This topic is more relevant at this point in time than any other in modern history. We stand at a crossroads of mankind. If the enlightened leadership of mankind can catch a clue from Bhagavatam, and take note of the cause of the "pinprick through out the social body at large, wherein large scale quarrels take place over even less important issues," then there is hope. The problems arising from gross mis-identification with matter is what is unfortunately being perpetuated by the current broad form -slaughter...

For Srila Prabhupada, the term “Society, Friendship and Love,” was used to refer to the primary allurement which keeps us shackled in the material world of illusion and suffering. The following excerpt is indicative of his general usage of the term: Persons who are conditioned in the society, friendship, and love, this is the attraction for material life. "Society, friendship and love," they think, "divinely bestowed upon man." But that, it is not divinely be...

What is this? Oh my, Srila Prabhupada appearing with Allen Ginsberg? On the same stage? How is it possible? It was true. We put these posters all over the Ohio State University campus. I was in the room when Srila Prabhupada was talking to Sriman Allen Ginsberg before the event. I was shocked, quite honestly, at how humble Srila Prabhupada was, how he was asking Ginsberg’s opinion on the venue. It was amazing. Anyway, about 2,000 midwest teenagers from the “All American City” of Columbus, Ohio showed ...

Srila Prabhupada told us that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was a ray of Visnu, a liberated soul sent by Krsna. He took birth in the material world for a divine purpose, specifically to assist Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his work and to carry on his mission. Soon after Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's birth, during the Ratha-yatra, the chariot stopped in front of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's house, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's mother took him onto the chariot; and a garland from Lo...

The common understanding of an Advanced Civilization in today's context is to be advanced in Technology, having a comfortable lifestyle, Earning Lots of money and having enough or rather lavish facilities to enjoy the senses to the fullest. This is the yard stick that is generally used to gauge the Advancement in Civilization. Owing to this yardstick Countries like United States of America, Great Britain etc are considered as First world Countries and more advanced in civilization then others. Undoubtedly thes...

Please know that I also suffered a great deal emotionally as my long sought after first born child was diagnosed as autistic and mentally retarded. They might as well have given me the news of her death, which is how it felt at first. I was emotionally devastated by this and it very nearly ruined my life at the time. I went from being a top Ford salesman to being virtually unable to sell anything (after a lifetime of sales work). I cried a lot with self-pity, "Why me, God?" This caused me to call out to K...

Devotees from other centers such as Buffalo, Columbus, New Vrindaban, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. were also coming to Boston to see Srila Prabhupada. On the day he was due to arrive a school bus was rented to transport everyone to the airport from the temple at 38 N. Beacon Street to greet him. The wonderful reception scene was documented in a series of photographs in which can be seen a banner saying “ISKCON New York Welcomes Prabhupada.” I’m holding one end and Rohini Kumar...

Much can be said about compassion, and although we’ve covered many of its different facets, there is still much more that can be said, specifically in terms of our relationships with each other as practitioners of Krsna consciousness. This whole theme expands from one line in The Nectar of Devotion—that one should not give unnecessary trouble to any living entity. This is a principle of Krsna consciousness that every Vaisnava should aspire to achieve because, as we say eve...

Across all religions there is a universal concept that when a man and woman marry with proper attitude they become one body. They don’t merge into each other’s existence, but it means that they start living for a common purpose – to serve God together. They share the same goal at many levels. First – I will do anything to protect you and you will do anything to protect me; this is oneness. We are there for each other and whatever the difficulties we may fac...

Devotees are not ordinary booksellers; their bookselling is transcendental. It is sankirtana, the glorification of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sankirtana can be executed very easily, without great endeavor or expense. One can simply chant the Hare Krsna mantra by himself or with others. Or one can read about and discuss the pastimes of the Lord and His devotees. When we give someone a book, we allow him to get in touch with the philosophy and pastimes of Krsna. Any donation he giv...

