By Sutapa Das
“Should I get married or become a monk? Which one is best?”
It’s a question people ask time and time again. It’s also a question which can’t be answered off-the-cuff. Imagine going into a hospital and inquiring which operation is the best. It’s illogical. Unless they sign you in, run some tests and peruse the results, they can’t really offer any substantial guidance. Everyone is different, and everyone requires something different. Thus, in the traditions of yore, people would tak
By Lilananda Das
The Hare Krishna! film is finally arriving in Latin America. Currently, there are 92 theaters that have scheduled the film’s screening throughout the continent starting in March:
1. Mexico: 53 cities
2. Argentina: 7 cities
3. Guatemala: 6 cities
4. Costa Rica: 6 cities
5. Chile: 5 cities
6. Panama: 5 cities
7. Peru: 4 cities
8. Honduras: 3 cities
9. El Salvador: 3 cities
The film’s trailer with Spanish subtitles:
Video: Click here
S
My dear godbrother Sridhar Maharaja,
Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Yesterday was the auspicious celebration of your appearance day. Numerous godbrothers, disciples, friends and well-wishers have gathered around the world and are enjoying sweet memories of your glorious activities in spreading the samkirtan mission of Lord Caitanya. In recounting these memories they will speak for hours, for by the grace of Srila Prabhupada your service record was outs
Comment: When I am deeply suffering, there is no desire to serve because the pain is overwhelming…
Yes, when we are deeply suffering then we lose the desire to serve because the pain is overwhelming. At that time, we have to remind ourselves that the only way out is still Krsna consciousness, whether you suffer or not. The only way out of suffering is through Krsna consciousness; there is no other way out.
Everybody suffers, I have suffered and I still suffer but how do we get out of here? Do I
By Madhava Smullen
Around 300 devotees, congregation, and well-wishers from all over New Zealand as well as Australia poured into the new Christchurch ISKCON temple to celebrate its first anniversary last weekend.
The three-day event, which ran from March 2nd to 4th, was a joyous and meaningful celebration for the community.
Back in February 2011, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake had completely destroyed the temple they had called home since 1986, the 130-year-old Bealy Manor. Even more heartbreaki
6 TIPS FOR GIVING A CLASS
A friend recently wrote me who is giving Bhagavatam class for the first time asking me for some tips. It’s a very, very big subject, there are volumes of books and courses devoted to this topic.
After some consideration I wrote him the following 6 points that I feel are essential. There are many, many other things to consider, but I think these will be helpful for anyone who has to give class.
1) PREPARE: Please, please, please prepare ahead of time, take notes if ne
By Karnamrita Das
[I am continuing the reposting of this 5 part series.] An unusual cold, rainy day in Berkeley, California, but for a particular person, it was a fitting, useful, backdrop for an epiphany, or deep “aha moment.” Chris Cox, in a contemplative mood that was becoming almost normal, was sitting on the floor in his minimally furnished room. A single light bulb hung down from the ceiling by a cord speckled with white paint from an ancient paint job. Warming himself in front of the gas
Krsna does not derive any happiness from the material energy. He enjoys only his inner, eternal spiritual energy. However, the material energy can be connected to Krsna. By engaging the material energy in the service of Krsna it becomes transcendental because the ‘fruit’ becomes transcendental.
Of course, the material world is temporary and anything in the material world is temporary. The material energy is real but all variety of form is temporary. There is no lasting relationship, no relation
Srivas Thakura is the one of the members of Panca-tattva and 9th March is His Divine Appearance Day.
Honoring Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura on his appearance day is important to all who are or are aspiring to be gaura-bhaktas. In the ISKCON Śrī Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir, on this day Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura is decorated with many items of flower jewelry lovingly made by community devotees. In the morning, devotees hear about the glories of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and take darśana of him. Around midday, devotees again gat
By Damodara Dasa
I offer my most respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, my spiritual master and the spiritual master of the universe, from whose lotus lips has sprung the eternal message of the Vedas in the purest line of disciplic succession from Sri Krsna, the Absolute Truth, through Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja. He is spreading the teachings of Krsna consciousness around the planet for the be
By Sahadev Sakha Das
Srimad Bhagwatam tells us, that the incarnation of the Supreme Lord in this age of Kaliyuga, is Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who is the hidden Avtaar of Lord Krishna and Srimati Radha Rani. The Lord appeared in the form of His Holy Name to preach the yug dharma of this age in the form of congregational chanting of the Maha Mantra as :
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rame Hare Hare
This 16 word syllable is the most effective means by
Giriraj dasa: Srimad Bhagavatam instruct us how to take darshan of Lord.
