 27 ।।

ब्रह्मणः- निराकार ब्रह्मज्योति का;हि- निश्चय ही;प्रतिष्ठा- आश्रय;अहम्- मैं हूँ;अमृतस्य- अमर्त्य का;अव्ययस्य- अविनाशी का;च- भी;शाश्वतस्य- शाश्वत का;च- तथा;धर्मस्य- स्वाभाविक स्थिति (स्वरूप) का;सुखस्य- सुख का;एकान्तिकस्य- चरम, अन्तिम,च- भी।

भावार्थ : और मैं ही उस निराकार ब्रह्म का आश्रय हूँ, जो अमर्त्य, अविनाशी तथा शाश्वत है और चरम सुख का स्

By Yudhisthira Dasa  

This article aims to open the door to an emotionally and spiritually healthier attitude toward our ongoing journey of self-realization. This approach stands in stark contrast to the sectarian and fear-based renunciation that many of us in the first and second generation of ISKCON have experienced, albeit generally with no detrimental intent. After all, we took birth in human bodies for a purpose, not to deny it, but to see our human experience as an opportunity to learn bet

By Ananda Tirtha Das

The Annual General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society will begin in February 2025. Following the ISKCON GBC Society’s Rules of Order, the GBC Secretariat requests proposals, duly sponsored by two GBC members, to be submitted by December 31, 2024. Please note that no proposals will be entertained after this date.

To submit a proposal, please use the fillable .pdf here. Once completed, the proposal should be emailed here.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/gbc-releases-proposal

You cannot follow nicely unless you hear nicely, and you cannot lead nicely unless you have learned to follow nicely.

Yamuna: From the very beginning of our programs in Bombay, Srila Prabhupada became known as one “who is startling India with kirtan.” Our kirtans were full of so much excitement they were so thrilling that we were like one throbbing heartbeat, the heartbeat of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission of Krishna Consciousness.

It is difficult to describe how much potency we felt in the

Paramahamsa Srila Gaura Kishore Das Babaji Maharaj was born into a vaishya family on the banks of the Padma River in Bagayan village in Faridpur district in what is now Bangladesh. His given name was Vamsi Das. He was born sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century. He is important to us because he was the diksha guru of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada. Vamsi Das’s parents had him married at an early age according to the custom of the time, but he always remained detache

By Giriraj Swami

Today is the disappearance day of Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja. Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was a great devotee - a maha-bhagavata. He was a disciple of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and was very renounced. He had lived for many years in Vrindavan, roaming the twelve forests, chanting the holy names of Krishna, eating by begging alms, and sleeping under trees. Later, after Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discovered Lord Chaitanya’s birthplace in Mayapur, Srila Jagannatha da

SRILA GAURA-KISORA DASA BABAJI 

RENUNCIATION PERSONIFIED

Srila Gaura-Kisora dasa Babaji is the spiritual master of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. He was born in a vaisya family in a small village beside Padma River in Bangladesh. Following his father, he earned his livelihood by selling grains. He was devotionally inclined from childhood and spent many hours singing bhajans and hearing Krishna-katha. He was married very young but when his wife died in 1849, he immediately left home and went

भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक

अध्याय चौदह प्रकृति के तीन गुण

मां च योSव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते ।
स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ।। 26 ।।

माम्- मेरी;च- भी;यः- जो व्यक्ति;अव्यभिचारेण- बिना विचलित हुए;भक्ति-योगेन- भक्ति से;सेवते- सेवा करता है;सः- वह;गुणान्- प्रकृति के गुणों को;समतीत्य- लाँघ कर;एतान्- इन सब;ब्रह्म-भूयाय- ब्रह्म पद तक ऊपर उठा हुआ;कल्पते- हो जाता है।

भावार्थ : जो समस्त परिस्थितियों में अविचलित भाव से पूर्ण भक्ति में प्रवृत्त होता है, वह तुरन्त ही प्रकृति के गुणों को

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

ISKCON Kurukshetra, in collaboration with the Kurukshetra Development Board and Kurukshetra University, organized its second International Gita Olympiad Workshop in Kurukshetra. The event drew students from across the country, with over 100 participants and 25 dedicated volunteers contributing to its success.

