By TOVP staffWe are pleased and excited to announce the wonderful success of the first TOVP fundraising tour of 2017 in Gujarat, India. Pledges were in excess of $1.5 million and we left with the overwhelming feeling that Lord Nityananda is Himself in charge of this historic project and is blessing us. On January 28th, under the shelter of Lord Nityananda’s Padukas and Lord Nrsimha’s Sitari, the TOVP Team consisting of Jananivas prabhu, Ambarisa prabhu, Mother Svaha and Braja Vilas prabhu made their way to Gujarat for a nine day tour of the cities of V...
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- 14 Feb 2017
By Bhanu SwamiHH Bhanu Swami Maharaja is one of the senior disciples of His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, founder acharya of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. He holds a BA Degree in Oriental fine arts history from the University of British Colombia. He joined the Hare Krishna movement in India in 1970. Initiated in 1971 by Srila Prabhupada, he took sannyasa vows in 1984. Bhanu Swami was personally instructed in the art of Deity worship by Srila Prabhupada, and within ISKCON he has become an authority on t...
- 14 Feb 2017
By Vaisesika DasIt is mentioned that a doctor will not let the last vestige of the disease stay within the body of the person, so Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Krishna are vigilant to weed out the last vestiges in the devotee and the devotee is cooperating the hard way is to drag one’s legs. The easy way is we call VLCs, the Voluntary Life Changers. We see it coming, we see there is an opportunity so rather than wait until it's done to you so you are forced to surrender.
...- 14 Feb 2017
By Mahatma dasIf a case of illicit sex between a man and an unmarried woman were brought before Prabhupada, he never blamed the woman. He said it is the man's fault because the man is supposed to be strong and intelligent, and that a woman naturally and innocently follows a man. A man’s role is to protect and provide. Protection and exploitation are opposites. So if a woman went along with a man's sexual aggression, Prabhupada wouldn't blame her.
...- 13 Feb 2017
By Narahari dasDrona hung a wooden bird from a tree and asked each prince to shoot at the bird's eye. First the eldest prince, Yudhishthira, was asked to try. When he aimed at the bird, Drona asked him, "what do you see in front of you?" Yudhisthira answered, "I see a tree and a bird hearing this, Drona stopped him. He then asked other students the same question and got the same answer. When it was Arjuna's turn and Drona asked him the same question, Arjuna replied, "I see only the bird's eye. Drona was very pleased with the answer and asked him to shoot. T...
- 13 Feb 2017
By Kalakantha dasaPut the relationship above the faults. We can turn to Krishna in any circumstance and be completely satisfied. The principle above the detail. The principle is trnad api sunicena, always being respectful. There are techniques for this. One is to not find fault on the spot. Maybe write it in your notebook. Think about how to present it in a way in which the person will be encouraged. If it's just a knee jerk reaction that you're doing this and it's wrong, then people will become defensive. Srila Prabhupada said that the defending propensity ...
- 13 Feb 2017
By Malati Devi DasiOf course, Srila Prabhupada did something wonderful that no other previous acharya had done, and that is he actually brought life to the words of Lord Caitanya who said that His names will be chanted in every town and village. Prior to Srila Prabhupada's arrival in the west, this "every town and village" was limited to the sphere of Bharat Varsh, to India. It was considered unholy for a saintly man or a sadhu to leave India. Lord Caitanya said every town and village. Those with higher vision such as Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila ...
- 12 Feb 2017
By Patita Pavana das Krishna is possessed of an unlimited intellect (84.22) Krishna is inaccessible to sensuous knowledge (16.46). Krishna is the Lord of the infinity of worlds (69.17). Krishna wields the power of creating the unlimited (87.28). Krishna carries the impress of limitless power (87.14). Krishna is possessed of inconceivable potency (10 .29). Krishna is unborn (59.28, 74.21). Krishna solves all heterogeneous views (74.24). Krishna is vanquished by exclusive devotion (14.3). Krishna is the Inner ...
