We wish to congratulate and thank you all for the wonderful achievement of having the government of Hungary give church status to Srila Prabhupada's movement in your country. It was a great struggle, and you made sacrifices to bring about this historic achievement. If you had not done what you did it would have been a major setback for ISKCON, with potentially far reaching consequences. Because of you the movement has now become established in a strong position in Hungary

Srila Prabhupada said about The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP): “We are going to have a very big project at Mayapur…The plans and contemplations are going on in different phases, now when Caitanya Mahaprabhu will be pleased it will be taken up.”

Historic footage of George Harrison, the Beatle who pioneered the use of mantras in Western recorded music, playing harmonium and leading a group in a Hare Krishna kirtan

On February 27, 2012, the Hungarian Parliament voted on the amendment to the new religious law, adding 18 religious organizations to the list of fully recognized churches in Hungary. Among others, the new list includes well-established Christian groups (such as the Methodists, Anglicans, Adventists, Mormons), the Jehovah Witnesses, representatives of other Eastern world religions (2 Muslim groups, 5 Buddhist communities and the Hungarian Society for Krishna Consciousness)

So there are many lessons we have to learn but most of all we have to see Srila Prabhupada and then how to see Krishna. Then how to see our self and then how to see others? When we see properly we are not going anywhere. We are going to stay in Iskcon and dedicate our whole life without any regrets

While there are many greats in this most pleasing service. Heroes such as Vaisesika, Vijaya, Brighupati, Navida Nirada, and Parameshvara Prabhus. There are others, great heroes, who dynamic feats go on unsung. One such fellow is His Grace Bhakta Carl Prabhu, the biological brother of His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami.

The Kirtan Mela in Mayapur ended this morning at 10 AM PST. The participants although under one roof physically, yet throughout the world on-line, must have been as diverse as could be, yet all were chanting the Lord's Blessed Holy Names with such exuberance my heart melted

The Small Farm Training Center’s (SFTC) is a land based educational center and a hands-on working organic farm within the boundaries of New Vrindaban Community. Pursuant to Srila Prabhupada’s specific instructions for New Vrindaban, its mission is to create a green economic model that makes organically grown food affordable and available

There is a huge amount of Krishna conscious material that is constantly being uploaded and shared on the web each and every day, even though finding it all and the best of it can be a little tricky but here it is a little hint of how to find Krishna conscious public photo-albums on facebook through Google, without having to be registered or having a profile in it

That all ISKCON temples, congregations, yatras, and devotees please; 1. Include Yamuna Maharani in their daily prayers. 2. Explain the spiritual importance of Shri Yamuna Maharani to others. 3. Organize special kirtans or dedicate existing kirtans to the Yamuna cause. 4. Organize special programs or dedicate existing programs to the Yamuna cause.

You are probably already familiar with Sarvabhavana dasa, one of the heroes of the book “Salted Bread.” For the so-called “crime” of distributing books in the former Soviet bloc, he was imprisoned and repeatedly beaten severely. The results? KGB agents knocked out several teeth, and there was permanent damage to the ones he kept, both due to being beaten and the poor diet in Soviet prisons and labor camps

The GBC recognizes that good, strong leadership is key both to ISKCON’s improvement and its ongoing success. In an effort to support and encourage such leadership, the GBC invited more than 500 ISKCON leaders from 42 countries around the world to assemble in Sridham Mayapur for the ILS from February 10-17 to participate in portions of the GBC’s AGM, to attend and discuss presentations on the last several years of GBC strategic planning efforts, and to spend time with one another in devotional sanga.

As devotees, we accept that everything is under the control of The Supreme Lord, Krsna. Still, it is difficult, actually impossible to know why and how this sudden passing of Nitai and Bhakta Tim and Yadupati is His desire

Nityodita dasa, a longstanding member of the New Vrindaban community remembers his nephew, Nitai Prabhu, a young enthusiastic community member, who recently lost his life with two other devotees in a tragic car accident in Florida. The final rites at the river Ganges took place on Feb. 15. His article follows

So even pious people approach God with this idea, "Please God make me happy in this world. Let me be comfortable. Let me enjoy family, society and love and I will be pious. I will obey You and will try to serve You." So this religion is materially motivated and it is condemned in the Bhagavatam as a cheating religion

The following is my impression of the events of March 15. March 15 began as any other day during the Festival in Mayapur: a sweet and crowded mangala-arati spent wriggling and weaving through crowds of devotees, especially around Nrsimahadeva's altar and during Tulasi-puja. Little did anyone know what was to come

On Friday 17th February, several GBC members visited Sri Mayapur International School to inaugurate the new playground which they had sponsored. The students were very excited to be given the new outdoor play equipment and basketball court and wanted to thank the donors, especially His Holiness Kavichandra Maharaja who gave a large donation

If you understand and if you have some sense of gratitude to the spiritual master, if we have some little sense of gratitude then we should try to repay that debt. How to repay that debt? Did he say that we have to put ourselves through so much suffering or give so much money or do something we can't do? No. He said that, "Just try to preach as i am doing. Try to help others."

