Blog

By Urmila Dasi (Dr. Edith Best, Professor of ISKCON History and The Sociology of ISKCON at Bhaktivedanta College, Durbuy, Belgium; Associate Editor of Back to Godhead magazine; member of the Sastric Advisory Council to the GBC)

Understanding ISKCON through the lens of social development and history

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada established ISKCON when it consisted of one rented storefront in New York City. He wrote purposes for his new society—to teach spiritual knowledge, consciousness o

Toronto's Hare Krishna Temple is excited to welcome back Sankarshan Dasa Adhikari to the Greater Toronto Area from Jan 11-14, 2018.  Traveling across the globe, Sankarshan Dasa Adhikari is a teacher, author of several books, and personal mentor and guide to tens of thousands in over 100 countries.  He explores and makes knowledge from the ancient Vedic scriptures relevant to us in modern times.

Together with his wife and teaching partner, Vishnupriya Devi Dasi, he brings the purity of an anci

By Damodar das

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam2.3.17 during the Sunday program.

“The materialistic man of the modern age will argue that life, or part of it, is never meant for discussion of theosophical or theological arguments. Life is meant for the maximum duration of existence for eating, drinking, sexual intercourse, making merry and enjoying life. The modern man wants to live forever by the advancement of material science, and there are many foolish theories for prolon

ISKCON devotees' 7-year-old daughter Vasilisa Yashenko has been recently filmed in a major Russian TV talent show for children entitled as “Luchshe Vseh” or “Best Of All”.

The audience, as well as the host Maxim Galkin - a famous TV-star, husband of Russian primadonna Alla Pugachova, - were responding to Vasilisa’s performance of an Indian dance with great enthusiasm. 

Watch Vasilisa’s heart-warming TV performance here: 

https://www.1tv.ru/shows/luchshie-deti-strany-obedinyaytes/vystupleniya/sp

By Kadamba Kanana Swami

In the Bhagavad-gita (7.4), we find a list of material elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and the false ego. These are Krsna’s separated energies. Then we find in the next verse (Bhagavad-gita 7.5), a description of the living being and what they are doing. They are exploiting the universe. We like to think of ourselves as innocent people who are misunderstood but Krsna, in the Bhagavad-gita, has another judgment. According to Krsna, we are mani

By Kadamba Kanana Swami

It is said that the pastimes of Lord Caitanya are like the sky and different birds are flying on different levels in that sky. But some birds do not fly at all, for example, chickens; they do not fly. But I tell you, by this kirtan, we are becoming flying chickens!

Prabhupada said, “Impossible is a word in a fool’s dictionary.” That is a fact. Nothing is impossible. We think we know our limitations. We think we know how far we can take it but with the mercy of Lord Caita

By Karnamrita Das

KEEPERS OF THE FLAME: Although this expression is most often used by our Christian brothers and sisters, I totally relate to its exclamation in relationship to what or who I am, or at least, aspire to be: A Keeper of the Flame of Bhakti, or A Keeper of the Flame of Spirituality. Personally, I see this as a responsibility for all followers of Shri Chaitanya and those who represent him. I visualize a flame burning brightly in my heart, or raising a torch in my hand to dispel dar

World Holy Name Festival team gears up to welcome delegates at their booth in the ISKCON Leadership Sanga to be held between February 4th and 11th 2018 in Sri Mayapur Dhama.

This year’s WHN Festival, previously called World Holy Name Week (WHNW), will be held between the 17th and the 24th of September 2018. The organising team’s first promotional event will be held at ILS inviting more participation and engagement for this year’s festival.

“We would like to invite you (ILS delegates) to join us

“IMPOSSIBLE is a word in fool’s dictionary.” Hope you have heard this statement oftentimes. Such inspiring statements invigorate one to do things that apparently seem to be beyond one’s capacity. But did you ever try to contemplate in what ‘context’ such statements could be used? And what could be the driving force that enables a person to make impossible things possible?
Scriptures proclaim that not a blade of grass moves without the permission and sanction of the Supreme Lord. Sure enough, th

By Kadamba Kanana Swami

The essence of spiritual life is simple – to render devotional service to Krsna. This does not require very complex philosophical understanding. However, there are some injunctions which require analysis, for example, “One who does not give to charity according to the customs of the scriptures and who does not accept from charity are considered to be in the mode of ignorance.”

So giving to charity is very important. We have to be charitable because if we are not and we j

By Visnu Murti das

Great news! On January 2nd in a conference call, the Global BBT unanimously voted to *continue* the special augmented book points for Arabic and Farsi books! So it did not stop at the end of the year, and is still active right now and for the whole of 2018 (at least)!

This is also nicely timed for the long awaited launch of the new Arabic Gita which will be awarding the book distributors with 6 (six) points for each sale instead of the normal 2 points for a Gita. So please fe

January 6, 2018

Dear follower of Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Kindly submit your homage to Srila Prabhupada for his Vyasa-puja book by April 15.

In addition, if you’re a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada, please check out www.sptributes.com to learn about a Vyasa-puja book open to all his disciples. The deadline for submission to this book is also April 15.

The standards for submitting an offering to the traditional Vyasa-puja book (t

By Abhirama das

Last November ISKCON Turin, Italy, celebrated the grand opening of a new Temple very near the centre of the city.

In the previous months at the old center some neighbors were disturbing the programs in different ways, devotees could not have kirtans, and there were other obstacles that discouraged guests from visiting the old temple.

Eventually Temple President Prabhu Das suggested to the community to find another place in which they could properly glorify Sri Krishna loudly, wi

By Adikarta Das

Veganism is a very fast growing diet. In the US there was a 500% increase in Veganism in the last 3 years; up from 1% in 2014 to 6% now. In the UK over half a million follow the diet, up from 150000 in 2007.
There are 3 main reasons. Health, ethics and environmental. There is much more information available now, as to the health hazards of eating meat, and there is much more awareness of the cruelty of factory farming and the meat industry. The meat industry is also an environme

In anticipation of the fortieth anniversary of the Juhu temple, Rasa-sundari dasi wrote about serving there:

Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay from 1990 to 1992 was sometimes a real challenge, because we had hardly any facilities.

In the beginning there were only three of us, not even initiated then: Bhakta Juan, Bhaktin Manju, and myself, Bhaktin Flor.

Cooking was done on the second floor in a small kitchen connected to the Bhaktivedanta Institute. Guru Maharaja always took his prasadam in his o

By Madhava Smullen 

It seemed like Jason La Shard was living the dream.

Born in Quebec, Canada to Kashubian parents (a Slavic ethnic region in Northern Poland), his incredible physical stature – 7 foot 1 with size 20 shoes – set up his destiny early on.

La Shard started out playing ice hocky, then moved to England in 2005 and became a pro wrestler for the UK Wrestling Force, playing a villain character called “The Titan.” Meanwhile, he studied art history and film at Kent University.

Soon he be