Blog

Preaching is the essence. Devotees preach by the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the order of the spiritual master. Those who sincerely try to follow the directions of the spiritual master and the Guru-paramparā earn unlimited blessings and strength to execute their service. Even a sincere attempt in the service of the ācāryas, irrespective of it being a success or a failure, is sufficient to draw profuse blessings of the Guru-paramparā.

There are some devotees who serve in difficult situat

In October a very special event happened at the TOVP, the arrival of Srila Prabhupada, the installation of the Srila Prabhupada Murti. On the same date, Hari Sauri Das made the official announcement of the arrival of his latest book - Back to Vrndavana: Srila Prabhupada's Final Lila – and it is now available for purchase.

“Srila Prabhupada spent his last 6 weeks on this planet in Vrndavana Dhama, and I was fortunate enough to spend the month of October serving him while chronicling every event,

By Madhava Smullen

Up till now, one of the main methods of getting your Bhakti Sastri Degree in ISKCON involved taking six months off from your job or service to study in person in Mayapur or Vrindavan. This made it elusive and difficult for many to get the “family transcendental diploma” based on Srila Prabhupada’s books which Prabhupada wanted all his “spiritual sons and daughters” to inherit.

This system also required anyone who taught the Bhakti Sastri program to have a Bhakti Sastri degree

Two young students from the Toronto Film School lined me up for a documentary assignment interview. The questions included, “What is Hare Krishna?”, “Do you believe in an after-life?”, etc. The filming went well.

Many marvelous moments filled my day. Then I came up with a poem inspired by phrases spoken by Prabhupada. In bold, Ill relay those messages. In lower case is my contribution.

BOOKS ARE THE BASIS

BOOKS ARE THE BASIS

They come in many cases

And go to different places

Contents evoke hap

From Back to Godhead

Lord Krishna’s words made their way to us after a long historical journey.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Although many articles have been written about the Gita as a philosophical poem, exploring its meaning and theological implications, and although both devotees and nondevotees have written elaborate studies of Srila Prabhupada’s translation, few articles deal with the text as a historical phenomenon, something that

By Srimati Dasi

Let’s face it. It’s not easy trying to live Bhagavad-gétä in today’s world — it’s tough! And the taste is more often bitter/sweet than sweet/sweet. Govindadeva gives the practical essence of living Bhagavad-gétä in verse 18.66. The Kali-yugian heart has no trouble with the first half of the equation — abandon all varieties of religion. That’s very much in tune with today’s life standards. But the second half — surrender unto Me — that’s the tough part. Why do we find it so tough

Dear Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Across the world, COVID has, for better or worse, changed the way we do many things in our lives. Countless children have attended school, Sunday school and even ‘camp’ online this year. More than ever before, children live online – making new friends, developing established relationships, learn, recreate, etc.

With the added stressors COVID has brought, it is no surprise that child abuse has increased, in perso

In the US, gurus and yogis have attracted tens of thousands of followers. But there is a huge gulf between American devotees of Hinduism and immigrants from the subcontinent.

In March last year, more than 65,000 people attended Utah’s famous Festival of Colors. The event was held at an ISKCON temple, and only a small percentage of attendees were Indian or Hindu. It was just one sign of how firmly Hinduism has come to be established in the US. Today, tens of millions of non-Indian Americans engag

ISKCON Youth Forum [IYF] Delhi celebrated its annual Youth Festival, ‘VIPLAVA- A Revolution in Consciousness’,  from October 22nd to 24th 2021, at Fogla Ashrama, Bhaktivedanta Marga, Srī Vrndāvana Dhāma, for 2000+ youth from across the nation.

IYF is the youth wing of ISKCON Delhi and has for the last decade been engaged in organizing seminars, holding festivals, and conducting development programs with the prime objective of empowering youngsters to unleash their potential and become servant le

The ’Handbook of Hinduism in Europe’ is the first encyclopedia to this extent that explains the development of Hinduism in Europe, its various traditions, the philosophy as well as describes Hindu-rooted movements such as ISKCON. The encyclopedia consists of two volumes with 65 chapters in total, written by 60 researchers from all over Europe. The editors are Prof. Knut A. Jacobsen from the University of Bergen (Norway) and Dr. Ferdinando Sardella from Stockholm University (Sweden), who are amon

By Madhava Smullen 

Govardhan Eco Village (GEV), ISKCON’s 100-acre farm in the foothills of the Sahyadri mountain range in Maharashtra, recently completed the final fourteen rooms for its 42-room Mahavan guest building using energy-efficient mud block building technologies. 

