“The Walking Monk” made a stop in Omaha on Tuesday as part of his journey across America to celebrate his faith and promote an active, healthy lifestyle.
“It’s about going back to the basics,” Bhaktimarga Swami said. “Like Gandhi said, a simple life, high thinking. I see this as doing both of those things.”
Swami, 63, is a Hindu monk from Canada. He is walking from New York to San Francisco to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Hare Krishna religious movement, which emphasizes spiritual w
Ananda Vrinavana Devi Dasi: In spiritual parlance there are ‘thin’ places in the world. These are holy places, sacred spaces, where the line between the spiritual and materials worlds is very thin and the ability to feel and perceive our relationship with Krishna is heightened. It’s easier to chant there, to call Krishna deeply from the heart, and thus to call ourselves to experience our spiritual selves.
There are also thin days (and even thin times in the day). Janmastami is one such day. Al
We all like a good story. It makes our day, inspires our heart, and we experience a gamut of emotions. When it comes to Krishna’s birth story he doesn’t disappoint. In Sanskrit, stories about God are called Lila. This is to remind us that His stories are not of the world, although sometimes taking place in the world.
There are many reasons Krishna comes here, and they converge, layer upon layer, story upon story, to create ”Lila”. For his birth Lila, Janmastami, we’ll pick up the action in the
In the heart of the Belgian Ardennes, near Durbuy, lies the fairytale castle of Petite Somme. The castle has a long history which now houses the spiritual community, Radhadesh Ardennes. The new residents have thoroughly restored the castle and transformed it into a true spiritual oasis where you can explore the colorful culture of the Indian traditions. The castle is now one of the main attractions of the Ardennes and is open to visitors every day.
History of the Castle
The earliest record we
La Reunion Island is located southwest of Mauritius and forms part of a region of France. The La Reunion padayatra lasted a total of three days and traveled through the towns of Saint Pierre and Saint Louis located in the southern part of the island. The organizers were myself, Narasimha Tirtha Dasa from Mauritius, APREVA[1] (Association Pour le Rayonnement des Enseignements Vediques Authentique) and a group of nama-hatta devotees from the island lead by Bhakta Jean Marc. In total we were a gr
Jahnava devi dasi: In Dallas in 1972, the Deities, Sri Sri Radha-Kalachandji, arrived the same day as Srila Prabhupada, and Srila Prabhupada wanted to install Them in two days.
The Deities were covered with something sticky and little pieces of burlap and cloth were stuck to painted areas like Their eyes and so on.
The head pujari, Ichhamati, was concerned because she knew that when we dressed the Deities in the future we would have some difficulty. So, we tried every solvent that we could thi
This morning I did a quick study on Dhrtarastra, the father of the Kurus. This being a political season, the description of Dhrtrastra seems very approiate. I was particularly amused by this statement by Srila Prabhupada from the first canto of the Bhagavatam…
…Five thousand years ago there was one Dhṛtarāṣṭra, but at the present moment there are Dhṛtarāṣṭras in every home. (purport to SB 1.13.24)
more on Dhrtarastra
…Dhṛtarāṣṭra was blind from birth. Unfortunately, he was also bereft of spiri
We’re writing on behalf of HH Mukunda Goswami to request if anyone might have seen or know of anyone who might have seen the comedy movie clip that Srila Prabhupada narrated to the devotees who were leaving for London to start the movement. It is a clip where Charlie Chaplin (or perhaps Max Linder or perhaps an impersonator) sits on a bench and some boys put glue on it so his coat gets stuck. When he gets up there is a rip and then he starts dancing with a ripped coat tail. He starts to dance
A recent presentation in Bhaktivedanta Manor.
Yogesvara Das (Mr. Greene) is a frequent lecturer and has spoken at the Pentagon, the World Economic Forum, the New York Public Library Distinguished Author series, and numerous universities.
He serves on the boards of several non-profits and provides volunteer family mediation services.
