It is worthwhile mentioning over here, that a cell, which is the basic constituent of a human body, has a definite life span, and once a particular cell dies, it is replaced by another. In this way, it is believed that over a span of 7 years, all the cells that constitute the physical body of a person, are completely replaced by new ones. So in effect, a person receives a new body in every 7 years. Now if someone identifies himself with his own body, then he should be considered dead in the next seven years, as he gets physically replaced, or should we say, it is he who is r...

2020. It’s been a rough year. Brutal for some. Revelatory for others, especially that the leaders in the Kali-yuga (the age of quarrel and hypocrisy) are pretend leaders. There is no proper training on how to be a leader. This pretending has been going on for quite some time, and now it has only become more evident. In Mahabharata, the teacher, Dronacarya, sent the two prime candidates for leadership into the city to perform a task. Duryodhana is sent to find someone better than himself. Yudhisthira is sent to find someone lower than himself. Duryodhana examines the people he encount...

KURUKSHETRA, about one hundred miles north of New Delhi, is best known as the place where the great battle of the Mahabharata was fought and Lord Krsna spoke the Bhagavad-gita. But long before that, Kurukshetra had played a dominant role in the history and culture of ancient India. For thousands of years it was a hub around which the Vedic civilization spun in its full glory. Kurukshetra's religious importance is described in many scriptures, including the Bhagavad-gita, the Mahabharata, and various Upanishads and Puranas. The scriptures refer to it as a place of meditation and an abode of ...

This year is an unusual year. One of its many unusual features is that Christmas and Gita Jayanta, the speaking of Bhagavad-Gita (The Song of God), are celebrated on the same day. This is a special opportunity to connect East and West.

He was so engaged, so busy, preaching to tens of thousands of people and taking care of our entire Society, yet he personally took charge of my recovery. To this day I become emotional just remembering this. For me it only increased my dedication to see that this small insignificant soul Yamuna was so cared for and nurtured by Srila Prabhupada. In my later challenges, I drew strength and determination from this episode in my devotional life. Another thing I remember about the illness was the loving care of my Godsisters, among them Visak...

I attended the Christian services and praised God, but the Bible just didn’t satisfy my intellect. I continued to ask God to carry out His will in my body and one day my cell-mate got a copy of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is and it just sat on his shelf for like two weeks until I picked it up one day and started to read and WOW; I thought, ‘now THIS is what I have been seeking, Sanatana dharma, the eternal religion.’

Radha's lake is named after Her because, like Radha, it pleases all the transcendental senses of Krsna. Krsna's eyes enjoy seeing Radha-kunda. Krsna's nose relishes the smell of Radha-kunda's waters and its lotus flowers. The touch of radha-kunda's cool water pleases Krsna's body. The sounds of the singing birds and buzzing bees satisfy Krsna's ears. Krsna's tongue enjoys tasting the ambrosial water of Radha-kunda. Radha-kunda is named after Sri Radha because it has the same power that She has to attract and enchant Sri Krsna. This is confirmed in the Caitanya-caritamr...

A few years ago, while pursuing my postgraduate studies at USM in Penang, I happen to glance over the front page of the local newspaper to read the following headlines in large capital letters: WANTED: LEADERS. Srila Prabhupada: “Ordinarily, the spiritual master, husband, father, mother or superior relative accepts worship from an inferior relative, but here Rshabhadeva forbids this. First the father, spiritual master or husband must be able to release the dependent from repeated birth and death. If he can...

This verse appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (9.4.68) in connection with a misunderstanding between Durvasa Muni and Maharaja Ambarisa. As a result of this misunderstanding, Durvasa Muni tried to kill the king, when the Sudarsana cakra, the celebrated weapon of Godhead, appeared on the scene for the devoted king's protection. When the Sudarsana cakra attacked Durvasa Muni, he fled in fear of the weapon and sought shelter from all the great demigods in heaven. Not one of them was able to protect him, and therefore Durvasa Muni prayed to Lord Visnu for forgiveness. Lord Visnu advised him, however, t...

Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami (1505-1579) is one of the six Goswamis of Vrindavana, leading disciples of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Raghunatha Bhatta's father, Tapana Mishra, was also a prominent follower of Lord Chaitanya. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked Raghunath Bhatta to go to Vrindavan and constantly chant the Hare Krishna mantra and read Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Here are some practical ideas for creating a Krishna conscious environment for kids at home, many based on Montessori principles that I have found successful in my school. They are geared toward the 2-6 age group. I would love to hear from anyone who might have more ideas for this age group or for older children

We are pleased to announce the completion of the TOVP Nrsimhadeva Wing altar design by Their Graces Svaha and Rangavati prabhus. The TOVP is presenting the Gaudiya Vaisnava Siddhanta to the world specifically through the nomenclature inherent in the temple and the planetarium. The design, therefore, has to represent the correct siddhanta. By Srila Prabhupada’s grace and that of his disciples, we have learned that Mahaprabhu is the avatari and all other avataras emanate from Him. Therefore, all divine forms and dhamas exist eternally in Their original forms in Sridhama Mayapu...

