By Urmila Devi Dasi

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada established ISKCON when it consisted of one rented storefront in New York City. He wrote purposes for his new society—to teach spiritual knowledge, consciousness of our existence as a soul part of the Supreme Godhead Krishna, and a simpler natural way of life

By Mahasundari Madhavi devi dasi

At the end of 2010, the Toronto Sankirtan Team set an ambitious goal to distribute a minimum of 35,000 books during 2011. This seemed like a tall task given that it was more than three times the number of books distributed in the whole of 2009! But as Srila Prabhupada emphatically said, “Impossible is a word in a fool’s dictionary.”

By Hariksetra das

A new temple complex dedicated to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha is coming up in a half acre complex in the eastern part of Bangalore. This project is dedicated to Srila Prabhupada and is being promoted and built by followers of Srila Prabhupada

By Gunacuda dasi

Primary School students from Sri Mayapur International School recently went on parikrama with H.H Bhakti Purushottam Maharaja. They visited Surabhi Kunja, Bhaktivinod Thakur’s house, Hamsa Vahan, Nainasaranya and Puskar tirtha. As they went to each holy place their kirtan attracted the attention of the local residents who followed the procession and joined in the chanting

By Vrndavanlila Devi Dasi

When a butterfly sneezes in Africa, there is a hurricane in Caribbean Sea. This is true not just of stock markets but even in the real world that we live in. It brings out how fragile our systems are. A fall in subprime sector in the US melted down scores of sectors and economies across the globe; many big companies closed down, giant financial organizations turned paupers and sold out

By Mukhya devi dasi

The North American Temple Presidents Meetings convened last week in our Dallas temple. This is the annual opportunity for tp’s in the US and Canada to connect with the NA GBC and with each other, to get informed of what the GBC are working on, hear about successful programs, share information and get informed about national programs

By Deena Bandhu dasa

Next month will be 9 years since we opened our Vrinda Kunda Temple! To celebrate we will do special parikramas to the Holy Places of Braja. The program will culminate with our famous Kalash Yatra, an ecstatic Sankirtan procession with the ladies carrying water pots with coconuts on their heads. Programs will be going on from 4-19 Feb with the main parikrama days between 8 and 19

By ISKCON News Staff

The 2012 North American Governing Body and Temple President meetings opened on January 13, in Dallas, Texas, with more than sixty leaders from across the US and Canada in attendance. During the meeting it was noted, in a somber tone, that the Youth Fund, i.e. the funds required to settle the child abuse lawsuit that was filed in 2000 against some NA ISKCON temples, has been successfully fulfilled

By Lakshman das

On 10th January at the conclusion of our 40-day marathon HH Indradyumna Swami and HH Veda Vyasa Priya Swami presented the devotees who were engaged in book distribution with gifts, garlands and mahaprasadam as a token of appreciation for their valuable service

By Prabhavisnu das

To my dear disciples and any other devotees who may be interested, Hare Krsna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupad! By now most of you will have gotten the news about my situation and perhaps read the general letter that I sent out to ISKCON devotees.

By Vrajendranandan Das

ISKCON Delhi got another opportunity to conduct a kirtan, bhajan, discourse and Gita distribution program in Tihar Jail (New Delhi) No. 3. A small alter was set up and the program inaugurated with Kirtan, which relaxed the inmates

By Dravida dasa

This year, as always, we request you to submit your homages to Srila Prabhupada for his Vyasa-puja book by April 15. In addition, if you’re a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada, please check out www.sptributes.com to learn about a Vyasa-puja book open to all his disciples. The deadline for submission to this book is also April 15

By Raxit Jariwalla

ISV’s annual books marathon ‘The MSF of 32,000 Books, which began in the last week of September 2011 was concluded on January 4th and the Final Results were offered to Srila Prabhupada and the Deities at the Wednesday night Gita class at the ISV temple in San Jose

