I was walking along Lambton Quay in Wellington the other day, on the way to buy my niece a present for her fifth birthday. My train of thought was a little unfocused as I tried to think of what she would like: a book? a DVD? a Barbie? Would she want something she already knows a lot about, or a total surprise? Hey, perhaps school supplies would be an appropriately practical gift for a grown-up girl

Bhaktivedanta Manor Temple President Srutidharma das explained to the Queen that Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught a philosophy that is “beyond all material designations and differences, and that through singing and dancing we should surrender our hearts to God”

On the 21st of March Vanipedia celebrated its first 4 years online. During this time over 300 devotees participated in thematically mapping Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings. And while Vaniquotes is still a work in progress, we have already attained a major achievement by creating over 13,000 categories and 72,000 pages and compiling over 1,680,000 quotes

Hidden in West Virginia’s hills is one of the state’s most magnificent treasures—a monument that rivals the majestic palaces of India. Tucked among the hills of the rural northern panhandle at the end of a crumbling, unlined paved road, you would have a hard time stumbling across this hidden treasure

Inside the main hall which contains the deities of Krishna Balaram, Krishna Avanti School children sang Sri Krishna Caitanya, a Vaishnava song written by Narottam Das Thakur, followed by the Hare Krishna mantra. The Queen particularly appreciated the devotional music

Last night I attended the Sunday Feast at the SSRR temple-it also happened to be Snana Yatra so the devotees had more energy and enthusiasm than usual. What was more striking however, was a fun, creative and seemingly spontaneous presentation from The Blue Mountain Children's tent team and the Youth Lounge, two dynamic preaching events at the Durban Festival of Chariots this year during the Easter weekend

A Russian court today dismissed a petition seeking a ban on a translated version of Bhagvad Gita for being "extremist", bringing cheers to followers across the world. "The court in the Siberian city of Tomsk has dismissed the plea," Sadhu Priya Das of Moscow ISKCON said soon after the verdict was announced

A group of renowned Russian scientists representing leading Russian research organisations and universities has addressed an open letter to President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in connection with the ongoing trial of "Bhagavad Gita As It Is", a revered Hindu scripture, in the Russian city of Tomsk

His Grace Nitai Prasad Dasa received sannyasa initiation on 8 March 2012 from His Holiness Jayapataka Swami on the auspicious occasion of Gaura Purnima. His sannyasa name is Bhakti Nityananda Swami

On 15th February Sutapa das brahmacari had the opportunity to meet Her Majesty The Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury. A multi-faith reception was held at Lambeth Palace in London; one of the first public engagements to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year

On the auspicious occasion of Srila Madhvendra Puri’s Disappareance, March 5th, 2012, ISKCON Vrindavan unveiled the ‘Bhaktivedanta Book Trust House’ located between the Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Temple and Srila Prabhupada’s House. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) is the world's largest publisher of literature on Krishna consciousness and Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy

On February 27, 2012, the Hungarian Parliament voted on the amendment to the new religious law, adding 18 religious organizations to the list of fully recognized churches in Hungary. Among others, the new list includes well-established Christian groups (such as the Methodists, Anglicans, Adventists, Mormons), the Jehovah Witnesses, representatives of other Eastern world religions (2 Muslim groups, 5 Buddhist communities and the Hungarian Society for Krishna Consciousness)

This is to inform that Romapada Maharaja was taken ill today in Mayapur and has been transported to the Birla Heart Centre in Kolkata. He has symptoms of breathlessness and chest pain on the right side. At the moment he is conscious but on oxygen

Alfred Ford (re-christened Ambarish Das), an American heir to Ford fortune and the great grandson of legendary businessman Henry Ford, visited the Institute of Leadership Entrepreneurship and Development (iLead) Kolkata campus to interact with the students and teachers

On the 19th of December 2011, Worldwide Gita Contest 2011 was organized in Bangalore. Over 5000 participants from all over the world came together for this contest. ISKCON was represented by a 25 year old humble devotee, Mathura Bihari Das, disciple of H.H Radha Govind Maharaj. Born in Bihar and currently living in Vrindavan, he had recently completed the Bhakti Shastri Course at VIHE, Vrindavan

ISKCON Ujjain is the 1st temple in Ujjain city to have full-time LIVE broadcast of all its temple programs from the time it opens to the time it closes. It was all put together in just a matter of few months and successfully launched on November 22, 2011- Also the 1st temple to be fully Solar Powered in Ujjain!

A new temple complex dedicated to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha is coming up in a half acre complex in the eastern part of Bangalore. This project is dedicated to Srila Prabhupada and is being promoted and built by followers of Srila Prabhupada

Earlier this month “Exploring the Bhagavad gita: Philosophy, Structure and Meaning,” a new book written by ISKCON Academy of Arts and Sciences member Dr. Ithamar Theodor, and released by leading academic publisher Ashgate, was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2011

A unique second festival will be held alongside the world-famous Mayapur Festival this year in West Bengal, India. On behalf of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission, the GBC’s Strategic Planning Team will organize the first International Leadership Sanga (ILS) from February 10th to 17th

The Honorable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago accompanied by Foreign Minister, Surujrattan Rambachan and ministers of her cabinet visited ISKCON Juhu on 13th January 2012 and took darshan of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radharasabihariji, Sri Sri Gaur Nitaiji and Sri Sri Sita Ram Laxman Hanumanji. Also accompanying them was famous cricketer Brian Lara

Have you thought about moving further into the techological fray and buying yourself an eReader? Even though it might seem daunting to face yet more new technology, there are reasons why you should – the most compelling being that you can easily store all of Srila Prabhupada’s books (and so many others!) on one handheld device (storage capacities vary)

This is a historic chapter because here is where Srila Prabhupada switched from typing manuscripts himself to using a dictaphone. What sort of difference did that make? Included with the scans are twelve sample pages from the manuscript, including both typed and dictated portions. So you can see for yourself

As you might recall, some months ago the BBT announced a new discovery: a manuscript page for Bhagavad-gita As It Is, chapter 10, text 36, with a sentence handwritten by Srila Prabhupada but never published, in any edition

This is the victory of the whole ISKCON. Of course, ultimately everything was arranged by Sri Krishna Himself, and the whole credit goes to Him. It was very clear to me being in the epicenter of the battle, but still some devotees deserve special mention