“The word ‘envy’ is applied in many places and is used in connection to various things – envy of another’s good fortune, being disturbed at seeing the wealth of others, displeasure and jealousy etc. are some of the various examples. Wherever the word ‘matsarya’ (envy) has been explained in the Vaisnava scriptures, it is fully understood that its influence is the competitor of divine love (prema).
dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ‘tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam
“The path described in the Bhagavatam is
vancha-kalpatarubhyash cha
kripa-sindhubhya eva cha
patitanam pavanebhyo
vaishnavebhyo namo namaha
I offer respectful humble obeisances. Please bless me Love of Godhead
There are times when I feel that abusive offensive words to Devotees may appear out of the physical mouth, or inside the mind. But, maybe the abusive offensive words appears only inside the mind, and I am confusing it with it appearing out of the physical mouth. I think I suffer most of the time because I fear what if something offe
It was four months ago when the door bell rang and I found Jason at the door looking rather disturbed. Jason is an old client of mine whom I’ve known for over 20 years. I was rather shocked that he had turned up without an appointment and when I asked him why he’d come, he said that he was interested in upgrading his turntable. I could see he was upset and felt his explanation hid something deeper, so I invited him in.
Jason sat down and we talked and listened to Jazz. Then I played Vandeham wh
From the very beginning of His movement in India, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu predicted that it would spread around the world.
A look at Srila Prabhupada’s accomplishments in light of an astounding prophecy made by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu more than five hundred years ago.
History shows that there are basically four types of people who claim to “see” the future, not including those who are simply absurd: scientists who make suppositions based on hard facts; economists, historians, and sociologists wh
It’s been a number of years since the last Sannyasi, Guru, GBC sanga in Mayapur, but it was nice to have such senior association once again in the holy dhama.
Srila Prabhupada wanted the devotees to come regularly to Mayapur and Vrindavan to hear, chant and dance together. Of course, there were also a number of important topics that the leaders discussed with a view to pushing on Lord Chaitanya’s samkirtan movement.
On February 24-25th, the ISKCON Bhakti Yoga Center in south Minneapolis held its Grand Opening weekend, with hundreds attending programs throughout the two-day celebration. This summer, ISKCON News reported that local devotees would be opening a center in South Minneapolis, a strategic location within two miles of the University of Minnesota (with over 35,000 students).
The community has been meeting for months in their new facility for Sunday feasts and weekday classes while working tirelessl
The drums are rolling. The horns are sounding. There's great anticipation for a pompous celebration. Multitudes of pilgrims are lined up for a procession which carries with it a deity of Narsinghdeva, the avatar of half man/ half lion, everyone's favourite. This avatar stands for strength and protection, a need for all people in a precarious world.
Well, the pomp and circumstance, began with more than a bang, There were many bangs and an assortment of drum bands all in a march to the major TOVP
Recently, ISKCON devotees participated in the UK Women’s Faith Forum’s inaugural event, “Keeping Hatred Off Our Streets.” The February 28th gathering in Parliament included women from across five major faith groups who are working collectively to ensure that the experiences, skills, and dedication of women in faith communities are focused on today’s key issues.
“Representing Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Judaism, the Women’s Faith Forum is motivated by the essence of our faith tra
Q. 1. Lord Krishna told Arjuna: “Those who claim to be directly My devotees are actually not my devotees. But those who are devotees of my servants are factually My devotees.” In Srimad Bhagavatam purports of first canto, Srila Prabhupada mentions that Lord Shiva is a pure devotee of Lord Krishna. According to the above sloka, does it not directly imply that all of us must serve Lord Shiva? How far is this justifiable?
Yes, Lord Shiva is certainly worshipable, as a great devotee, but not indepe
Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 7 (texts 36-42) describes the benevolent activities of Lord Siva when the living entities were threatened by the deadliest poison (halahala):
“Srila Sukadeva Gosvami said: ‘Lord Siva is always benevolent toward all living entities. When he saw that the living entities were very much disturbed by the poison, which was spreading everywhere, he was very compassionate. Thus he spoke to his eternal consort, Sati, as follows.
