It’s good to start young. Such is the case of a young six-month-old daughter of Gangadas and Rohini Shakti. Vrnda Hladini was receiving her first grains in a sacrament (samskara) called anna prasana. Friends and family came to support the ceremony which involves a fire or agni invocation. Nityananda, 23, officiated the program.
The family insisted that I spoon feed the little baby, and so I felt happily obliged. While the ceremony went on, I noticed Vasey, Laksmi, and their two girls ent
Love is our innermost longing. Gita wisdom declares that our longing for love is best fulfilled when we learn to love Krishna. Let’s understand this central Gita teaching in five parts:
1. Loving Krishna enables our love to break free from all limi
From Back to Godhead
Providing inspiration for the world’s largest democracy.
“We say God’s on our side but the more important question to ask is are we on God’s side…” (George Washington)
Democracy is supposed to be ‘by the people, of the people, and for the people,’ but I fear it may soon be redefined as ‘buy’ the people, ‘off’ the people, and ‘far’ (from) the people,” exclaimed Suresh, a 25-year-old man I met while returning to the temple from an outstation program. He was disappointed tha
We would especially like to hear from you about Unity in Diversity in terms of your experiences and understanding of Srila Prabhupada. Perhaps how you heard him talk about this, or how he put it into practice.
Srila Prabhupada Evokes Unity in Diversity
When dissimilar individuals or concepts are harmonised, it’s called ‘unity in diversity.’ Such unity isn’t based on mere tolerance of psychological, personal, or ideological differences but is based on an understanding that differences are nat
The funeral for 29-year-old Jasmin, a very loving person, was held at the Lotus Crematorium at an early time slot – 7 AM. Bless her soul, and condolences to the family, parents, Dave and Hena, and Ritvik, her fiancé.
From the great text, Sri Isopanishad, mantra 17, we are informed
vayur anilam amrtam
athedam bhasantam sariram
om krato smara krtam smara
krato smara krtam smara
Translation
Let this temporary body be burnt into ashes, and let the air of life be merged with the totality
HKDP
What is Shant rasa & Dasya rasa? What is difference?
A Talk by Radhanath Swami January 2, 2010 Bhaktivedanta Manor England
When we asked His Holiness Giriraj Swami what tonight’s topic would be, he said, “I will lead kirtana and see what emerges from my heart.” I will try to speak a few words on some of the primary themes of His Holiness Giriraj Maharaja’s beautiful dissertation.
Maharaja was stressing how much suffering comes to us in this world when we individually and collectively forget the purpose of life. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thak
Most resolutions take the form of “do’s”—things I resolve to do—and “don’ts”—things I resolve to not do. And Vedic wisdom tells us that all do’s and don’ts should support one main do—always remember Krishna (God)—and one main don’t—never forget Him.
Now, practically, what can we do to always remember Krishna and never forget Him? The item most favorable for remembering Him is chanting and hearing: chanting and hearing His holy names—the Hare Krishna maha-mantra—and chanting and hearing His trans
Madhavananda Das, managing editor of the Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu e-journal, has released issue 558, which explores the subject of darshan. The popular publication explores a single theme in each issue, often translating unique content not seen previously by most devotees, including stunning artwork. A new issue is released twice a month on every Ekadasi and is free of advertising, promotion, or criticism.
Issue 558 includes the following articles:
* You Can’t See God — From the teachings of
Vaikunthanath Das departed from this world to join Srila Prabhupada on November 21, 2024, while residing at Tucson’s Krishna’s Home. Srila Prabhupada was chanting in the background and Vaikunthanath Das was wearing a maha garland and peaceful at the time of his departure.
The following is written by his daughter, Braj:
“My father, Vaikunthanath, was an early disciple of Srila Prabhupada where he joined the Krsna Consciousness movement in the 1960’s. He was a very devout and scholarly person. He
Welcome 2025 With the Blessings of Lord Narasimhadev
“By meditating upon He whose form is fearsome, all peace, happiness and prosperity can be obtained, all sins can be obliterated, the fear arising from evil spirits, fevers and unfavorable planetary positions can be removed, O Lord Nrisimha, please bestow upon us Your merciful side-long glance.”
