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“Of the many objects of favored delight and of all the lovable damsels of Vraja, Srimati Radharani is certainly the most cherished object of Krishna’s love. And, in every respect, Her divine Kunda is described by great sages as equally dear to Him. Indeed, Radha-kunda is rarely attained even by the great devotees; therefore, it is even more difficult for ordinary devotees to achieve. If one simply bathes once in these sacred waters, pure love for Krishna is awakened within the heart.”

Chaitanya Charan Das, “The Spiritual Scientist,” is one of ISKCON’s premiere teachers and prolific authors. He graciously agreed to share his two-part reflections on the Damodarashtakam with ISKCON News to help devotees enter this month of spiritual auspiciousness more fully.

“Prayer is the universal language by which the human heart communes with the divine heart. Poetry is an artistic means to verbalize deep emotions. Singing is a popular method to express one’s emotions.

The integration of t

Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party, visited Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire to mark the start of the Hindu holy month of Kartik.

On arrival, the Labour leader was greeted and garlanded as part of a traditional ceremony to welcome guests, and met with the Temple President, Her Grace Visakha Dasi.

Sir Keir spoke to Her Grace about being the first female President of a major Hindu Temple in the UK and recognised her endeavour in keeping the Temple open during the pandemic.

Sir Keir

“Even though it lasts for only a brief moment, the human form of life is very rare and valuable. In the same way, the brief month of Kartik is also very rare and valuable.” – Kartika
Mahatmya by Srila Sanatana Goswami

H.G. Vaisesika Prabhu has selected Chapter 10 for Kartik 2019! 
Make a vow to recite Bhagavad-Gita Chapter 10 every day from  14 Oct 2019 to 11 Nov 2019.

All other Kartik sacrifices and austerities become glorious by this simple act of reciting a chapter of Bhagavad Gita for few m

Today is Sharad Purnima- Beginning of Kartik month Deep dhan festival.

Kartika month is observed this year from 13 oct to 12 Nov-the most important month in our calendar, as it is very dear to Sri Sri Radha-Madhava.

Just as there is no yuga equal to Satya-yuga, no scripture equal to the Vedas, and no place of pilgrimage equal to the Ganges, so there is no month equal to Kartika. During the Kartika month, millions of devotees worship Damodara Krishna with ghee lamps and devotional bhajans, glori

Part of my kartik-vrata is to read Krishna’s instructions to Uddhava before He left this world from the 11th canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam. The Lord makes an important point there – that the knot in the heart, the ahankara, the false ego, is destroyed by bhakti. He says: “When one engages constantly in worshiping Me through loving devotional service, his heart becomes firmly situated in Me. Thus all material desires within the heart are destroyed and the knot in the heart is pierced, the ego k

By Lokanath Swami

The auspiciousness of the month of Kartik

Srila Prabhupada and Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu declare this month to be the best. In 1972, considering the importance of this month Srila Prabhupada put all his engagements and travel plans aside to spend this time in Vrndavana.

“My plan is come to Vrndavana for Kartik,” he wrote.  “I want to stay in Radha Damodar temple until nearly end of November. I will lecture daily in the courtyard.” 

In the year 1972, Kartik started on October 15 

By Kadamba Kanana Swami

In 1986, I was very involved in the construction of Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi in Mayapur. There was NO LIMIT to what had to be arranged for that building! One day I looked at the Samadhi and it looked like a huge face with a big mouth, and the mouth just said, “Aniyor! Aniyor! Bring me more! Bring me more!”

And I brought trucks of cement, steel, bricks, stone, marble. I brought engineers and draughtsmen, drawing and technical experts and I had to deal with endless thing

On behalf of ISKCON Desire Tree, we would like to express our sincerest and deepest gratitude for helping us maintain Srila Prabhupada's web-seva! We are able to reach significant devotee and soon to be devotee audiences. 

On the auspicious occasion of Damodar Month, any pious act done during Kartik month is 1,000 times more beneficial! We humbly request you to donate and support ISKCON Desire Tree (IDT).  IDT employs 35 full-time devotees. In addition, we bear high maintenance costs. Our month

Bahulastami or appearance day of Radha-kunda comes in the month of Kartik. In this month of Kartik the presiding deity of the month is Srimati Radhika and in the same month is also the appearance day of the lake which is the embodiment of the Love of Radharani. In Front of Radha Madhava Asta Sakhi altar a Radha kunda and Shyam Kunda was made for the pleasure of the divine couple. Following is the description of Radha Kunda in Navadvipa Dham by Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Bhakti vinoda thakura and Sr

Following are excerpts from some scriptures (Puranas) describing the glories of lamp offering:

The sins accumulated in millions of kalpas vanish in an instant when a dipa is offered during Kartika. O great brahmana, listen to this dipa’s virtues, which are dear to Keshava. By offering a dipa in this month a person will not take birth on earth again.

