By Yasodadulal DasaKrishnaâs unbelievable reciprocation: I loved the spontaneity and excitement of the experience. I always felt that Radha and Krishna were alongside me and that Prabhupada was happy with my efforts. There were always people to help. I very quickly learned to see God within the hearts of all people. Krishna responded with unbelievable generosity. It was an incredible challenge, filled with the mystery of the unknown, heightened with risk and yet surrounded in the security of knowing my Lo...
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- 7 Sep 2016
By Mathura Lilesvari Devi DasiYear after year many soldiers of Srila Prabhupada are leaving us bereft of their association. These are great Prabhupadanugas who has dedicated their lives for the mission of Srila Prabhupada. There is so much to learn from their lives. Her Grace Kaulini Devi Dasi was born on August 30, 1946 in Sacremento, California. She grew up there and joined ISKCON in 1972 in San Francisco with her then husband, Keshava Bharati Prabhu (now Keshava Bharati Swami). While in San Francisco, she w...
- 6 Sep 2016
By Braja Vilas dasOn this most auspicious occasion of the appearance day of Srimati Radharani, we at the TOVP would like to extend our best wishes to all of you. We hope that on this day everyone can receive Her blessings, which are needed to attract Lord Krishnaâs mercy. Srila Prabhupada wrote the song âKrishna Tava Punya Habe Bhaiâ in his Jaladuta diary, where he explained: âO, brothers! The Supreme Lord Krishna will bestow virtue upon you -- but He will do this only when Srimati Radharani first becomes...
- 6 Sep 2016
By Madhava SmullenDevotees at ISKCON New Vrindaban, West Virginia are in the midst of major renovations on Srila Prabhupadaâs Palace. And theyâre launching a campaign to help them continue restoring the renowned Smriti Samadhi, or memorial shrine to ISKCONâs Founder-Acharya, to its full glory. The effort is a labor of love, just as it was when devotees first started building the Palace in 1973, intending it as a residence for their guru, who expressed a strong desire to retire there and translate his books...
- 6 Sep 2016
By Roisin HendersonNESTLED among the many islands of the Erne is the pretty, wooded isle of Inish Rath, home to possibly Fermanaghâs smallest religious community. For the past 30 years, members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known to most simply as the Hare Krishnas, have called the island home. Since 1986, this group has been ever changing, attracting members from all over Ireland and far beyond. While there are currently only 12 full time residents at the settlement â whi...
- 5 Sep 2016
By Sandeep S Thakkar The world holy name week (WHNW-16) was celebrated globally from 28th Jul â 14th Aug 2016. Devotees in Singapore at the Gauranga Centre, played their part of spreading the glories of holy name by doing harinaam sankirtan. Indeed, the holy name week had a rousing start as devotees were led by a senior kirtaniya to an ecstatic round of kirtan. In Singapore owing to a hectic work schedule, devotees decided to dedicate their evenings after work to engage in the service of the holy name sankir...
- 4 Sep 2016
By Anuradha Devi DasiThe evening of Friday, 2nd September saw Durban come out to celebrate ISKCON 50 in grand style through a VIP gala dinner. The event was organised as a special joint effort between the two Durban temples, Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple of Understanding in Chatsworth and New Jagannath Puri Temple in Phoenix. The guest list comprised of close to five hundred of Durbanâs elite - professionals, businessmen, academics, government members, media and artistsâ all especially invited to the evenin...
- 4 Sep 2016
By BB Govinda SwamiHis Grace Radha Damodara Prabhu succumbed to cancer last evening. He was surrounded by Vaisnavas chanting the Lord's holy names. He was a pioneer, extremely humble, and it was always a pleasure to have moments of his association. He first heard the Maha-mantra in 1979 and began chanting right away. He soon became one of the leaders of the ISKCON movement, which was then illegal in the Soviet Union. In May 1983, he was arrested and imprisoned for his faith. While in prison, he had to work in dan...
