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By Demian Martins

Srila Prabhupada’s appearance and accomplishments are a turning point not only in Gaudiya Vaisnavism, but in the very history of human civilization, so it is not surprising that they were predicted many centuries ago. In several ancient religious traditions, the sacred scriptures usually include passages or whole sections dealing with predictions. Some of these passages are marked by a veiled language and are often interpreted in different ways. Interpretations are subjective a

Earlier this year, I visited the city of Kolkata and was taken by a kind devotee to an old building on a short backstreet known as Ultadanga Junction Road. I had never been there before, but had heard about the place for forty years. The square, brown brick, rather plain three storey building was formerly known as Bhaktivinoda Asana and it was here, on the flat roof-top, that Srila Prabhupada met his spiritual master for the first time. I had always been intrigued by the idea of a sacred meetin

Dear Devotees,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

With Srila Prabhupada's 128th Vyasa-puja just a few days away, please take the opportunity to download and read the 2024 Vyasa-puja book which was created from all your hearfelt homages:

https://gbc.iskcon.org/srila- prabhupada-vyasa-puja-books/

Please also share the file widely so all followers of Srila Prabhupada can avail of this shower of nectar in glorification of His Divine Grace. A high-res version i

An excerpt from the Prabhupada Lilamrta about Srila Prabhupada’s mother, Srimati Rajani Devi.

Abhay’s mother, Rajani, was thirty years old when he was born. Like her husband, she came from a long-established Gaudiya Vaisnava family. She was darker-skinned than her husband, and whereas his disposition was cool, hers tended to be fiery. Abhay saw his mother and father living together peacefully; no deep marital conflict or complicated dissatisfaction ever threatened home. Rajani was chaste and re

भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक

अध्याय 2 : गीता का सार

भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तयापहृतचेतसाम् ।
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न विधीयते ।। 44 ।।

भोग– भौतिक भोग;ऐश्वर्य– तथा ऐश्वर्य के प्रति;प्रसक्तानाम्– आसक्तों के लिए;तया– ऐसी वस्तुओं से;अपहृत-चेत्साम्– मोह्ग्रसित चित्त वाले;व्यवसाय-आत्मिकाः– दृढ़ निश्चय वाली;बुद्धिः– भगवान् की भक्ति;समाधौ– नियन्त्रित मन में;न– कभी नहीं;विधीयते– घटित होती है।

भावार्थ: जो लोग इन्द्रियभोग तथा भौतिक ऐश्वर्य के प्रति अत्यधिक आसक्त होने से ऐसी वस्तुओं से मोहग्रस्त

Janmastami; Lord Sri Krsna’s Appearance Day Lecture
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Montreal, August 16, 1968

So today, is the birth appearance ceremony of Lord Krsna. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says:

janma karma me divyam
yo janati tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti kaunteya
[Bg. 4.9]

“My dear Arjuna, any person who simply tries to understand about My transcendental birth or appearance and disappearance and activities, janma karma…” The Personality of Godhead is

Madhavananda das GGS (Gopal Jiu Publications – IN)

Notes from Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa

Texts 247 to 542 of the 15th section of Hari-bhakti-vilasa describe the glories of Janmastami and how to observe it. The introduction to this section describes three reasons for observing the Lord’s appearance day:

nityatvam ca param tasya bhagavat-prinanan matam
vidhi-vakya-visesac cakarane pratyavayatah

The observance of Janmastami is accepted as a regulative principle in three ways: 1) the Supreme Lord becomes

Janmastami is just one day, but how we spend it can deeply inspire us for the whole year.
Krishna consciousness mean we are conscious of Krishna. He becomes an active part of our life – like a close friend or an affectionate family member we love to be around. Krishna consciousness, then, is loving to be around Krishna.
Here are 5 ways to love and be with Krishna on his birthday:
1. Come early, stay late – be close to Krishna today, close to the Temple. This is our day with Krishna. There will

We read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Two: “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb.”