This dipa-dana bestows all the benefits available at Kurukshetra during solar eclipses and at Narmada during lunar eclipses, multiplied by the mill

I heard an interesting Ted Talk the other day. It was called Rewilding the World and the speaker shared what happened when wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. To the surprise of many, everything began to get better. Grasslands blossomed, trees strengthened, butterflies and bees came back, the rivers stayed their course. It turns out the the wolves were a very important part of the eco-balance needed to keep everything flourishing. One obvious impact was the ability of the wol

"Dhananjaya Pandit was a very rare soul. Nityananda Prabhu was always present in his heart." [C.B. Antya 5.733]

His Sripat is at Sitalgram, Mangal Kota Khana, Barddhaman district. There is a railway station at Kaicor on the metre gauge line from Katwa to Barddhaman. If one gets down at Kaicor, then it is about a twenty minute walk to the village of Sitalgram.

Dhananjaya Pandita also stayed at Sancra Pancra for some time. According to the opinion of some he was born in the village of Jargram,

By ISKCON Vrindavan

One of the major highlight of Kartik in Vrindavan is, of course, the parikramas, or pilgrimages. Every year, ISKCON guru Lokanath Swami heads up the massive Braj Mandala Parikrama, which drew 1,500 devotees last year for its 25th anniversary, and is expecting a similar attendance this year.

Participants travel by foot from holy place to holy place in and around the town now called Vrindavan for the entire month of Kartik, camping in tents or sleeping in local school buildings

By Nila Kamala das (Bhakta Nikhil)

During the month of Kartik, many devotees assemble from various parts of the world to Vrindavan in order to recharge their spiritual battery. Parikrama allows an opportunity for devotees to nourish their bhakti through the medium of visiting various places of pastimes of the Lord, hearing of those pastimes from senior devotees and serving the vaisnavas. With this in mind, HH Subhag Swami Maharaj organised a series of programs in different places across Vraj

Just as there is no yuga equal to Satya-yuga, no scripture equal to the Vedas, and no place of pilgrimage equal to the Ganges, so there is no month equal to Kartika. Even unserious persons who execute devotional service according to the regulative principles during the month of Karttika, and within the jurisdiction of Mathura (or Vrindavana) in India, are very easily awarded the Lord's pers

The annual Pandharpur Yatra to the famous Vithoba Temple at Pandarpur in Maharashtra is an unparalleled pilgrimage that breaks the barriers of caste, creed, rich and poor. Vithoba Temple is also known as Vitthal Rukhmini Temple and is dedicated to Lord Krishna. The most important annual pilgrimage is a 21-day trek known as Pandharpur Ashadhi Ekadasi Waari and culminates on the Ekadasi day in the Marathi month Ashadi. In 2011, the Pandarpur Yatra Palki of Tukaram Maharaj from Dehu near Pune will

Baman ( Dwarf ) Vesha - Baman (dwarf) is the fifth incarnation of Lord Bishnu.Bhadrav sukla dwadasi is the birth day of Charming Baman. Lord Jagannagth is decorated as Baman with all Brahmin shymbols such as umbrella, Gadu, Kusa etc. Puspalaka attendants have decorated Sri Jagannath in a style that the Lord seen as a Baman. 21 thype of golden ornaments are used in this vesha.

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Shradha Vesha - This besha is

Sri Govinda Ghosh

Sri Govinda Ghosh, an intimate associate of Lord Caitanya, was known for his sweet kirtans at the annual Jagannatha Puri Ratha- yatra festival. Lord Caitanya would at once begin to dance whenever Govinda Ghosh would sing. Govinda Ghosh and his brothers Vasudeva and Madhava are eternal associates of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda Prabhu.

He made his home in Agradvipa, Vasudeva in Tamluk, and Madhava Ghosh in Dain Hat. Govinda Ghosh Thakur’s house is not far from Agradvipa in K