So this is the mood of our acarya. One devotee said, "Prabhupada I feel so sorry for these people sometimes." Prabhupada said, "Why just sometimes?" The pure devotee's heart is always like nectar. It is always flowing. So our problems are solved. Trying to enjoy in this material world is petty, pale and pathetic. We have the answer. We have our assurances. We have seen it with our own eyes. We have seen so many devotees transcend very difficult positions what to speak of our founder acarya

ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS), in Sridham Mayapur, was held from February 10th to 17th, 2012. The ILS provides an opportunity for GBC members to share with ISKCON's initiating gurus, sannyasis, temple presidents, project leaders, and congregational leaders the process of strategic planning they have undergone and the progress they have achieved

65 photos from the closing ceremony of the GBC ILS and the Group Photo(s)

Like many other mystique Vaishanva personalities of Vraj, Bilvamangala Thakur perhaps would have occurred in many places as he pleased, causing ordinary people to conclude there were 10 Bilvamangalas etc. Thus based on a version of the local people ,but keeping though that Srila Prabhupada narrated quite similar but not exactly the same story, listening to their age old beliefs, an ancient place and people who relishes the nectar of Bhakti latent in their village traditions (na budhibedam janayet) we dare to put this across!

Sounds pretty positive, and such was the title/theme that set just the right mood for this year's historical gathering of the ISKCON Leadership Sangha - ILS - in Sridham Mayapur. Over 350 "rank and file" temple leaders from all around the ISKCON world (over 40 countries ) met for the eight-day series of sessions and workshops, from Febr.10th to 17th

On February 16th, Professor Vishwanath Karad, President and UNESCO Chair Holder for Human Rights, Democracy, and Tolerance as well as the Founder and Director of more than 28 colleges throughout India (including MIT), met for two hours with Nrsimhananda das, Director of Iskcon Television

During this entire process, the devotees doctors from Bhaktivedanta hospital have been very supportive and sacrificing of their own personal needs and schedule to be there for Maharaj. Maharaj is deeply grateful to them and has expressed his appreciation of their sacrifices, service mood and devotee care system multiple times. Maharaj is particularly grateful to Dr. Saksi Gopal prabhu an intensive care physician from Bhaktivedanta hospital who has been with Maharaj throughout

Here's one thing. Iskcon is what Prabhupada had to do to make Bhagavatam happen. It wasn't enough that he brought the books. He also had to create the authorised hearers. Then with Prabhupada as the authorised speaker and people in Iskcon as the authorised hearers then Bhagavatam can happen. It can take place

I am writing this article as a means to increase dialogue within the devotional community with respect to risk management. I do not place myself as an expert in this area though I do have a sensitivity to the subject given my occupation

The first Monthly Sankirtana Festival of 2012, entitled “Sri Nityananda Trayodasi MSF of Getting to Know Each Other” was held at Iskcon of Silicon Valley (ISV) in honor of Lord Nityananda’s divine appearance day. It was concluded on February 15th, on which day the MSF results were offered to Srila Prabhupada and their Lordships during the Wednesday night Gita class at the ISV temple in San Jose, California

This is to inform that Romapada Maharaja was taken ill today in Mayapur and has been transported to the Birla Heart Centre in Kolkata. He has symptoms of breathlessness and chest pain on the right side. At the moment he is conscious but on oxygen

Alfred Ford (re-christened Ambarish Das), an American heir to Ford fortune and the great grandson of legendary businessman Henry Ford, visited the Institute of Leadership Entrepreneurship and Development (iLead) Kolkata campus to interact with the students and teachers

Somehow or the other as conditioned living entities we hope, with our conditioning of thinking that, we are the Supreme Lord we hope to be victorious all the time. We kind of count on it. It is the subconscious mentality of every living entity. We just want to be victorious and when something goes wrong in our life we immediately become dejected and because it always goes wrong then we are always dejected

In keeping with the theme of the ILS, the International Leadership Sanga, I was requested to speak on the character of a leader. I selected a verse which epitomizes the mood of a leader, namely the bearer of the will and the instructions of those more elevated than oneself