Blog

My disciple Rohini-nandana Dasa, from Israel, who has helped tremendously with my book about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu, and his devoted wife, Vrinda Devi Dasi, a wonderful disciple of Bhurijana Prabhu (she took the picture), have come to spend eight days with us in Carpinteria. We are truly relishing their association, and look forward to more of it whenever time and circumstances—and Srila Prabhupada and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy—allow. They and other devotees are rendering invaluable s

By Anuradha Imseng

On Thursday, 17 May 2018, a second VIP event was held at ISKCON New Vrindaban to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary with dignitaries, supporters, friends, and local and worldwide devotees. It was an opportunity to thank the guests for their unrelenting support during New Vrindaban’s fifty-year journey.

The pre-event began with a tour of Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold, the breathtaking memorial shrine (Smriti Samadhi) of Srila Prabhupada, while the lady guests were treated to h

Om Namoh Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namoh Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namoh Bhagavate Vasudevaya

narayanam namaskrutya
naram caiva narottamam
devim sarasvatim vyasam
tato jayam udirayet

nashta prayeshu abhadreshu
nityam bhagavata sevaya
bhagavathi uttama shloke
bhaktir bhavati naishtiki

Before reciting Bhagavatam, one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead Narayana, unto Nara Narayana Rsi - the supermost human being, unto Mother Saraswati - the goddess of learning and un

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 13 May 2012, Sydney, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 5.11.14)

I remember when the Australian devotees used to come to Vrindavan. I used to be in charge of allocating rooms in the ashram. For the Australian brahmacaris, I used to give them a whole room for themselves which was pretty good and they had somewhere to sleep. In India, basically you have a room with a cement floor and they said to me, “Is this our room? Where is the carpet? It’s just a bare floor! But okay, let’s

It is extremely nice to explore Krsna because he is a personality who constantly moves between being very human-like and also very super-human. It is the human element however that brings him close to us because we can recognise ourselves in Krsna and his experiences. And yet, his solutions are sometimes very super-human in nature which is purely amazing. So in this way we become close to Krsna – the Supreme Personality.

Krsna’s all-pervading universal form is described in the eleventh chapter

By Giriraj Swami

In a talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.13, on May 30, 1972, in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada spoke about the qualities of a devotee, and I was struck by the following:

A devotee is sympathetic and friendly. “Sympathetic. We should be very much sympathetic. If some of our fellow men fall sick, we must take care of them, give help to them. Because after all, we have got this body; sometimes we may fall sick. So, we should be sympathetic. And friendly. Everyone’s friend. As Krishna is

By Rasananda das

“How any spiritual activity should be done is understood from three sources: saintly persons, standard scriptures and the spiritual master”. (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.28.4, purport)

Proper sankirtan – a phrase used by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati in his Sri Sanmodana Bhasyam and by Lord Caitanya Himself – means certain tunes, certain instruments, a certain musical style, certain dress and certain kinds of dancing by the members of the chanting party. In Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sank

Habit can be terribly powerful. When people get caught in some bad habits such as smoking or drinking, they find quitting those habits almost impossible – it appears that habits have a power bigger than theirs.

The key in dealing with habits is understanding that even if habits can’t be rejected, they can be replaced. Whatever habits we have, they serve some need. To the extent we cultivate a positive habit that fulfills the need fulfilled by a negative habit, to that extent freeing ourselves f

In Sansktm language and in English language, all days of the week are named after demigods:

Sunday -- day of the Sun, means father's day
Monday -- day of the Moon, means mother's day
Tuesday -- day of the Tyr, belongs to justice.
Wednesday: day of the powerfull Woden.
Thursday: day of the Thor's Day.
Friday: day of the powerfull Odin's wife
Saturday: day of the Saturn

Ravivara -- day of the Sun, means father's day
Somavara -- day of the Moon, means mother's day
Mangalavara -- day of the Mangal

Once a king called upon all his wise men and asked, “Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstance, in every place and at every time, something which can help me when none of you are available to advise me. Tell me is there any mantra?”

All the wise men were puzzled by the king’s question. One answer for all questions, something that works everywhere, in every situation, In every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? They thought and thought

In so many ways, maya (the illusory energy) is infiltrating our lives. Maya is everywhere. They say maya is a witch. For the male, maya takes a female form and for the female, maya takes a male form. In this way, maya has only one purpose which is to bind the living beings. Different chains are being used; chains of greed, chains of anger but the strongest chain of all is known as mayy āyuṅktām anugraham (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.14.11), the chain of sex! That is maya’s most powerful weapon because

By Niranjana Swami

Much can be said about compassion, and although we’ve covered many of its different facets, there is still much more that can be said, specifically in terms of our relationships with each other as practitioners of Krsna consciousness.

This whole theme expands from one line in The Nectar of Devotion—that one should not give unnecessary trouble to any living entity. This is a principle of Krsna consciousness that every Vaisnava should aspire to achieve because, as we say every

Respected Maharajas and Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

It's a great privilege to share with you the encouraging news of the Honorable Prime Minister of India sending his best wishes to ISKCON on the auspicious occasion of the 30 th anniversary of the Moscow Society of Krishna Consciousness. We also have a video message by Mr. Harsh Vardhan, the Honorable Union Minister for Science and Technology, wishing the devotees of ISKCON Russia, the best for

On May 19 and 20, 2018, All India Padayatra traveled from Hubali city to Navgaon via Keshavpur in Karnataka.
For the pleasure of Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundara, Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev we would like to announce the book distribution score of All India Padayatra on 19th and 20th May, 2018.
Maha-big Books – 112
Big Books – 12
Small Books – 239
Total Books – 363.

Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundara ki jai…
Srila Prabhupada ki Jai…

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=62477

If you haven't listened to Part 1 about Private Victory... You can listen to that here.

In the second part of our interview with Damodara Prabhu we discuss...

• How to speak the truth in the most beneficial way
• The tension between the rugged individual and cooperation
• What public victory has to do with japa
• Why elders often speak last in traditional Indian meetings
• The question Damodara Personally asked Steven Covey… and Steven Covey’s reply
• The role of the brahmacari ashrama
• Simple living farms…

And much

Hare Krishna

I work in a call center and find it very difficult to be around non-devotees at work. I chant my 16 rounds daily and read bhagvad gita everyday but at work not able to focus my mind on Krishna. I beg Krishna daily to rid me of this misery. I spend most of time at work and being around non-devotees affect my consciousness. I try as much as I can to sit away from the non-devotees and eat alone as don't like to sit with people who eat non-vegetarian food and try to chant at work in my m

By Madhava Smullen

An incredible fifteen thousand people attended the grand opening of a newly renovated temple in Farmington Hills, a Detroit suburb, from April 18thto 22ndthis spring.

A pearl-white Indian-style dome with a golden chakra rose from the $1.4 million converted restaurant, glinting in a blue, sunny sky as devotees from all over the U.S., along with general public from the local area participated in the five-day festival. 

Guests included Farmington Hills Mayor Ken Massey, Congress

By Sadhu-priya Das (Iskcon Moscow Temple President)

On 20.05.1988, 30 years ago ISKCON Russia officially got registered in USSR . On a beautiful spring day in 1988, the Council for Religious Affairs officially registered the Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness, concluding, or so it seemed, a longstanding feud between the devotees and the State. It was the first religious society registered in the Soviet Union since World War II. Honb’le Prime minister of India has sent his message on this