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.

Srila Prabhupada mentions in the purport of SB.3.25.25 the importance of devotee association. He explains that devotees should give up the association of materialistic persons and seek the association of devotees; he describes that to understand the pastimes of the Lord, to see the Lord as a person with personal activities and to offer devotional service one should have devotee association. Srila Prabhupada states that devotee association means association with the Lord

Living in the New Vraja Dhama farm community in Hungary has always felt like a blessing to me. My husband and our two four year old daughters moved here a little over two years ago from Canada. From the first moment my husband and I started associating, we knew that we would like to raise a family on a farm. We understood that Srila Prabhupada’s desire was to establish farm communities, varnasrama and self-sufficiency in ISKCON and we wanted to be a part of that. Our understanding of what that actually meant was at first insufficient and immature, however, with time, and as we lea...

The seeds of this important project lie in Srila Prabhupada's request that his disciples preserve the works of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. My journey to India two years ago was punctuated by unexpected discoveries. Usually when I make the pilgrimage I focus on the holiest of holies: I visit Vrindavan, the land of Lord Krishna, in Uttar Pradesh, and Mayapur, the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in West Bengal. I often underestimate or even neglect the cities that get me there – Delhi and Kolkata, respectively. This time, however, Krishna had a different plan. In Delhi I visited Gop...

“How did they do it?” I asked for fun. Get all the nations to move as one. Herding the cats of the Coronal globe. In the culture of kama, krodha, and lobh. And who are they-anyway Conspiracy theorists do certainly say It's the Orient or perhaps an elite few But this is so much fodder to actually chew. We need not delve into the depths of this. It can lead to a dark, ominous, abyss.

Before formally meeting Hare Krishna devotees, I was one of those who ran in the opposite direction when I saw them coming. I used to think they were from another planet. Who are these guys with their chants and dancing in the street? Or are they going to hit me up for a donation? But one day I had no choice, I was forced into a corner. The front door was open and a devotee knocked on the door. I had to let him in. I thought, since no one was home I will make this quick, a quick donation and get rid of him. But he was different. I offered him some fruit juice and two...

In this coronavirus emergency, the Italian government has declared the country lockdown and people are experiencing serious difficulties just to get food. People who made a choice of life based on farming and engaging in self-sufficiency, in this condition find themselves in an advantageous situation. Gunagrahi das and Rukmini devi dasi say “We live in our farm Cintamani Dhan in central Italy and we have been engaging for almost 30 years in organic farming and self- sufficiency. We try to satisfy Krsna by collaborating to spread these practices in the society of devotees...

Prior to the kirtan procession leaving I realized that I could not go with Srila Prabhupada. I was the cook. I needed to prepare a feast for his samadhi ceremony. I called upon my dear friend Narottama prabhu and asked him to assist as he was, and probably still is, one of the most excellent cooks in ISKCON. He immediately agreed. I also went to our now-departed god-brother Rksaraja prabhu, who was as good a cook as he was kirtaneer. When I requested him to assist he very sorrowfully replied, "No, I'm going with Prabhupada." As I was roughly four times bigger than Rksar...

An invisible virus - not here to please Has locked us all in a very deep freeze The source of which is our very own fault Mistreatment of animals is the cause of the halt Think of the chicks crammed in one place Think of the cows all tight in one space Think of the bats that are in your soup Think of the pigs all killed in a group Think of the flesh of an ape as your lunch Think of the dog on a plate as your brunch Get down to the root, yes we are the cause Blame it on God - please take a pause The shop and the office are now closed down This is reality all over the town People are keepi...

Interview about the newly released Hanuman book. Hanuman is considered the perfect bhakta or dedicated, unwavering devotee, of Sri Rama. He is a renaissance “man” and a superhero rolled into one. He’s very talented. He’s heroic. He’s someone who takes the initiative. And sometimes, he might even make a mistake. He is the most compassionate. He helped to reunite Rama and Sita. And he also wants to help us and inspire all of us in our life’s journey, to reunite us with the Divine. I believe that. That’s the qualification of a sacred storyteller. You can’t tell these stories ...