By Braja Vilasa DasThe year 2020 was a most difficult year for all of us due to the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic. With TOVP construction halted for almost eight months and a significant loss to our regular income stream, we had to make the difficult decision to push back the Grand Opening to 2023, and reschedule the installation of the new Prabhupada murti to October 2021. Work resumed in September on a limited scale, and slowly we are beginning to catch up to a normal workload.
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- 25 Dec 2020
By Lokanath SwamiKURUKSHETRA, about one hundred miles north of New Delhi, is best known as the place where the great battle of the Mahabharata was fought and Lord Krsna spoke the Bhagavad-gita. But long before that, Kurukshetra had played a dominant role in the history and culture of ancient India. For thousands of years it was a hub around which the Vedic civilization spun in its full glory. Kurukshetra's religious importance is described in many scriptures, including the Bhagavad-gita, the Mahabharata, and various Upanishads and Puranas. The scriptures refer to it as a place of meditation and an abode of ...
- 24 Dec 2020
By Sankirtana Das This year is an unusual year. One of its many unusual features is that Christmas and Gita Jayanta, the speaking of Bhagavad-Gita (The Song of God), are celebrated on the same day. This is a special opportunity to connect East and West.
...- 24 Dec 2020
By Giriraj SwamiTonight, my beloved disciple, “ISKCON’s Mother,” Rajani Priya Dasi (Rose Forkash), passed away in her home in Carpinteria, California. Three months ago we were pleased to celebrate her one-hundredth birthday at my ashram. Please join us in praying for Rajani Priya’s auspicious onward spiritual journey, back to Srila Prabhupada, back to Godhead.
...- 23 Dec 2020
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 2020. 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
...- 22 Dec 2020
By the GBCYamuna Devi was one of the most influential devotees during ISKCON’s fledgling years. She was among a handful of people who established ISKCON’s first. Those who came to ISKCON in later years joined an established society, but Yamuna Devi was one of the few who established that society
...- 20 Dec 2020
By Malati Devi DasiWith immense sorrow and deep regret, I beg to report the departure of Her Grace Yamuna devi dasi, premier disciple of Srila Prabhupada, known for her deeply spiritual qualities and connection with His Divine Grace, for her glorious offering of the Govindam prayers that we hear and chant daily, for her love of pure kirtan, for her ecstatic award winning cook books which were infused with spiritual anecdotes, for greatly inspiring and encouraging the younger generation of ISKCON devotees in their KC, on this morning of Saphala Ekadasi, in her Melborne Beach Florida ashram-kutir which she sh...
- 20 Dec 2020
By Yamuna Devi DasiHe was so engaged, so busy, preaching to tens of thousands of people and taking care of our entire Society, yet he personally took charge of my recovery. To this day I become emotional just remembering this. For me it only increased my dedication to see that this small insignificant soul Yamuna was so cared for and nurtured by Srila Prabhupada. In my later challenges, I drew strength and determination from this episode in my devotional life. Another thing I remember about the illness was the loving care of my Godsisters, among them Visak...
- 20 Dec 2020
By ISKCON-London CommunicationsFood for Life London, the food distribution initiative from London's Hare Krishna Temple, is set to make a milestone this Christmas by introducing the UK's first fully-electric food van to serve Londoners
...- 19 Dec 2020
By Jaganmohini devi dasiThis year, in the midst of unprecedented crisis faced by the world due to SARS-Covid-19, there was heartening news which delighted at least all the well-wishers of H.H. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami. The announcement of Sir Roger Penrose winning the Nobel for physics brought cheers to many of us. Besides, soon after the announcement, the book 'Science, Spirituality and The Nature of Reality', a dialogue between Sir Roger Penrose and Dr. T.D. Singh was in demand and recorded good online sales on Amazon.
...- 19 Dec 2020
By Mohan LuthraThe first thing that has changed about the Bhaktivedanta Manor Gurukula is that it is no longer called that, it is now simply referred to as the Gurukula – The Hare Krishna Primary School. This is part of the story that has seen big changes happen over the last year and a half
...- 16 Dec 2020
By Jayapataka SwamiIn Mayapur, because of the outreach programs, various namahatta devotees attending in Mayapur, somehow the coronavirus has spread amongst our namahatta preachers. Of them, two swamis, His Holiness Gauranga Prema Swami and His Holiness Bhakti Vilasa Gauracandra Swami have tested positive. So they have quarantined the whole namahatta and they are undergoing treatment. But this disease is, you know – it is hard to make the devotees understand that this is a serious thing, it is still there.
...- 12 Dec 2020
By the BBTWhat is Live to Give? “Live to Give” is the end of year book distribution campaign uniting devotees all over the world to combinedly distribute at least 2 Million Bhagavad Gitas. See here how we are doing as One World Team.
