THE Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.29.11-12) states, "The manifestation of unadulterated devotional service is exhibited when one's mind is at once attracted to hearing the transcendental name and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is residing in everyone's heart. Just as the water of the Ganges flows naturally down towards the ocean, such devotional ecstasy, uninterrupted by any material condition, flows towards the Supreme Lord." In his purport, Srila Prabhupada writes, "No ma...

Vaisnavism has been manifested in its purest and most wonderful form through the love and teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates. The most beautiful aspect of Lord Caitanya's pastimes is the loving interaction between Him and His devotees, and among the devotees themselves. Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya played the role of the devotee just to teach us how to conduct our lives as devotees. In Navadvipa sometimes Lord Caitanya would bow down to His devotees and take the dust from their lotus feet. Sometimes He would wash their clothes with...

Steps for practical application. 1. Arrange seminars on devotee care regularly - preferably having the seminars delivered by those who have actually implemented devotee care. 2. Increase awareness of devotee care by wider circulation of the devotee care newsletter. 3. Display quotes about devotee care on temple notice boards just as quotes about book distribution are prominently displayed. 4. Set up a dedicated team for devotee care with a caring and competent devotee at the helm. 5. Send team members to centers where devotee care is being implemented so that they can learn not only through ...

We generally think that we're in control of our actions and that we're making our own decisions, but the supreme authority, Krsna, declares that this is not the case. He says that we are acting as puppets victims of the forces of nature. In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna says, "All men are forced to act helplessly according to the impulses born of the modes of material nature; therefore no one can refrain from doing something, not even for a moment." (Bg. 3.5) Not just you and I, but "no being existing, anywhere in the material world, is free from the three modes of materia...

"For various reasons, common people do not easily develop faith in exalted persons who are still living, whereas they tend to develop great faith in the activities of mahajanas who have passed away." (Jaiva Dharma chapter 22) The proud practice of using our dull material senses to try to judge who is sadhu and who is not is the same as the neti neti endeavor of the impersonalists. The impersonalists try to understand what is spirit by using their material senses. "Net, neti" means, "not this, no...

In this article, I compare the origin of universe as described in the Srimad Bhagavatam (SB) and the Big Bang (BB) theory . 1. The initial state According to SB, the initial state of matter immediately previous to its manifestation is called pradhana (SB 3.26.10p). In the BB theory, this initial state is called the singularity. The table indicates a clear similarity between these two initial states. Both states, i.e. pradhana and singularity, refer to a condition where no matter/space is manife...

King Prthu and Queen Arci ascended to the spiritual world, Vaikuntha, in spiritual airplanes. They ascended in spiritual bodies, their material bodies having been consumed by the fire of the funeral pyre. The sage Maitreya, narrating this history in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, said, "Any person who describes the great characteristics of King Prthu with faith and determination whether he reads of them himself or helps others to hear of them is certain to attain the very planet Maharaja Prthu attained...

Over 175 selected analogies from Srimad Bhagavatam (Cantos 1‑4 & 9‑11), Bhagavad‑Gita As It Is, Teachings of Queen Kunti, Teachings of Lord Kapila, Life Comes from Life, and Path of Perfection. Activities (material and spiritual) & milk preparations 1 Atheists and criminals 1 Authorities and lawyers 1 Bodies and firewood 2 Body and fortress 1 Body in Krsna consciousness and iron in fire 2 Body's occupant and apartment's tenant 2 Conditioned soul an...

The arduous sea voyage from Calcutta to Boston was finally over. The lone passenger aboard the cargo ship Jaladuta, a seventy-year-old Indian holy man, had been given free passage by the owner of the Scindia Steamship Company. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada arrived at Commonwealth Pier on September 17, 1965. For thousands of years krsna-bhakti, love of Krsna, had been known only in India, but now, on the order of his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada had come to awaken the natural, dormant Krsna consciousness of the American people. On his arrival day onboar...

In 1970 Dhanajaya Prabhu came with a group of devotees from London to the 'Festival of the Midnight Sun' in Sweden In this video you will see some unique film clips and photos from the festival outside Jönköping 50 years ago. Enjoy!

ISKCON Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada visited New Vrindaban four times, giving the devotees there his association and dispensing practical advice for simple living that remains invaluable not only to New Vrindaban, but to all ISKCON rural farm communities to this day. During his first visit, running for over a month from May 20th to June 23rd 1969, Srila Prabhupada encouraged the small group of devotees to embrace the austerity of New Vrindaban life. He praised thei...

