ISKCON-Delhi: Festival of Inspiration - 28 May, 2016 (Album with photos)
Several thousands attended ISKCON’s Festival of Inspiration to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of Lord Sri Chaitanya.
India’s Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Dr Mahesh Sharma inaugaurated the event and spoke on how Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement is about devotion and compassion. He thanked ISKCON for taking India’s culture around the world.
The festival saw several stunning presentations by national and international artists. These inclu...

Prabhupada Festival 2016 — New Dvaraka, Los Angeles (playlist of 10 brief clips)
Srila Prabhupada: Lord Krishna stresses the importance of remembering Him. One‘s memory of Krishna is revived by chanting the maha-mantra, Hare Krishna. By this practice of chanting and hearing the sound vibration of the Supreme Lord, one’s ear, tongue and mind are engaged. This mystic meditation is very easy to practice, and it helps one attain the Supreme Lord. (Bhagavad-Gita 8.8 Purport)
Watch them here:

Living Your Calling in an Age of Confusion.
On the evening of Friday, May 6th, New York’s Bhakti Center partnered with Upbuild to hold a dinner event featuring a talk by Radhanath Swami on the topic “Living Your Calling in an Age of Confusion”.
Upbuild is an educational social enterprise created by Rasanath Das and Hari Prasad, who both used to live and serve at The Bhakti Center as monks. Upon graduation from the monastic order they went on to launch Upbuild which aims at maximizing the human potential by creating environments th...

Door to door book distribution.
Bhakta Akshay: Since the start of this year, in the mood of Haridasa Thakura and Nityananda Prabhu, I’ve been doing a lot of what I think is an under-rated form of book distribution: door to door. I was inspired by a devotee friend, who used to be a Jehovah’s Witness.
She said that they are really systematic. They keep notes and even revisit favorable people they’ve met. I adopted this systematic approach in distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books, and I now make notes on the favorable people I m...

ISKCON Pakistan: Presentation on Sindhi Bhagavad Gita printing in Damodhardesh-May 2016 (3 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: I don’t say, “Follow me.” I say “Follow Krishna.” Krishna says, “Surrender unto Me.” I say “Surrender unto Krishna.” Is there any difference? My position is simply repeating because Krishna says, “Anyone who preaches this confidential subject matter, he is dear to Me.” Allahabad, January 18, 1971
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/H1Lefy<...

Pre-Marital Questions.
Uttama devi dasi: This list of questions, in two sections is intended for couples to think about and discuss with each other as a means to reach understanding about each other’s expectations and desires. It will take some time to read and answer all these questions, so please undertake this when you are relaxed and have time.
Remember that this is just to help you become aware of many aspects of marriage and you may find that more questions will come up that are unique for you. Feel free to get in touch with any of the G...

Two Highlights From The Waikato (Waikato is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand).
Damodara Krsna Dasa: Recently, I went on a six-day stint in the Waikato.
I was in Hamilton East–in a small car park–and stopped an athletic lady. She happened to be Joelle King, the best women squash player for New Zealand.
After an injury, her ranking dropped from No. 4 in the world to 17th. Six months after her recovery, she is now up to 11th in the world. But she explained that she isn’t satisfied. Her sports psyc...

May 31. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Psychedelic Congregation.
Prabhupada stepped out of his white shoes, sat down on a thin mat, faced his congregation, and indicated they could all be seated. He distributed several pairs of brass hand cymbals and briefly demonstrated the rhythm: one … two … three. He began playing – a startling, ringing sound. He began singing: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Now it was the audienc...

Sadhu Sanga Retreat 2016 (8 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: The Sadhu Sanga Retreat 2016, in the beautiful mountains of North Car......

New Devotee Marriage Service in UK.
A new marriage matching service for devotees has recently been launched in the UK as a combined effort between the former ISKCON Marriage Team UK and Sacred Ashram Team, who have joined together to become the Krishna Marriage Team and have amalgamated their databases together to provide a co­ordinated national service.
Current members of the new team are Visvambhara das and Jagannathesvari devi dasi, Gaura Kishore das and Saumya­radhika devi dasi, Sundarananda das and Kirti­radhika devi dasi, and Br...

Star Wars or Ramayana? (3 min video)
Let Yogesvara prabhu walk you through some facts about it! This is an excerpt from his pre......

New Ekacakra Festival in Slovakia. Sri Sri Nitai Gaura Candra installation and Harinam (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Krishna said “You chant! You Remember Me; at the same time, fight.” He did not say, “Simply fight” or “Simply chant.” Because in the material world that is not possible. Therefore we must chant and at the side time we have to work to continue this movement. The movement requires a lot of energy. (Lecture on Bhagavat-Gita, 16.4 Hawaii)
Find them here: https...

