Don’t Starve your Mantras!
One of the highlights for me at the recent Sadhu Sanga Kirtan Retreat was an instruction on mantra meditation. It was spoken by Sacinandana Swami in reference to the Gayatri Mantras that are chanted when one receives advanced initiation in the practice of Bhakti Yoga, but it’s a guide that can be applied to any mantra meditation practice: “Don’t starve your mantras”
Our devotional yoga involves the chanting of many mantras, the main one being the Hare Krishna mantra. A successful chanting pr...

An Ocean of Gaura Premamrta-krpa" - An elaboration on Srila Rupa Goswami’s Sri Upadesamrta.
This wonderful book in two volumes has been compiled by H.G. Srimati Mataji (Vrindavana) and her team.
HG Srimati Mataji is a senior renounced Vaishnavi, who after serving for 18 years in Sri Mayapur dhama has now settled in Vrindavan since last 3 years.
She recently compiled a wonderful book based on Srila Prabhupada and previous acharyas which she dedicated to 50 years of ISKCON.
You can download it, as pdf files, here:

Hare Krishna in Wales, UK (15 min video)
A new documentary video about Govinda’s restaurant in Swansea.
This film shows the Hare Krishna temple with Govinda’s restaurant in Swansea, and Cafe Atma in Cardiff, Wales. Some of the local devotees.speak about their experiences.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/RQvg1j

5th Annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Bloomington.
Damodarananda Das: We celebrated our 5th Festival of Chariots on Sept 18 in Bl......

Ilford Rathayatra, UK - 18th September 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If the surface of the globe is overflooded wi......

The Glories of Srimad Bhagavatam (video)
A seminar by HG Radhika Raman Prabhu given In Iskcon Silicon Valley.
The Srimad Bhagavatam is the very essence of all the Vedanta literature, a cultural presentation for the re-spiritualization of the entire human society.
“This Srimad Bhagavatam is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krishna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the Age of Kali shall get light fr...

How the Bhaktivedanta Manor used to be.
This is a fascinating photo taken around 1870, on the grounds of Bhaktivedanta Manor. T......

EVERYBODY SHOULD JOIN THE SANKIRTAN PARTY ASAP!
Ramesvara dasa: I remember my first morning walk with Srila Prabhupada. It was when he came to New Dwarka in 1973, and I remember I had just written the sankirtan scores for the day before. I asked Karandar to give it to Srila Prabhupada, which he did. Prabhupada wrote back a handwritten note saying, “Thank you boys and girls. I give you so much thanks, because you are helping me serve my guru maharaj. Surely he will give his blessings, pour his blessings thousand times more than me on you, and th...

Sriman Nitai Das, a disciple of Satsvarupa dasa Goswami left this world while in Vrindavana.
He had a massive cerebral hemorrhage to the right side of the brain. The devotees there got him into the hospice facility. Soon after left his body.
Swarup Das: I remembered that Nitai Das and I had some very wonderful personal exchanges using the message facility here on facebook - he wrote me the following in 2012:
“Swarup Prabhu, you said you were with ISKCON Press in Boston in those early days. It reminded me of one of my early Krsna conscio...

Daily Announcements for Iskcon Vrindavan.
Tuesday 20th. September 2016
Today’s Special Activities are:
For all the Western devotees, we would request you for filling up the legal papers in case you meet some unfortunate event or fortunate event getting sick in Vrindavan and want to leave your body. We have very great legal obligations and very great legal problems, so it would be nice if the devotees come and fill the living will, medical power of attorney and particularly very important next of kin information papers. You can give your in...

“Vedic”: The Vedas and More.
SCHOLARS OFTEN restrict the meaning of the term “Vedic” to that which relates only to four original Vedas Rg, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva and the period in which they assume they appeared. Authorities within the tradition itself, however, usually expand the meaning to include not only the Vedas but their corollaries as well. They give the corollaries at least equal status to the Vedas and refer to them as Vedic literature. Following are some references to support that view:
“One should expand a...