- 4 Sep 2016
By Ravindra Svarupa dasaI regard this article as a supplement to my book, Srila Prabhupada: Founder-Acarya of ISKCON. It expands upon discussions relating the importance of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, especially in light of the philosophical and spiritual significance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakuraâs parent temple, Sri Caitanya Matha, in Mayapur. As I write, the resplendent Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, its central dome now towering 350 feet above the alluvial soil of Sridhama Mayapur, ...
- 3 Sep 2016
By Padmapani DasWe started from Port Said today at about 1 p.m. The Port Said city is nice. It has long narrow neat and clean roads with lofty buildings. The city is not at all congested. While passing the rear point of Suez towards Mediterranean sea, the city is clearly seen. But it is a small city with some industrial factories. Although in the desert in the city all varieties of vegetables available. There is also a Marine drive like Bombay Chowpatty beach. I could see a good park in the city. (Port Said is kn...
- 3 Sep 2016
By Tom ZillichâI went through a lot of pain, physical,â Swami admitted. âThe biggest challenge of all is walking on an angle â itâs like walking on a beach. But nevertheless, everything else compensated for that (pain), including meeting fantastic people, meeting characters, being confronted by black bears, grizzlies, whatnot, and finally I became an addict, I like it, gotta do it again.â His first coast-to-coast walk was documented in âThe Longest Road,â a 2003 National Film Board of Canada movi...
- 2 Sep 2016
By Acarya DasaSankirtana is the heart of padayatra. Wherever we walk, whenever we enter a village or conduct house programs we chant the holy names with every soul in attendance dancing along with us. Itâs not a surprise to us since we are traveling with sankirtana eka pitaro, the father of sankirtana Himself, Lord Caitanya. Lokanath Swami said, âCelebrating the âWorld Holy Nameâ festival is like celebrating the victory of the holy names all over the world param vijayate sri- krishna sankirtanam [1]. The ...
- 1 Sep 2016
By Singha Bhatta DasThe annual Bhakti Sangam Festival is surely the most amazing event on this planet, with so many Maharajas and preachers sharing their realizations in seminars, and the evenings are spent in most sublime kirtans. Each seminar block has six presentations running parallel in various venues. Since there is such a huge crowd of devotees many topics can be offered by a variety of speakers to suit everyone's needs and attractions. 103 photos from the opening day of the festival, morning program and e...
- 1 Sep 2016
By Gauranga DasISKCON Govardhan Eco Village a 100 acre sustainable farming community and retreat center, based near Mumbai, India received the 2016 Green Apple Awards for Built Environment & Architectural Heritage Award for itâs Green Building initiatives from the Green Organization, UK, at a special ceremony on Monday August 8, 2016 at The Crystal, London Docklands â regarded as the most sustainable events venue in the UK. Radha Mohan Prabhu from the Bhaktivedanta Manor, on behalf of ISKCON GEV, received thi...
- 31 Aug 2016
By Sunanda dasAnish Bikmal is a 15 year old ISKCON Vaisnava who attends South Forsythe High School near Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. as a 10th grade student. He plans to pursue studies in Neuroscience and Psychology. His father and mother, Subal Sakha das and Amrta Gaurangi devi dasi, are from Hyderabad, India and moved to America in 1999, work in the IT field, and are initiated disciples of His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami. In 2014 Anish and his older brother, Anirudh, co-founded an educational website called Mot...
- 31 Aug 2016
By Emma WynneTaking part in last week's celebrations were Jagattarini Dasi and Bhurijana Dasa. The pair joined the movement at the height of the counter culture of the late-1960s. "We were young and those were hippy days," Ms Dasi said. Prior to becoming a Hare Krishna, Ms Dasi was a young Australian actress that went by the name Janne Wesley and starred opposite Mick Jagger in the 1970 film Ned Kelly. She said a visit to a temple in Los Angeles changed the course of her life. "Something was deeply moving fo...
