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...

Both the Gregorian and Vedic calendars comprise twelve months. But whereas the number of days in each month varies in the Gregorian calendar, the Vedic months are all of the same duration: about fourteen days from the new moon to the full moon and from the full moon to the new. The day of the new moon is known as amavasya, and the full-moon day is known as purnima. And just as the Gregorian calendar is periodically adjusted during years known as “leap” years, the Vedic calendar is also adjusted, every three years. But whereas the Gregorian adjustment adds one day to the month of Februar...