In this presentation, Hari-dhama dasa discusses an important social issue for the Society: that of providing care for the terminally ill in the movement. Since Vaisnava hold very dear the hope of dying in the association of devotees and at a place of pilgrimage, ISKCON faces a challenging task in providing this facility and care for its members. The author argues that both spiritual care and medical care should be available to patients, be they in a secular hospice or...

Recently I underwent oral surgery and realized what it means not having the ability to speak. The surgery which lasted for more than 2 hours was quite complicated and very painful. After surgery my mouth and gums were swollen and it was almost impossible for me to open my mouth and speak. Now as per the vow taken during initiation we are supposed to chant 16 rounds of Hare Krishna maha-mantra daily irrespective of any circumstances and so I tried to comply with...

As we look around the world, or watch and read the news, practically everywhere is affected by some kind of natural disaster. Floods are displacing millions of people, forest fires are destroying thousands of acres and burning out of control, earthquakes continue to force people to live in fear, and tornadoes and hurricanes have become more fierce and numerous than ever. And if that is not enough, droughts are causing massive crop damage and water shortages. The fact is that nobody likes a loss, no matter how great or small it may be. And a disaster can ta...

Abhisekas in ISKCON centers may only be performed by suitably qualified brahmanas according to the same pancaratrika standards as Srila Prabhupada established for daily temple worship. The only exception, per Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, is bathing Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra annually for Snana Yatra. Supporting Information This applies to any deity in an ISKCON center, whether the understanding of some may be that the deities are installe...

Every reversal can teach us something. Every adversity has hidden lessons. If only we are willing to listen! The times are changing. The world is changing. Question is are we going to change? This 200 years old industrial civilization is entering a decisive phase as the curtains of karma start coming down.

After throwing out all the debris, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates cleaned the temple a second time, looking for finer grains of sand and dust that they might have missed. Then they thoroughly washed the temple. With hundreds of devotees throwing hundreds of pots of water, they cleansed the ceiling, the walls, the floor, and everything else. Sri Caitanya Himself personally washed the sitting place of Lord Jagannatha with His own two hands. Even then, Lord Caitanya was concerned that du...

We are indebted to all our fathers, biological and preceptorial. Srila Prabhupada expressed his appreciation for his father in his dedication to his book Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: "To My Father, Gour Mohan De (1849-1930) A pure devotee of Krsna, who raised me as a Krsna conscious child from the beginning of my life. In my boyhood ages he instructed me how to play the mrdanga. He gave me Radha-Krsna vigraha to worship, and he gave me Jagannatha ratha to duly observ...

Bir Krishna the calf loves coconut fudge, and Sita the teamstress knows it. Her pockets bulge with the sweet as she and Bir walk to the training ring. Today the calf will learn his first call: “Get up!” The earth is soft from the recent rain. Sita carries a lash and leads Bir with a rope tied to a blue halter. The calf bounds through a cluster of gnats, then slows as they come to the ring. What’s this? The gate opens, and Bir walks in to explore. He treads the ...

I have vivid memories of the many times my mother took my siblings and me to church the heartfelt gospel singing, the soul-stirring preaching, the supplications for lost souls to join the church. I remember the passing of the baskets to collect money to support the church and its many activities, and I recall well the song that generally accompanied these collections. Its famous, oft-sung lyrics still echo in my mind today: “You can’t beat God giving, no matter how you try. The more you give, the more He gives to you. Just keep on giving; you’ll find it’s ...

Pandharpur is one of the most pious places in India revered with steeped devotion to Lord Sri Krishna, who is also locally known as “Vitthal” or “Vithoba”. It is the spiritual capital of Maharashtra. Padma Purana and Skanda Purana describe that Lord Krishna came to Pandharpur in search of Rukmini Devi, when she became upset from Krishna while they were in Dwarka. Rukmini departed for the forest of Dindirvana, near Pandharpur.

The Only Deity In The World Manifested From The Heart Of Srimati Radharani. At Seva Kunj, Sridham Vrindavana (next to Sri Sri Radha-Damodara Temple)

The word markata-vairagya, indicating false renunciation, is very important in this verse. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in commenting on this word, points out that monkeys make an external show of renunciation by not accepting clothing and by living naked in the forest. In this way they consider themselves renunciants, but actually they are very busy enjoying sense gratification with dozens of female monkeys. Such renunciation is called markata-vairagya—the renunciation of a monkey. One cannot ...

Teachers wishing success in their service must cultivate the mode of goodness. But wait a minute! Am I hearing protests from hard-pressed devotees sincerely striving to serve their Lord with a passion? Are they not crying out from the distance that there’s no need for goodness? Are they not emphatically stating that devotees are transcendental to the three modes of material nature? Srila Prabhupada once addressed this very question after a Sunday feast lecture at 26 Second Avenue. Prabhu...

