ISKCON Auckland NZ, is pioneering the establishment of a spiritual learning centre, named Rupanuga Institute of Spiritual Education (RISE). The opening of RISE was celebrated on the 21st May, 2017 during the Sunday feast at the temple with the blessings and guidance of HH Ramai Swami Maharaj & HH Devamrita Swami Maharaj. Temple President, HG Kalasamvara das, who supported the creation of RISE wholeheartedly, spoke about the legacy left behind by Srila Prabhupada in the form of his books and the need for systematically studying them. Speaking especially on one of ...

A historic event for ISKCON was the acquisition of 60 acres of land near NH-2 for construction of the new eco-friendly campus for Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and International School (BGIS) The construction work in the new school begun with the auspicious Bhumi Puja ceremony in the presence of HH Gopal Krishna Maharaj and former honourable PWD minister of UP, Shri Shivpal Yadav on 16th May 2015. A lot of progress has been made since then. A new exclusive road of 3 KM length named 'Bhaktivedanta Gurukula Marg' has been constructed by the state PWD department to connec...

One of the first devotees to land on Irish soil in the early seventies did so on a motorbike, with the intention of getting a slot on the famous TV program, 'The Late Late Show'. That devotee was Tribhuvanatha and being Irish, he knew this would be an excellent opportunity to introduce the fledgling Krishna movement to the people of Ireland. Although unsuccessful in his attempt, it would not be too long before the first group of devotees began to sing and dance on the highways and byways of Ireland. In the spring of 1973, Prabhavisnu brought a group of devotees to Dublin and th...

We all took darsana of the beautiful deity of Lord Adi Kesava Perumal and performed kirtana in the temple while circumambulating the deity. The vigraha (deity) is said to contain up to 16,008 shaligrams We stayed there for three days preaching and distributing books in the nearby areas. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited this temple in 1510 AD during His South India tour. It was here that He discovered the 5th Chapter of the Brahma-saṁhitā, which, is said to contain a hundred chapters. This scripture is so old and so sacred it was practically lost to the general population at...

The participants of “Unraveling the Mysteries of the Sacred Universe Level 1” were asking themselves this very question while attending this informative workshop co- sponsored by the Bhaktivedanta Institute of Gainesville and the Krishna Institute in Alachua on May 20-21. How we view the universe impacts our understanding of ourselves. Additionally, the more we push the boundaries of knowledge, the more knowledge expands before us. In the Vedic literature it is said, sa-tattvato 'nyatha-buddhir vikara ity udahrtah from one fact another fact is generated. For example,...

What began as a wet and cloudy Friday evening marked by long traffic jams quickly opened up into a pleasant, spiritually charged morning as devotees trickled in for Mangala Arati. After Tulsi Arati, the enchanting voice of Srila Prabhupada accompanied the devotees in the chanting of 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Devotees from all walks of life and age groups took part in the programs – from toddlers and teenagers to adults – all gracefully dressed in Vaishnava attire. While the parents and young adults attended the presentation and group activities, ...

The mercury had been hovering at 45º and the Indian summer heat was scorching as ever. May is the hottest month in Hyderabad. Undaunted by the heat, a pack of devotees were packing their luggage to go to a village located about 45-50 kms away from Hyderabad, in Narsapur, called Peddagottimukla. May 28, 2017 was not an ordinary day; it could not be so for the events to unfold. It was to become a day when another village would be on the way to become Vrindavan village. The day had come when the dream of Gour Gopal prabhu and Jananivas prabhu to fulfill their spir...

At 01.00 PM the carnival started. The Mayor of Cilegon, Mr. Tubagus Iman Ariyadi welcomed all the participants and expressed his gratitude to all. "The CEC participants bring a good message that all Cilegon people must unite to realize a peaceful life by appreciating diversity and enhancing ownership," Tubagus said when opening the "Cilegon Ethnic Carnival.” Other important guests who attended the carnival were the Ambassador of the Republic of Panama.

Sragen is regency in the eastern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is Sragen, located about 30 km to the northeast of Surakarta. Sragen is bordered with East Java Province to the east. Presently there are no devotees that are staying in Sragen. The first time devotees held the Ratha Yatra festival in Solo, Indonesia, a few months prior, they met the Tourism leader of Sragen. The Tourism leader of Sragen requested the devotees to join in their annual city parade and hold a Ratha Yatra festival as well. This was in mid February. When HH Subhag Swami was ...

A lot has changed since H.H. Subhag Swami’s last visited the Wellington ISKCON temple many years ago. But the one thing that remains unchanged is the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and his disciples, H.H. Subhag Swami Maharaj being one of them. Initiated by Srila Prabhupada himself in 1971, H.H. Subhag Swami has since served Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission and vision from Sridham Mayapur for the last 40 years out of his 46 years in ISKCON.

Sampit ‎ is a town and a timber port on the Sampit River in the Central Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo, Indonesia. It is the seat of East Kotawaringin Regency. Sampit is the biggest timber port in all of Indonesia. Sampit town became known worldwide following inter-ethnic violent communal clashes between the Dayaks and the Madurese during the Sampit conflict which broke out on February 17, 2001 and lasted for 10 days. In just two weeks 469 were reported to have been killed, of which 456 of them were Madurese. Virtually the entire Madurese people fled and “ethnic cleansing” h...