ISKCON Sri Dham Mayapur invites devotees from around the world to take part in our special New Year’s Narasimha Puja, invoking auspiciousness and bless
Two thousand twenty-four
A year that we scored
On God’s back side, if any
Problems were plenty
Leaders let us down
How did they get crowned?
We are all to blame
Incompetent with our aim
But enough of that already
Let self-discipline be steady
Rise early in the morning
Giving its much-deserved glory
Lend ears to an uplifting sound
And to promises we are bound
Commitments we make
With strength we won’t break
Let’s look at our health
Stretch life to a good length
With rest, food, and exercise
For t
The Vedic literatures give us many wonderful examples of selfless, devoted and spiritually empowered mothers. These glorious mothers such as Queen Suniti (the wife of King Uttanapada and the mother of Dhruva Maharaja), Srimati Kunti devi (the wife of King Pandu and the mother of the Pandavas and Mother Sita (the wife of Lord Ramachandra and the mother of Lava and Kusha) serve as great role models for us mothers to take inspiration and spiritual strength from.
Throughout their lives these spirit
Like a beautiful palace with a closed door the dhama also requires a key to grant us entrance. This is chanting the Name. According to Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura it is chanting the Holy Name with loving affection.
“Dham is Nam”. That is the very first manifestation for the sincere sadhaka.
You remember, Indra was very afraid. He offended Krsna to a very bad degree.
Krsna does not forget such an offense to a devotee – He waits till this person goes to that devotee and gets forgiveness, satisfies t
As ISKCON continues to grow worldwide, supportive leadership structures have been established in several key areas, including North America and Europe. These structures, known as Regional Governing Bodies (RGBs), operate under the oversight of the Governing Body Commission (GBC), which is the ultimate managing authority in ISKCON.
North America has always had a zonal leadership committee, dating back to when Srila Prabhupada was still physically present. This committee predated the GBC resolutio
By Sutapa Das
On December 18th, 2025, ISKCON Kudupu katte, Mangalore, was invited to represent Sanatan Dharma at an interfaith dialogue organized by St. Aloysius (Deemed To Be University) in Mangalore.
The program was held as part of the university’s Christmas celebrations with the theme of World Peace. Adikeshav Das (Dr. Ashok Shetty), who serves as the Director of Community Welfare and Health at ISKCON Govardhan EcoVillage (GEV) and as a trustee at Mumbai’s Bhaktivedanta Hospital, represented
Hundreds of years ago, December 25th was the kickoff for a twelve-day celebration. There was no such thing as Boxing Day right after Christmas. Remember the song, “12 Days of Christmas?” Quite sweet!
To avoid the agitation of Boxing Day, Chirag and I took to a walk in a quiet corner, the region of Casa Loma, the much-visited castle in Toronto. We first ventured to the nearby Spadina Museum. There was a crowd there, but security checked us at the front.
“This is for paid tickets only!”
Human beings are physically unable to perceive certain portions of the known vibratory spectrum. While extremely sensitive to sound waves of about 1,000 to 4,000 cycles per second (cps), man is all but deaf beyond 20,000 cycles per second. Dogs and cats, on the other hand, can hear up to 60,000 cps, while mice, bats, whales, and dolphins can emit and receive sounds well over 100,000 cps. In other words, there are definitely things we just don’t hear. Vedic texts suggest that if this is true of
By Sri Chaitanya Chandra Das
The last thing people would like to discuss or even think is ‘Death’. But they often don’t last till last to discuss or even think about what really death is! Man has made so much innovation in technology that with little remote control he can control satellites from thousands of miles away. Or he can put so much complexity into a small electronic chip to work wonders. But death challenges all human advancements. It is an affront to the genius of modern human. Nobo
By Gopika Radhika Devi Dasi
The Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) takes immense pleasure in announcing that Gauranga Das, GBC member, and director of ISKCON Govardhan Eco-Village (GEV), has successfully completed his Master of Arts (By Research) in Philosophy from the Bhaktivedanta Research Center, affiliated with Mumbai University.
His thesis, “Legacy of Community Building in the Bhakti Tradition: Principles of Community Development from Shri Chaitanya’s Philosophy and Life,” offers deep in