TEXT 18

tato jagan-mangalam acyutamsam
samahitam sura-sutena devi
dadhara sarvatmakam atma-bhutam
kastha yathananda-karam manastah

SYNONYMS

tatah—thereafter; jagat-mangalam—auspiciousness for all living entities in all the universes of the creation; acyuta-amsam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is never bereft of the six opulences, all of which are present in all His plenary expa

Back in 1972 I was a 17 year-old sea cadet. My ship had docked in Bombay and I stepped onto that exotic shore in search of reasonably priced souvenirs. Under the intense encouragement of a shopkeeper I came close to purchasing a fine ivory chess set costing most of my week’s wages before I spotted a little figurine of Krishna. He exerted a strange attraction over me and after handing over my hard-earned rupees I left with him in my pocket. The god of love, I thought. I could do with a bit of lo

In the chapter of the Krishna book titled “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb” Srila Prabhupada cautions against the tendency to be a bit impersonal towards God. We understand that Krishna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has both personal and impersonal aspects – He is simultaneously one with everything and different from everything. It’s easy to see and appreciate the power and energy of Krishna in the world in front of us, but sometimes not so easy to see or understa

From Gopal Campu by Srila Jiva Goswami and and Ananda Vrindavan Campu by Kavi Karnapura

In Gopal Campu Srila Jiva Goswami describes that the father of Nanda and Upnanda was Sri Parjanya who was chief of the cowherds in the lineage of the Yadus. Sri Parjanya had five sons. When he retired from family life he installed his eldest son Sri Upnanda as heir. Upnanda accepted the title in accordance with his father’s wish but he immediately deferred the title of chief to his younger brother Sri Nanda.

For convenience and to suggest a celebration, we sometimes say that Janmastami is Krishna’s birthday, since anyone we know of on Earth, either past or present, is apparently “born” into this world. However, this is not an accurate description for Krishna (who we understand as the original feature of God), or for any of God’s other incarnations.

Why?

There is no “birth” or “death” for God, since by definition He is primeval, always existing, the source of everything, who has no material form with

भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक

अध्याय 2 : गीता का सार

व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरुनन्दन ।
बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्चच बुद्धयो स व्यवसायिनाम् ।। 41 ।।

व्यवसाय-आत्मिका– कृष्णभावनामृत में स्थिर;बुद्धिः– बुद्धि;एका– एकमात्र;इह– इस संसार में;कुरु-नन्दन– हे कुरुओं के प्रिय;बहु-शाखाः– अनेक शाखाओं में विभक्त;हि– निस्सन्देह;अनन्ताः– असीम;च– भी;बुद्धयः– बुद्धि;अव्यवसायिनाम्– जो कृष्णभावनामृत में नहीं हैं उनकी।

भावार्थ : जो इस मार्ग पर (चलते) हैं वे प्रयोजन में दृढ़ रहते हैं और उनका लक्ष्य भी एक होता है।

Radhe Radhe everyone , 

Wishing you a happy , warm and safe janamashtami 

After fasting enjoyyyy the day with lotsssss of maakhan and sweets 

Hare Krishna 

By Ananda Vrinavana Devi Dasi

In spiritual parlance there are ‘thin’ places in the world. These are holy places, sacred spaces, where the line between the spiritual and materials worlds is very thin and the ability to feel and perceive our relationship with Krishna is heightened. It’s easier to chant there, to call Krishna deeply from the heart, and thus to call ourselves to experience our spiritual selves.
There are also thin days (and even thin times in the day). Janmastami is one such day.

While attending the Janmastami festival at the ISKCON farm in Czechoslovakia several years ago, I was asked to give a lecture about the appearance of Lord Krishna. Afterwards I asked for questions and an elderly, red-haired lady raised her hand. Since almost all the devotees there spoke only Czech, I was surprised when she began to speak in English. She said, “Satsvarupa Gosvami, could you tell us something about Prabhupada, because you knew him very well?”

I started out by remembering Janmasta

By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada