Each year, the streets of Accra come alive with vibrant kirtan, smiling devotees, and the majestic presence of Lord Jagannatha on His chariot. What began two decades ago as a humble extension of Ghana’s Food for Life initiative has now become a cherished annual celebration of Krishna consciousness, the Accra Rathayatra Festival. At the heart of this journey is Srivas Das, whose spirit of service has shaped
Srila Prabhupada incorporated ISKCON on July 13, 1966, in New York City, which corresponds to today on the Vaishnava calendar. One exchange between him and Bhavananda indicates some of the significance of the occasion:
Bhavananda: In Svarup Ganj there’s one big astrologer. So, he saw your photograph, and he said, “This is the face of the most powerful spiritual personality on the planet.”
Prabhupada: [laughs] Hare Krishna.
Brahmananda: Then what else?
Bhavananda: Then he said that “I can tell
The water makes the feet numb in the beginning, and then with a mind-over-matter spirit, we overcame. The most beautiful thing about early morning is that opportunity to rise above.
Along with a dozen members of the Bhakti Academy, we drove to those cliffs (or bluffs as they call them) in Scarborough, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sunrise, but frankly, today was not going to reveal one of our favourite planets. It was overcast. The time in the water was precious, clean, and refreshi
In the Bhagavad-gita (7.14) Lord Krishna refers to maya, the deluding material energy, as mama maya: “My maya.” We Vaishnavas accept His word on this, with profound philosophical implications.
The chief philosophical opponents of Vaishnavas are the Mayavadis, or impersonalists, who posit ultimate reality as one homogeneous impersonal energy, with no second thing: All the unique entities we perceive, whether things or living beings, are merely mirages. Variety and individual identity are illusion
My name is Ishan das. I created the Balaram mridanga in L.A. It is really quite a story. But I’ll give you the brief version.
If, in our marriage, we focus on what we need and negate the needs of our partner, the relationship can’t last. If we give up who we are to please our partner, we may suffocate and become frustrated, resentful and depressed. One who is self-controlled doesn’t need to lord it over another, and neither does that person need to be overpowered by another. Marriage is a balance between satisfying our self and satisfying our partner. It means maintaining an awareness of the other person and their desi
Today, I’ve lost a father figure, mentor, and one of the gentlest, most spiritually grounded souls I’ve ever known. Vrindavana Candra Prabhu guided me on the path of Krishna consciousness for over 26 years. Even before I was married, I saw him daily at Mangal Arati—he’d open the temple door for me with a smile that radiated affection.
Every morning, I would arrive at the temple for Mangal Arati, and there he would be—opening the door for me with a broad smile, a hearty welcome, and the warmt
Kamalini Devi Dasi, with her husband, Apurva Dasa, shares new details from her escape from their car surrounded by flood waters.
On Tuesday, July 8th, ISKCON News reported on the miraculous escape of Kamalini Devi Dasi, a longtime ISKCON educator and servant, whose car was rapidly overtaken by floodwaters after heavy rainfall in North Carolina.
This weekend, she shared a video with ISKCON News, offering a firsthand account of the terrifying experience and reflecting on the deeper spiritual con
They are just 2 or 3 weeks old – twins of parents, Parama Gauranga and Rukmini, and for these two boys it was their first visit to a temple. They behaved like a couple of rsis (sages), as quiet as could be. Basically, they slept through the whole ceremony, a name-giving ceremony. The oldest one has the name Nimai, and the fellow that was born following his brother received the name Nitai Rama. The crackling of the small firepit did not phase them in the least.
Well, that was a program
5 April, 1974
In the Mahabharata, Vidura explained to Dhritarastra, “Destiny determines the consequences of our actions, not our actions themselves.” This means that we are not like programmed robots that have no free will, or no choice. Our past karma does determine what will happen in our life, but it does not determine how we will react to it.
Destiny is something like a weather forecast on a journey. A weather forecast can tell us whether our journey from one place to another is going to be snowy or sunny
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The ISKCON Ministry of Education will host its Annual PAN America Mini-Symposium 2025 on Friday, July 18, bringing together educators, leaders, and practitioners from across the Americas in a two-hour virtual event. The symposium begins at 6:00 PM CDT (4:00 PM PDT / 7:00 PM EDT) and will be conducted online via Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube Live. To register for the event on Zoom, click here.
Balimardana Das, Co-Minister of North America’s Ministry of Education, said the event offers a unique op
is relaunching its monthly educational talk series designed to raise awareness on key issues related to community wellbeing. The initiative, titled Caring for Our Community, will explore diverse topics intended to inspire thoughtful action and spiritual reflection. Talks will typically take place on the second Tuesday of each month, depending on speaker availability, and will be streamed live via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook. The format of the session may include a presentation, an interview,
Great experience it always is taking that special 6:30 AM trek through the Ramsden green. Neighbours who do the same as we do (minus the meditation beads) are seeing us as regulars. We came to the children’s playground section of the park. I led them there. Anyone who knows me knows there is a time in the day where I want to be like a kid. At the playground is a small cabin resembling a wood cabin like the type a hermit might take shelter of. It was good connecting with it.
As the
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Bhakti Kids, an initiative of ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry, will be leading an inspiring new online course beginning this week titled Krishna – My Best Friend, designed to help children build a personal and loving relationship with Lord Krishna. The initiative, led by Gourangi Gandharvika Devi Dasi, seeks to cultivate spiritual values, devotional reflection, and emotional connection with Krishna in an accessible and engaging format.
The course inv
By Suniti Devi Dasi
Premkishor Das (Dr. Prashant A. Jani), a dedicated member of ISKCON Thunder Bay and Director of the Vedic Cultural Centre, has been awarded the June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism 2025. This is one of the highest civilian honors presented by the Government of Ontario. Conferred upon only 20 individuals across the entire province each year, the award recognizes outstanding, long-term contributions to community development through volunteer service.
This
At Bronte Heritage Park, our Oakville branch of devotees organized their annual Chariot Fest at the harbour of Lake Ontario where gracious swans call it home. People in the neighbourhood enjoy this waterfront green property, but this afternoon there was a unique feature. Tents housing bhakti paraphernalia were present, a large shelter for nutritious food, directions India, and consecrated. Another awning for a 12 by 16 stage got busy with presentations, including the drama, The Age of Kali p
By Kenneth R. Valpey (Krishna Ksetra Swami)
Introduction
In recent decades we witness increasing public awareness about the profoundly damaging effects of accellerating human production, consumption, and mobility on ecosystems of the world; and this awareness is accompanied by a deepening sense of urgency that “something” must be done to stop the current trends of environmental destruction. Environmental activism is now a mainstream activity for all sorts of individuals and groups, not least per
In the section below, I have shown in italics, the relevant portions for our discussion on Conflicting roles of Sati:
It is said, “Satī was very much anxious to see her relatives at her father’s house, but at the same time she was afraid of Lord Śiva’s warning. Her mind unsettled, she moved in and out of the room as a swing moves this way and that.” [SB 4.4.1]
Satī felt very sorry at being forbidden to go see her relatives at her father’s house, and due to affection for them, tears fell from he
