By Atma Tattva Das
On July 7, 2024, the city of Kolkata witnessed a historic moment with the inauguration of the Bhaktivedanta Sarovar, previously known as Victoria Square Park. This significant event coincided with the annual ISKCON Kolkata Ratha Yatra festival, marking a monumental day for the ISKCON community and the city’s residents alike. The inauguration of this park represents the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream of Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, to create a serene and spi
July the 1st is the grand birthday of Canada. Canadians often are caught saying "eh" at the end of sentence. It's a joking point and if you ask any of them to spell out the name "Canada" you'll catch them using the phrase "eh" at least three times, so the expression can't be denied.
Our guru Prabhupada, came to visit this country that many times - in '68, '75 and '76. We are blessed that he touched this soil.
On this day, the nation's birthday, devotees of Krishna descend on the capital ci
An enlightened person sees with equal vision a learned scholar,
a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater.
Attempts to establish equality among all people are naive and superficial unless supported by spiritual understanding. Materially, we are not equal. Some people are geniuses; others are fools. Materially, the rule is not unity but diversity. Ours is a world of diverse bodies, diverse faces.
And it is in terms of these diversities that we think of our selves. We think, "I am a man" or "I a
Cosmology is defined as the study of the origin, purpose, structure and functioning of the universe. Vedic cosmology gives a vast amount of information about not only the structure of the phenomenal universe as we see it, but also a clear idea of the source of the manifested universe, its purpose, and the subtle laws that govern its operation.
The fundamental concept that pervades Vedic cosmology is the relation and dependence that everything has upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Kr
“Lord Jagannātha is Kṛṣṇa Himself, and the Ratha-yātrā festival is a festival celebrating Lord Kṛṣṇa’s coming out from His temple to see His devotees and to give His blessings to all.” (Lecture, Ratha-yātrā, San Francisco, 27 June 1971)
Source: https://dandavats108.blogspot.com/2024/07/ratha-yatra-in-sydney.html
According to the June report, two temples shared their highest scores to date and two new metrics are now available: the first is books distributed per capita giving smaller countries proper recognition for their commensurate service, and the second is the percentage of increase or decrease in book distribution from one month to another.
Click here to see the full report, including inspiring stories and photos from the field.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/european-sankirtan-report-reveals-
By Atma Tattva Das
In 1973, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), touched down at Zurich Airport, marking the beginning of a memorable visit to Switzerland. On April 1, 2024, ISKCON commemorates the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s momentous journey to Geneva with a series of celebrations at the United Nations, where his teachings continue to inspire global peace and unity.
The celebrati
Before our temple sadhana a dedicated time for japa meditation and walking didn't seem like a bad idea for the three of us. We chose the trail which is connected to the boardwalk, a floating one, over the water. And as we took to that bouncy trek we had coming our way a frisky what seemed like a young cyclist with long, flowy white hair.
The closer we got the more he could recognize us. Of course, we stand out. I'm in my monk suit. Mahadeva and Annapurna in sari, also look other-worldly.
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The saintly king Yudhishthira Maharaj said, “Oh Keshava, what is the name of that Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight of the month of Ashadha (June – July)? Who is the worshipable Deity for the auspicious day, and what is the process for observing this event?”
Lord Sri Krishna replied, “Oh caretaker of this Earthly planet, I shall gladly tell you a wonderful historical event that the deva lord Brahma once narrated to his son Narad Muni.
One day Narad Muni asked his father, ‘What is
Ultimately Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, is both an individual Person, and similtaneously all-pervasive with both His spiritual and material creations.
But this needs to be understood correctly.
Everything is part and parcel of Krsna who also resides both as "all-one" and as "an individual Person" within every material atom in the material world. Everywhere Krsna exists as the Supreme Lord and not a blade of grass can move without His sanction.
In the human form
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
More inspiring news is flowing out of New Navadvip Dham in Rio Grand Valley south Texas which witnessed the arrival of Lord Nityananda’s Padukas. Jananivas Das, Braja Vilasa Das, and Sunanda Das accompanied the Padukas from Mayapur to bless New Navadvip. The expansive farm has also recently harvested more than 27 million pounds of watermelons, and rescued over 66 cows bound for the slaughterhouse.
