By SRR Sacred IndiaA Sacred Exchange. The Sacred India Gallery is an ISKCON-affiliated community arts space in the scenic Swan Valley region of Western Australia. In a beautiful cross-cultural exchange, the gallery recently hosted Dr Anne Aly MP for a guided gallery tour. Dr Aly is the first Muslim woman elected to the Australian Federal Parliament. Fascinated by the artistic installations on display, Dr Aly asked many insightful questions about spiritual India and the Hare Krishna tradition. Dr Aly was accompanied on her tour by Jagattarini dasi (Sa...
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- 2 Mar 2017
By Visnu Murti dasaIn the ecstatic mission to bring Srila Prabhupada teachings to the forefront; our volunteers have frequently connected with me to express their realizations & breakthroughs in their spiritual lives while performing their services for Vanipedia. It is their experiences and insights that have actively nurtured our convictions in driving Vanipedia's growth through the years. We wish to thank them for their inspired contribution for the advancement of Srila Prabhupada's vani on the internet on such a grand scale.
...- 2 Mar 2017
By Navadwip Mandal Parikrama devoteesHe reminded us that Srila Prabhupada's purports are his spiritual ecstasies. Reading and hearing is non different, therefore we get the direct association of Krishna and Srila Prabhupada simply by reading the Bhagavatam daily. He concluded his speech: " First you come to the Dhama and serve it properly. Then what happens? You will get sadhu sanga: the association of devotees who want to chant and hear the pure glories of Gauranga . So what is our goal ? Krishna Prema. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said: 'First serve t...
- 2 Mar 2017
By Devamrita SwamiRemember, right before Prabhupada’s departure he said something very extraordinary, because devotees were concerned, they have the big concern, how they would know what to do after Prabhupada’s disappearance in this world. I’ll speak in the context of what previous speakers have informed you that during our sanyasi GBC guru Sanga, so many senior Vaishnavas brought up the point that reading Srila Prabhupada’s book. How we get tremendous renaissance when reading Prabhupada’s books. So, if you recall right before Prabhupada’s depa...
- 2 Mar 2017
By Navadwip Mandal Parikrama devoteesThere are about 1.400 devotees in the International party this year. Out of them 800 devotees are camping. Parikrama is the time when you can be fully engaged in hearing, chanting and remember Lord Caitanya's holy names and pastimes. Following will be the highlights of the day: The Parikrama first crossed the Jalangi by boat heading towards Am Ghat- famous for its amazing mangoes planted by Lord Caitanya Himself. Then we reached Suvarna Vihara where the golden Lord appeared to King Suvarna Sena. "Suvarna" means "gold"...
- 1 Mar 2017
By Dhanya devi dasiThe Dominican Republic proved itself to be not only a hotbed of enthusiastic, powerful local devotees, but also a wonderful place for preaching. The people are inquisitive, receptive and looking for an opportunity to learn more about God consciousness. Latin America is brimming with chances to spread the Holy Names and any and all services are welcome from any devotees looking to participate in next year’s festival.
...- 1 Mar 2017
By Kesava Krsna dasaThere exists an enormous market in the genre of gossip and rumour, which explains the great popularity of TV soap operas the world over. Repetitive themes of spiritual scandal, heresy, and deviation make for indulgent absorption, especially for one experiencing a dreary devotional continuation. Such curious excitement about the who’s who in spiritual circles issuing from suspect forums can be the stuff that kills the cat of the devotional creeper without even knowing it. Exercising the right for fre...
- 28 Feb 2017
By Mahatma dasFault finding is natural for the conditioned soul. We don't have to learn how to do it or take training to get better at it. In fact, for many people it is an addiction which gives them some form of perverted pleasure. We could call this the Ramacandra Puri complex. Ramachandra Puri was a contemporary of Lord Caitanya. He had an intense need to fault find. He took delight in finding faults in others, even where there were no faults. Fault finding was his life and soul. Fault finding can be so addicting that some people have to get their dai...
