When rising in the morning, singing mangala-arati, chanting on our beads, we should follow the train of thought that is inspired by the words of the prayers, by the sound of the maha-mantra, by the vibration of Sukadeva Goswami as he speaks Srimad Bhagavatam. All of these things are meant to lead us back to the pastures of Vrindavan.

Finally I came to understand. The devotees there have the deities as their only possession and only wealth. Gradually, as I came to think about the tremendous austerity there coupled with the unprecedented attraction of the Deities, I concluded that Krishna reciprocates with this intense one-pointed devotion by revealing His beauty and sweetness to a great degree not experienced elsewhere.

The matter is in the court, but the sealing of Prabhupada's rooms has angered the sentiments of the foreign devotees. They came up with a unique idea to protest this. The Krishna devotees call this harinam sankirtan "satyagraha", or peaceful protest.

With the frequent use of corporal punishment even today in America, one may ask the question whether differentiating between what society considers “justifiable” corporal punishment and what is considered physical abuse is clear cut and concise. Have definitions of physical abuse changed over time and according to the location of the incident?

It's not too late to make plans to come to the HISTORICAL FESTIVAL of the 30th anniversary of the installation of Krishna Balaram in France!

The 30th annual Festival of the Chariots, a Hare Krishna celebration that includes a parade, a free feast and live entertainment, is coming to Venice Beach Sunday, July 30th.

We just finished Padayatra Slovenia and here are some glimpses of this wonderful preaching event. This year Padayatra lasted only 11 full days but never less it was like a peak of the December Marathon.

OCHS Wins Oxford Recognition Oxford University has recently given its official seal of approval to OCHS by awarding it with the newly created status of "Recognised Independent Centre of Oxford University" - a self governing academic institution that works in harmony with the University to enrich its field of study.

Teachers wishing success in their service must cultivate the mode of goodness. But wait a minute! Am I hearing protests from hard-pressed devotees sincerely striving to serve their Lord with a passion? Are they not crying out from the distance that there’s no need for goodness?

We can make our standard of living very comfortable, but with the purpose of attaining perfection in Krsna consciousness. You live comfortably. That's all right. But don't live like animals, simply increasing sense gratification.

So, now, the next time you see a Hare Krishna devotee on the streets, go up and tell him or her that you went to school with Jayananda. You'll get red carpet treatment. The story of Jayananda will be known! And, remember, I was in South Africa, which is 11,000 miles from Los Angeles. And they all knew!

Krishna devotees, disturbed that the Bhajan Kuti of Srila Bhaktivedant Prabhupada Maharaj at the Radha Damodar Mandir, situated in Seva Kunj, has been sealed, on Monday began a program of harinam nagar sankirtan. Devotees from ISKCON said that until the locks of the sealed bhajan kuti were not opened for the faithful, they would continue with their sankirtan yatra.

In the introduction of Sri Isopanishad there is a statement by Srila Prabhupada that says that women are less-intelligent. So I distribute books. I sometimes meet ladies and they ask what actually, you know, sometimes they are immediately intimidated and they start to argue, that you say we are less-intelligent. So what would be the best way to address such issues?

With a wonderful transcendental history,along with the current preaching potential,and a vision for a great things to come,the Denver Temple management is seeking full-time devotees with diverse talents and backgrounds who possess a pioneering spirit to assist us increasing the service to the supreme Lord in Denver

Krishna Camp will bring to Burning Man a rich heritage of spiritual culture with amazing vegetarian food, astounding performances, awe-inspiring dance and addicting music amidst unique and thought provoking art installations.

The Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mandir of Queens, New York City cordially invites everyone to the archa installation of their Lordships Sri Sri Krishna Balaram. The ceremony will be conducted by HG Ravindra Svarupa Das, and he will be assisted by Manukaniya Devi Dasi , and Maheswara Das.