Listen to it here: http://goo.gl/fRk36J
One morning my mom shook me awake, whispering, "Honey, it's time. Your father."
Unquestioningly, with bleary eyes, I jumped out of bed and followed my mother down the hall to my father's room. There was spiritual chanting of God's names, called kirtan, going on in my dad's room. The past several days this kirtan had been going on twenty-four hours a day, non-stop. When I entered the dimly lit room, my father's bed was surrounded by several soft and somber faces. Suddenly, I was struck by how
“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it”. Bhagavad-gita VII.14
In the Bhagavata Purana the “ocean” of the material existence is described as something scaring, terrifying, in which the jivabhuta – the conditioned living entity – life after life is forced to experience birth (jati), old age (jara), disease (vyadhi) and death (mrityu).
Only by the mercy of Guru
Dear Prabhus
I hope this letter meets you and your family well and that you are all enjoying the continued blessings of Lord Krishna.
Fifty years ago this summer, Srila Prabhupada and a small group of young followers signed into existence the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The young people who
put their signatures to the founding document were all a bit puzzled, especially by the word ‘International.’ Their new society extended to a mere thirty people who regularly gathered in
I’d like to make a confession (nothing major). While driving on the M25 last week, I sped ahead on the main carriageway and then abruptly cut into the junction exit road; a convenient way to avoid the huge tailbacks and get to my destination pronto. As you can imagine, I got quite a few angry horns and unsavory looks. It prompted me to think about whether spiritualists need to worry themselves with worldly morality. How important is it to follow social niceties? Is ‘good’ and ‘bad’ simply a sub
The genuine spiritual realization, which is to be found on a much higher level than that of religiousness, is the experience of a fulfilled soul, of a sage, of an enlightened person who, precisely for being wise, sees the creation, the creatures and the Creator simultaneously and as an integrated unity. For this reason the service he offers to the Creator works automatically also for the well-being of the creatures and of the creation as a whole.
The philosophical concept of ahimsa, non-violen
His humility disarmed my illusion to the point that I could sincerely ask him a question.
At first, when I raised my hand he ignored me. He waited until somebody else in the room raised their hand, and he answered their question.
This happened three or four times and in my mind I was rephrasing my question. Then I asked my question. I closed my eyes and said, “Sri Bhaktivedanta Swami?”
I said his name and for a moment I became disoriented. I couldn’t even go on with the question.
Srila Prabhupa
It’s raining! ..and raining some more in Govardhan. This is good of course, but also adds challenges to our various services.
July 18th was Guru Purnima, the biggest parikrama day of the year. And sure enough, it was as busy as ever. But it was raining! Non-stop rain. Fortunately, by Radha and Krishna’s mercy we were able to distribute prasad as we usually do on the full moon day each month.
On the 28th, we prepared our monthly feast for the widows of Radha Kunda. But again, it was raining. We
One of the main attractions of the Ananda Mela in Seattle was the “Vedic Village” section.
A ten metre long diorama was erected showing the descent of the Ganga from the toe of the Lord, through the Himalayas, through various holy places like Hrsikesa, and finally going out into the ocean at Ganga Sagara.
Other parts of the village included a pen for two of our cows, roti making using traditional clay and cow dung oven, produce from our farm etc.
Lecture on The comprehensiveness of death,s stealing represents Krishna by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu
(His Grace Caitanya Charan Prabhu is a monk and spiritual teacher in the time honored tradition of bhakti yoga. He is a editor of Back to Godhead, which is the official international magazine of the Hare Krishna movement.)
To Listen and Download - click here
Lecture on Developing taste for ever fresh Krsna Katha by HG Radhe Shyam Prabhu on 22 Jan 2016
(President of the Pune branch of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) that has over 600 centres worldwide Director of Vedic Oasis for Inspiration, Culture & Education (VOICE) Holds an M.Tech from IIT-Bombay)
To Listen and Download - click here