I was born in a conservative Orissan Vaishnava family in Puri, on the east coast of India. The Supreme Lord Jagannatha and His devotees were at the center of my life. As a child, I played with dolls of Jagannatha, Baladeva (Balarama), and Subhadra, the deities in the famous Puri temple. I still remember how my mother gave me enormous plates of Jagannatha prasadam and told me to always remember the Lord. I saw how the simple and devoted Orissan people—even doctors, engineers, and scientists�...

Courtesy of Covid-19, the sky-high prices of vegetables and having to contend with dried-up herbs pushed us to start our own little garden. My husband was planning about organic fertilizers, timings for watering and ensuring adequate sunlight. However, as I fingered the fertile soil; I realised that the nutrients and strength that Mother Earth provides to those plants was being ignored. We focus on the externals; we praise the gardener’s skills, the fertilizers, right timings of water and sunlight. Yes, these are all important; but we do not see the invisible work of Mother Earth...

Would you care to know a long-forgotten secret, not even guessed at by the greatest thinkers of the modern era? It’s a simple truth that’s been continuously shrouded by the relentless, disquieting whirlwind of madness presently sweeping over the entire world. It’s this: there is no happier lifestyle than that of a celibate monk! Or, more broadly understood, accepting a simple life, beginning with a lifestyle of celibacy, for the purpose of increasing one’s lov...

While much of the world is in lockdown, the seasons are not. So here in Almviks Gard, Sweden, Spring is in full swing and so are we! Please see our little film showing our preparations for the growing season, our spring cleaning of the temple and our oxen being trained!

Gradually he loses good faith, and finally stops to believe anyone and anything. Everywhere he sees only bad. No other choice is left for him, but to become a cynic, because he is not educated in the culture of Krishna consciousness. He knows not Bhagavad-gita. He does not know how to face such a load of badness. He at all does not know what to think about it. Therefore he joins the cynical attitude of a demon, "Everything is just bad and hopeless. Better I join the club of cynics and demons." Then he becomes full fledged demon too. But saintly person, devotee of Krishna sees same things, but put...

* Momma, you look so stressed and tired today, what’s the problem? * I guess I’ve reached my limits with this lockdown, Lalitä. It seems like it’s never going to end…..I guess the real problem is that I am very worried about your Papa. The new business he started last October is an import/export venture and he’s invested all our life savings in it. The coronavirus pandemic is tearing all his plans to shreds. Life is very, very tough for him right now, and so I worry about him.….

First and foremost, we would like to extend our sincere well wishes to each and every one of you. We truly hope that you are all keeping well. We want to take this opportunity to share our latest newsletter with you. It details some recent developments in the projects we have undertaken to help bring Srila Prabhupada's teachings to prominence. With the coronavirus pandemic currently affecting several aspects of our lives, it may be difficult to keep the mind engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. To guide us through these trying times, we rely on the infallible wisdom found in Śrīl...

A Swaminarayana Monk Appreciates Srila Prabhupada and his Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Few months ago, we received a call from a monk belonging to Swaminarayana sect in Gujarat. He expressed the desire to learn Bhagavad Gita As It Is. It was quite a surprise for us. On inquiring from him the purpose behind his request, he informed us that their chief-guru had written in their sacred literature called siksha-patri, the manual of good instructions, that every sincere seeker should study Bhagavad-gita very nicely. Since, he had heard from many people that ISKCON’s Bhagavad-gita is the bes...

Ahobilam (Ahobalam) is the place where Supreme Personality of Godhead incarnated Himself as Lord Nrsimhadeva to kill the demon Hiranyakasipu and save His dear-most devotee Prahlada. Here at Ahobilam, Lord Nrsimhadeva emerged from the pillar of Hiranyakasipu’s palace, killed him after a fierce fight, simultaneously honouring the boons that Hiranyakasipu received from Lord Brahma. The pillar from where Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared, the ruins of the palace of Hiranyakasipu, the exact spot where Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu, the pond where Lord Nrsimhadeva washed His...

This is a poeticized version of the standard translation for these prayers. A devotee who reads this becomes freed from all sins. May the all-auspicious Lord, who Himself bestows all-auspiciousness, protect from the northeast, the direction of the sun-god, and may He who is death personified protect me from fear of death and rotation in this material world.

At the heart of our existence there seems to be an apparent contradiction: the physical versus the spiritual. We have bodies but we are spirit souls. This virus is a poignant reminder of our collective fragility because despite our technological and medical advances in the 21st Century we seem to be helpless in the face of this viral onslaught. It has brought about a vulnerability which we have not experienced on such a scale for decades. It is in this vulnerability where we can embark on a renewed journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth.