Close encounters of the B.B. King kind.
Jiva Nath: The year was 1977 and i was distributing books in O'Hare airport. One day while between concourses I noticed B.B. King walking towards me with a few other companions . There was nobody else around but us and I was determined to get him to stop and take a book. I approached him acting like I didn’t recognize him as a celebrity. His group paused and gave me a chance to approach him. I told him I had the Bhagavad Gita , a book renowned for its ins
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Dear Devotees,
Please accept our humble Obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Nityam Bhagavata-sevaya Magazine introduction:
By the Mercy of Guru and Gauranga, we have an online e-magazine exclusively for serving Srimad Bhagavatam. With the help of the commentaries of Srila Prabhupada and the previous acharyas like Srila Jiva Goswami, Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur and Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarawati etc we are presenting various topics on Srimad Bh
By Ithamar Theodor
In this paper Ithamar Theodor proposes a model based on Bhagavad-gita and aimed at developing a philosophical basis for social development in ISKCON. Referring to previous studies of ISKCON, he argues that devotees’ self-understanding is often not consistent with the values and principles of Vaisnava culture. In this paper he points out that a moral-religious foundation is the default position for a sustainable spiritual life for the individual and the community.
It is someti
Some spiritual practitioners think that now they have achieved some reasonable control of the physical sex urge, they are well nigh up there in the wispy clouds of victorious abstinence, deserving of respect and honour. Wrong! Congratulations on becoming a decent human being. Welcome to the world of subtle selfishness.
By Kesava Krsna Dasa
Srila Prabhupada states: ‘Illicit sex is the most prominent sin due to lusty desire.’ (SB 5.14.22 purport) This is because it is sometimes called ‘ adi-rasa
Our dear 4th grader, Rasalila Shinde, has recently participated in a national “I Spy Kindness” writing contest and won first prize for the 3rd – 5th grade category. She wrote an essay describing acts of kindness she has witnessed and experienced in her life.
The “Be Kind People Project” wrote: “Her essay stood out because of her ability to see kindness in the smallest action (helping ducklings cross the street), to a global response (fundraising for flooding in Mayapur, India). It is clear that
Doubt: I’ve found in the past, when I try to follow the rules of a particular tradition, at some point I lose interest and they cease to have the allure they once did: they lose their magic and/or I lose my passion.
My Reply:
We have to pay attention to following the rules effectively – not just checking them off when we mimic the external form. If we follow a rule effectively, we should get the promised result.
Following a rule should give a result.
When we follow a rule, we can evaluate the
TEXT 2
vyamisreneva vakyena
buddhim mohayasiva me
tad ekam vada niscitya
yena sreyo 'ham apnuyam
buddhim mohayasiva me
tad ekam vada niscitya
yena sreyo 'ham apnuyam
SYNONYMS
vyāmiśreṇa—by equivocal; iva—as; vākyena—words; buddhim—intelligence; mohayasi—bewildering; iva—as; me—my; tat—therefore; ekam—only one; vada—please tell; niścitya—ascertaining; yena—by which; śreyaḥ—real benefit; aham—I; āpnuyām—may have it.
TRANSLATION
My intelligence is bewildered by Your equivocal instructions. Therefore, please tell me decisively what is most beneficial for me.
PURPORT
In the pre
Your one stop solution to all kinds of spiritual challenges...
Do you question yourself - Who am I? What is the purpose of my life? Why do good things happen to bad people? Why am I not happy?
Our prime objective is to provide you with holistic 360 degree assistance in terms of spiritual counseling in order to assist you in your quest for permanent happiness and transcendental bliss. We aim towards resolving any kind of challenges/ issues/ hindrances that you may be facing in your daily live
Bhakti means to utilize one’s money, time, property, and energy for God. The aim of Bhakti is Yoga. ‘Yoga’ means to link with the Supreme.
