From Back to Godhead
When we think calmly and carefully about this wonderful universe, we can see that everything is working under the control of a supreme brain. The arrangements in nature are perfectly ordered. Things would be at random without the careful planning of a scientific and engineering brain. It is a common understanding that there is a cause behind each action. A machine cannot run without an operator. Modern scientists are very proud of automation, but there is a scientific brai
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From Back to Godhead
A talk by Giriraj Swami to the doctors and nurses of San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine on May 19, 2005.
It is a great pleasure for me to address you all here, especially because this hospice is recognized as one of the best and largest in the world and as the global leader in hospice education.
yam yam vapi smaran bhavam
tyajaty ante kalevaram
tam tam evaiti kaunteya
sada tad-bhava-bhavitah
“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his b
PAST MEMORIES
After 20 years I was visiting my native village, Yelamba in the interiors of Maharashtra. My mind was anticipating so many things. Again meeting my grandparents after such a long gap would be quiet exciting. After alighting from the bus I instinctively chose the dirt road towards our old house. While walking briskly my mind was rushing back to the time 20 years back. The memory was fresh as yesterday. How in my school days I would eagerly wait for the holidays so that we could vis
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय 2 : गीता का सार
ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते ।
सङ्गात्सञ्जायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोSभिजायते ।। 62।।
ध्यायतः– चिन्तन करते हुए;विषयान्– इन्द्रिय विषयों को;पुंसः– मनुष्य की;सङ्गः– आसक्ति;तेषु– उन इन्द्रिय विषयों में;उपजायते– विकसित होती है;सङ्गात्– आसक्ति से;सञ्जायते– विकसित होती है;कामः– इच्छा;कामात्– काम से;क्रोधः– क्रोध;अभिजायते– प्रकट होता है।
भावार्थ: इन्द्रियविषयों का चिन्तन करते हुए मनुष्य की उनमें आसक्ति उत्पन्न हो जाती है और ऐसी आसक्ति से का
Srila Prabhupada’s Vision for Education
When Srila Prabhupada founded ISKCON, he placed a profound emphasis on education, embedding it deeply within our glorious movement’s mission. Remarkably, four out of the seven core purposes of ISKCON are dedicated to education, underscoring its importance. Srila Prabhupada’s visionary approach led to the creation of foundational courses like Bhakti-Sastri, aimed at nurturing a proper understanding of the scriptures among devotees. His Divine Grace foresaw
As Sri Krishna Janmashtami celebrations are going on around the world and thousands are receiving festival prasadam, HariBol has announced a global Masterchef Recipe Competition that will take place in 2025.
“Culinary enthusiasts are invited to send in their most legendary recipe submissions. Initiated devotees, friends of the devotees, and family members are welcome to take part in this maha-prasadam distribution effort,” said Anuradha Dasi, one of the competition organizers, in a press releas
We knew it was going to be a long stretch driving from from east of Montreal to north of Toronto so psychologically we were prepared for the long haul. By way of the map we were set to avoid the insane traffic tendencies of a Friday through those two metropolis centres. With success, following scenic roadways we arrived at the destination at Qwen Sound for tomorrow's wedding after 13 hours on the road.
To driver Mahadev, and wife Annapurna. I read at one portion of the side Chapter of the G
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय 2 : गीता का सार
विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः।
रसवर्जं रसोSप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते ।। 59 ।।
विषयाः– इन्द्रियभोग की वस्तुएँ;विनिवर्तन्ते– दूर रहने के लिए अभ्यास की जाति हैं;निराहारस्य– निषेधात्मक प्रतिबन्धों से;देहिनः– देहवान जीव के लिए;रस-वर्जम्– स्वाद का त्याग करता है;रसः– भोगेच्छा;अपि– यद्यपि है;अस्य– उसका;परम्– अत्यन्त उत्कृष्ट वस्तुएँ;दृष्ट्वा– अनुभव होने पर;निवर्तते– वह समाप्त हो जाता है।
भावार्थ : देहधारी जीव इन्द्रियभोग से भले ही निव
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Last month, a kirtan festival was held at the Kanai Balai Assembly Hall in Mayapur in remembrance of His Grace Aindra Dasa, the devotee most well-known for his passion and leadership in reviving 24-hour kirtan at the Krisna-Balaram Mandir. The festival event, organized by Karuna Devi Dasi, attracted many devotees who gathered to celebrate the spirit of love, devotion, and absorption of the Holy Name.
The kirtan festival featured renowned kirtaniyas such as Mad
By Vaishnava Seva Dasa
Radhanath Swami meets and blesses the Hare Krsna TV Team.
August 26th- Hare Krsna TV, a leading spiritual television channel dedicated to promoting the teachings and values of Lord Krishna, is celebrating its 8th anniversary today. Launched on Janmashtami 2016, the channel has grown significantly, reaching millions of viewers across India and around the world.
