With heavy hearts, we share the news of the passing of His Grace Bhagavad Dharama Das. He peacefully left his material body on 18 April 2024 around 1 pm at his home. His departure marks the loss of one of our most esteemed senior devotees, and the material father of our beloved late Srivas Pandit Das, ISKCON Myanmar Regional Secretary.
His Grace Bhagavad Dharama Das was a cornerstone of ISKCON Myanmar, dedicated to advancing Srila Prabhupada’s movement with unwavering commitment and devotion.
It was just the perfect stroll I wasn’t the only one to think so. There were plenty of people taking in the good vibes along Mud Creek at mid afternoon. Once I come out from the ravine via a steep stairs I landed in posh Rosedale and near a basket-ball court. A number of young men were dribbling that ball. The tallest fellow scored. He noticed me and I could hear him, “There’s that walking monk!” And all of the co-players stared.
That caused a bit more of a chain reaction. Next to the basketba
“Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote over 170 years ago: ‘Boredom is the root of all evil.’”
“To Kierkegaard, boredom is not just feeling weary because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one’s current activity; boredom is not just a sense of emptiness due to an absence of stimulation. Boredom, he wrote, is the result of an absence of meaning in one’s life. This understanding explains why people today are overstimulated but existentially bored. In 2017, global spending for entertainm
By Raas Raman Krishna Das
Srila Prabhupada’s disciples are striving very hard to fulfill his desires to spread Lord Chaitanya’s movement in every nook & corner of the world.
ISKCON ROHINI, situated in the north-west area of Delhi is another feather in Srila Prabhupada’s cap. HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj has finally made it making it as 17th temple in the Delhi-NCR.
On the auspicious occasion of *Ram Navmi*, 17th April, the temple was formally inaugurated & *Bhavya Pran Pratistha* of Radha M
By Ramai Swami
Shri Shyamananda, Shrinvasa and Shri Narottama Dasa Thakura are all eternal associates of Shri Gaurasundara. For the purpose of preaching the holy message of Sri Caitanya all over the earth they appeared within this world.
Sri Syamananda made his appearance at Utkala in the village of Dharenda Bahadurpur. His father’s name was Sri Krsna Mandal and his mother’s name was Sri Durika. Sri Krsna Mandal, who descended in the line of sad-gopas, had many sons and daughters who unfortun
Sri Shyamananda Prabhu was a servant of a servant of Subala in Krishna-lila. He was the disciple of Hridayananda or Hriday Chaitanya, who was a disciple of Gauri Das Pandit. Gauri Das was Subala in Krishna-lila.
Shyamananda Prabhu was born on the full moon day of Chaitra in 1456 of the Shaka era (1534 AD) in the town of Dharenda Bahadurpura, which is near the Kharigapura railway station in Medinipura. His father was Sri Krishna Mandal and his mother, Durika. Krishna Mandala’s home town was Dan
Those who know the associates of Sri Gauranga to be eternally liberated souls will attain their place by the side of the son of the king of Vraja.
Sri Syamananda Prabhu, Srinivasa Acarya and Sri Narottama dasa Thakura were the internal associates of Sri Gaurasundara. They incarnated in this world in order to spread the teachings of Sri Gaura-Krsna after His departure from it.
Sri Syamananda made his appearance at Utkala in the village of Dharenda Bahadurpur. His father’s name was Sri Krsna Mand
From 5th Chapter of Bhakti-ratnakara
Balarama, the son of Rohini performed his rasalila in Ramaghat. This place is situated quite a long distance from where Krishna had his rasalila.
Balarama was the second body of Krishna himself and the depth of his real self was like the depth of a million oceans. He came to Vraja from Dvaraka and stayed during the two months of Chaita and Vaishakh to console Sri Nanda, Yasoda and the others. He pleased his sakhas in various ways. There also Balarama gave so
Last night I noticed that the moon was full, and it reminded me that this be Balarama Rasayatra, or the night that Lord Balarama danced the Rasa dance with the Gopis. It was also Sri Krsna Vasanta Rasa, the Lord’s springtime rasa lila pastime. We honor these pastimes with a chapter from the Krsna Book, entitled “Lord Balarama Visits Vrndavana”.
…Lord Balarāma could, of course, understand the ecstatic feelings of the gopīs, and therefore He wanted to pacify them. He was expert in presenting an a
12 key points summarizing the insights from various commentators on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.18.1-4, connected in a cohesive manner:
1) By the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, the King Parikshit was protected in the womb of his mother Uttara when he was burnt by the brahmāstra weapon of Acharya Drona's son. This was an orchestration by the Lord to facilitate the king's future spiritual enlightenment.