Lecture on Pushya Abhishek Festival-Ego Juncture Between Material and Spiritual Consciousness by HH Radhanath Swami on 30 Jan 2016 at ISKCON Chowpatty
(Radhanath Swami was born in Chicago in 1950. Radhanath Swami's childhood name was Richard Slavin; Radhanath Swami was given the name Radhanath Swami after he entered the renounced order. In his teenage years)
To Listen and Download - click here
Lecture on What is Bhakti Yoga by Romapada Swami on Jan 2016 at Washington DC
(Romapada Swami‘s first encounter with Krishna consciousness came in Buffalo, in the shape of a lecture at the State University of New York in 1969. The lecturer was His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The following year, Romapada Swami joined the movement in Boston and was initiated in 1971.)
To Listen and Download - click here
Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 06, Chapter 04, Text 35 by Rohini Suta Prabhu on 23 Jan 2016 at ISKCON Vrindavan
(Rohini Suta Prabhu joined ISKCON in 1974 and is initiated by Srila Prabhupada. From the very beginning he was engaged in book distribution, mostly in Switzerland and Germany.)
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Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 03, Chapter 17, Text 23-25 by HG Vijaya Prabhu on 28 Jan 2016 at ISKCON Melbourne
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Some people say that the greatest enjoyment in the material world is sex! Well, we can also say that greater than that is to be free from such desires. If you do not have the desire then it saves a lot of trouble! You know, then you do not have to worry about Saturday nights. You do not have to buy flowers. You do not have to spend a lot of money in bars and all these things. So many things you do not have to do if you do not have sex desire. You do not have to spend a fortune on all kinds of
Question: Why do you think so many spiritual traditions (and most religions) have ‘rules’ for practitioners to follow? I want to know why rules are used as a technology in spiritual traditions. Why are “do and don’t lists” so important?
My Reply:
I think it’s simple. If you want to get from point A to point B, but have no idea how to do it, you need directions. Directions are a list of do’s and Don’t’s: “Turn right, don’t turn left.”
Rules and regulations are particularly important for the neo
TEXT 1
arjuna uvaca
jyayasi cet karmanas te
mata buddhir janardana
tat kim karmani ghore mam
niyojayasi kesava
jyayasi cet karmanas te
mata buddhir janardana
tat kim karmani ghore mam
niyojayasi kesava
SYNONYMS
arjunaḥ—Arjuna; uvāca—said; jyāyasī—speaking very highly; cet—although; karmaṇaḥ—than fruitive action; te—your; matā—opinion; buddhiḥ—intelligence; janārdana—O Kṛṣṇa; tat—therefore; kim—why; karmaṇi—in action; ghore—ghastly; mām—me; niyojayasi—engaging me; keśava—O Kṛṣṇa.
TRANSLATION
Arjuna said: O Janārdana, O Keśava, why do You urge me to engage in this ghastly warfare, if You think t
I walked into a classroom filled with little children all busily working in groups.
"Welcome!" said the teacher with a smile. "You're here for observation, right? To see if you want the job as a part-time teacher? Well, you can take this group here in the library, read to them, engage in discussion,"
"Sure, thank you," I replied wobbily. I had never, ever worked with children so young - five and six years old. In my path to being a teacher, I had always focused on high school.
But this was t
"Welcome!" said the teacher with a smile. "You're here for observation, right? To see if you want the job as a part-time teacher? Well, you can take this group here in the library, read to them, engage in discussion,"
"Sure, thank you," I replied wobbily. I had never, ever worked with children so young - five and six years old. In my path to being a teacher, I had always focused on high school.
But this was t
A Rare Opportunity:
This gives us a perfect chance to serve Lord Nityananda Prabhu - the original spiritual master! It is by His mercy that we can obtain love of Krishna - there is no other way. Without His causeless mercy one can not enter into the loving affairs of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.
A Personal Invitation for You
You can take part in this historical project - We only need donations for the dome to be constructed, please help finish this project so that we may offer it to Lord Nityanan
Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 01, Chapter 17, Text 21 by Bhakti Vinoda Swami on 26 Jan 2016
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New book: Krishna - Proofs Of Gods existence.
Foreword by Lokanatha Swami: Proof of God’s existence? Do we really need it? Do we require any proof for the existence of the Sun for example? However, a blind person may well question its existence. He may state, “I don’t believe in the existence of the Sun”. What is the value of such a statement by someone who is visibly challenged? There are so many others who are effectively seeing the Sun face to face in their existence and daily basking in i
