The Jolly Swami (Wit and Wisdom from Sridhar Swami) is a unique compilation of His Holiness Sridhar Swami’s realizations of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, drawn primarily from his lectures and seminars between 1996 and 2004. Organized alphabetically by topic for ease of reading, the book presents his deep philosophical insights alongside glimpses of his characteristic humor and warmth—qualities that endeared him to devotees around the world.
Sridhar Swami served Srila Prabhupada closely at Hare
The Charm in Krishna’s Beauty
Eye contact is the biggest source of causing attraction and distraction. It is but natural, in our movements and actions, we touch upon objects and people not merely by hands, but by all our senses. Human mind is naturally drawn to beauty, pleasure and love.
In some way or the other, we tend to develop an attachment. Sometimes we keep thinking of what we touched. Sometimes even to the extent of imagining, owning, being with and dreaming. Maya, as they call it!
In the V
Sri sri Radha Madhava of Iskcon Attapur. They came recently to accept my measly service. They're one of the few forms of Krishna on their altar. And yet, when They appeared, my heart was captured by Them just by being here ❤️
Rasananda Das, aka Happy Jack (in black), with GEV monks and retreat participants.
A group of 42 yoga practitioners from six continents recently completed a deeply transformative pilgrimage to Govardhan EcoVillage (GEV)—an experience that many described as the most soul-nourishing week of their lives. Immersed in daily yoga, satsang, service opportunities, sacred ceremonies, and the uplifting association of GEV’s devotees, participants encountered bhakti yoga in its lived, practical form. From
Submitted by Visnu Murti Das, Founder of Vanipedia. A collaborative wiki invoking and manifesting Srila Prabhupada’s Vani presence.
A Chronicle of December 3rd, 2025
For 18 years, Vanipedia has been a fortress of transcendental sound—a massive, meticulously categorized library of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings. But for 18 years, a challenge remained: How do we take this mountain of data and turn it into flowing rivers of readable articles that the whole world can drink from?
Vanipedia dreamed of
My philosophical injection for today after a catch up on rest from an air flight endurance test was over our Gita Zoom call. Those early verses from Chapter Two of the Bhagavad-gita which translates as The Song of God, do somewhat rock the boat for Krishna’s dear friend, Arjuna. Krishna exerts His might, asserting action and setting aside “impotence,” “impurity,” and “weakness of heart.” Arjuna was declining to support true dharma, to fight and to contribute to a moral good. Krishna had e
The Yoga of Arjuna’s Grief
Of course, the very word ‘Anxiety’ or a state of ‘Grief’, give a negative connotation; but Srimad Bhagwad Gita tells how they themselves can become instruments to come out of that state. They help in moving forward in life. A sort of ‘Move On’ usage as is in vogue in modern times.
Let us look at Arjuna’s state of anxiety. He was grief-struck right in the middle of the battlefield. He was though accompanied by a trusted friend, Lord Krishna himself.
So, first learning fro
By Radhika Kripa Mataji
Gurugram, earlier known as Gur-goan, carries a sacred place in India’s ancient history. The name itself means “the village of the Guru”, referring to Guru Dronacharya, the revered teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas in the Mahabharata. According to tradition, this land was offered to Guru Dronacharya by King Dhritarashtra as a token of respect for his wisdom and guidance.
Over time, “Gur goan” evolved into “Gurugram”, yet the spiritual essence of the name remained. Thoug
From Beckham to Bhagavad-gita: How a Tattoo Trend Turned Into Bhakti
There’s an old saying in the Hare Krishna movement: “Give someone one of Srila Prabhupada’s book, and you’re actually giving them Krishna.”
Not just a story about Krishna — not even a souvenir related to Krishna — but Krishna Himself, packed into every syllable like a divine USB drive. Srila Prabhupada would say that Krishna is fully present in every word of His books. Which means, by this logic, distributing a Bhagavad-gita is
Sixty years after Srila Prabhupada arrived in the West, it is really astonishing to see what he has achieved. Worldwide there are now people from all walks of life taking up the process of bhakti yoga. When travelling and visiting Vaishnava centres, we become more aware of the immensity of what Srila Prabhupada did. I filmed devotees in the London area some time ago but their stories and activities are still relevant today. The spiritual message is eternal.
Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=
By Atma Tattva Das,
When Balram Thanki speaks about the mridanga, his voice settles into a steady rhythm of its own. The drum has shaped most of his life, and the memories tied to it come easily to mind when he talks. Personally, the mridanga is history, service, identity, and a teacher all at once for him. That connection sits at the heart of The Mridanga Circle, an online training and community platform that teaches devotees how to play the Mridanga with proper technique, heritage, and devotio
By Radha Mohan Dasa
As part of outreach preaching efforts beyond the UK, Maha Prasad Govinda Das, who lived as a monk at Bhaktivedanta Manor from 1983 to 1990, recently traveled to three prestigious universities across India as a delegate to a Bhagavad Gita conference.
Entitled the “International Gita Mahotsav” conference in India, he, along with other BBT and ISKCON international devotees from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Hungary, and China, spoke on topics relating to the Bhagavad-gita and t
In Argentina marks the National Sovereignty Days, and therefore, the day off is for the public which is enjoying a holiday. People go to the countryside and city parks to bond with family and friends.
For us devotees who just pulled off a grand fiesta, Ratha Yatra, it became a day of rest. But with guests staying over from other Argentinian cities outside of Buenos Aires, it was the temple program as usual starting at 4:30 AM, then a hike to the nearby park to include a meaningful sit down
Greetings from the sacred forest of Vrindavan. I feel in my heart very strongly that Krishna keeps on calling everyone in many, many ways. The question is — do we respond to the call of the Lord, or do we allow ourselves to be held back by our fears?
Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=116786
Nowadays we have to tell people you don’t live to work, you work to live. So just begin with that understanding that your career is not the goal of life. Your career is important. Your career is something you have to put time and energy into. But your career should lead to opportunities to do something amazing in the world. And the most amazing thing as we know is to give spiritual um opportunity to other people. So I would say both of those are valid paths. Some people see their career as th
Indradyumna Swami and organizers of the US Sadhu Sanga Kirtan Retreat have announced that the 2026 gathering will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, over Memorial Day Weekend, May 22–25, 2026. The annual event, known for drawing thousands of devotees for immersive kirtan and fellowship, will be held at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, a 4-star hotel on the banks of the Mississippi River.
The venue offers 1,200 onsite rooms and more than 75,000 square feet of hall space across three large rooms,
By Yudhisthira Dasa
“The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater [outcaste]” (Bhagavad-gita 5.18).
In Srila Prabhupada’s Purport, he states, “A Kṛiṣhṇa conscious person does not make any distinction between species or castes. The brāhmaṇa and the outcaste may be different from the social point of view, or a dog, a cow, and an elephant may be different from the point of view of species, but these di
During his state visit to India, Russian President Vladimir Putin was presented with a copy of the Bhagavad‑gītā translated into Russian. In a post on X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote: “The teachings of the Gita give inspiration to millions across the world.”
Source: https://iskconnews.org/pm-modi-gifts-russian-language-bhagavad-gita-to-president-putin-during-state-visit/
In the space of a few days, Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Devi were taken on another Rathayatra, this time in a parade in the Auckland suburb of Mangere, which is near the airport.
As usual, the devotees chanted and danced in front of Their Lordships and waved to the crowd, who in turn clapped and waved back. It had been bad weather all day but fortunately got sunny and calm just before the parade started.
Source: https://ramaiswami.com/mangere-rathayatra/
I dined with some awfully nice people at the Ratha Yatra site. There was a purple-clad Anglican minister who had been to Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada describing them as “beautiful.” The Indian Ambassador indulged in the prasadam that was churned out of Govinda’s Restaurant in Tigre. Inderveer Kaur enjoyed the meal. She is the only female leader of the Sikh faith in not only Argentina, but the whole of South America. The President of Crownval partook in the paneer subji (curd curry).