By BBT Communications

This is a historic chapter because here is where Srila Prabhupada switched from typing manuscripts himself to using a dictaphone. What sort of difference did that make? Included with the scans are twelve sample pages from the manuscript, including both typed and dictated portions. So you can see for yourself

By Rayaramananda Das

Devotee serving at Sahyadri Sri Krishna Balarama Ksetra (SSKBK) in South Karnataka, the rural base for the ISKCON Daiva Varmasrama Ministry (IDVM) conducted the long awaited opening at their new goshala today, January 24, 2012, naming it SAHYADRI SURABHI GOSHALA

By Venu Gopal das

After much anticipation, Mayapur Chandra’s headed by H.G. Naru Gopal prabhu reached Damodardesh on December 27th to welcome in the New Year with a 10 day Mayapur Kirtan festival. The days were packed with daily music classes for the local youth

By Vrajendranandan Das

ISKCON Nellore organized its first Lord Jagannath Rathayatra on the 21st Jan 2012, which was very successful. Srila Prabhupada visited Nellore from Jan 3-8th in the year 1976 and personally installed the foundation stone there. By the blessings of Srila Prabhupada and all the Vaishnavas, His Holiness Sukhadev Maharaj has built a nice temple in Nellore

By Baldev das

For around a Month, this 25 Brahmacharis of Iskcon Chowpatty went out in 3 sankirtan buses to distribute Srila Prabhupad books in december all around India. By the mercy of Srila Prabhupad they were able to distribute this december around 100 thousand (1 Lakh) literatures of which 28,800 are mahabig books

By ISKCON Vaishnava Research Forum

In 1972, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada sent two young devotees to South Africa to set up the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). It was decided that Rsi Kumar Swami and Ksudhi Das Brahmacari would be the first ISKCON devotees to travel to South Africa and establish Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement

By Israeli Yatra

The kitchen clean up took place after a prasadam feast hosted by ISKCON devotees in Israel on Saturday night, January 14, 2012. The program presented Krishna consciousness to prominent members of the Druze community at a banquet hall on Mt. Carmel, Israel

By Abhaya Mudra Dasi

What is the best way to relate to other people? What is the secret to success? How can we make others do whatever we wish them to do? This may sound like advertising for some success book, the kind which never really answer our question but only promote the sales of its author. But in this exposé we are going to give it all out to the reader. Those who know the secret of love can be successful preachers. They can have successful relationships with one another and can know the pleasure of being liked

By Anu Aniruddha

Krishna was also named “Gopal” because of his service to the cows. Krishna would take the cows in the forests and would even milk cows while staying in Braj. He treated cows with utmost care. When he would play flute cows would stop eating and start crying. As Krishna went to Mathura cows would not even eat, they were deeply saddened by krishna’s absence

By Bhakti Vikasa Swami

Soon after I joined iskcon, in England in 1975, I got the association of Prabhavisnu Dasa, who was the unofficial leader of the brahmacaris and respected by all. Although he was soft-spoken, his devotional qualities and leadership abilities endeared him to others. He was special

By Radhikakrpa Devi Dasi

My father though a materialistic person had an auspicious departure from this world, he left with eyes open and a smile on his face ,” recounted His Holiness Giriraj Swami in the discourse he gave on the 7th of Jan. 2012 in Punjabi bagh, Delhi

By Bhakti Vikasa Swami

A unique feature and strength of ISKCON is having many devotees awarding initiation. But this can also engender problems. One problem that negatively affects the development of preaching is that of “guru groupism.” In some places there is no such competition, either due to enlightened leadership or more commonly because something resembling the old zonal acarya

By Gopijana vallabha das

We invite devotees worldwide to take part in Gaura Purnima festival either physically being present in Sri dham Mayapur or virtually through our websites www.mayapur.com & www.mayapur.tv and by serving the vaisnavas in Mayapur dhama by sponsoring for various events, festivities and prasada seva

