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One of my favorite Christmas stories over the years was O’Henry’s The Gift of the Magi, about a poor couple struggling to maintain themselves in the big city. At Christmas time, neither of them had the money to buy the other a gift. Not telling the other, they each made a great sacrifice and sold what was most dear to them to obtain the money. This seems to be the essence of Christmas: sacrifice as an expression of love and offering a gift to the beloved.

The gift-giving started with the Magi, t

‘Srila Prabhupada’s Kirtana Standards: A Handbook’ by Jayadvaita Swami

A review by Krsna-katha das

Whether you are a kirtana leader and / or an Iskcon leader, this is a useful and interesting book to read. As the title suggests, it shows us how Srila Prabhupada wanted us to engage in kirtan. Jayadvaita Swami lets us know what Prabhupada wanted, what he would tolerate and what he didn’t want.

Maharaja points out many kirtana fashions that are now the norm but that Prabhupada never did himself. Di

Devotees,
 
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
 
The Annual General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society will begin in February 2025. Following the ISKCON GBC Society’s Rules of Order, the GBC Secretariat requests proposals, duly sponsored by two GBC members, to be submitted by December 31, 2024. Note that no proposals will be entertained after this date.
 
Please follow the format for GBC Proposals, found as a fillable PDF here:
https://gbc.iskcon.org/wp-content/

We are pleased to present the 13 November and 27 November 2024 GBC Meeting Highlights Report. This combined report presents the highlights of two consecutive GBC meetings: the 13 November online meeting and the 27 November 2024 online meeting. This report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the online GBC meeting highlighting the key topics discussed.

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The 13 November 2024 meeting began with an invocation of prayers led by Anuttama Dasa, followed by Bir Krishna Swami reading the

UMANG 3.0 Mega Youth Festival
Date: November 30, 2024
Venue: ISKCON Youth Forum, Kudupu Katte, Mangalore

ISKCON Mangalore hosted the UMANG 3.0 Mega Youth Festival with the inspiring theme: “Making India Addiction-Free.” The event marked the inauguration of the Deaddiction Campaign 2025 and was held at the Town Hall in the heart of Mangalore city.

Event Highlights
Attendance: Approximately 1,200 students and residents participated.
Collaborations: Major colleges and universities including:
St Alo

By Dr. Prasanna Tadi

Professionals from across the nation will be gathering at the serene Veda Foundation in DeLand, Florida, January 17 -20, 2025, Martin Luther King Jr. long weekend, for the 7th Annual Conference of the BMA NA, inspired by the divine instructions and desire of HDG A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and HH Bhakti Charu Swami. The event will span four days, beginning with registration on Friday evening (January 17th) to Monday (January 20th). This retreat is for everyone, not

By Gokula Devi Dasi

South Africa is experiencing a spiritual renaissance as African devotees embrace Krishna consciousness, adapting it to their unique cultural context. This revival is deeply inspired by the vision of His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami, who left an enduring legacy of compassion and unwavering dedication to Krishna-conscious preaching in Africa.

The Kadamba Foundation, established under Kadamba Kanana Swami’s guidance, continues to champion his mission to nurture and grow Krishna

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi

Pranada Comtois, the award-winning author of the Bhakti Trilogy, will be conducting an online seminar titled “Basking in the Rays of the Benediction Moon: 7 Keys to Experiencing the Full Potency of the Hare Krishna Mantra.” This seminar will focus on Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Siksastakam and offer valuable guidance for devotees seeking to enhance their chanting practice. The seminar is scheduled to take place on consecutive Thursdays from January 9 to January 3

By Sutapa Das

On November 30, 2024, the ISKCON Youth Forum, Kudupu Katte, Mangalore, held the Mega Youth Festival UMANG 3.0 in the vibrant city of Mangalore with the theme: Making India Addiction Free. The event was coupled with the inaugural event of the Deaddiction Campaign 2025.

The festival was held at the town hall in the heart of Mangalore. Around 1,200 students and residents attended the celebration. All the major colleges and universities locally collaborated with the ISKCON youth forum

I had been careful with my footsteps as Yonge Street was quite slippery last evening when a First Nations woman saw me.  She was lost and asked, “Where is the Eaton’s Centre?”

When describing the length of the yugas or ages, and which yuga we are in and how far along we are in it, there is sometimes confusion about how to calculate them. Some people think we are already in the next Satya-yuga, known as the Golden Age. The problem is when the yugas are figured only according to the years in earth’s time, in which case any calculations will never be accurate. They are described in the Vedic literature according to the celestial years, or years of the devas, not accordi

By Srila B.R Sridhara Maharaja

In his last days for some time he told us his heart was damaged and then some sort of treatment, by a Kaviraji and other party that was arranged. But gradually he became weaker and weaker. Then October of ’36 he went to Puri along with some of us to Purusottama Math on the Catak Parvat. There is one sandhill, hillock there and he lived there in his bungalow and so many of us also went with him.

He was very fond of hearing that sloka of Dasa Goswami, nijane katim va

Srila Prabhupada: In 1936, just on the 13th, December, I wrote him one letter. Not 13th. I think by the beginning of December, 1936, I wrote one letter to Guru Maharaja. I knew he was little kind upon me, so I wrote that “Guru Maharaja, you have got many disciples. I am also one of them. But they are doing direct service to you. Some of them are brahmacaris, some of them sannyasis, but I am a householder. I cannot…” Of course, I was giving sometimes some monetary help, but I could not give any

A Talk by Giriraj Swami

December 19, 2005

San Diego

We are gathered on the most auspicious occasion of the disappearance anniversary of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja Prabhupada, the spiritual master of our Srila Prabhupada. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was born in Jagannatha Puri as the son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who was a magistrate and the superintendent of the Jagannatha temple in Puri. At that time, during the British rule, the position

So, this afternoon I just opened up and started to read from this book Amrta-vani, teachings from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja. I read a lot from this book, I like different references that are given here. They are very philosophical and I see how Prabhupada was speaking so much about these points.

Of course, someone may say, “Why don’t I just read from Prabhupada’s book? Because these points are there in Prabhupada’s books”

But this book was made available, and I’ve been re

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, is my grand spiritual master, but I feel that I never really knew him very well until I read his biography Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava, by my godbrother Bhakti Vikasa Swami. Many of the quotes and references below come from that work.

We are all here by the mercy of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. There’s a line through which the mercy desce