- 12 Feb 2017
By Abhay dasOn February 7th, Bhaimi Ekadasi, Srila Prabhupada disciple Gopinatha Acarya Prabhu disappeared at New Govardhan Farm in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, where he had cared for Krishna’s land, cows and bulls for decades. Well known in the seventies and early eighties for his dedication to book distribution, he later became one of our movements great teachers of simple living and high thinking. I stayed on New Govardhan for a number of years and was fortunate to have had his association. I wanted to share some of my experiences of this great soul...
- 11 Feb 2017
By Swami B. A. AshramEssential to Bhaktivinoda’s revolutionary view was the understanding that Lord Chaitanya was not exaggerating when He said that His name would be sung in every town and village around the world. Bhaktivinoda wrote in his monthly journal Sajjana-tosani, “Sriman Mahaprabhu did not descend with His associates to deliver a certain number of human beings in the land of India, but rather His purpose was to deliver and uplift all living beings in all countries of the world by practicing the eternal religion of all souls.” He quoted a ve...
- 10 Feb 2017
By Yogeshvara DasaAs visitors to India travel north by car from Kolkata, the landscape gradually shifts from urban sprawl to pastoral farmland. High-rise housing and industrial construction sites give way to a flat horizon of villages and rice paddies. Four hours and eighty miles later, visitors enter the district of Mayapur on the banks of the Ganges River, at the point of its confluence with the Jalangi. Here at Mayapur, in the early sixteenth century, Lord Krishna in His form as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu popularized the public chanting of Hare Krishna, Ha...
- 9 Feb 2017
By Srutadeva dasThe kirtana was uproarious as Prabhupada entered the airport with the devotees. He was leaving New York after their first, wonderful Ratha-yatra (July 1976). The kirtana grew more intense as he went through the security check. Hari Sauri, Guru dasa, and I followed behind. In the waiting lounge, Srila Prabhupada took a seat and kindly motioned for Guru dasa to sit next to him. A well-dressed man seated on Prabhupada's other side, noticing that there were others with Srila Prabhupada, very politely moved to another seat. Prabhupada again very...
- 9 Feb 2017
By Sri Radharamana dasaIf money is the means, then what is the goal? Over 2,300 people around the world tuned in Live where 200 selected local industrialists and leaders gathered in the heart of Cape Town to hear from an ISKCON Swami and celebrity banker on this topic. With admission by invite-only, individuals considered cream-of-the-crop in the South African white community made up 80% of the gathering. The Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities in the Cape Town government, Mr Alan Winde, joined the assembly along with his wife. His Excellency Mr ...
- 9 Feb 2017
By Vijaya DasaAfter losing the No. 1 position to Mayapur for a couple of years, New Delhi again is the No. 1 temple worldwide, with 1,050,559 book points in 2016. There is always a close transcendental competition between Russia and the USA. Well, in 2016 the USA finally conquered Russia after a decade of close competitions. 2016 was particularly close: the USA won by just 1,526 book points. The USA did 752,972 points; Russia 751,446. Nepal did really well for the year, with a 19% increase: 97,503 book points. We're raising donations for a new bus to hold...
- 8 Feb 2017
By Gaur Govinda Swami How long will you sleep in the lap of the ugly witch Maya? How long? You have already slept for such a long time, lakhs and lakhs of lives. Do you want to sleep in the lap of the ugly witch Maya? Mahaprabhu is your only well-wishing friend. He loves you so much that He descended here! Krishna says, jivanam sarva- bhutesu - I am the life in all living entities." If you are not carrying Krishna in you, have you love? You have no life. You are dying at every moment. You are...