“ ‘Lord Siva said: “My dear Bhavani, ju
Today is Shiva-ratri. Vaishnavas generally do not celebrate Shiva-ratri, and to begin, I will explain why, with reference to the Bhagavad-gita. We read from Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Chapter 7: “Knowledge of the Absolute.”
TEXT 23
antavat tu phalam tesam
tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam
devan deva-yajo yanti
mad-bhakta yanti mam api
TRANSLATION
Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods,
Today, Sivaratri here, we did special worship of our deity of Gopisvara Mahadeva, gifted to us by His Holiness Indradyumna Swami. We prayed to Gopisvara,
vrndavanavani-pate jaya soma soma-maule
sanaka-sanandana-sanatana-naradedya
gopisvara vraja-vilasi-yuganghri-padme
prema prayaccha nirupadhi namo namaste
“O gatekeeper of Vrindavan! O Soma, all glories to you! O you whose forehead is decorated with the moon (soma), and who is worshipable to the sages headed by Sanaka, Sanandana, and Narada!
Today is the auspicious Maha Sivaratri , a day to honor and pray to lord Siva. Lord Siva is known as Ashutosh, one who is pleased very easily, so somehow if we can please him on this Maha Sivaratri then we can make rapid progress in Krishna consciousness
Who is lord Siva?
He is the greatest of all devotees. Vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh: Sambhu, or Lord Siva, is the ideal Vaisnava. He constantly meditates upon Lord Rama and chants Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Lord Siva has a Visnu-Sv
By Atma Tattva Das
In the heart of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) community, a digital haven has emerged, providing a space for women to connect, share, and empower each other spiritually and personally. The Heart to Heart Vaishnavi Circle (HTHVC) stands as a testament to the vision and dedication of numerous women who have collectively fostered its growth and success.
Vrajalila Devi Dasi, a seasoned devotee deeply engaged in Vaishnava philosophy, spearheaded the H
My very good assistant Suta Goswami from Kolkata, has handed me 9 colossal japa meditation beads, for chanting on. The recipients of the beds will be receiving diksha and this is the procedure, their mentor, or guru, chants on them for their initiation which takes place on Sunday morning. The active guide or teacher for the sweet candidates in Suta himself. I become more like a blesser.
In Mayapura, the road is ornamented with rangoli, colourful powder in swirls and designs. It makes any ped
Today is the disappearance day of Sri Isvara Puri. He was such a perfect disciple of Sri Madhavendra Puri that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Krishna Himself, was pleased to accept him as his spiritual master. Later, Lord Chaitanya visited Isvara Puri’s birthplace at Kumara-hatta and collected some earth from the birth site, which He kept very carefully and ate a small portion of daily. Thus He showed us how a faithful disciple worships a spiritual master who has faithfully served his spiritual
Srimad Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami writes: “All glories to Madhavendra Puri, the storehouse of all Krishna-prema! He is a desire tree of bhakti, and it is to him that the seed of bhakti first fructified. The seed of Krishna-prema next fructified in the for of Sri Ishvara Puri, and then the gardener himself, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, became the main trunk of the tree of bhakti.
Isvara Puri was born in the town of Kumara Hatta on the full moon day of the month of Jyestha to a family of Brahmins haili
The Executive Committee (EC) Chair, Revati Raman Dasa, shared a brief report of some assignments overseen by GBC EC in 2023-24. Some of these assignments include:
– Assisting Ukrainian devotees with challenges faced in the current situation
– Responding to many concerns about child protection matters
– Moving Forward with the Mayapur-Vrindavan Child Protection Office (CPO) Inquiry
– Media & Public Relations Issue
– Peru
– Bhaktivedanta Institute
– Temple of Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) Exhibits
The
I think we've all had the experience. Someone comes to mind that you've known and you haven't seen or heard of them for years and shortly after his/her image pops up mentally, they suddenly appear physically.
That was the case of Udayananda, tall, healthy looking and extroverted boy from Detroit. There he was, much older than when I last saw him, in the session of the morning called tulasi puja, when we worship or honour the sacred green.
I invited him to our japa, meditative walk after a bi