By Vrndavanlila Devi Dasi

Somewhere round midnight, I could see the shadow of one man standing beside me. I don’t know from where he had suddenly popped up. I was shivering from within and tried to keep my poise as I continued to chant the mahamantra…

By BBT Communications

As you might recall, some months ago the BBT announced a new discovery: a manuscript page for Bhagavad-gita As It Is, chapter 10, text 36, with a sentence handwritten by Srila Prabhupada but never published, in any edition

By Rasalila Devi Dasi

ISKCON Ujjain is the 1st temple in Ujjain city to have full-time LIVE broadcast of all its temple programs from the time it opens to the time it closes. It was all put together in just a matter of few months and successfully launched on November 22, 2011- Also the 1st temple to be fully Solar Powered in Ujjain!

By Kesava Krsna Dasa

Have any of us ever thought that high living is possible within a spiritual domain like Iskcon? There is such a thing as rising high, and living high, but not in the way that some of our corporate methods of management might teach us. Improper use of such management will lead to low living. Is this really possible among devotees who have high spiritual aspirations?

By Madhava Smullen

Earlier this month “Exploring the Bhagavad gita: Philosophy, Structure and Meaning,” a new book written by ISKCON Academy of Arts and Sciences member Dr. Ithamar Theodor, and released by leading academic publisher Ashgate, was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2011

By Madhava Smullen

A unique second festival will be held alongside the world-famous Mayapur Festival this year in West Bengal, India. On behalf of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission, the GBC’s Strategic Planning Team will organize the first International Leadership Sanga (ILS) from February 10th to 17th

By Gopijana Vallabha das

As the Gaura Purnima Festivities are approaching, this means more and more devotees will be making Mayapur their destination. As we all know, the mode of transportation that many people prefer to take to reach Mayapur from Kolkata is a car. So devotees may be wondering where is the best place that they can book their transportation

By Lilasakti Devi Dasi

The BBT would like to sincerely thank everyone who responded to our invitation to give us your thoughts on the proposed third edition of Teachings of Lord Caitanya. We received about thirty-five comments and some good advice on how to handle presenting the third edition. The majority of devotees who wrote support the third edition, while others offered some cautions

By Parijata devi dasi

The Honorable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago accompanied by Foreign Minister, Surujrattan Rambachan and ministers of her cabinet visited ISKCON Juhu on 13th January 2012 and took darshan of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radharasabihariji, Sri Sri Gaur Nitaiji and Sri Sri Sita Ram Laxman Hanumanji. Also accompanying them was famous cricketer Brian Lara

By Bhakti Raghava Swami

The incident will always be fresh in my mind. I had been a practicing devotee for ten years, eight of which were in the sacred holy land of Sri Dham Mayapur in India. Little did I know that Krishna would be sending me the test of my life, the test of chanting His holy names

By GBC EC

It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Prabhavisnu Prabhu recently resigned from his ISKCON services as initiating guru and GBC member and has given up his sannyasa vows

By Kesava Krsna Dasa

Here is a fictional conversation between a ‘heavy’ preacher - used to calling people mudhas, canines and other low descriptions, and is badly in need of reform - with a reformer preacher trying to strike a balance. Let us see how the ‘heavy’ and negative can remain without turning people off

By Prabhavisnu das

It is with deep regret that I wish to inform you that I have resigned from all positions of leadership within ISKCON, including GBC member, sannyas, and initiating guru. This is because in recent times I have not been able to maintain the required spiritual standards for those who hold such positions

By Madhava Smullen

Visakha Dasi, a lifelong student of India’s foremost wisdom text the Bhagavad-gita, is sharing her philosophical realizations from the book—as well as her experiences of how it changed her life—in her second annual North American tour this year

By BBT Communications

Have you thought about moving further into the techological fray and buying yourself an eReader? Even though it might seem daunting to face yet more new technology, there are reasons why you should – the most compelling being that you can easily store all of Srila Prabhupada’s books (and so many others!) on one handheld device (storage capacities vary)