With a mission to spread spiritual awareness and inspire individuals to lead a more fulfilling and purposeful life
Very special about today was my appointment to the first arati, service for the deity this morning. I say “first” because a shipment recently came in of a new set of deities of Krishna more particularly, the images of avatar, Chaitanya and Nityananda. Made from a resin, the artist, Akilananda, from Salem, Ohio, brought them over to the retreat and their purpose is to function as festival deities for worship. I became the proud pujari to these gorgeous deities at the 4:30 a.m ceremony.
The thali
The purport of the verse is that even Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu — He is God himself, Krsna Himself — He felt, alone, unable to do this task. He felt.
So this is the position. You are cooperating; therefore I am getting the credit. Otherwise alone what could I do? Ekaki amara nahi paya bolo.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself wanted our cooperation. He is God, Krsna. And therefore cooperation is very important thing. Nobody should think that “I have got so great ability. I can do.” No. It is simply by c
From Back to Godhead
To ensure the health of our spiritual life, we must transform material hope into spiritual hope.
Hope—the recognition within the human heart that something better is attainable—can mean the difference between life and death. In Man’s Search for Meaning, Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl writes that the rate of deaths in the concentration camp increased after Hanukkah, even though there was no change in camp’s already horrible conditions. Why did more die? Because each year r
As we discussed in Respect, the Basis of Civilisation, Vedic Culture is based on respect and this respect is expressed through specific codes of conduct or etiquette. In this section, we will go a little more in detail about the principles and practices of Vaisnava etiquette.
…it is the characteristic of a devotee to observe and protect the Vaisnava etiquette. Maintenance of the Vaisnava etiquette is the ornament of a devotee. …By observing the etiquette, you have satisfied My mind. Who else b
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय 2 : गीता का सार
यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः सम्प्लुतोदके ।
तावान्सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानतः ।। 46 ॥
यावान्– जितना सारा;अर्थः– प्रयोजन होता है;उद-पाने– जलकूप में;सर्वतः– सभी प्रकार से;सम्लुप्त-उदके– विशाल जलाशय में;तावान्– उसी तरह;सर्वेषु– समस्त;वेदेषु– वेदों में;ब्राह्मणस्य– परब्रह्म को जानने वाले का;विजानतः– पूर्ण ज्ञानी का।
भावार्थ: एक छोटे से कूप का सारा कार्य एक विशाल जलाशय से तुरन्त पूरा हो जाता है। इसी प्रकार वेदों के आन्तरिक तात्पर्य जानने व
By Krsnanandan das, Bhagavati Kripa dd, Bhaktin Samhita
NICE (Narasimha Institute for Children Education) – an education of ISKCON Mira Road has got 50+ teachers who conduct Gita classes every week in their residences. Apart from this they conduct value education classes and Gita classes in different private schools around Mumbai.
For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this time NICE planned to celebrate Sri Krishna Janmashtami in schools.
Kapol Vidyanidhi International School (ICSE board) – cel
The Pew Research Center (PRC) has released new analytics on the religious makeup of the world’s migrants. Nearly half of the estimated 280 million people migrants are Christians. In contrast, Hindu migrants make up only 5%, mainly choosing to stay in their countries of birth. Muslims accounted for 29% of migrants, Buddhists represented 4%, and Jews were just 1%. Religiously unaffiliated accounted for around 13% of the world’s migrants.
According to the study, “Hindus are starkly underrepresente
The community of Saranagati Village, located in Venables Valley, was featured in a recent report by CBC Vancouver, which explored the stories of those impacted by the Shetland Creek wildfire. The four-decade-old community is located four hours northeast of Vancouver and consists of 30+ individual off-grid homesteads, a K-12 school, a cow sanctuary, and several organic farming initiatives.
Journalist Shelley Joyce traveled to the Venables Valley to meet a Saranagati family “sifting through the a
Our retreat is at a beautiful lake run and owned by L’Art de Vivre and the program is called “Vaishnav Sangha” managed by our devotees from Ottawa. People have come around from the area - Canada, the States and India. I try to connect with everyone, giving a piece of myself to all while borrowing something from them. Everyone has afterall, something to give. Time is a big one.
I was happy to meet Daniel and Daniel#2. Both are bearded. Both are thinkers. We trekked a bit - two boarders and a ba
Sometimes I hear devotees say that they have been chanting Hare Krishna for thirty or forty years or more, and are still waiting to feel the taste for it, or the ecstasy from chanting, or from doing devotional service. I even heard where some devotee workshops were saying that it is not uncommon that devotees do not feel this bliss even after years of chanting, and that sometimes people leave the movement because they don’t feel the higher taste. They did not get what they expected. But the cur