...- 12 Dec 2020
By BBT MCIUpdates on all the exciting events happening on World Gita Day!. Empowered by Gita Contest It's time to get your creative hat on! Get out your brushes, pens and cameras for the Empowered by Gita Global Contest part of the World Gita Day We have age categories from 3 to adults plus winners and runner-ups in each will get an exclusive BBT swag bag plus get their work featured on World Gita Day Global event! Get creating right away as deadline is on December 17th, 2020
...- 12 Dec 2020
By the TOVP teamIn 1971, as a young devotee in Calcutta, Giriraja Swami approached Srila Prabhupada, “I have been trying to understand what your desire is, and two things seem to please you the most: distributing your books and building the big temple in Mayapur.” Prabhupada’s face lit up, his eyes opened wide, and he smiled, saying: “Yes, you have understood. If you all build this temple, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur will personally come and take you all back to Godhead.”
...- 11 Dec 2020
By Gauranga DasDuring the extended lockdown due to the pandemic situation, the residents of Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV) took to an in depth study of Srimad Bhagavatam, making the most of the collective opportunity. GEV is the home for many scholarly devotees who share the wealth of their Vedic wisdom across the world. As circumstances would have it, many of them like Sanatkumar Prabhu, Gauranga prabhu, Chaitanya Caran prabhu, Damodar prabhu, Gauranga Darshan prabhu, Balaram Sakti prabhu and Madhav Gopal Prabhu were all in GEV from March to November 2020. It was like a sweetshop being unable to distribute ...
- 11 Dec 2020
By Taruni Radhe Devi DasiTOTAL GHEE LAMP OF WHOPPING 132,180! HG Jagabandhu das, a disciple of HH Janananda Goswami Maharaj is a humble youth & highly inspiring devotee who distributes Srila Prabhupada’s teachings through his words, actions and preaching by conducting major scale Ratha Yatra, distributing Mahaprasadham, chanting beads & Srila Prabhupada’s books! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
...- 11 Dec 2020
By Yogesvara dasaUnlike Jews and Christians, who have had a vested interest in the outer world for centuries, Vaishnavas have traditionally focused on the inner world. Today, with the world growing smaller and humanity more interdependent, Vaishnavas face unprecedented change. What does it mean to be a bhakta in the 21st century? Is it sufficient to take initiation from an approved guru? Does it mean engaging in sankirtan on a regular basis? Does it mean worshipping the Diety? Does legitimacy as a Vaishnava depend on strict adherence to rules and regulations? And where does social action fit? Should devotee...
- 11 Dec 2020
By the ISKCON GBC Strategic Planning TeamMedical professionals and healthcare heroes across the country are going above and beyond in the fight against coronavirus. This week, GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) invites you to meet, hear and learn from Krsnadasa Kaviraja Das on how to responsibly play our part in this fight. He is one of the many unsung devotee heroes who have put their own lives on the line to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
...- 8 Dec 2020
By Indradyumna SwamiAs you know Vaisesika prabhu is heading up a worldwide effort to distribute 2 million of Srila Prabhupada's books during this Christmas Marathon. It's very exciting! He asked me to address the samkirtan devotees in the first of his online presentations yesterday. Here is my address.
...- 7 Dec 2020
By Prana dasaIn September Bhakti Learning were thrilled to receive an award for Best e-learning Design at the Annual LearnX Awards held in Sydney, Australia. The category for the award was Shift-it-Online. We successfully demonstrated to the judges how we shifted traditional learning content to an online platform, using innovative design and delivery methods.
...- 4 Dec 2020
By Bhaktivedanta Book TrustAfrica Rocks! Amazing strategies and secrets from the African continent for improving your life and building a book distribution empire!
...- 3 Dec 2020
By Vijaya DasaThe Swansea temple in Wales had the best month I've ever seen from this quaint little city in Great Britain. It was the No. 1 temple in Great Britain with 4,906 book points and No. 9 worldwide. And in Bangladesh a temple has come up that I've never seen or noticed before in the newsletter. Coxbazar did huge, with 4,301 book points, making it No. 11 in the world. Both are in the Small Temple category, small but doing big.
...- 30 Nov 2020
By the ISKCON GBC Strategic Planning TeamGBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) invites you to hear one of the most exciting and inspiring update from around the globe on the Kartik outreach during the pandemic. The devotees who are sharing the outcome of their results are - Seva Svarupa das - manager for Congregational Development Ministry, with HH Jayapataka Swami as the Minister. Jalaghi dd lives in Mayapur and is coordinatoring efforts in Hong Kong, etc. Amrita Gaurang dd lives in Malaysia and is assisting with the overall outreach
...- 30 Nov 2020