Albert Einstein once said, “I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ This is the first and most basic question people must answer for themselves.”
“Yes”, a lover of Krishna would answer, the universe is a friendly place, because Krishna, the source of the universe, tells us in the Bhagavad-gita that he is a friend to all.
According to the Vedas, the material world (millions of universes) is a small corner of the much larger existence which is s
What do we do with this body when we know we are not the body? How do we view this thing that we have loved and not loved, that has given us pleasure and pain, profit and loss? What do we do with our personality that we have built up around the body?
The Bhakti Sastras (wisdom books of devotion) teach that the soul is covered by the body, the soul being our real self and the body a temporary covering. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just unzip our body and material persona and fling it aside? B
It is taught in the Vedas that when entering a sacred space one should offer respects. One can fully place himself on the ground in what is called ‘dandavats’ (danda means stick or rod in Sanksrit), or bow on hands and knees or simply bow from the waist with hands folded. It’s an expression of humility and a step away from our material ego. It’s the right entry if we hope to receive what hides beneath the ordinary looking surface.
I’m presently in one such sacred place – Mayapur. It’s located i
Krishna’s mercy, we have been very successful in continuing to place Srila Prabhupada’s books in the hospitals of the Los Angeles area. The last hospital that Sastra Dana has placed books in was the LAC-USC General Hospital. We called this hospital and offered a donation of books on yoga, philosophy and ancient Eastern culture (this is how we present our books to hospitals). The hospital representative expressed her eagerness to accept our donation. She was even happier to hear that we wanted t
Question: I have a “natural” tendancy to be very critical and hence find mistakes/faults in people. Most of the time, I find fault with people at the mental level and not necessarily express it. This habit also extends to devotees. I feel and know I am not supposed to do this. But, like I said, this has become a habit and I am finding it hard to relinquish it. In this whole process, I know I am wrong and hence I am always upset with my behavior (but this happens as a reflex action and not able
Remembering Krishna das Swami.
Can you please give us some of your childhood background?
I appeared in the town of Kapurthala in Punjab on 2nd June 1932. At a very young age I left my parent’s home and was raised by his maternal grandfather, a devout Vaishnava and a renowned astrologer. Under his personal guidance, I memorised the details of the “Ramayana” at the age of eleven, and a few years later, by the mercy of my Guru Maharaja, I memorised all the verses of Bhagavad Gita. Right from a you
The chatri work continues to progress at the TOVP and across international borders as well. We have received images from Russia on the advancement of the work on the chatri kalash coverings.
Four of the large chatri kalash coverings are being manufactured in Russia. Each kalash is 3.5 meters high and has a diameter of 2.4 meters. When the work is complete the Russian technicians will personally install the titanium nitrate coverings on the chatri kalashes on the TOVP.
The first photograph shows
There is a lot of sound pollution in the air these days. Sadly it’s pouring out of the mouths of top leadership and into every possible media vein that exists. How did we fall into the trap of thinking we can win by putting others down? By being angry, hateful, and accusatory? That the only reason we should vote for someone is because they are telling us how bad the other person is?
Their words and mood affects us all, and it’s embarrassing and depressing to watch. To clear your head, to find r
As I prepared last week to give a Sunday class in Hillsborough (video at the end of this blog), along with researching and thinking of the topic of levels of secrets (from the most mundane to the most sublime) I also contemplated the topic of speaking to others from our Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. The archetypal “class” is Maharaja Parikshit being instructed by Shri Shukadeva Goswami. Both of them have special qualifications being pure devotees of Krishna, and yet the whole class was fueled by
Monday through Friday, hundreds of people gather on the Plaza of the Americas to stand in line for Krishna Lunch.
Krishna Lunch has begun featuring foods grown organically in a local garden, maintained by the group’s members.
In mid-Spring, Krishna devotees began planting a garden about 20 minutes north of UF’s campus, said Dhristadyumna “Dennis” Das, the 34-year-old temple commander for the Gainesville Krishna House.
The garden, located at 13700 U.S. Highway 441, had been empty for about eight
By developing genuine devotional qualities, one’s understand of God becomes clear and perfectarjuna 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 attempt.”
Arjuna wanted to see with whom he had to fight. H
The Bhagavad-gita Museum of Los Angeles.
At the request of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1973, a group of his disciples traveled to India to learn the ancient method of clay working. After careful study, the artists returned to the United States to apply their ancient craft along with state-of-the-art electronics to create eleven stunning dioramas displayed in the Bhagavad-gita Museum. Opened to the public in 1977, those who have passed through the doors of the museum
On June 15th, on the auspicious day of Ekadasi, construction began on a new temple complex in the city that probably needs it most: Las Vegas.
It may come as a surprise to some that ISKCON has already had a strong presence in Sin City, Nevada for quite some time already, thanks to Polish devotee couple Surapala Das and Krishna Mayi Dasi, who started a center there from their home back in 2002.
In 2012, inspired by their efforts, businessman Radha Jivan Das from Alachua, Florida purchased a four
As it outgrows its current facilities, the Mayapur Institute is beginning to build a new campus on ten acres at ISKCON’s headquarters in Mayapur, West Bengal.
Manager Anantashesh Das says that the new campus for the Institute – which trains ISKCON devotees in the systematic study of Srila Prabhupada’s books – will be located fifteen minutes from Mayapur’s main ISKCON campus, in a serene and beautiful spot.
The campus will be built according to vastu principles and will include accommodations fo
2nd Historical Jagannatha Ratha Yatra held in Vrindavana Dham on 17th July,2016 organized by ISKCON Vrindavana Namhatta dept.
For photos please visit the link:https://picasaweb.google.com/111226734450367493875/6309416429985764241
It was torrents of rain continuously from last few day in Vrindavana which became very heavy on the day of the Ratha Yatra.
Lord Jagannatha tested our devotion and determination till the last minute. First a pandal, to be erected in the complex of Ashram Vihar, had to
In signing a new anti-terrorism law, Russian President Vladimir Putin could have authority to crack down on non-government-aligned churches, said Archbishop Andrew (Maklakov), administrator of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church of America.
The law that Putin signed on July 6 restricts religious proselytizing and imposes heavy fines for doing so. While the law exempts the Russian Orthodox Christian Church, opponents point out that exemption only extends to the Moscow Patriarchate critics say
What a week of Vaisnava sadhu-satsanga this has been! I leave the richer, having exchanged with my family members, old and new, Godbrothers, Godsisters, nephews and nieces. While I feel most unqualified to speak to you today, I am honoured and privileged to join my Godsisters in voicing my concerns as a woman in ISKCON.
As the GBC body, all of you are responsible for establishing Srila Prabhupada’s legacy, which, in these difficult and turbulent times, is at stake. One realm of that legacy – th
After doing Bhakti Sastri Course I gained immense knowledge about scriptures. Srila Prabhupada wanted all the members of ISKCON to be proficient in scriptures to defeat Mayavad and Nirvisheshavada. There are still many things I need to learn from various courses at Mayapur Institute in the coming days.
My experience of studying Bhakti Sastri in Mayapur Institute is that I understood the importance of studying scripture coming in the line of disciplic succession through Srila Prabhupada. To understand the fact that Krishna is Supreme Personality of Godhead, systematic study of scriptures is very important. Now gaining the knowledge, I feel very happy and I would like to do many courses further at MI. I invite every one to come and experience this bliss and make this mission of Srila Prabhupada
Every living entity, being part of the Supreme Lord, is meant to serve the Lord, just as every part of the body is meant to serve the whole body. –Srimad Bhagavatam 7.5.11
