Doves, deer, turkey vulture, and then there are sandhill cranes. One crane couple hung around the grounds. They are inseparable at the Veda Foundation. At one point, they got super excited to see one of their kind soaring in the sky. I can’t describe the noise they make, but it’s positive.
Purnachandra, the person maintaining the grounds and operations in general, conducted a maha-yajna in honour of Narasingha, the lion avatar. Sunday is the day for that. Remarkable about this outdoor yajn
73/08/18 London, Bhagavad-gita 2.12
By His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):
na tv evaham jatu nasam
na tvam neme janadhipah
na caiva na bhavisyamah
sarve vayam atah param
[Bg. 2.12]
“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.”
Srila Prabhupada: This is a very important verse. The modern scientists, philosophers, they say that after finishing this body, we no more exist
According to the shastra, the way to counteract the very deeply strong tendency for possessiveness in the grihastha life is to giving charity to the Vaishnavas and the brahmans, to the mission of the guru. According to the shastra, the first fifty percent you have give it to your guru’s mission. And then whatever else you have, maintain, that is the ideal standard. You never be possessive if you do that, because the first priority with whatever you get goes to Guru and Krishna. You cannot do fi
ISKCON Valsad, situated in Gujarat, India, celebrated the installation of Srila Prabhupada’s murti on December 21st, 2024. This milestone is not just a symbol of the temple’s expansion but a manifestation of the deep love and dedication of the local devotees, who have worked very hard to bring Srila Prabhupada’s presence to their community.
Over 450 devotees from across the country attended the installation ceremony, which was conducted by Jagadish Chaitanya Das, a head pujari from ISKCON Vrinda
This year, Manor celebrates a momentous occasion: the 40th anniversary of the Bhaktivedanta Players, one of its longest-serving departments. Drama has always been an integral part of Bhaktivedanta Manor’s services for its pilgrims. Closely intertwined with the Manor’s vibrant festivals – Janmashtami, Diwali, Gaura Purnima, Ramanavami, and many more – the Bhaktivedanta Players consistently deliver spectacular performances that entertain, educate, and captivate audiences of all ages.
You can read
My baggage of books I authored, The Saffron Path and The Walking Monk – Poems.1, was dispatched successfully, destined for Tampa from the Toronto Airport. In the line for security there was a long wait for the bins to arrive for our carry on. Once my goods got through, the buzzer alarmed, addressing my new bionic knees. I waited for quite some time for a male security to search me. Next, I went in queue for the US customs. It was a long lineup. I covered at least three rounds on my japa m
By Amy Fallon for sbs.com.au
For many devotees, the journey involving Krishna consciousness often begins with food.
“If you come here and you’re hungry, we’ll feed you – no problem,” says Ajita Cozzi, 57, the director of New Govardhana, a lush 400-hectare site that is Australia’s
largest Hare Krishna farm. It’s located in the village of Eungella in northern NSW.
Followers of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), founded in 1966, sometimes referred to their
movement as th
The rich theology of the Vedic literature can end speculative attempts to resolve the apparently contradictory concepts of predestination and free will.
Kimberly picks up a tape by a rock band known for its satanic image and clicks it into her Walkman. Putting on the earphones, she turns the volume way up.
“Maybe I was just made evil,” says Kimberly to herself. That leads to another thought. “Maybe some people are made good. Like Heather. Everything always seems to go right for Heather. G
atmaupamyena sarvatra
samam pasyati yo ‘rjuna
sukham va yadi va duhkham
sa yogi paramo matah
TRANSLATION
He is a perfect yogi who, by comparison to his own self, sees the true equality of all beings, in both their happiness and their distress, O Arjuna!
PURPORT
One who is Krsna conscious is a perfect yogi; he is aware of everyone’s happiness and distress by dint of his own personal experience. The cause of the distress of a living entity is forgetfulness of his relationship with God. And the ca
By Jack Dodson (Kala-Svarupa Das)
Many people today, whether they are part of ISKCON or not, believe that while the Vedic tradition is full of spiritual knowledge, technical material knowledge is either absent or inaccessible to the modern person. In his essay collection, Vedic Mathematics and the Nature of Time, Vasyl Semenov (Dvija Govinda Das) systematically takes us through mathematical aspects of the Vedic tradition that are equivalent to the techniques in the Western World, and in some ca
I have never seen such a large pool of blood within the confines of our walls at 243 Avenue Road. Our head priest (pujari), Brahma, entered the temple at 3:40 AM, and when he reached the bottom of the stairs, a blood vessel burst at the base of his leg.
Fortunately, our young men of the Bhakti Academy assisted him, cleaned him, and hurried him to Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment and advice. Brahma then returned when the Academy head, Visahka, and her husband, Punya, drove him back home.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s instructions come to the aid of those of us who shudder at the mention of the word “surrender.”
Growing up, my older brother and I would sometimes get into physical fights. I can’t remember what we would fight about, but a few times a month when my parents weren’t home we would end up in a skirmish. He would often bend my arm behind my back, telling me to surrender by saying “uncle.” I would scream and push and stomp until the pain would become unbearable. Then I would ye
Exploring Your Word of Honor Being Committed in a Non-Committal World
By Mahatma Das
Imagine this scene. After millions of lifetimes you finally make it back to the spiritual world. As you approach the gates of Goloka you are asked to wait because Krsna wants to come and personally greet you. You are getting more excited at every moment. You can hardly believe you have finally made it back to your eternal home.
In the distance you see a beautiful blue form coming towards you. Finally, after tra
Understanding the deeper meanings of rasa-lila.
Sarat-purnima is the first day of the month of Kartika (Oct.-Nov.). It is on this night that Lord Krsna enacts His rasa-lila in Vrndavana. The rasa-lila is the ultimate culmination of spiritual realization. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sukadeva Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami, Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, the greatest of all sannyasis, and pure renunciants who have absolutely no interest in sensual enjoyment worship the five chapters
Read more: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=113765
By Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)
There has been an attempt to explain the origins of such languages as Sanskrit, Greek and Roman for many years. This is because there has been a recognition of many similarities between them, but the exact original language which they have derived from has never been identified. So they say that it is now extinct, but they call it the Proto-Indo-European Language (PIE). This has now given way to the groupings
Event flyer; Rama Kisora Dasa with Rev. Rachel McIver Morey from Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul.
In 2024, ISKCON Minnesota joined the Minnesota Multifaith Network (MMN), and during a November meeting, Rama Kisora Dasa, a community Board Member, was able to create meaningful connections with other religious congregations in the Twin Cities. Rama Kisora met MMN’s Chairperson, Robert Pickering, and following a long and meaningful conversation, Pickering invited him to present at the upcomi
Govinda Datta Dasa and Dhira-Lalita Dasa distribute 10-course prasadam lunches to grateful police officers.
Dhira-Lalita Dasa, a brahmachari at ISKCON New Dvaraka Temple, has produced an inspiring 25-minute video highlighting the partnership between the LA Temple and the Krishna Lunch So Cal food truck. Together they have distributed prasadam to many hundreds of first responders, especially firefighters who have been battling the devastating fires in LA county. Alongside police and national gua
In the spiritual world, Lord Nityānanda is the eternal companion of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is the very same Lord Balarāma, the first expansion of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. As Lord Balarāma, He serves the Supreme Lord in all His pastimes, and in this divine incarnation as Lord Nityānanda, He appeared to assist Mahāprabhu in spreading the holy names of Kṛṣṇa through the saṅkīrtana movement.
Lord Nityānanda is the foundation of all existence, the original spiritual master, and the source of the material