- 28 Feb 2017
By Romapada SwamiTamala Krsna : What is the way to draw the line between the following three things: blasphemy, fault-finding, and calling a spade a spade? Prabhupada: A spade a spade... Just like I am saying that "What you are? You are small fig only." That is reality. And what is the other? Tamala Krsna : The other is fault-finding and... Prabhupada: Fault-finding, that is another fault, that... vranam icchanti, maksika vranam icchanti, madhum icchanti(?) Just like the flies, they are finding out where is sore, and the bees, they are finding out where ...
- 28 Feb 2017
By Vijaya DasaMexico City did very well in January: 8,563 book points made it No. 2 in Latin America. A very nice devotee, Aravinda Prabhu, is the sankirtan leader, and he oversees the BBT activities in Mexico. He's dedicated to distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and to encouraging others to distribute them. Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, also successfully started the new year: With 3,860 book points, it is No. 2 in the Small Temple category. Vasudeva datta Prabhu, the leader there, is a brahmacari who does not like glorification, because it leads to pride. He'...
- 27 Feb 2017
By Bhakti Charu SwamiTamal Krishna Maharaj joined Srila Prabhupada in 1968. Srila Prabhupada went to a place where the young Americans were living in the redwood forest near San Francisco. He was so aloof from the materialistic culture that he was living in the forest. But Srila Prabhupada went to that place and it was just love at first sight. He left everything. Even that commune that he was living in. He came with Srila Prabhupada to San Francisco after one meeting, maybe even just one sight of Srila Prabhupada, attracted him to his lotus feet. Then we s...
- 27 Feb 2017
By Bhakti Vikasa SwamiIf you really want to see iskcon a lot stronger than it is at present, and if you are ready to take part in a grassroots revolution, here is a program for you. It is non-political and non-controversial, easy to implement, and with negligible cost, yet it will benefit the whole society of devotees worldwide. The program is that all members of the Krsna consciousness movement should read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Of course, many devotees are already reading Prabhupada’s books, but still, far too many are not. Numerous devotees who have been initi...
- 27 Feb 2017
By Keshavananda DasaIf we are Krishna Conscious, any type of occupation will suit me and we shall always be satisfied. Therefore, I recommend you to read books more and more and try to understand the subject matter from different angles of vision and be always discussing it with your godbrothers even while you are working at the press. Letter to Bhargava -- Los Angeles 13 June, 1972: So I am requesting all of my students to read my books very seriously every day without fail. In this way, if your mind becomes absorbed at least one or two hours daily in the ...
- 27 Feb 2017
By Jayapataka SwamiWhat other avatar thinks how to deliver all the souls? I mean they come into universe, they kill the demons but actually, to think how to get every man, woman and child, how to get everybody all people Krishna Conscious. Where is the other incarnation that have so much mercy. Even as 24 years, he was a grahasta he thought logicians, argumentative students mayavadis, all these people are somehow avoiding me, avoiding my mercy so there he took sanyas. And with that he got all the others. In fact, he went to Banaras, there Kasi Misra and Cha...
- 26 Feb 2017
For Iskcon100 and further only by studying Srila Prabhupada’s books and living your life accordingly
By Romapada SwamiDuring our GBC meetings in Mayapur, a consistent theme has arisen about the succession issue. After a study of several religious organizations which succeeded in continuing their missions over the years, it was concluded that only if the intents of the Founder Acarya are understood by the consequent generations of devotees Iskcon will be successful in spreading Lord Chaitanya's movement for many years in the future. This can be accomplished only by a regular study of Srila Prabhupada's books and recordings and not just for an intellectual u...
- 26 Feb 2017
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaThe politician or, what is called, leaders, andha, they will promise you that "You will be happy in this way. You give me vote, and I shall bring heaven for you, and let me become minister. That is... You simply wait, and as soon as I become a minister and president, I will give you such and such benefit."