Vaishnava celebrations in Moscow, Russia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Always remember that our first business is preac......

Padayatra in Fiji (Album with photos)
Lord Caitanya Himself would go through the countryside towns and villages giving everyone......

TOVP: Vishwakarma Puja in the Service of Sri Sri Radha Madhava (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: Vishwakarma is the demigod of architecture. He is accredited for designing Dwarka. The Mahabharata describes him as “The lord of the arts, executor of a thousand handicrafts, the carpenter of the gods, the most eminent of artisans, the fashioner of all ornaments … and a great and immortal god.” He has four hands, wears a crown, loads of gold jewelry, and holds a water-pot, a book, a noose and craftsman’s tools in his hands”.
...

The modes!
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 11 September 2016, Durban, South Africa, Sunday Feast Lecture)
Spiritual life can be received in any state of mind. If the seed of bhakti is received when we are in ignorance, when there are unwanted activities, actions, etc. then these other “creepers” choke the “devotional creeper”. Even in the mode of passion, there are disturbances. We will become insensitive because of our selfishness; we exploit the world, other living beings and so on…
That is what is going on in the world ...

Shiksha from Shikshashtakam (Audio-visual presentation)
Chaitanya Charan Das: When I came to Alachua, Florida, USA, last year, I felt embarrassed to speak about Krishna to an audience primarily of senior devotees, many of whom are Prabhupada disciples. Still, they have been very kind to encourage me and appreciate my classes.
This year, Janmashtami Prabhu, who had started the Mayapur Institute (MI) in Mayapur and has started a Krishna Institute here for similarly revitalizing an educational ethos in our movement, asked me to speak on a workshop enti...

Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir Kartika Parikrama Schedule.
Deena Bandhu Das: Kartika is glorified in the Puranas as very special for making spiritual advancement and the best place to be in Kartika is Sri Braja Dham. In fact this month is known as Damodar, since in the middle of this month, the Lord performed His very enchanting Damodar Lila. Kartika month also represents Radharani, and devotees perform special austerities to gain Her favor.
With great happiness in our hearts, we invite everyone to join in the auspicious Kartika Festival in Vrindava...

Saturday Night Harinam London, September 2016 (2 min video)
Bhajahari das: Steak house waitress makes spiritual profit!
This is why we must go out on harinam!
Please watch the following amazing video:
https://youtu.be/r3R-1_V0J80
In this wonderful short clip you will see a young lady whose job it is to stand at the door of the Angus Steak House in Leicester Square, greet customers and then show them to their seats. As soon as the Harinam Party reached outside the Steak House she deserted her ...

HH Jayapataka Swami is in the Bhaktivedanta Hospital in Mumbai for routine exams. This didn’t impede him to give a class live, through skype, to a Malaysian convention in Penang where more than 1400 devotees were gathered.
Find more photos here: https://goo.gl/LvzyZm

ISKCON NZ: Padayatra Fiji (Album with photos)
Kalasamvara Das: Tonight, after walking for 5 hours on our Journey around Fiji we......

Harinama in Toronto, Canada (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The mantra delivers the conditioned soul from his bondage; so......

Enthusiastic kirtan during the Sadhu Sanga Festival in Russia (4 min video)
Shaktyavesha Avatara Dasa: Some people joked that t......

The “Conch”, New Govardhana community’s newsletter, in Australia, with all the local news, is now online.
Excerpt: Did You Know? By Vrindavani Briant. You may have noticed the two new buildings at ISKCON New Govardhana. These buildings mark the spot for the new and improved brahmacharini ashrama. Each building contains rooms with upgraded facilities for the brahmacharinis, including air conditioning and individual bathrooms. A third building will be erected to provide a common area that includes a kitchen and laundry facility, and vera...

What does a Jew, a Muslim and a bunch of Hare Krishnas have in common? (4 min video)
Our New York City Harinam party attracts m......