The same techniques are also currently being used to build the 9,000 square foot Bhajan Ashram, a retreat facility for senior brahmacharis and sannyasis, which will be completed by the end of the year. 

The Eco Village will

There is an expected rule for covid restrictions and therefore we have limited attendance for our extended festival of Govardhan, here in the province of New Brunswick. Nevertheless, those who came to the location, the home of Kadamba Priya, had a sweet time. Now, today, Sunday, November 7, we take on dutifully an event to honour our world teacher, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who passed away in 1977. It is an anniversary celebration today and we will remember him, sadly

By Nama Prabhu Dasa

5 April, 1974

Seattle

Dear Sukadeva,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter, undated, and I have noted the contents…

One of the symptoms of a devotee is that he is kind, so if our Godbrother becomes ill it is our duty to help him get the proper medicine and treatment so that he can recover…. So there is no question of ill treating of our own Godbrothers simply because they are sick, nor should you allow such neglect to go on. So long we have

One of Lord Krishna’s most delightful pastimes occurred when Mother Yasoda caught Him stealing butter and took a rope to bind Him. We may wonder, “Is it possible to bind the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead?” Yes, but a rope alone is not enough…. (From the Srimad-Bhagavatam, translation and commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.)

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=91074

If we are at all aware of how dependent we are on God—for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and our very ability to eat and drink and breathe, to think and feel and will, and to walk, talk, and sense—we will feel grateful and want to reciprocate God’s kindness. We will want to do something for He (or She or They) who has done, and continues to do, so much for us.

We often take things for granted until we lose them. I use my right hand to chant on meditation beads, and one

A poem in honour of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:
 

Reflect Reflect
 

Reflect, reflect on His Divine Grace

Mirror the values he’s put into place

Set into practice what he’s left us

Deliberate on his love, then discuss

Evermore is this our obligation

Of commitment and unbroken dedication

May we shine in his powerful glow

Like the formation of crystal, soft snow

Clean and clear directions he’s given

Moving us until we’re self-driven

Let us act with the same heart

With the s

Series: Srila Prabhupada-Our Preeminent Siksha Guru – Day 02
Speaker: Vaisesika Das
Occasion: Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day Special

On Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival , here are some lesser-known facts related to ISKCON Founder acharya Srila Prabhupada by Vaisesika Prabhu.

GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) is pleased to invite you to the Day 2 of our 3 day series celebrating Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival reflecting on the role of Srila Prabhupada as our preeminent

By Madhava Smullen

The South African National Council (SANC), which has served as the overarching management structure for ISKCON in South Africa since the late 1980s, is undergoing sweeping changes in its structure and approach. The aim of the transformation is to “more fully realize Srila Prabhupada’s vision for Krishna Consciousness in South Africa and to present Krishna Consciousness in a very dynamic and relevant way to all people of our country.”

The effort began about a year ago when the

Krsna’s plan unfolds in our life and we have to allow it to do so. Over time, our destiny will become clear and we begin to see Krsna’s plan. We are all in one sense family members of Krsna now that we are part of the Acyuta-gotra. The Acyuta-gotra is the infallible family lineage of Krsna. Before I was in Krsna consciousness, I went to Gaya and I stayed in a dharmasala. The manager asked me, “What is your gotra (family lineage)?” I said, “Well, in my country we do not really have that.” So the

At the MANtra retreat today, brilliant presentations were made, for instance, by Partha regarding marriage and the topic “Making an Ally,” referring to relationship development. Yadunatha entertained us with his skits. He is just great at getting us to laugh at ourselves and our habits, which could sometimes come across as fanatical. Dravida blessed us with his MANTRA RAPS. Anuttama took hold of a panel discussion, all under the umbrella of “The Hero’s Journey.” One that I really relished, prese