Mohan Gaurchandra Das, Director of the International Gita Olympiad, said, “The Gita Olympiad Workshop emerged from a vision to create an academic and expe

Contrary to some erroneous reports in Indian media, ISKCON of Houston plans to hold its Festival of Bliss on Saturday, November 9th. The following is a statement from Saranga Thakur Dasa, President, ISKCON of Houston:

“ISKCON Houston To Adapt Its Festival for 2024

In the spirit of cooperation, ISKCON Houston is voluntarily adapting its Festival of Bliss plans for 2024, by featuring the Deities of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, who famously brought the cha

In this video, HH Bhaktimarga Swami discusses the importance of devotional service, as explained in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, specifically SB 7.11.8-12. The verses delve into qualities essential for spiritual growth and human advancement, such as truthfulness, compassion, cleanliness, tolerance, control of mind and senses, and simplicity. HH Bhaktimarga Swami emphasizes that these are universal values applicable to everyone, regardless of their societal role.

He elaborates on the concept of varṇāś

भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक

अध्याय चौदह प्रकृति के तीन गुण

सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः ।
तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता ।। 4 ॥

सर्व-योनिषु- समस्त योनियों में;कौन्तेय- हे कुन्तीपुत्र;मूर्तयः- स्वरूप;सम्भवन्ति- प्रकट होते हैं;याः- जो;तासाम्- उन सबों का;ब्रह्म- परम;महत् योनिः- जन्म स्त्रोत;अहम्- मैं;बीज-प्रदः- बीजप्रदाता;पिता- पिता।

भावार्थ : हे कुन्तीपुत्र! तुम यह समझ लो कि समस्त प्रकार की जीव-योनियाँ इस भौतिक प्रकृति में जन्म द्वारा सम्भव हैं और मैं उनका बीज-प्रदाता

भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक

अध्याय बारह भक्तियोग

अभ्यासेSप्यसमर्थोSसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव ।

मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन्सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि ।। 10 ॥

अभ्यासे- अभ्यास में;अपि- भी;असमर्थः- असमर्थ;असि- हो;मत्-कर्म- मेरे कर्म के प्रति;परमः- परायण;भव- बनो;मत्-अर्थम्- मेरे लिए;अपि- भी;कर्माणि- कर्म ;कुर्वन्- करते हुए;सिद्धिम्- सिद्धि को;अवाप्स्यसि- प्राप्त करोगे।

भावार्थ : यदि तुम भक्तियोग के विधि-विधानों का भी अभ्यास नहीं कर सकते, तो मेरे लिए कर्म करने का प्रयत्न करो, क्योंकि मेरे लिए कर्म करने से तुम पू

By Chaitanya Arya

On November 2, 2024, more than 1,200 devotees from remote villages in the Satpura hill range came together to celebrate the auspicious Giriraj Govardhan Puja Mahotsav. The event, led by Nitaipad Das and Markatshyam Das, with the cooperation of Upanand Das, Jayant, Gopal, Vasant, and Chaitanya, took place in a tribal region along the South Gujarat-North Maharashtra border. This large gathering of tribal devotees signifies a growing movement to revive Krishna Consciousness in com

By Parsada dasi

During kartik last year, a very dear friend of mine, Padma visted Sri Vrindavan Dham, and a sincere devotee for many years. She arrived a day after the much celebrated Gopastami festival. As we made our way to the ISKCON goshala that afternoon, I described to her our Gopastami festival, where our Srimati Radharani is dressed as the cowherd boy Subal and at this time Her devotees relish the sweet darshan of Her lotus feet, the only time in the year except Radhastami. On this wo

suklastami karttike tu
smrta gopastami budhaih
tad-dinad vasudevo ‘bhud
gopah purvam tu vatsapah

“The eighth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartik is known by authorities as Gopastami. From that day, Lord Vasudeva served as a cowherd, whereas previously He had tended the calves.”
-Srimad Bhagavatam 10.15.1, translation

Many important pastimes take place on Gopastami. One pastime takes place on this day a few years after Krishna first started tending the cows. On this day, Jat

Today is Gopastami, the day on which Krishna and Balarama and other boys Their age, who previously had tended the calves, were given charge of the cows. This event is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.15.1):

tatas ca pauganda-vayah-sritau vraje
  babhuvatus tau pasu-pala-sammatau
gas carayantau sakhibhih samam padair
  vrndavanam punyam ativa cakratuh

“When Lord Rama and Lord Krsna attained the age of pauganda [six to ten] while living in Vrndavana, the cowherd men allowed Them to take up the