The event underlines the manor's standing as a major religious centre and one of the biggest Hindu temples in Europe. Its annual Hare Krishna Janmashtami festival, which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, is the biggest celebration of its kind in the United Kingdom attracting over 60,000 pilgrims.

But more than anything else, I pray to Srila Prabhupada to keep me in the association of his sincere followers and allow me to serve them--as he would want--eternally. Because I know that in the association of his sincere followers, I will find Srila Prabhupada, my most cherished goal.

The next thing we remember was being woken up by an absolutely blinding white light shining right into the front window of the car. Then, we could hear what sounded like a helicopter or two overhead. Still groggy from sleeping we were quickly realising that something weird was going on. As our peripheral vision began to come into focus we could see army tanks and soldiers and policemen crouched all around our car, with automatic machine guns pointed right at us.

From every angle of vision of true circumstance that I inspected this case from, the GBC and CPO have always acted with respect, and restraint toward Dhanurdhara Swami and especially with concern for the care and well being of his innocent initiated disciples. It is his so-called friends who muddy the waters by constantly causing Dhanurdhara Swami’s dirty laundry to be aired in public forum.

I, like many devotees around the world, have been following the chain of events and subsequent opinions surrounding the Dhanurdhara Swami case. I have patiently listened to all points presented to date by the concerned Vaisnava community and would like to make a humble attempt to put forth my observations regarding this pivotal decision facing the GBC at present.

"Alright in there! Come out slowly with your hands raised!" I looked out the window surprised to see the van surrounded by ten police cars and more than a dozen officers with their guns drawn...

ISKCON Vrindavan has been publishing many beautiful gifts for its members and donors over the past few years. If you are looking for new and inspiring gifts to send your donors for Janmastami, please contact us for the following extra stock of publications.

Recently it has come to our attention that some devotees may be misrepresenting themselves as Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. volunteers, scheduling training seminars, and collecting funds in the name of Vaisnavas C.A.R.E.

The High School students of Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and International School in Vrindavan, along with some visiting alumin, held a nama yajna in memory of Anand McClure on Saturday night, July 22nd.

For those who may be wondering, His Holiness Subhaga Swami is recovering very blissfully in Bali, staying at the Radha Rasesvari Mandira. On Saturday the 21st of July, the devotees in Bali held a public seminar titled, "REINCARNATION AND KARMA". It was very well attended by many leading citizens of Denpasar.

Some years ago a paper by Ravindra Svarupa prabhu entitled 'Cleaning House and Cleaning Hearts: Reform and Renewal in ISKCON', which originally appeared in two parts in the ISKCON Communications Journals of January and July 1994, was widely circulated amongst ISKCON members. As a 'second generation' devotee who came to ISKCON in 1979, I read with interest this paper, which basically chronicled many of the difficulties ISKCON has undergone since its inception.

There is ample philosophical support that if in the course of doing their duties Vaishnavas transgress material laws the mercy of the Lord may mitigate their reactions. Some scriptural references imply that under certain circumstances devotees may not be subject to the same laws as non-devotees. However, scriptures also state that devotees would not break these laws anyways because they understand the negative implications of doing so.

This weekend, hundreds of Krishna devotees from across the United States are returning to Detroit to mark the changes that have swept through their movement in the past 30 years.

Dandavats is in the process of evaluating whether to continue with this discussion, in the meantime many devotees are working hard to try to find a solution to this issue, that is in accordance with our vaisnava culture and thus acceptable to the overwhelming body of devotees.

My Guru Maharaja on hearing this news, very kindly gave his mercy to her even though he is currently very busy in Croatia. I request all of you to please bestow your kind mercy on her soul also, so that she gets the Supreme Destination and engages in the eternal service of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.

Sunday 6th of August: INAUGURATION OF THE NEW TEMPLE ROOM (First Part). The feast will start at 10 a.m. and will continue for the whole day with ceremonies, conferences, kirtans and excellent prasadam. With the participation of H.H. SACINANDANA SWAMI, H.G. MATSYAVATARA PRABHU, H. G. URMILA MATAJI, H. G. SRUTA KIRTI PRABHU

Dandavats is very happy to announce a new section of the site with all the published papers of the Sastric Advisory Council [SAC]. We are sure that you will find the SAC's work to be most revealing, illuminating and edifying.

