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At Carnegie Hall ( a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City) singing My Sweet Lord- Hare Krishna, with ISKCON devotees, Sting, Elton John and some other famous people April 13, 2002 

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29925

The soulful sankirtan of Shri Vishnujana Maharaja illuminated the streets of San Francisco and Los Angeles , and then across the States, from the earliest days of Krishna consciousness. Today his uplifting bhajans and melodious kirtans still echo in the halls of ISKCON centers around the world. There was never a more faithful servant of Shrila Prabhupada, and the fortunate Vaishnavas who served under his loving care always keep his memories in their hearts. Shrila Prabhupada, who by his mystic

From Back to Godhead

One of the basic principles of Krsna consciousness is that one may utilize whatever talent he has in the service of the Supreme Lord. And it is a symptom of a bona fide spiritual master that he is expert in engaging everyone in practical transcendental devotional service. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has thus engaged a number of very talented artists in the service of the Lord by asking them to use their natural artistic inclination in painting pictu

Bhaktivedanta Research Centre: These photos show handwritten pages from the original Svalikhita Jivani, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura’s autobiography. It is among the most treasured texts in the Birnagar Collection, entrusted to BRC by the caretakers of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura’s birthplace. It gives a detailed account that spanned most of his life from his birth in 1838 until retirement in 1894. BRC Publications Department has translated it into English. It is currently being edited and prepare

At the occasion of ISKCON’s 5Oth anniversary, the residents of New Mayapur are organizing  5 short padayatra walks for peace in the center of France. Each day the group of walkers will drive near 4 large cities  (Loches, Amboise, Châteauroux and Valençay) within a maximum of 50 kms radius from the temple and the nearby village of Luçay-le-Mâle.  The devotees will then do harinama through the city for up to 3 hours and will then drive back to New Mayapur. Janananda Goswami is planning to join th

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan congratulated ISKCON on turning 50 after ISKCON London’s Temple President, Jai Nitai dasa and Temple Secretary Bhava Bhakti devi dasi presented him with a box of cupcakes and copies of the 50th magazine on 13th July. The Mayor even tweeted this kind gesture to his followers on social media. The meeting was part of the special outreach initiative to express gratitude to the city of London in which 5000 cupcakes were distributed in key locations in London during mo

Srimad Bhagavatam 4.22.19

sangamah khalu sadhunam
ubhayesam ca sammatah
yat-sambhasana-samprasnah
sarvesam vitanoti sam

TRANSLATION
When there is a congregation of devotees, their discussions, questions and answers become conclusive to both the speaker and the audience. Thus such a meeting is beneficial for everyone’s real happiness.

PURPORT
Hearing discussions among the devotees is the only means to receive the powerful message of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For instance, Bhagavad-gita

Ananda Vrindavana Devi Dasi: Before I pick up my beads to do my chanting meditation, I have 3 points of focus – I’m not this body, God is a person, and I have a relationship with Him.
I’m not this body is one of my favorite meditations. I like to sit quietly and hold my body still. I am the observer. I am conscious of my hands, my breath, my thoughts. I remember – yesterday, years ago, minutes ago. I think ahead – tomorrow, old age, the next hour. When I remember I am not this body I feel relie

We bhakti yogis exercise a lot. We exercise our voice and ears for several hours everyday chanting our mantras, we exercise our heart to love Krishna, exercise our intelligence to control the mind (which never stops exercising it’s desires).  We do, however, tend to neglect exercising our body.

This may be due to our understanding that we are ‘not the body’. As it is said, we are a soul with a body, not a body with a soul. We may think it more spiritual to nourish our soul and not worry about t

It is written in the Bhakti teachings that inattentiveness while chanting is a type of madness. Imagine inviting someone to our home. We half open the door when they arrive, and all evening we are distracted – phone calls, text messages, conversations with others, glancing at the TV in the background, looking out the window. Our guest feels unwelcome, unwanted, and indeed wonders why he was invited at all. But we keep inviting them back again and again! Madness!

Giriraja Swami reminds us,  “Whe

Question: How do we determine our prescribed duty? As the socio-spiritual structure of varnasrama is not prevalent today, we seem to have some liberty to choose for us our profession, according to our talents and propensities which can be introspected to a certain extent. So, can our professional duty be regarded as our prescribed duty? According to the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is verse 2.47, what type of activities are included in "prescribed duty" and what activities are not included in it? Are we

Judging a person does not

          define who they are.

It defines who you are! 

Hello Friends, Happy monsoon! :)

Do you love rains? Like going out,dancing and dangling like trees and getting wet. wow In early childhood we all have done such crazy things especially on first rainy day, ya? :)

A 20 years old guy was screaming in ecstasy as he looked through the window of a moving train, “Pappa, pappa see the buildings so big, pappa see the trees, they are so green and fresh, mummy see the rains they

Mayapur, West Bengal, the birthplace of Lord Caitanya. It’s a very special and beautiful place, lush and green and filled with pilgrims and kirtan. Starting at 3.30am every day a devotee ringing a bell will walk through the large guest ashrams and call us to life. This poem is for him.

The Bell Ringer of Mayapur

The bell ringer of Mayapur
Banishes the night
His bell grows from soft to loud
As it reaches my door
‘Jiva jago! Jiva jago!
Awake awake spirit soul
Do not sleep in the lap
Of the witch

I open the door to the early morning air. It’s 4am and all is quiet. I pull my beads out of their bag and find the starting point. Deep breath. Short prayer of respect to my teacher, another short prayer to the giver of this chanting meditation, Sri Caitanya. Then I begin my daily walk of 16 rounds.

The dark night sky welcomes me.  Most of the world sleeps.  My mind also sleeps, thankfully.  Thoughts of yesterday and later today have not begun to line up for attention.  It’s just me and Krishna

I remember well the first time I received the Bhagavad-gita. Someone gave it to me as a gift, and I was ready for it. I thought it the most practical and common sense book I had ever read. It confirmed a lot of my suspicions about the material world – there had to be more than this life of birth and death, there had to be answers for the unfairness that I saw everywhere, the concept of many lives, the broader details of the world and the universe, and the understanding of consciousness being th

When I arrived at the homeless shelter for men in Rockville there was no shortage of hands to help me carry the hot, freshly cooked prasadam supper into the building. The men, of various ages and backgrounds, were grateful and thanked me many times. We had cooked for one hundred.

As I drove away I felt light-hearted and happy. I had taken time to help others in need. I was also grateful  – that I am not homeless, that I have the opportunity to serve, and that I am part of movement that actively

We wait for trains, planes and summer rains
we wait in line all the time,
we hold our breath and wait for the score
we wait as a loved one moves to breathing no more
We wait wondering what it’s all about
this life between birth and death and throughout
We wait as we chant for the ego to lift
We wait as we serve for love as the gift
We wait before judging, trusting the good
we wait for grace, knowing we should
Too often we wait till the end of our life
to question the craziness, question the str

Srila Prabhupada: If a devotee once utters the holy name of the Lord, or if it penetrates his mind or enters his ear, which is the channel of aural reception, that holy name will certainly deliver him from material bondage, whether vibrated properly or improperly, with correct or incorrect grammar, or properly joined or vibrated in separate parts. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 3.60)

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29890

Annual Radha-Krishna Boat Festival and Family Picnic at Mission Bay, San Diego

New Govardhana Family Picnic 2016
Srila Prabhupada: Worship of the Lord, whose name is like the sun, for just as a slight appearance of the sun dissipates the darkness of night, so a slight appearance of the holy name of Krishna can drive away all the darkness of ignorance that arises in the heart due to greatly sinful activities performed in previous lives. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 3.62) 
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