Giriraj Swami: Today is Odana-sasthi, the date on which Lord Jagannatha is given a winter shawl. One year, when Lord Chaitanya and His associates celebrated this festival in Puri, Pundarika Vidyanidhi, who is Vrsabhanu Maharaja, Srimati Radharani’s father, in krsna-lila, received some special mercy. His experience is instructive for us all....
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- 9 Dec 2021
The Gita for Daily Enrichment presents insights from the Bhagavad-gita insights through succinct reflections that provide daily inspiration for self-improvement throughout the year.
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- 8 Dec 2021
By Jaganmohini Devi Dasi(On December 9th, 2021 (Odan Shasti), disciples and servants of H.H. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami will be celebrating his 84th vyasa all over the world. On this occasion we are pleased to share below excerpts from his lecture’s question/answer session. The excerpts from chapter ‘Prayers’ are adapted from the book “Sripada in Switzerland – Lectures, conversations and instructions of His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami in Switzerland published by BI, Kolkata.)
...- 7 Dec 2021
By Goloka Devi DasiHaving been appointed just a matter of weeks ago, one of the first meetings the new Ambassador for Ireland, Mr. Akhilesh Mishra, wanted to arrange was with ISKCON! A very nice, knowledgeable and humble man we spent about 40 minutes discussing Sanskrit (which he has studied and his father was a professor of), Vedic culture and the achievements of Srila Prabhupada. Before leaving we presented him with the complete edition of the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta. Somehow that seemed hugely appropriate given it was during the Prabhupada marathon. We look forward to his next three years as Ambassado...
- 7 Dec 2021
This traditional fruitcake is ideal for weddings, birthdays, or any special occasion requiring a luscious, rich cake. It can be kept for several weeks after baking.
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- 6 Dec 2021
By Chaitanya Charana DasaThe Ramayana features an emotionally and intellectually riveting conversation about the interplay of destiny and human initiative. This conversation occurred at one of the epic's defining moments: the moment when Rama, about to be crowned prince regent, was instead sentenced to forest exile for fourteen years. While Rama gracefully accepted the exile as the will of destiny, His faithful younger brother Lakshmana was outraged by the injustice and called for rebellion. Rama calmly responded that He considered His exile the will of de...
- 6 Dec 2021
By Badrinarayan Swami, Arcita and Dravida PrabhusYesterday, December 2nd, at about 5:30 am California time, during the auspicious Brahma Muhurta period, His Grace Sura Prabhu, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and long-time servant of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT), left his body in Los Angeles. He had been hospitalized since November 26th, after being diagnosed with Covid-19. His son, Ram Nomi, and his daughter, Sitapriya, were in the room chanting when he departed. Srila Prabhupada's chanting was also playing softly in the background. Sura Prabhu had his japa beads and was wearing a Nrsimha-pavitra from...
- 3 Dec 2021
By Sivarama SwamiI first met my spiritual master on March 6th 1975 in Dallas Texas. Srila Prabhupada had just been in South America and had toured the Southern United States. I was on travelling book distribution with a sankirtan party and had strayed quite a distance from Montreal my home base. While reporting to the temple president about our scores, we were informed that Srila Prabhupada was flying from Atlanta to Dallas the next day and would be there for some time. We immediately drove west to see with the idea to meet Prabhupada at the airport. By the time we arrived both Prabhupa...
- 2 Dec 2021
By Pancharatna dasToday, we invite you to consider how this website can be used in your own outreach activities. Our hope is that this can become a valuable tool for your cultivation of new people and we can become partners in supporting your efforts. We have a team of devotees producing a regular stream of relevant and relatable content suited to people new to chanting. And we have full-time devotees dedicated to personal communications with all of the people who sign up for our courses.
