By Vrajendranandan DasRecently, we had a big networking opportunity as ISKCON was officially invited to attend the birth day celebration event of Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India, who turned 81 on Dec 11th, 2015. The august gathering witnessed presence of many matteraties, including the Prime Minister and other dignitaries from far flung areas of the country. .As a gesture of mercy and blessing, we gave Mahaprasad of Shri Shri Radhaparth Sarthi and Pushp Guchcha of Lord Narshimha deva to the president w...
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- 21 Dec 2015
By Bhakti Raghava SwamiTo invoke global auspiciousness and increased awareness about the need to protect Mother Cow and to gradually introduce the culture of Cow Care in our daily lives, we would like to invite all ISKCON Temples and ISKCON Centers to perform a special Go-Puja to Mother Surabhi on January 1, 2016, in addition to perform Harinam. In order to carry this mood during the Golden Jubilee year of 2016, I would like to further submit the following 3 proposals to ISKCON Leaders and ISKCON Temples within ...
- 19 Dec 2015
By Iskcon MayapurIf you had served as a resident devotee at an ISKCON temple for five years during any period of time in your life, even if you are not a residential devotee now, still you can avail this facility. ISKCON Mayapur appreciates your dedicated service to Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON by bestowing you the honor of residing at Mayapur for 15 days free stay in a year at Vamsi Bhavan guest house and providing you 7 days free prasadam (see note below). Guided tour service to holy places around Navadvipa is...
- 19 Dec 2015
By Deva Madhava das'You were on Mayapur TV...!' 'What’s that Mata?' I was calling one of our congregation members to coordinate her contribution to our first major infrastructure purchase, a restaurant fridge... which was being gotten rid of cheap by a local Indian store that was closing down. 'Yes, yes, Mayapur TV. I watch the LA Temple Bhagavatam class every morning and today the devotee speaking mentioned your center!' 'Oh, well that’s exciting. Do you happen to know the reason?' I wondered out loud. ...
- 19 Dec 2015
By Abhaya Mudra DasiIn popular historical accounts the word democracy was first used in ancient Greece denoting a contemporary system of governing. In ancient Athens the word democracy was a compound term which could be broken into two parts: demos meaning people and kratein to rule. This ideal of governing inspires us even today. Democracy echoes the ancient ideals of equality and freedom into the modern governing systems. Some authors like John Keane (author of Life and Death of Democracy) think that democracy has much older ori...
- 19 Dec 2015
By Sita Rama dasDemocratization is an attempt to counteract the tyranny of powerful men by transferring power to the people. It tries to make all people equal but it leads to the degradation of all the people, by all the people. Vedic Society does not try to equalize material power; it is designed to facilitate, in all people, the realization that we are equal on the spiritual level. ISKCON wants to be a society which counteracts the degradation of people in modern democracy in order to facilitate spiritual reali...
- 19 Dec 2015
By Sri Bhakti DasHare Krishna dear vaisnavas, please accept my humble obeisances!!! This program was held at the juvenile prison (3 Alamos) in Santiago- Chile. It consists of 4 sessions in 4 different days with yoga, vegetarian cooking, music, philosophy. Children cooked, offered and took prasad. They received books of Srila Prabhupada, chanted the Maha Mantra and danced. They also saw a video of Vrindavan Parikrama. They were sincerely happy and were very receptive.
...- 18 Dec 2015
By Mayapur Sasi dasaFor the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of November. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 Individuals, Monthly Top 5, Cumulative Countries, Cumulative Temples, Cumulative Top 100 Individuals, Cumulative Top 5
...- 18 Dec 2015
By ISKCON Desire TreeISKCON Outreach is an initiative of GBC Strategic Planning Team. It is resource for all ISKCON leaders and members to learn the successful techniques of outreach adapted by different centers and members all around the world. In these video-interviews Iskcon leaders and devotees are sharing their outreach programs and realizations about how to present the science of Krishna consciousness in today's society.
...- 18 Dec 2015
By Sankirtana Das500 years ago Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the religious leader of the Bhakti Movement, implored us to be as tolerant as the tree which patiently endures the rain and cold and heat. Another time, Caitanya declared to his followers “take the fruits from the Tree of Devotion and give them away freely to all people, in all directions, all over the world. Do not consider who is fit or unfit, let people take these fruits (being the names of God) and become free from old age and death.” Symbols of spiritu...
- 17 Dec 2015
By Sanjay Krsnacandra dasPhase 1: Make a list of 10-15 very close people from your CoI contact, with whom you can freely talk. Call 3-5 people from that list daily. The list will be exhausted in 3-4 days. Phase 2: By now, you would have gained some confidence. Now increase the CoI list to be as exhaustive as possible. Do NOT discriminate or speculate if the person would be interested or not. Just list people whom you know. Call fixed number of people every day in the descending order of your comfort level. If ...
- 17 Dec 2015
By Shaktyavesha Avatara dasaAmara ajnaya guru hana. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said... Because Caitanya Mahaprabhu is maha-vadanyavatara, most munificent incarnation to reclaim all the fallen souls. Ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kono bhagyavan jiva [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. So the guru's business is to make everyone a bhagyavan, fortunate. That is guru's business. The guru's business is... They are so much sympathetic that one can get Krsna consciousness if he is fortunate. So guru's labor, guru's activity, is how to make peopl...
- 17 Dec 2015
By Ishita Mishra'Bhakti without Borders' is a rather apt name for an album of bhajans that has been nominated for the 58th Grammy Awards, to be held in Los Angeles next year on February 15. Eleven bhajans dedicated to Lord Krishna have made it to the prestigious list released on December 7. Why "without borders"? All of these songs have been composed by Krishna devotees from across the world — from Australia to America, from England to India. Nominated in the 'Best new age album' category, the collection, who...