For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear

When we say Krishna we mean God. When we say God it is not a Hindu God or Muslim God or Christian God and so forth or an Indian God or Russian god or Chinese God. God is God. He is the only one. He is the Supreme Personality. Although He is one but He has innumerable names according to His innumerable pastimes and innumerable qualities. Even in English we notice God is addressed as the Almighty or Omnipotent. Almighty and omnipotent are the names of God. As God is all powerful, He is the Almighty or Omnipotent. So, in the same way God is all cognizant that is why he is omniscient. In t...

Like an expert doctor who seeing a patient with metastases know that he will soon die, Srila Prabhupada by seeing how the modern society have created so many slaughterhouses, so many cars and industries spoiling the atmosphere, paper money as an economic base, drugs, abortion... he knew the consequences of these activities, that by laws of nature there will be war, pestilence, famine and many other unwanted calamities. He also knew... that the devotees always have problems to live a rural life, far from the commodities of the cities, the jobs, the supermarkets... we are used to it. But he ...

When articles are mildly contaminated through contact with impure items such as food remnants, they may be purified in the following ways: gold, silver, conch shells, jewels, stones, and spoons are purified by water; yajïa utensils, such as the sruk and sruva (wooden ladles), by rinsing with warm water; other yajïa utensils by scrubbing with kuça grass and water; an äsana, bed, and vehicle by water; and grains, deerskin, cloth,4 thread, linen, fruits, flowers, grass, and leaves by washing them in water if extensively contaminated, or simply by sprinkling if the contaminati...

Prabhupada was at that time alone, so I did not recognize that he is Prabhupada. "Where is A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami?" I asked Prabhupada. So he asked me, "Why you want to meet with him?" I replied, "Because he is my guru. I like him very much." Then he asked: "Why you accept him as your guru?" I said, "Because he is the servant of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu." "Who is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?" asked. So I said, "He is Krishna Himself." "Why you accept Lord Chaitanya as Krishna?" asked again. "Becaus...

I wanted to express my convictions today, not based upon my position as an "authority", but from a personal and open-hearted viewpoint of someone who has had many years of experience in ISKCON. If you see any validity to these years of experience, then maybe when I open my heart to you, it may influence you, in some small way, to understand why I feel that this counselor system is important. I am not here in the capacity of the GBC for Moscow. I've come to realize that hammering from the GBC doesn't open anyone's heart. Frankly, I'm tire...

Suppose for a moment this stone has life. It still has all the characteristics of a stone, but now it knows it exists. No matter how many trucks choose to run over it, it feels no pain. It is, after all, just a stone. And, just as befits a stone, it doesn’t feel joy when spring is right round the corner. Isn’t that a most coveted state of existence? Granted, there’s no exhilaration in life, but not a bad price to pay for escaping the agony of being crushed under ...

In the revealed scriptures, the ultimate object of knowledge is Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead. The purpose of performing sacrifice is to please Him. Yoga is for realizing Him. All fruitive activities are ultimately rewarded by Him only. He is Supreme knowledge and all the severe austerities are performed to know Him. Religion (dharma) is rendering loving service unto Him. He is the supreme goal of life

One time when Srila Prabhupada came to New Dwaraka he was passing out sweet balls instead of the traditional Prabhupada cookies. The temple was so crowded with visiting devotees, sannyasis and GBC I thought there was no way I could go up to get a sweetball. It was packed and everyone was jumping in ecstasy. I, however, had to go to the temple kitchen and perform service, and I was lamenting that I could not get a sweetball from Srila Prabhupada. At one point Sri...

Talk about living a nightmare. There was a report on the news that a Belgian man “though to be in a coma for 23 years was actually conscious the whole time.” Alex Watts of Sky News Online writes, “For the whole time, he was trapped in his own body with no way of letting friends and family know he could hear every word they were saying.” It gets worse. In an interview with the German magazine Der Speigel the man, Rom Houben, says, "I screamed, but there was nothing...

The life of the Krsna conscious society is nourished by these six types of loving exchange among the members. —Upadesamrta Provide pre- and post-marital counseling either done by trained devotees or through recommending specific people or organizations • At a certain level of community size, create a team of mature, successful grhastha trained to give premarital and post-marital counseling as well as giving help in finding spouses for devotees.