...- 2 Dec 2021
By Radhika Ramana DasaThis is the age of the internet. People are spending more and more time online. They are emailing, socializing, chatting, downloading, uploading, sight-seeing, blogging. And of course, they are searching. In fact to perform all the previous tasks, one needs the help of a search engine like Google. Google is so famous today for helping people find something on the internet that it is almost synonymous with a search-engine.
...- 2 Dec 2021
By Dhananjaya Das"We have to thank George because this would never have happened if he hadn't agreed to donate this property." George was an honored guest, but he wasn't expected to say anything. But before he spoke, Olivia stood up and said, "I am deeply touched by what I've heard and seen tonight, and I feel impelled to say that George has got true friends here, and I feel happy for him. And I feel happy that I didn't miss the opportunity to witness this amazing gathering." Shyamasundar and Mukunda presented George with a little Prabhupada murti with a Prabhupada hat and glasses and a b...
- 30 Nov 2021
By Mayapur Sasi dasaWhoa, this is huge! ISKCON Silicon Valley did 130,018 book points in October, way ahead of any other temple. What's going on there? Vaisesika Prabhu is spreading the word that Srila Prabhupada likes it when his books are distributed, and the temple's marathon began two months before the annual Prabhupada Marathon. Dhaka, in Bangladesh, achieved a 999% increase, with 24,392 book points. This Muslim country's population is only about 10% Hindu, but still, the devotees are determined to spread Lord Krsna's glories, no matter what the circumstance are. Recent, tragic violence against Hindus ...
- 30 Nov 2021
By ISKCON Ministry of EducationSafety Recommendations from the ISKCON Child Protection Office North America in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Youth Ministry. This set of general information about protecting children online provides information for parents, teachers, event hosts and management to consider when engaging children online.
...- 29 Nov 2021
By the ISKCON GBC Strategic Planning TeamGBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) invites you to discover the holy land of Vrindavan outside the real Vrindavan in our 4 day special series. Jagattarini Devi has joined us on Day 4 to talk about the hidden Vrindavan and its glories.
...- 29 Nov 2021
By Aseem Krsna DasHere is an exceptional devotee of the Lord, who is committed to improving the deplorable conditions of the prisoners within the jails with the brilliant lamp of Krishna consciousness. The prison house is a place meant for reformation or correction but there is no hope of correction without Krishna consciousness.
...- 28 Nov 2021
Prabhupada: It does not require—you simply let him come. Anyone wants to come, let him come. Just like one man has fallen in the well, and he's crying, "Please get me out. Somebody please get some rope. Just catch it, I'll take it." Then where is the question now of getting a blessing? Here is the blessing: take it. But if you don't catch, or if you say that "Give me the strength to catch," this is not very good argument. Here is the rope; you catch it. That's all. But nobody is prepared to do that.
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- 27 Nov 2021
Srila Prabhupada: "The three words, namely Hara, Krsna and Rama, are transcendental seeds of the maha-mantra, and the chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Hara, for giving protection to the conditioned soul. The chanting is exactly like a genuine cry by the child for the mother. Mother Hara helps in achieving the grace of the supreme father, Hari, or Krsna, and the Lord reveals Himself to such a sincere devotee.
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- 27 Nov 2021
By a DasaAlthough 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 came to us after a long journey of commentary and explication. In the very beginning of the Gita's fourth chapter, the text itself provides its own explana...
- 27 Nov 2021
By Srimati DasiLet’s face it. It’s not easy trying to live Bhagavad-gita 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?
...- 27 Nov 2021
By Amanda LuciaUnlike other versions of Hinduism that gurus have presented to Americans, ISKCON is unique in that it has never attempted to universalise or dilute Hindu beliefs and practices in order to fit into local American customs. In fact, ISKCON encourages its disciples to learn Sanskrit, chant mantras, wear Indian clothing, eat vegetarian food, and devote themselves to Krishna. ISKCON presented Krishna as a monotheistic supreme deity, and has augmented its theology to draw parallels with Christ. ...
- 27 Nov 2021