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Lord Krishna protects Iskcon Delhi from terroristic attack.
Times of India: NEW DELHI: In the winter of 2015, when Indian agencies were busy tracking down alQaida modules, two Jaish-eMuhammed terrorists had quietly sneaked into the capital. Intelligence sources said the duo rented a room in Lajpat Nagar, assembled six improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and recced at least four places for a strike, including the Taj Mahal and two city spots -Iskcon temple and the Select Citywalk mall in Saket.

Lecture on Bhakti is joyful and fruitful by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu

(Bhagavad Gita Chapter - 10, Text - 17)

(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

Hearing good news about others affects people in different ways. Personally, the feelings it evokes within me serves as a barometer of how emotionally healthy I am and my relationship with the individual. Feelings of joy and "they totally deserve it" are what I aim for. However, in instances where it dredges up not so pleasant emotions, I realize I have internal work to do. 

Just as pain serves as an indication that something is wrong with the body, similarly, negative emotions can serve as a

I received this gift of a figurine on the first day of Kartik, the sacred month we are presently observing. Since I’m mostly confined to my recovery room it has been a welcome gift. I look at it many times during the day and remember the lilas (sacred stories) connected to it.

The figurine is of baby Krishna and His mother, Yasoda. If we are all ready to accept God as a person then it means there are other persons around him. He has parents, aunts, uncles, friends, lovers, community –  interac

The problem is not really the storms. We know they will come sooner or later. The problem is the shelter.

We are all blasted at some point – hit hard by inevitable pain due to loss or damage. Sometimes it’s a huge nature storm that will take our house away or an emotional storm due to loss and broken-heartedness. It could be a disaster that forces big changes in our lives that is totally our doing and we saw it coming, or something that seemed to come ‘out of the blue’. And don’t think that ju

There comes a time, sometimes regularly, where we may feel, Oh, Krishna. I can’t do this anymore. This ‘this’ will be different for everyone. It happened to Arjuna in the Gita – he wanted to give up, not to fight, and go off to the forest to be alone. He did not want to deal with people and life’s problems. He told Krishna: I’m not fighting, I can’t do it, I can’t see the point, better if I don’t act and move to the side.

If it can happen to Arjuna, who had everything going for him, including

High streets are intriguing places; a microcosm of modern life. It’s where people descend in their thousands, searching for something extra to enrich their existence. These urban hubs are a melting pot of entertainers, campaigners, shoppers, beggars and advertisers, a marketplace for the latest commodities and ideas, a space for meeting, sharing and exploring. Here you’ll find people from every imaginable socio-economic background, swarming like bees around a hive.

Enter the monks. Yes, you r

Tell me if I am wrong. There is a growing trend among ISKCON  devotees including seniors to shy away from three very important aspects of the movement.

1. Hesitation to use always the name KRISHNA while referring to God

2. Wearing of TILAK in a clear and Eye catching manner. It would be nice if devotees from West choose to apply Tilak with Radha Kund Sacred Mud which will contrast with their white skin.

3. SHIKA. It appears the days of shaven heads with golden shikas  are gone. More and more devote

Just as a very good sweet will have something hidden inside of it, or a company will have the inner group of key people, the Gita has a core made up of four verses. These are called the Catur Sloki (catur = four, and sloki = verses), and they summarize the entire Gita.

The eighteen chapters of the Gita are themselves divided into 3 parts. The middle six chapters focus on bhakti and are “protected” on either side by teachings on karma-yoga (the first six chapters) and jnana yoga (the focus of t

JPS

Like Maharaj JPS

a devotee of Krishna hardly there is

how much he did and still he does  

to his Gurudev Srila Prabhupada please

 Mayapur is blooming like a big lotus  golden

 with  petals billion

 under Maharaj's  supervision

 Round the globe even now he goes

 despite health issues and bodily woes

 to push forward mission Mahaprabhu's

 Everyone  knows

 He is carrying on back his

 the karmic cross 

 of his disciples not serious

 and knives thrown by knaves

 whom he gave spiritual lives

 Still acc

I found today’s blog in a shop window. ‘Give Presence’, the sign said. How clever I thought. In the gifting season of the year, the greatest gift of all is the gift of our presence, on all levels. Whether it is being present in a conversation, being present with our meditation, being present while driving – what does ‘being present’ or ‘giving presence’ mean?

It’s simply ‘being with’. Not half being with, not almost being with, but fully being with. We can’t do this all the time, but we surely

True spirituality teaches one how to live a dutiful life of contentment and true compassion.

Contentment comes from sincere service to God and all living beings. True compassion is to engage a living being in the service of the Lord so that that living being can find contentment.

Contentment is the foundation of real happiness and since the Lord is eternal, contentment in His service leads to everlasting happiness. Contentment does not mean passivity; it means to be happy with one's sincere e

I hear the geese before I see them. The loud calls cause me to look up and watch their beautiful V formation move across the sky. They are heading south, to warmer shores. Wise birds.

Life is a journey and we are also going somewhere. Whether we are flying, or being flown, we will arrive somewhere. Nothing is static in this world, we are at all times being pushed forward. Where do we want to go? – that’s the question we should ask ourselves. Or, Where must we go? Or where can we go to find our

Atheists write volumes of books explaining how or why God does not exist. But they cannot even explain why or how things that they believe exist exist; unless of course you consider chance as a logical, reasonable, and convincing explanation.

Due to some reason the atheists have got estranged from God. So much so that they are willing to be dogmatic about their chance explanation rather than allowing even a possibility of God.

Science was initially hailed as the search for truth but now it ha

I longed to become an officer IPS

Luckily that dream did not come true

Instead somehow Iskcon I was attracted to

Now I can put after my name  the title  JPS

anandgopaldas JPS

We live in the age of Kali, which is a difficult age. Here’s what is said about it: “O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men but have short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.”

With such a flattering background, it’s not surprising that early morning spiritual practices are hard for us. If it’s the choice between more sleep or getting up for meditation, it can be a battle between the mind and the mattress. We know getting up is good for us

There seems to be a tension between comfort and aspiration in our lives. We seek to explore, to grow, to achieve, yet we also desire security, safety and certainty. It’s clear, however, that we often have to sacrifice one to get the other. If we opt to remain in the comfort-zone, we may have to live with the inevitable feelings of being humdrum, run-of-the-mill and unexciting. On the other hand, if we dive for our dreams we’ll have to ready ourselves to brave the rocky road of uncertainty and o

Come in from the cold
And warm your hands
By the fire of Krishna’s
Love for you
A love so real and true
But we are so cold
It’s hard to feel it

Come in from the cold
Areas of your mind
That separate you from
Light and comfort
And make you think
-and sometimes do-
Unwanted things

Come in from the cold
And warm your heart
By the fire of the holy name
The Temple is warm
The music sweet
Accept the invitation
And be at peace
Source:http://iskconofdc.org/come-in-from-the-cold/

When Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acarya of ISKCON, was recorded in a morning japa practice with his disciples, at one point on the tape we can hear him admonish someone – “Sit properly!” His voice is strong and makes us all sit up. It’s a reminder that how we do our chanting practice is as important, if not more important, that just doing it.

When we chant we are inviting Krishna into our day, our moment. It’s a big deal, a big opportunity to connect with the source of all life and to allow h