- 17 Dec 2015
By Nrsimhananda dasWe are requesting all producers/directors: submit entries by sending a link to your uploaded production: nrs@itvproductions.net Questions may also be sent to that address. Deadline is January 22nd. Include your name, address, telephone, Skype name, and any other relevant information regarding your entry. Please be brief and write in English. All entries are required to be in English or have English subtitles. Additional files/dvd's will be requested as needed. A panel of judges who have...
- 17 Dec 2015
By Chandan Yatra DasSri Alarnath Temple is a very important temple of Visnu near Jagannatha Puri (23 km) at Brahmagiri, Orissa. Lord Alarnath is the representative of Lord Jagannatha at Puri. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at this temple during anavasara, the two-week period after Snana-yatra when Lord Jagannatha rests in seclusion before the annual Rathayatra (chariot festival) in Jagannatha Puri. Lord Caitanya couldn't bear staying in Puri without seeing His beloved Lord, and at Alarnath He would reveal the hig...
- 16 Dec 2015
By TKG AcademyKrishna Priya grew up as a Hare Krsna devotee in the ISKCON New Vrindaban farm community in West Virginia. Her parents were initiated by Srila Prabhupada and are both very talented and artistic. I first met Krishna Priya in 2003, while she was studying for her B.A. in English and later her M.Ed. in Secondary English Education at the University of Florida in Gainesville. We were roommates, sharing the old trailer at the Vaisnava Academy for Girls, from which she has graduated a few years prior. Kris...
- 16 Dec 2015
By Kripamoya dasTaking Christ out of Christmas. To make these cinematic religious matters slightly more complex, the short film Sanjay’s Superteam, by Toy Story makers Pixar, is now being shown in some cinemas just before their new film The Good Dinosaur. The short film features, in cartoon forms, Lord Vishnu, Hanuman and Durga. While I’m delighted that the names and forms of the deities are being broadcast, I am troubled that we seem to be relentlessly diminishing the religion that has been the foundation of...
- 15 Dec 2015
By Deena Bandhu dasaFebruary marks the auspicious 13th Anniversary of Vrinda Kunda Temple opening! To celebrate we are organizing special parikramas to the Holy Places of Braja. The culmination will be our famous Kalash Yatra, an ecstatic Sankirtan procession with the ladies carrying water pots with coconuts on their heads. Parikramas will be going out from 19 Feb - 4 Feb with the main festival day on Saturday 27 Feb. Even after that there will still be some parikramas. Gaura Purnima will be late next year, so be...
- 15 Dec 2015
By Bhakta PravinFor those who are proficient in their understanding of Krishna Consciousness, the 6 month sabbatical course is an ideal opportunity to explore it further. The second half of the course is based at Bhaktivedanta Manor focusing around completion of the Bhakti Shastri degree. Quality time is spent in studying the Nectar of Devotion, Nectar of Instruction, Sri Isopanisad and Bhagavad-gita. You will also gain an exposure to the variety of outreach activities at the Manor, and learn practical skills lik...
- 14 Dec 2015
By Radha Mohan dasThe Supreme Lord blesses the Supreme Court! The first ever Diwali reception was held at the Supreme Court of the UK. The event was hosted by the Hindu Lawyers Association and was attended by prominent lawyers and judges from across the legal sector. Attendees included Srutidharma das, Alpesh Patel, lawyer and Principal of Praefinium Partners Ltd,; the Vice President of the Law Society, Robert Bourns; and the Minister of Justice, Shailesh Vara MP.
...- 14 Dec 2015
By India Sankirtan Leaders TeamFor the first time the BBT has printed Arabic books. Devotees from around the world are now distributing these books and getting good responses. Srila Prabhupada said, “Anyone who preaches in any way in the Muslim world, I take the dust of their feet on my head." “I am very pleased that you are taking my order to distribute books so seriously. All blessings of Krsna are on these girls who are working so hard to distribute my books. That is very nice that you want to distribute m...
- 13 Dec 2015
By Iskcon Desire TreeAlthough philosophers and theologians have left us a huge body of technical literature on the problem of evil, it is far from a theoretical concern. It is everybody’s problem, sooner or later. Suffering is universal. But oddly enough, practically as widespread is the sufferer’s feeling that he has been unfairly singled out. From millions come the outraged cry: “Why me! What did I do to deserve this?” Eleven Iskcon leaders and older devotees answer this question
...- 13 Dec 2015
By Romapada SwamiIn some instances, scriptures are deliberately filled with apparent double-talk. A typical example is the language of the Upanishads: e.g., "The Supreme Lord walks and does not walk. He is far away, but He is very near as well. He is within everything, and yet He is outside of everything." (Isopanishad Mantra 5) Such contradictory statements are provided to indicate His inconceivable, transcendental nature. He walks, but His walking is nothing like the walking within this mundane realm. So, than...
- 12 Dec 2015
By Parvati devi dasiThe results speak for themselves-ever-increasing. They need more volunteers to cover the time after 7 pm. So many people; so few preachers to meet them. Some individual devotees make their own hours and take groups on tours of the Samadhi, the diorama, Prabhupada's House and the temple, or just pick a spot and preach to people coming in, like DEVANANDA PANDIT DAS, who continually takes out tours around Vrndavan/Braj, and Char Dham, among other places. That man has a variety of other preachin...
- 12 Dec 2015