ekaikaso ’ngani dhiyanubhavayet padadi yavad dhasitam gadabhrtah
jitam jitam sthanam apohya dharayet param param suddhyati dhir yatha yatha
The process of meditation should begin from the lotus feet of the Lord and progress to His smiling face. The meditation should be concentrated upon the lotus feet, then the calves, then the thighs, and in this way higher and higher. The more the mind becomes fixed upon the different pa
Every day all over the world people dedicate some of their time to rid the environment of one of the most abundant substances of the universe – dust. Companies have formed with soldiers brimming with intense enthusiasm to change the world by eradicating dust daily; armed with sprays and wipes saturated with electrostatic formulae designed to decimate dust from even the most modest domicile. But is it possible to get rid of dust? Is there a campaign or scientific expedition that will eliminat
By Mahatma Das
How do we maintain self-confidence, yet feel ourselves a fool before our spiritual master? How can we be confident and simultaneously feel unqualified to serve Krishna? Aren’t self-confident people somewhat proud or arrogant?
We are ordinary people engaged in an extraordinary process, a process that will make us extraordinary. Thus, our confidence lies not in ourselves, but in the power of the process of bhakti.
With Krishna’s divine power and intelligence guiding us, we know we
By Aradhika Radha Dasi
The Boat Festival has its roots in Goloka Vrindavan, the spiritual eternal realm. One of the boat pastimes is described in detail in Gopal Champu by Srila Jiva Goswami. One day the gopis, loaded with pots full of yogurt and butter, came to the banks of Manasi Ganaga, wishing to cross the river. They met a boatman who gladly agreed to help. When the boat was already far away from the bank the boatman stopped rowing, saying that He was too hungry. The gopis gave Him whateve
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 22 April 2016, Radhadesh, Srimad Bhagavatam 7.8.14-16)
It is said sometimes that anger is the younger brother of lust. First, there is our desire to control. We want a world according to our desires and if people interfere with that then we become angry!
But it is not that people just interfere because you have to see Krsna behind it. So devotees accept, “Alright, so Krsna did not want this for me. Krsna has another plan for me. This is not destined to be.” One has to acc
By Taru Das
The Agony and the Ecstasy
In this material world everyone needs something to look forward to because generally no one is satisfied with his present condition. They are hoping that in the future, in some other situation or with some other person, they will experience happiness. The working man is always waiting for payday, the student is looking toward summer vacation, the lover is wishing to meet his beloved, the little boy can’t wait to grow up. The materialist becomes so attached
Transcribed by Ananda Manjari dd
HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami
Caitanya Caritamrta, Adi Lila, 7.74
February 28th 2018
Mayapur Dhama
Verse:
nāma vinu kali-kāle nāhi āra dharma
sarva-mantra-sāra nāma, ei śāstra-marma
Synonyms:
nāma — the holy name; vinu — without; kali–kāle — in this Age of Kali; nāhi — there is none; āra — or any alternative; dharma — religious principle; sarva — all; mantra — hymns; sāra — essence; nāma — the holy name; ei — this is; śāstra— revealed scriptures; marma — purport.
Tra
Unravel the Real Victory for a Woman by reading “MOTHERS & MASTERS” by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
“Mothers and Masters” presents traditionalist arguments for the direction of the Krishna consciousness movement, proposing that we should take up Srila Prabhupada’s mandate to establish varnasrama-dharma rather than capitulate to the norms and ideologies of secular culture. Particularly discussed are gender roles, parental responsibilities, feminist follies, and some of Srila Prabhupada’s more contr
The GBC College for Leadership Development is ISKCON’s official leadership school where potential candidates will be trained for positions of top leadership in ISKCON. It is a GBC initiative offering interactive classroom and online classes from experienced ISKCON instructors. Dedicated to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
First residential of year 2018 is in ISKCON Pune, NVCC from 24th Feb to