...- 25 Feb 2017
By Radhanath SwamiLife is a journey. A quest of fulfillment, for seeking pleasure. Some people find that pleasure in wealth, in glory, or other material comforts of life. We are all seeking happiness, but it is within ourselves. If the fish swam deeper in life, it won’t have been bothered by the hawk. But it swam just around life. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krsna says: A person who has peace within, who is self-realized in consciousness is very deep, like an ocean. The deeper you go in the ocean, the calmer it becomes. The more it becomes unaffected by the st...
- 25 Feb 2017
By Tamohara DasThe relationships, which are based upon bhakti, which means love, a loving relationship, but love is also manifesting through service. A nice quote that I like is that there was an author, a poet named Kahlil Gibran, he was some kind of mystic from the mid east area, maybe he was from Lebanon. He wrote this book called The Prophet which was very popular in my days among my generation of counter culturists. He had these little statements that were very profound. This is one that I thought was cool but I had no idea what it meant until I became...
- 25 Feb 2017
By Madhava SmullenNew Vrindaban is set to host the second annual ISKCON North America Farm Conference from October 13th to 15th this year. The GBC Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture, which organized conferences on simple living in four continents last year, is behind the event. The conference, themed “Back to the Basics,” will be facilitated by ECO-Vrindaban and ISKCON New Vrindaban.
...- 24 Feb 2017
By Mahatma dasLet’s start with the good news: we can be Krsna conscious anywhere. And here’s the bad news: there really isn’t an ideal environment for being Krsna consciousness. I hear you saying, “How can you say that?” What about the temple, what about Vrndavana and Mayapura, what about a Rathayatra Festival?” Yes, those would seem to be ideal environments for developing Krsna consciousness. But let me ask you a question: Does everyone who goes to Vrndavana, or a temple, or to a Rathayatra become Krsna conscious? Most people do, but on...
- 23 Feb 2017
By Padayatra WorldwideIn 2016 ISKCON celebrated its 50th anniversary. Every ISKCON leader, member, project and zone was immediately inspired to jump into action. All festivals were geared at glorifying ISKCON and ISKCON’s Founder Acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. We at the Padayatra Ministry gave serious thought as to how we could celebrate this auspicious event. So we pledged to organise fifty Padayatras during this Golden Jubilee Anniversary year. We appealed to everybody far and wide. The response was so overwhelming that we...
- 23 Feb 2017
By the Gita Nagari devoteesIn recent years Gita Nagari attained USDA certification to become the only ahimsa dairy farm which is able to joyfully offer its milk products to the public. With a herd of nearly 80 cows and oxen in total and a vision for agricultural sustainability and self-sufficiency, Gita Nagari has emerged as a top choice for devotees interested in living a simple life in nature. Whether one is searching for a long-term residence or a place to visit seasonally, the ocean of devotional service nourishes the heart of all who call Gita Nagari h...
- 23 Feb 2017
By Gopijana vallab dasWith the hoisting of Garuda flag , in a colorful ceremony at Lotus park, HH Bhakti Charu Swami, GBC chairman, announced the official start of Gaura Purnima 2017 festival. As the Garuda flag started raising with divine chanting of Gurukulis & harinam, thousands of colorful flower petals showered all over the devotees with sweet bliss. Assembled Sanyasis broke coconuts as an auspicious way to begin the festival, infront of hundreds of cherring devotees. For the upcoming 21 days, festivities are lined up one after another, beginning from...
- 22 Feb 2017
By Kesava Krsna Dasa“You (Sri Krishna) are the playful king of Goloka and She is Your playful companion. When You are the king of Vaikuntha, She, the daughter of Vrsabhanu, is Goddess Lakshmi. When in this world You are Ramachandra, She is Janaka's daughter Sita. When You are Lord Hari, She is Kamala. When You are Yajna-avatara, She is Sri Daksina, the best of wives. When You are Nrsimha, She is Rama. When You are Nara's friend Narayana Rsi, She becomes Goddess Santi and follows You like a shadow. When You are Brahman, She is Prakrti. When You are Time,...
- 22 Feb 2017