2) Although born in a royal family, by the Lord's arrangement, Parikshit was cursed by
For Balarama Rasa-yatra, we shall read from Srila Prabhupada’s summary study of the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, called Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead—about Lord Balarama’s visit to Vrindavan after He and Krishna had been away from Vrindavan for many years.
In our meditation on the deity of the Lord, we begin from His lotus feet and then gradually progress upward to His ankles, knees, thighs, waist, navel, chest, neck, and face. Srimad-Bhagavatam is also a form of the Lord, and
For Sri Hanuman Jayanti, I quote Sri Prahlada’s glorification of Hanuman from Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta (1.4.40–52):
“Hanuman is much more fortunate. For many thousands of years he has enjoyed serving the Lord constantly, without obstruction.
“He is the most powerful person. When he was just a child, the demigods favored him with several wonderful benedictions. Thus he became immune to old age and death.
“He is free of all fear, he maintains great vows, and he performs auspicious deeds. Outstandi
In the early hours of April 16th, the Festival of Ram Navami, ISKCON’s Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha Mandira in Longdenville, Trinidad and Tobago, was robbed by four armed bandits brandishing a gun, crowbar and machete. During the robbery, two devotees were beaten, one of whom was 71-year-old Devendranuja Dasa, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who sustained serious injuries to his head and ribs requiring hospitalization at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope. Devotees are asked for their
This week, Krishna Balaram Mandir in Vrindavan welcomed thousands to its Brahmotsava Festival which celebrated the Temple’s 49th Anniversary. One of the most notable guests this year was 87-year-old Gitabhai Saraf, the generous devotee of Krishna who donated the land to Srila Prabhupada where the Krishna Balaram Mandir was constructed. “She is completely dedicated to Srila Prabhupada,” said Daivi Shakti Devi Dasi, sharing the anecdote that Gitabhai told her that she wanted to learn English so s
Nityananda conducts our morning sadhana at the temple. A portion of that responsibility entails reading a passage from the sacred “Bhagavad Gita.” He read today’s verse 17.14 which I find relevant and practical.
“Austerity if the body consists in worship of the Supreme Lord, the brahmanas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father and the mother, and in cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and non violence.”
I am tempted to spell out right here the excellent purpose by Srila Prabhupad
From Back to Godhead
With proper guidance, anyone can turn ordinary food into a spiritual substance.
The phenomenon of something changing from material to spiritual is an extraordinary one, but it is something we as devotees are involved in daily—often several times a day. It happens when prasadam (unoffered food) becoming prasadam, or food sanctified by the Lord.
When I was a new devotee in Montreal, we arranged a program that was to be given on campus at McGill University. The leaflet adverti
Srila Prabhupada says that Narada is a great personality and he was so pleased by the devotional attitude of Dhruva, that he could have just given him everything. He could have given Dhruva exactly what he wanted. Why didn’t he do it? [a devotee replies that it was because he wanted Dhruva to surrender to Krishna]. Yes, essentially that’s correct. He wanted him to follow the correct path, he wanted him to engage in devotional service.
You see, and this helps us to develop our perspective about
Many of us struggling sadhakas know that overcoming laya, sleepiness, during chanting, hearing and meditating is not always an easy thing. Some devotees struggle year after year, regularly wandering in a realms of tamo-guna and sleep while Srimad Bhagavatam-class, japa and gayatri.
Surrendering to Krsna and guru and having their mercy, developing service attitude are the essence for increasing our taste and first appreciation to the process of chanting, but there are several commonsense externa
A disciple of Srila Prabhupada recalls some cleanliness practices that Prabhupada prescribed for a life in Krishna consciousness.
By Krishnanandini Devi Dasi
Cleanliness is next to godliness – and an essential part of our spiritual practice.
Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON, repeatedly emphasized the importance of cleanliness in serving the Lord and others. And he made sure we understood that cleanliness refers to both internal and external cleanliness. In the scriptures this is
In the Srimad Bhagavatam 7 canto it is said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotee know how to use properly lust, anger, greed, illusion, pride and envy.
In the Bhagavad Gita 3.37, Srila Prabhupada says: “…Therefore the origin of lust is also in the Supreme. If, therefore, lust is transformed into love for the Supreme, or transformed into Krishna consciousness – or, in other words, desiring everything for Krishna – then both lust and wrath can be spiritualized.
Hanuman, the great