Your letters were well-considered and well-articulated, and I much appreciated them. Certainly, we must seriously consider the words of sadhu, sastra, and guru in all our deliberations. We are meant to represent Srila Prabhupada, who himself represented his guru-parampara, our disciplic line from Srila Rupa Gosvami.

The North American GBC and Spiritual Strategic Planning Initiative are actively seeking qualified second generation men and women to fill an array of important leadership positions within our ISKCON movement.

With the kind blessings of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, and his wonderful followers I am now regularly traveling and lecturing on the science of Krishna consciousness throughout the world. I travel with my good wife, Srimati Vishnupriya devi dasi, and with Sri Sri Radha Damodar, the personal deities of His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami.

The word kula, has two different meanings, it can mean a place and it can also mean family. So this Kuli Mela, the Gurukulis are having a reunion here in New Vrindaban, we can also appreciate that kula means family. Srila Prabhupada established a very loving family.

No one wins by Satyaraja Prabhu and me jousting online. Rather, the wounds on both sides are only deepened and the inevitable offenses increased. My fervent prayer is that Satyaraja Prabhu will turn his keen intelligence toward working with us to find a solution to this situation, one that addresses both sides of the truth, not just the side he likes.

......and there is a massive Krsna parade. They had massive floats and all of them were following and dancing and beating drums and handing out chocolate slice and things like that. There were singers and all sorts of thing and they just went nuts. Each time they paused someone would start a faster banging on their drums and the crowds of them went wild. They love a good dance!

How can you say that,” asked the surprised barber. “I am here, I am a barber and I just worked on you!” “No!” the customer exclaimed. “Barbers don’t exist because if they did there would be no people with long dirty hair and untrimmed beards like that man outside.” “Ah, but barbers do exists! What happens is people don’t come to me.”

In the end, the consistent request from gurukulis is for ISKCON not to approve DDS’s position as a transparent via medium to the Supreme Lord Krsna himself. In order to move forward as a society we need to stop the secrecy and backdoor finagling.

By their refusal to fulfil court-ordered child support obligations or to offer the remaining custodial parent the non-monetary contributions that would benefit the child(ren) while growing up, these people have become abusers through neglect and abandonment.

As it is stated above "The Lord takes into account - how many times we all chant "Krsna Krsna" and in due course of time this chanting - executed either in praise or blame of the Lord - will allow us re-entrance into the Lord's company!!!

Setting aside all of this back and forth, it would be useful if we came to some mutual conclusions, especially because I have no intention of engaging in an ongoing debate. (Many others – stalwart devotees -- will soon be sending in their articles, and these will be far more convincing than my own.)

Known as sabu or sabudana, sago and tapioca are both used similarly and interchangeably in Indian cooking, especially as a light-meal choice for Ekadasi grain-fasting days. There is sometimes confusion about which is which because the white beads of sago and tapioca can look identical. But they are from quite different sources

Next Sunday, 23 July, Lord Jaganatha's Ratha Yatra will be held in Denpasar Bali. This is the third year for this big event and it will be attended by thousands of devotees. We are hopeful that both government and Hindu parishad officials will bless the opening ceremonies, which will begin at 10AM.

Suppose if I see somebody smoking, but he is doing Krsna consciousness very nicely. So we should not deride. We shall give him concession to reform. It does not mean that because he has accidentally smoked, smoking, that does not mean he has become immediately disqualified.

I realize that the ISKCON I joined--the ISKCON that I choose to live and work in today--is, in some ways, dramatically different from the one which commanded headlines three or four decades ago. My ISKCON is one which celebrates families and communities, values tolerance and compassion, helps its devotees balance fidelity tradition with the reality of life in contemporary America.