New Navadvip Dham is an expanding “Simple Living High Thinking
On Monday, July 8th, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi arrived in Moscow. At the Carlton Hotel, Modi was met with a lively kirtan offered by members of ISKCON Russia. Their joyful welcome was shared on many Indian TV channels, further spreading the Holy Name.
The following day, Modi held a special meeting with the Indian community in Russia. Sadhu Priya Das, the Regional Secretary for ISKCON Moscow, presented the Prime Minister with a photograph taken during Modi’s visit to the ISKCON temp
They are all in season and so I let Uday, my walking friend, know what the city has to offer. It started off with cherries, ripe and delicious, hanging from a tree in front of a gorgeous Victorian home. Then I treated him to a mulberry tree of which there are many in the residential areas. Finally, a Saskatoon tree, fleshy and tasty, was Uday's favourite. Krishna is kind.
It was all knew to him. You can call it an education walk - an education about fruit.
When we came to that Saskatoon tree I
Today, when we are noticing an increasing number of terrorist attacks across the world, when lives are being taken mercilessly in the name of religion, when it is no more easy to trust and provide shelter to another, when intolerance and hate is brewing in the society like never before, it is time to introspect into the very values and principles that make us humane and civilized, distinct from the animals.
The oldest texts of the world, the Vedic literature, give us the much required insight i
We are thrilled to share with you the wonderful achievements and activities of ISKCON Russian speaking Yatra in London for the month of June:
1. Namahatta with Patri Prabhu
Recently, a Namahatta session was held with Patri Prabhu. This event provided an enriching experience for attendees, focusing on deepening their understanding of Krishna consciousness through insightful discussions on how to build a strong core of ISKCON groups. Thank you Virkotia and Ruslan prabhu for hosting such a specia
By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Recently, there was a 10-day annual kids’ summer camp held in Mayapur in collaboration with devotees from Chennai. The camp, which ran from June 10th to June 21st, catered to children aged six to twelve and focused on the theme of “Forest Lila.”
Through interactive sessions, the children learned through stories about some of the forests mentioned in the scriptures, such as Chitrakoot, Dandakaranya, Panchavati, Dwaitavana, Vrindavana, Naimisharanya, and the Jhar
On July 1st, Bhakti Vasudeva Swami was invited to offer the keynote lecture at Fort Zeelandia Surinaams Museum on the 161st anniversary commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in Suriname.
Fort Zelaandia was established in 1667 as the first Dutch fortress in the country and is the oldest standing building in Suriname. Currently, it serves as part of the Suriname Museum, which is also the oldest museum in the country. ISKCON Suriname Temple Board Member Shanti Priya Dasa is the direct
I can't think of anything more important than expressing gratitude to those who have done something heroic, even the smallest thing. One of our senior members in his 70's arranged an appreciation lunch for a group of past fund raisers and steady donors for over the years. Keshava arranged for recipients to come, receive some thanks, some gifts and a nice meal for hard working services to the mission.
In my Gita zoom call today those who called in to partake in discussion from Chapter 18 verse 2
Bhaktivinoda Thakur boldly proclaims, ‘sad-anga saranagati hoibe janhara,’ one who follows these six paths of surrender strictly, the result is ‘tahara prarthana sune sri nanda-kumara’. Krsna will respond to our prayer. Why is this so? Because Bhakti is cit-tattva. Devotional service, the Lord and His devotees do not belong to this material world but are of another.
Cit means cognition. The spiritual world is cit jagat; a realm full of perception. You will pray and get the response. In this m
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
By developing genuine devotional qualities, one’s understand of God becomes clear and perfect arjuna uvacasenayor ubhayor madhyeratham sthapaya me ‘cyutayavad etan nirikse ‘hamyoddhu-kaman avasthitankair maya saha yoddhavyamasmin rana-samudyame
“Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so that I may see who is present here, who is desirous of fighting, and with whom I must contend in this great battle at