- 30 Aug 2016
By Sri Krishna Kathamrita BinduEmbedded with various flowers here and there, tied together using jewelled strings; decorated with lines of deeply fragrant jasmines; having a spherical arrangement of jewels hanging at the back from [three] lines of excellent jewels â 0 Radhe! When will I see the excellent dhammilla hairstyle created by the hands of Sri Hari himself? Rasa-kulya Commentary: The term dhammilla means, âHair tied together in a topknot.â This term indicates that Radhaâs hair had been intricately...
- 29 Aug 2016
By Nitya Bhgavata-sevayaBecause of the special attention She received from Krishna, that gopi thought Herself to be the most fortunate woman. She told Krishna that She could walk no further and that He would have to carry Her on His shoulders. Hearing these words, Krishna consented and suddenly disappeared. Now alone in a secluded place, that gopi felt extremely anguished. She desperately began looking for Krishna everywhere. Being unsuccessful, She sat down and cried most piteously. When the gopis found Her in ...
- 29 Aug 2016
By Jagadish Shyam DasIt was first time Janmastami was celebrated at Gaya Gandhi Maidan. More than 10,000 people attended the festival, from 5 PM to night 2 AM. Prasadam was distributed profusely to all the attendants. Hg Rambhadra Prabhu, (Director, IYF- Bihar & Jharkhand) delivered a lecture. He highlighted Lord Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead quoting from scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. A drama entitled 'Advent of Lord Krishna' was performed. It was followed by aarti, a...
- 28 Aug 2016
By Krishna das65 000 guests gathered to celebrate 25th Sri Krishna janmasthami at ISKCON Salem. Celebration started early morning 4.30 am and went âtill 2 am in the morning next day. Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai alankara was âKalpa-Vrksaâ, surrounded by 108 delicious offerings made by devotees. The darshan queue was way out on the main road. HG Hari-pada Prabhu and HG Phalini Mataji were the chief guests. They lead most ecstatic kirtans, and Prabhuji gave inspiring lectures much appreciated by locals. Program consi...
- 27 Aug 2016
By ISKCON DelhiThis year on Janmastami day, ISKCON - Sri Sri Radha Parthasarathi Mandir received 5 lakh devotees. The temple was decorated using flowers from India and elsewhere along with several Jhakis depicting the pastimes of the Lord. The temple also featured prominently the theme of '50th Anniversary' along with posters informing the visitors of ISKCON's activities. The dress that the Lordships wore this time was designed by a high-end fashion designer who also designs the clothes of the Royal family of Mo...
- 27 Aug 2016
By Filmwork StudiosBhaktivedanta Manorâs spectacular Janmashtami festival attracts over 70,000 pilgrims to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna on earth 5000 years ago. The festival demonstrates the spiritual variety of Indiaâs ancient Vedic culture in all its glory. On arrival, visitors walk through the newly completed âNew Gokulâ complex, Europeâs largest cow protection project, as they make their way to the colourful festival site. At the site, the main marquee stages cultural dances and musical extra...
- 27 Aug 2016
By Indradyumna SwamiFor years we have taken pride in doing our summer festival in Kolobrzeg, one of the biggest and most popular tourist destinations along the Baltic Sea coast in Poland. There was a time when we had to fight for permission to hold our programs there, but as the years rolled by, word spread that our event is highly professional, cultural and fun. The city has warmed to us and has even suggested specific dates on which to hold our festival. Unfortunately, last year we were unable to perform in K...
- 27 Aug 2016
By Arya Devi DasiThe weekendâs events started on Friday night with Bhakti Film Fest and a patronâs dinner. The highlight of the weekend was a theatrical, musical, and multimedia performance at the iconic Sydney Opera House with 800 people attending two performances. In attendance were Rachael Kohn from ABC Radioâs Spirit of Things program, the New South Wales Indian Consul General, as well as representatives from Multicultural New South Wales, the Hindu Council of Australia, and the Catholic Church. Numerou...
- 27 Aug 2016