Another story fabricated to defame Srila Jiva Gosvami states that when Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami showed him the newly-completed manuscript of Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Jiva Gosvami thought that it would hamper his reputation as a big scholar and therefore threw it in a well. Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was greatly shocked, according to this story, and he died immediately. Fortunately a copy of the manuscript of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta had been kept by a person named Mukunda, and therefore later it was possible to publish the book. This story is another ignominious example of bla...

The great sage Narada Muni while advising his disciple, the great Vyasa Maharaja says, "Learned circles have positively concluded that the infallible purpose of the advancement of knowledge, namely austerities, study of the Vedas, sacrifice, chanting of hymns and charity, culminates in the transcendental descriptions of the Lord, who is defined in choice poetry." This means even a field like pure mathematics should be used to make others aware about the greatness of God.

Etymologically analyzed, nara means of Narayana or the Lord (Krsna), and da means deliverer. Narada is the deliverer of the Lord and the Lord’s message. Of course there are countless preachers, gurus, evangelists, mendicants and religious representatives traveling all throughout this planet, but Narada Muni is eminently distinguished. His pupils include the greatest devotees. Also, he is not restricted to one planet, but has the facility to travel to any part of the universe without the aid of a spaceship. Most importantly, Narada teaches the topmost process of God realization�...

I learned how to offer at a young age. When I didn’t want to carry the freshly ironed clothes upstairs my mother would cheerfully say, “Offer it up!”. There was no choice about having to do it but she was suggesting where I put my mind in the process. She was teaching me to offer this small activity to God. Those three words stayed with me, and when I was later introduced to Krishna consciousness, the same concept from my childhood appeared to me in Krishna’s teachings. Wha...

Maybe you are one of the millions of people who question whether education should be student-centered or teacher-centered. Perhaps, you have gone a step further, and are among the thousands who promote the idea that education should be knowledge-centered. If you are really rare, perhaps you sense that education is perfected when it becomes relationship-centered. Even if you find yourself among this particular crowd, to say you know the actual central purpose of education would still be a hard case to make.

As we settle into the rhythm of the New Year here are some pocket meditations to carry with us every day. These small reminders can bring quality to our lives and thus help us feel more alive. As the Joseph Campbell quote goes - “I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” For those practicing bhakti, that means being alive to our relationship with Krishna and others. It’s all about relationship. Nothing mystical in these meditations, but things that can surely, when applied to the prac...

In his book of essays, entitled Upakhyane Upadesa, "Instructions in Stories" (Gaudiya Mission 1936), Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gives the following commentary on the story of Ekalavya: The translation from the original Bengali is by H.H. Bhakti-caru Svami. To many people, Ekalavya's devotion to his guru is ideal, but there is a special consideration...What was Ekalavya's fault? That should be considered. Wearing the mask of guru-bhakti (devotion to the guru), Ekalavya actually revolted against his guru. Whether his guru was actually ...

An appreciation of the extraordinarily devoted life of Srila Prabhupada’s beloved disciple Yamuna Devi Dasi (1942–2011). Joan: Little did I know what kind of wedding it would be. All I knew was that they had received the names Mukunda and Janaki from a swami. When I saw the Swami he was sitting beside the window in his front room, bathed in sunlight, distributing prasada to the devotees who were sitting around him. Mukunda introduced me, and Swamiji offered me some prasada. Because I was a devotee of macrobiotics, this prasada was...

Perhaps one of the more endearing images in the Bhagavad-gita is Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, driving the chariot of His friend, the warrior Arjuna. When we accept the notion of God as a person then we can begin to ask, What does he do? How does he interact with us, and especially how does he interact with his pure devotees, such as Arjuna? Krishna chooses to be the chariot driver of Arjuna in the Battle of Kurukshetra where the Bhagavad-gita was spoken. This role of charioteer gives us much insight into Krishna as a person. He enjoys ...

The Vedas therefore enjoin that this is the first and most important lesson. “Now you have a human life you must inquire into the absolute.” Ask the big questions. Who am I? Why am I here? Where do I go when I die? At least we should dedicate some of our time to seriously investigating these areas of major importance. But what school does that? Rather we are encouraged to work very hard to improve our material living conditions. Get a better job. Earn more money. Live in a nice house wi...

In the West this is the holiday season, with Christmas and Hanukkah both coming up. As Srila Prabhupada explained, the Lord comes to this world to enlighten people with transcendental knowledge. Sometimes He comes personally, and sometimes He sends His son or His prophet or His representative, but they all come with the same message. They may speak in different languages according to the circumstances and the audience, but the essence of the message is the same: God is great; we are but small parts and parcels of God, meant to serve Him with love; we have come from God and are meant t...

If we were to distill the Bhagavad-gita to one word, it would surely be, “Krishna.” If we were to distill the Bhagavad-gita to eighteen sentences, one per chapter, it might read like this: Before a just and vital battle, recognizing beloved relatives and mentors among his opponents, the great warrior Arjuna tells his friend Krishna that he will not fight.

"Sharing that's the heart of Christmas!" chimes Better Homes and Gardens. "To celebrate, people share traditions from gift-giving to party-going with family, friends, and acquaintances too. And food plays a special part in these yuletide activities. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without the aroma of the festive bird and baked goods wafting through the kitchen! … Once the sharing begins, and you've sampled our treats, you'll realize that fellowship and food go hand in hand in making your holidays memorable."

I was walking down Rideau Street in the city of Ottawa some time during the summer of 1973. Although I had still not found what I really wanted in life, I was somewhat relieved that I had been able to walk out of the expected social pressures of modern day society

ISKCON Communications Director and Governing Body Chairman Anuttama dasa offered his thoughts on lessons Vaishnavas can gain from the Christmas season during a Sunday Feast lecture at the Washington DC Temple. Is there something to gain from contemplating the sacrifices of Lord Jesus Christ...and plastic reindeer?

Radhanath Maharaja has requested that my godsisters and I speak something. Last night, after we left the transcendental program and before I took rest, I was thinking how incongruous it was—you know, I have been a devotee for thirty-odd years, and it’s quite rare that I am asked to speak. In fact, it’s extremely unusual, so I am not practiced at it. And as I told you yesterday, I rarely spoke when Srila Prabhupada was here. He asked various disciples to speak, but I told him clearly that I wasn’t comfortab...

Holy town of Udupi is famous for its most revered Sri Krishna Udupi Temple. Udupi is said to have attained the status of Vaikuntha, because the Lord Krishna came here from Dwarka and stayed here in response to the desire of His pure devotee Sri Madhvacarya. This temple was founded by Sri Madhvacarya (A.D. 1238–1317), one of the greatest Vaishnava saints and proponent of Dvaita philosophy of Vedanta. Near Udupi there is a small village Pajaka Ksetra, which is the birthplace of Madhvacarya. This area of India is sometimes called Parasurama Ksetra.

Have you ever had a long-cherished desire and plan to do something special for Krishna? Have you ever felt He’s finally given you the nod of approval, picked you up, sat you on His magic carpet and flown you through all time and space barriers and boundaries and allowed you to do just what you wanted to do, just for Him? This pretty much sums up the advent of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is.....