"In Alabama the police asked why I was wearing a dress. I didn't know it, but devotees had already been arrested there for "wearing a dress." That's what it was like in the South in 1971" He hitchhiked from Miami to Houston wearing his Hare Krishna clothes through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas.

I went out six days a week to distribute Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books at the Los Angeles airport — code name LAX. We often called it Hell-A-X because there were so many demons anxiously waiting to disrupt our saṅkīrtana activities. We were on the front lines of Lord Caitanya’s mighty army, and māyā held nothing back from us. Though it was an austere service, with many arrests by watchful guards and policemen and constant harassment by envious workers, all the book distributors were dedicated to pleasing Śrīla Prabhupāda. Anyone who received one o...

So far scientists have mastered a few crops, but will they revolutionize the food industry with an engineered fish? In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intention to sanction the first transgenic living organism. GE opponents quickly dubbed it “the Frankenfish.” It was invented by Aqua Bounty at their farm in Prince Edward Island, Canada. With headquarters in Maynard, Massachusetts, Aqua Bounty has been conducting fishy e...

There is no contradiction. Rather, we become both: simultaneously dependent and independent: independent for Krishna; both surrendered - thinking ourselves fully dependent - and autonomous. By becoming instruments, we act as little Krishnas, manifesting His brilliant and magnetic qualities, as Srila Prabhupada does. He instructs and guides us to become fully qualified - like touchstones – to transform others also, into pure servants of the servants of the Lord. Surrender means that we are willing and able to carry out the apparently impossible mission, the desire of guru ...

Sharing wisdom and ideas on a forum are great but going on site and making things happen is even better. My point is, I believe successful congregational leaders should make themselves more accessible to Leaders from struggling countries. We cannot only unite during the Mayapur festival or when we need to sign petitions to avoid temples closing down. I am not saying create a mess. Of course, there should be discipline and everything has to be done under the Local authority... but none of our temple deserves to be the weakest link...Should...

Five main areas of Caution for Leaders: 1) Pride- Which creeps in very subtly so one has to constantly beg to Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that I am a tiny serviter. 2) Isolation- Our leaders should find out proper association of devotees & avoid being isolated. 3) Envy- Srila Prabhupada would say envy means indirect appreciation. So we have to convert this to direct appreciation & we have to be always grateful to Prabhupada. 4) Inattentiveness to necessary spiritual nourishment due to being busy in serving Krishna- We should be attached for doing what Krishna likes & avoid what we like. 5) N...

Circumstances are not in our control, but our response is. Problems often come unannounced. When we suddenly face a problem, how do we respond to it on the spur of the moment? A person’s sense of humor is worth appreciating when he or she cracks a lovely joke with perfect timing without offending anyone. Similarly, a person’s sensibility and wisdom are worth admiring when he or she spontaneously takes a wise decision in an emergency on the spur of the moment. But people who are impulsive in nature, and lack maturity often respond negatively in trying circumstances. <...

The incident will always be fresh in my mind. I had been a practicing devotee for ten years, eight of which were in the sacred holy land of Sri Dham Mayapur in India. Little did I know that Krishna would be sending me the test of my life, the test of chanting His holy names. As had been the routine since 1979 when devotees from Mayapur had inaugurated the Nama Hatta preaching by introducing the chanting of the holy name in every town and village, as ordered by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, I had just returned fr...

We should not think that sankirtana, or the chanting of the Lord's holy names, is simply part of the system of mantra-yoga, or is merely a formula that has been passed down through the ages like other yoga systems. Nor is it a ritual, ceremony, or activity meant for producing good karma or positive fruitive results. Neither is it merely a way to focus the mind and achieve peace and tranquility. It is far more than any of these. It is the Lord Himself who establishes the chanting of the holy names

Lokanath Swami, Candramauli Swami, Sacinandana Swami, Agnideva Prabhu and Vaiyasaki Prabhu share their realizations during the Birmingham 24-Hour kirtana, carefully collected by Krishna-kripa Prabhu. Gopal Guru Goswami:. With the first Krishna, we call on Krishna to attract us. Then we call on Radha to attract us by Her sweetness. With the “Hare Hare” we beg to be engaged in service. The last “Rama Rama” means “please let me be fixed in your name, form, qualities, and pastimes.” The...