Food For Life Mayapur: Bhaktivedanta Anna-Dan Complex to serve Gauranga prasadam. A daily free meal programme. (2 min video)
The Anna Dan Food for Life complex in Mayapur serves thousands of meals every week. Everything is done to the highest standards, from filtered water, to stainless everything, and very high standard of cleanliness.
To fulfil the desire of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada that “No one should go hungry” his followers, well-wishers, supporters have started a non-profit, non-sectarian, non-religious...

Ratha Yatra 2016 (21.05.2016) s.Dnepr, Ukraine (35 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: In the material world, if one engages in chanti......

Jala Krida Festival (Album with photos)
Sarila Vihara aka Jala Krida was celebrated in the serene Yamuna river at Govardhan Ec......

At Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, as Andrew Günsberg narrates, life guard Nicola Atherton rescues a Hare Krishna devotee. Then a blissful Hare Krishna chanting party ascends the life guard tower. ( 6 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/zXHN7b

Why Do I Wear Sari.
By Rambhoru devi dasi (wife of HG Prithu Dasa and a senior disciple of HDG Srila Prabhupada)
Recently in India I inquired from a Mohammedan gentleman why their women are ardently concealed behind a curtain of cloth, which often completely covers their faces? He replied, “If you have a valuable diamond, which to you is precious and dear, how will you keep it? Will you store it in an old cardboard box in the backyard rubbish heap? No, naturally, you will protect it by putting it safely and securely in a place where the untrus...

Jagannath Ratha Yatra at Malang, Indonesia (Album with photos)
Kavicandra Swami: Here is Lord Jagannath, along with His Brother and Sister. Traveled far through the crowded city to join the “Percussion Festival”. There were 5 hours of kirtan, book and prasadam distribution. One ton of sweet oranges were grabbed up by the population.
At the end of the pictures are those of the next day’s early morning Harinam at our local temple.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/rD4ZPe

May 30. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Prabhupada’s Entrance.
The summer evening was warm, and in the storefront the back windows and front door were opened wide. Young men, several of them dressed in black denims and button-down sport shirts with broad, dull stripes, had left their worn sneakers by the front door and were now sitting on the floor. Most of them were from the Lower East Side; no one had to go to great trouble to come here. The little room was barren. No pictures, no furniture, no rug,...

Iskcon UK, Bath Rathayatra 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “The essence of all Vedic knowledge—comprehending the three kinds of Vedic activity, the Vedic hymns, and the processes for satisfying the demigods—is included in the eight syllables Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. This is the reality of all Vedanta. The chanting of the holy name is the only means to cross the ocean of nescience.” (Narada-pancharatra)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/PFZbUj

Sri Sri Radhika Bansidhar in Nagar Untari - Garhwa, Jharkhand:
The beautiful murti of Sri Sri Radhika Bansidhar was established by a great devotee of Lord Krishna, the Queen of Garhwa (Jharkhand in India), Shivmaani Kunwar Dev in 1830s. The 32 Mann (1280 Kg) murti of Lord Bansidhar is made up of pure gold and was buried in Shiva Pahari of Garhwa for 120 years. The murti is found in Shubh Samvat 1885, when Dynasty of King Bhawani Singh. His wife Smt Shivmani Kunwar is devotee of the Lord Krishna. She was widow and not having any child. She was very kind ...

Putting on Tilaka
In the Uttara-khanada of the Padma Purana, Lord Shiva says to Parvati that in the middle of the “V” of the Vaishnava tilaka mark there is a space and in that space reside Lakshmi and Narayana. Therefore, the body that is decorated with tilaka should be considered a temple of Lord Vishnu. The Padma Purana also states:
vama-parshve sthito brahma
dakshine cha sadashivaha
madhye vishnum vijaniyat
Tasman madhyam na lepayet
“On the left side of the tilaka Lord Brahma is situated, and on the right side is...

5th Annual Sadhu Sanga Kirtan Retreat (video)
Srila Prabhupada: “The essence of all Vedic knowledge—comprehending the three kinds of Vedic activity, the Vedic hymns, and the processes for satisfying the demigods—is included in the eight syllables Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. This is the reality of all Vedanta. The chanting of the holy name is the only means to cross the ocean of nescience.” (Narada-pancharatra)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/PLelBz

The demon within.
Kadamba Kanana Swami: It is true that there is that inner animal within us. The animal that we hide. The animal that lives behind the saintly expressions on our faces. There is this animal and we have chained him up in regulative principles by Srila Prabhupada’s mercy but he wants to break loose. That inner animal which lives within and he OR SHE wants to break loose and waits for opportunities!
I like this theme. I found it somewhere in a magazine, a lady writer picked up on it. She had this bag of special chips and she was...