So you want a happy life? Here is Bhismadeva’s advice: Maha­raja Yudhi­sthira inquired, “How should one act so that he can very easily pass his journey through life?”
In reply, Bhishma advised, “My dear King, a person who wants to avoid putting himself into great difficulty should carefully avoid performing three acts with his body- the killing of other living entities, stealing, and the enjoyment of others’ wives.”
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“If one is capable the Bhisma-panchaka vow will be observed for the sake of love of God for the five days from the eleventh day (of the bright lunar fortnight in Kartika) up till the full moon day. The prescriptions for this have been given in the Vrata-Khanda-Kartika Mahatmya of the Padma-purana, in the Skanda Purana and in the Visnu-rahasya.”

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Apply these 5 open secret techniques to improve your Naam Kirtan — Sacinandana Swami

“That other is Krishna”
Srila Prabhupada: From the very beginning, the body was given by father and mother. In the childhood, as the father and mother say, “Sit down here, eat this, don’t go there,” everything is controlled by the father and mother, and originally given by the father and mother. So how we can claim, “This is my body”? From the very beginning. Then, somebody else maintains you. Suppose you are working in an office, in a factory. So actually that body belongs to him, the maintainer. In this way,...

Everybody is dying. But don’t worry, you won’t die, is just “them” (video)
We are not this body, but still so much attached to possessions, relatives, reputation, social positions, friendship, love. And no time for God and spiritual life.
Now is the time to prepare!

Do you remember me?
I was distributing in Byron Bay, Australia. When I approached a man, he asked, “Do you remember me?” “No, sorry, I don’t.” “Three years ago, you gave me the Bhagavad-gita, and I gave you a donation.
I thought it might help me through my troubled times. I had lost my business and my family, so I was drinking a lot. Basically I wanted to drink myself to death. Miserable.

“Bless My Son”
Living with Srila Prabhupada.
By Rukmini Devi Dasi.
The ultimate anxiety for every parent is how their child will fair in the world. Srila Prabhupada’s mother wanted him to study in London and become a barrister, akin to the current day I.T. specialist who scores a job in the USA. However, Srila Prabhupada lovingly describes how his father’s ambition differed. Gour Mohan De wanted Abhay (Srila Prabhupada ’s birth name) to be skilled in mridanga and the art of knowing and sharing the sacred scripture, Srimad Bhag...

Deity worship by Vaishnavis.
Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Amsu das on 13 August 1974:
“Regarding the worship of our Gaura Nitai by women pujaris, we worship Lord Chaitanya in His householder life when He was with His wife, and not as a sannyasi. So, it is alright for women to do this service. But, besides this, service is spiritual and there can be no material designation. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated by Lord Krsna: striyo vaisyas tatha sudras te’pi yanti param gatim. The principle is that everyone who is properly initiated and...

The following is a chapter from Modern Culture–a Dangerous Experiment by DAYANANDA DAS ADHIKARY.
This section discusses human greed as the root cause of environmental disasters. Many consider the problem to be systemic,[1] and they advocate changing fundamental values to those that would provide genuine reverence toward nature.
The solution presented in this book is to adopt the essential values and practices of Vaishnava culture, specifically those related to yajna.

Contradictory views in scriptures about Lord’s nature & the way to understand it! (video)
Lecture by HH Bhanu Swami at Iskcon Chennai.

How to Get Through Tests.
All of us will encounter tests on our way. Once Indradyumna Maharaja told me a pertinent story: many years ago Maharaja was on sankirtana with a group of brahmacaris. They were planning to sing in the streets of Paris. It was a particularly difficult day: first the petrol in the car ran out in the middle of the highway. After they solved this problem by walking to the nearest gas station to bring more fuel, they continued to drive until one of the tires punctured. Finally, after a mechanic repaired the tire, they arrived in P...

After Akrura was instructed by the evil king, Kamsa, to bring Krishna and Balaram from Vrindavan to Mathura, he boarded his chariot. Along the journey, Akrura struggled to fathom the good fortune that had befallen him. He was about to see the object of his meditation, the essence of his life - Krishna and Balaram. As his chariot rode along, inching closer and closer to Vrindavan, he thought of seeing the beautiful forms of Krishna and Balaram. He thought of Krishna’s face and His enchanting smile framed by His captivating reddish lips. He thought of ...

Srimad Bhagavatam class by HH Badrinarayan Swami in San Diego, Ca

Krishna doesn’t promise a stormless sea – he provides an unsinkable ship (Based on Gita 18.58)

How to be positive in all circumstances – the third perspective. It is not enough to maintain physical hygiene – we need to take care that our mind and our heart remain pure. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura once said, “Negativity will only control you if you allow it to enter your mind.” In other words, if you think negatively, if you always look into the abyss, the abyss will stare into your face. This is very important. On the other hand, if we think that everything is possible, everything will be possible for us – b...

“Be Happy When Others Are Glorified” by HG Mahatma Prabhu - (5 min video)
Mark Twain said, “It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to not deserve them and have them.” Sometimes we do something praiseworthy but receive no praise. And it may happen that others less deserving of praise receive it. We should not be unhappy. As devotees, we are not looking for praise.

Helping others get close to Krishna (video)
Srimad Bhagavatam Class by H.G. Anuttama Prabhu at ISKCON Vrindavan

Hankering after the lotus feet of the Lord.
(1.11.25-26) The inhabitants of Dvārakā were regularly accustomed to look upon Lord Kṛṣṇa, yet they were never satiated. His lotus feet are the refuge of pure devotees who never talk or sing of any subject except His Lordship.

7 Quotes to Remember in Difficult Times. During difficult times, our mind is usually disturbed, our intelligence confused, and our ego hurt. Of these seven quotes from Radhanath Swami’s book The Journey Within, three are for the mind, two for the intelligence, and two for the ego.

In any condition you can become purified!
Srila Prabhupada: The real point is that narayana-paranmukham. Without thinking of Narayana or Krsna or Visnu, no method will be able to purify you. Vita-raga-bhaya-krodha, mam upasritah… [Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me – and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me. (Bhagavad-gita, 4.10.)] – the simple process to become purified. And that simple proces...

Will God be understood by science in the future?
The word “science” originally meant knowledge i.e. to know. When Newton postulated the law of gravity he did not call himself a scientist, he was considered as a natural philosopher. The word “scientist” is an eighteenth-century invention. The word “science” is used in a specific sense today. In science, we look for explanations of natural phenomena. Science has its own limitations when it comes to explaining natural phenomenon. The idea that science will be able to u...