By Giriraj Swami
Thinking of how valuable Krishna consciousness is and how few people are accepting it—and how people are suffering for want of Krishna consciousness—I felt somewhat discouraged, but then I thought of Srila Prabhupada’s encouraging words to a reporter from the New York Times, John Nordheimer, in September 1972.
“How many followers do you have?” Nordheimer asked.
“Well, this is a very difficult job, naturally,” Srila Prabhupada replied. “We don’t have a large number of foll
By Chaitanya Charana Dasa
Like Ravana of the Ramayana, the heroes and heroines of today’s movies have a fatal flaw.
The Ramayana is an ancient Vedic saga of action, romance, wisdom, and adventure; a saga that has inspired a quarter of the world’s population for millennia; a saga that depicts a past when beings of celestial might—both divine and demoniac—interacted on our terrestrial realm; a saga of the struggle between good and the evil; a saga in which God descends and teaches virtue, right
The second annual U.S. tour by Indradyumna Swami and company has made people feel more connected to themselves and each other, inspired spiritual awakenings, and moved audiences to tears.
The epic show of dance, theater, martial arts and live music has been touring Poland for 29 years to great success, and came to the U.S. for the first time last year under the name “Discover India.”
“Because it was a pioneer experience – new country, new audience – it was blissful,” sa
Gopal Krishna Goswami, ISKCON’s Governing Body Commissioner and Chairman of the India Bureau, along with Yudhistir Govinda Das, Head of ISKCON Communications in India, called on the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi at his official residence in New Delhi earlier today.
Gopal Krishna Goswami updated the Prime Minister with the various programs and activities being carried out by ISKCON – in India and internationally. He invited the Prime Minister to unveil the world’s largest Bhagavad G
By Yadubara Das
The Gujarati dubbed DVD of the hit movie “HARE KRISHNA – The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami who started it all” was launched at the ISKCON Ahmedabad Ram Vijaya Festival on Oct. 19 by the Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani.
Yadubara das, the film’s director spoke to the audience of 2000 on Srila Prabhupada’s remarkable life and accomplishments and added that no one in history has done so much to spread the glories of India’s authentic spiritual culture than Sril
How do I deal with a relationship where there is a lot of friction?
Such things are all a matter of stars. Astrology can show us how people’s karma is composed. It basically calculates different elements in a person’s nature which allows us to get a view of what kind of karma that person has. So when two people come together, astrology allows us to see if there is compatibility between those people. Sometimes when such calculations take place and the result comes to maybe ninety percent, and
By Nila-kamala das
On the 22nd of October 2018, His Holiness Subhag Swami Maharaj was invited to speak about the importance and the significance of the Hare Krishna Movement to an audience of 200 students, faculty chairmen and faculty secretaries. The Islamic State University is a prestigious institution in Bandung with many departments. The university gives their students a chance to go deeper into scientific disciplines, sciences, Islamic studies and studies of other faiths.
‘…it is nice that
It is not possible to have a pure and noble character unless one is a spiritually realised person. It is not possible unless one has an attitude of servitorship towards God. Ultimately, that is where all good qualities come from and that is the only reason to maintain good qualities. There is a philosophy called humanism and basically, it resembles religious behaviour – you are charitable, you are kind, you are merciful and all these things, but there is no God. We try to develop all these qual
By Giriraj Swami
A Talk by Giriraj Swami October 17, 2005 Sri Sri Radha-Radhanatha Temple Durban, South Africa
We welcome you to this most auspicious place, the temple of Sri Sri Radha-Radhanatha, on the most auspicious occasion of the beginning of Kartika, in the most auspicious association of Lord Krsna’s devotees. Kartika is also known as the month of Damodara (dama means “ropes,” and udara means “abdomen”), or Krsna who allowed Himself to be bound about the waist by the ropes of His devotee
Giriraj Swami: Today is the disappearance day of Sri Murari Gupta. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter 10, describes him:
TEXT 49
sri-murari gupta sakha—premera bhandara
prabhura hrdaya drave suni’ dainya yanra
TRANSLATION
Murari Gupta, the twenty-first branch of the tree of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, was a storehouse of love of Godhead. His great humility and meekness melted the heart of Lord Caitanya.
PURPORT
Sri Murari Gupta wrote a book called Sri Caitanya-carita. He belonged to a va
Giriraj Swami: I have been rereading the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam and receiving great illumination and inspiration from it. Srila Prabhupada said that he was not sure how long he would live, so he put everything into the First Canto, and Ramesvara Prabhu told me that whenever he told Prabhupada that the BBT had money and asked what they should print, Prabhupada would reply “Reprint the First Canto.”
Reading the First Canto yesterday, I came across the solution to the political problems
By Mahatma das
From the beginning of Prabhupada’s preaching in New York he spoke about the development of an international society, but his new followers couldn’t imagine Krsna consciousness going beyond the walls of the little storefront on 26 Second Avenue.
Fortunately Prabhupada didn’t share their vision. He had such a deep faith in Lord Caitanya’s prediction and the instructions of his Guru Maharaja that he said the Krsna consciousness would someday go down in history for changing the world
What benefit will renunciation alone give us? Simply by fasting, simply by giving up the world will we get the mercy of Krsna?
No! By embracing devotional service to Krsna is how we will get the mercy of Krsna. But in the course of that service, there is so much to renounce. Within the course of devotional service to Krsna we have to give up so many things but separate renunciation is not required. It is not that he who eats less than everyone else and he who sleeps less than anyone else will h
By Nila Kamala
ISKCON Bandung
Bandung is a small island in Indonesia. The annual anniversary of the city took place on the 21st of October this year. To celebrate this event, throughout the city there is a parade with a variety of arts, acts and performances. As usual, the devotees joined the parade being invited by the Government.
“To implement this transcendental bliss to the people of your country there is immense work to be done ahead and this Ratha-yatra festival is only a bit of sample.
By Jatayu dasa (SDG)
Learning to appreciate the devotees is a Vaisnava etiquette that helps us in our quest for purification, especially the appreciation of senior devotees.
I have always been slow to understand this but as time passed I began to develop a certain admiration for those devotees who came before me. This is due largely to the fact that I have become a senior devotee.
I can’t say that I always act like a senior devotee so I guess I am senior by default, simply because of time only.
By Sunanda Das
There are many transcendental ways of interpreting the Lord’s most special lila as Damodar, the child Krishna Who is bound by the belly to a wooden grinding mortar with rope by Mother Yasoda. This article focuses on the significance of Mother Yasodas’ rope always being two inches too short, no matter how much rope she kept adding. And how the TOVP, like Lord Damodara’s own body will only be bound and finally completed by great endeavor, devotion and love on our part, and the fina
By Gauranga Darshan Das
Pure love manifests as the desire to serve the beloved in all circumstances, without considering personal unhappiness.
Love is Eternal
Every living entity is a part and parcel of God, and thus has an eternal relationship with Him. Although one has relationships with many others in this world, they begin when one enters a material body and end while leaving the body. But one is eternally related to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. The source of the love within all of us is Krs
By Mathura Lilesvari Devi dasi
There is also the following statement in the Brihad-bhagavatamrita (1.5.44):
sva-jivanadhikam prarthyam sri-vishnu-jana-sangatah
vicchedena kshanam catra na sukhamsam labhamahe
“Out of all kinds of desirable things experienced in the life of a living entity, association with the devotees of the Lord is the greatest. When we are separated from a devotee even for a moment, we cannot enjoy happiness.”
There is so much truth to this statement. I am sure many of us mus