- 6 Feb 2017
By Mahatma DasThe husband as the guru of the wife is an interesting topic. Some men operate under the paradigm that since I am the guru of my wife, she is duty-bound to do anything I ask of her. I am not saying it is not the duty of the wife to submissively serve the husband, but the idea that a husband has a right to be over-demanding of his wife reflects a misunderstanding of the duty of the husband. You might think, "Are there really many men today in Iskcon who are that demanding...
- 6 Feb 2017
By Krishna-kripa Das“This idea of love in relation to the Supreme Person can be compared with the ‘universal love’ mentioned in many UFO communications. These communications often define the ultimate One as an impersonal energy or force. Yet love is something having to do with persons. If the One is impersonal in nature, then how can love have a truly universal role? Note that this problem does not come up in modern scientific theories. According to modern science, love is simply a recent outgrowth of hominid evolution in Africa, and it has nothing to...
- 5 Feb 2017
By The Times of IndiaAhmedabad: Alfred Brush Ford and his wife Sharmila organized a fundraiser at Iskcon temple on Saturday evening for the ambitious Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir (Temple of the Vedic Planetarium). Ford had started his Gujarat travels from February 1. It was the first state on his pan-India itinerary. Alfred is the great grandson of the founder of Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford. "Gujarat is a state blessed by Lord Krishna," Albert said at the Ahmedabad meeting. "It is a great pleasure to be here. I had been to Rajkot and Dwarka several y...
- 5 Feb 2017
By Vrsabhanu dasaThe community of New Mayapur is situated near the Loire Valley in Central France. On the property of 80 hectars we find the beautiful Chateau d'Oublaise, rebuilt in the late 19th century. In the mid-seventies Srila Prabhupada visited the castle and he installed Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Who along with Sri Sri Radha Govinda Madhava are the principal Deities of the temple. Srila Prabhupada wanted his followers to develop a self-sufficient farm community in New Mayapur and a small group of devotees are working hard to ...
- 5 Feb 2017
By Urmila Devi DasiWhat are the principles that make the difference in whether or not children take up Krishna consciousness? Here are four powerful and effective keys regardless of where your children go to school, where you live, or what your family structure is.
...- 4 Feb 2017
By Matsyavatar dasNormality and illness only exist in the illusionary vision of man. In reality, there is only the immense path of spiritual evolution, characterized by vicissitudes, incidents, stages, progresses, stasis, deviations, falls and imprisonments. Certain incidents are isolated and classified by medicine and psychology as “illness”. Then medicine and psychology study them under an unconscious perspective and do not take under account the evolution context in which they are inserted. These sciences can still obtain respectable, considerable a...
- 2 Feb 2017
By Dusantya DasLike so many things, both Economy and Cow Protection can exist in the Mode of Ignorance, the Mode of Passion and the Mode of Goodness. And although the Economic models can be perceived easily through the different modes of Nature, its way more difficult to differentiate Cow Protection within the different modes of Nature. It’s only been within the last 20 years or so that Cow Protection has taken on any kind of form. That it is not just a bunch of cows hanging around a field with red hands all over them and old Maha garlands hanging disheve...
- 1 Feb 2017
By Kalakantha DasA recent presentation in Bhaktivedanta Manor about Iskcon Gainesville's, (Florida, USA) successful program of bringing in new devotees. Focusing on recruiting, preparing the proper environment, tolerate breaking secondary rules and correct once a week, offering respect and appreciation, assigning responsible duties since the beginning, vision for a future devotional career, providing proper living facilities for man and women, access to car, internet etc., zero tolerance in regards the regulative principles, systematic training, realistic c...
- 1 Feb 2017
By Madhavananda DasSri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami: You have no right to chastise, no right to correct anyone. You are not guru. Guru has that right. If you see something and you have a good heart, “He is doing something wrong that is detrimental to his bhakti.” Then go to him, pay obeisances, and tell him confidentially, not in front of others, “O my brother, I see this thing and it pains me very much that you are doing this and this. This is a great impediment on the path of devotion. I fear you will not be...
- 31 Jan 2017