Srila Prabhupada repeatedly taught that Krishna consciousness must be presented in ways that uplift society, illuminate universal spiritual values, and open the door for people of all backgrounds to discover Dharma. He emphasized that genuine spiritual outreach includes demonstrating how Vedic principles naturally harmonize with the highest expressions of human ethics—compassion, dignity, protection of life, and the cultivation of wisdom.

The Gita teaches that wherever our mind is at the time of death, that will determine our next destination. Better not leave that to chance as our mind is undependable. In a split second it goes off on any emotion, both good and bad. Before we die, therefore, we need to practice what state of mind we want to be in at the time of death. That’s the practice of Bhakti. If our heart is filled with affection for Krishna, then at that critical moment we will ca...

Even if someone simply wrote that they were interested in Hare Krishna or Krishna Consciousness and only requested information I'd send them a personal reply inviting and encouraging them to read Prabhupada's books, chant Hare Krishna and write to me with any questions they might have. This personal touch was reinforced by Srila Prabhupada a few years later in L.A. We were giving him a tour of the BBT offices and warehouse facility and he was asking me how many letters we were getting every day. I ...

"Srila Rupa Gosvami, after consulting various scriptures, has enumerated the transcendental qualities of the Lord as follows: (1) beautiful features of the entire body: (2) marked with all auspicious characteristics; (3) extremely pleasing: (4) effulgent; (5) strong; (6) ever-youthful; (7) wonderful linguist; (8) truthful; (9) talks pleasingly; (10) fluent; (11) highly learned: (12) highly intelligent; (13) a genius; (14) artistic; (15) extremely clever; (16) expert; (17) grateful; (18) firmly determined; (19) an expert judge of time and circumstances; (20) sees and speak...

The preeminent philosopher in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's line explains why, in this age, the Puranas are essential for accessing the Absolute Truth. Sri Tattva-sandarbha is the first of Srila Jiva Goswami's Bhagavata-sandarbha, or Shat-sandarbha, six treatises that firmly establish the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. In the texts leading up to this section, the author has discredited direct perception and inference as valid means to acquiring perfect knowledge. He has concluded that only the ...

My life took an apical turn when I stumbled across the Hare Krishnas. Being born in India I had some knowledge of “Krishna” but I was like most Indians are - conscious of Krishna but not Krishna Conscious. Being just “conscious of Krishna” didn’t mollify my thirst for happiness. When I was introduced to the programs conducted by the Hare Krishnas near our college campus new hope dawned upon me. What mesmerized me the most in these programs was the chanting of the mystical mantra…

Sages and saints meditate for thousands of years to get a glimpse of that land. In that glorious land of Goloka Vrindavan Gopa Kumara’s heart attained supreme satisfaction. He wanted to see Krishna and so began searching Krishna. He saw the brajvasis, the most exalted devotees, and inquired from them about Krishna. But they were so absorbed in Krishna that they were not able to say a word. One elderly man who was overwhelmed with emotions in broken words showed him the palace of Gopa King, Nanda.

Shukratal is a tiny holy town about 2-3 hours (72 km) from Haridwar on the banks of Ganges River in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Srila Sukadeva Goswami spoke sacred Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana) to Maharaja Pariksit (the grandson of Arjuna and son of Abhimanyu), under a banyan tree 5000 years ago. Here at a place called Sri Sukadeva Temple, there is a gigantic 5100 year old Banyan tree, also known as Akshaya Vat Vriksha, underneath where Sukadeva Goswami, Maharaja Pariksit and 80,000 sages sat for 7 days continuously hearing Bhagavatam narration. The branches of this ...

“Can you please speak to my relatives,” a doctor friend requested me after a Sunday feast program in our temple. “Their youngest son died in an accident recently, and they are much traumatized.” I agreed and went to meet the family in a corridor outside the temple hall. The father told me how the son had gone to a picnic with his friends and had drowned in a river. He was just eighteen. I listened sympathetically, and when they asked questions I offered an...

What to speak of being envious of the Vaisnavas, if one causes pain to ordinary living entities he is considered a fallen low-class person. Even after worshiping Lord Visnu, if a person gives trouble to other living entities, his worship becomes fruitless. Such a person suffers unlimited miseries. If a person is knowingly or unknowingly envious of a Vaisnava who is engaged in the nonduplicitous service of Lord Hari, his degradation is inevitable. Of this there is no doubt. Apart from this, if e...

Krishna Conscious family life is consistent with the teachings and example of Srila Prabhupada, which must be applied with consideration of time, place and circumstance. In the field of grihastha life, one should take into account the local culture with-out compromising Srila Prabhupada's teachings. One should not attempt to simply transpose practices from one culture to another without understanding the principles and values. underpinning them.