By Janmastami dasaThe Krishna Institute (KI) launches its service to the Vaishnava Community on May 21, 2016, at ISKCON of Alachua with Sacinandana Swami and Madhava Dasa. The inaugural event is the two-day interactive Dharma Workshop: Discover Your Mission in Life. Recognizing the significant contribution the KI will make to Srila Prabhupada’s mission in the USA, the International Coordinating Committee for ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations has scheduled KI’s inauguration as a National Event.
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- 28 Mar 2016
By Amala Prema devi dasiThe Bhakti Tree in Newcastle, NSW, Australia, the hub of loving exchanges, delicious food and transcendental sound vibrations celebrated its 1st anniversary and ISKCON’s 50th year anniversary on Friday, 18th of March. World-renowned international kirtaniya, His Grace Madhava Naidoo led the evening. More than 150 people attended the evening and enjoyed delicious prasadam. The Bhakti Tree has become a steadily growing community center, which gathered all its well-wishers, community members, volunteers, kirtan and yoga enthusiasts under the same roof on this special e...
- 28 Mar 2016
By Baldev dasA team of dedicated devotees consisting of Bhagawan pr, Shyamananda pr, Rohinikumar pr, Raghupati pr, Rajgopal pr & others had been working hard tirelessly for 12 long years to translate Srila Prabhupada’s entire Srimad Bhagavatam in the local Marathi Language. The Wait was now over for all Marathi readers and the hard work of the translators bore fruit when the Bhaktivedanta Book trust team got all the books printed beautifully in time for the ocassion. And what else could be an apt setting for its launch – Dadar’s Shivaji Park ground. Besides being a venue for gathering...
- 27 Mar 2016
By GBC College StaffFrom Beijing to Belgium, from Bulgaria to Buenos Aires, from Canada to Karnataka, from Nairobi to Naperville, from Istanbul to England, From Delhi to Gaborone, to Slovenia, to Switzerland, to Ecuador, to Romania, Poland, etc., four dozen leaders assembled in the Govardhan Ecovillage outside of Mumbai, learning for thirteen days at the GBC College for Leadership Development how to serve as Zonal Supervisors.
...- 26 Mar 2016
By Iskcon MayapurIt all started with the festival inauguration March 5th and blissfully went on until Gaura Purnima day. Let's not forget Jaganath Misra's feast on 24th and 25th of March which provided a sumptuous feast for thousands of devotees and pilgrims who left completely satisfied. For almost one month, Sri Mayapur Dham was flooded, but this time not by Mother Ganga but by Thousands and Thousands of spirit souls hoping to get some Mercy from the Lord. Ratha Yatra, Boat festival, Kirtan Mela, Mini Market, Huge International presentation displaying devotional activities done by d...
- 26 Mar 2016
By Kevala Bhakti dasWith recent news of the tragic passing of former Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, many devotees of Toronto's Hare Krishna Community have been fondly recalling how the then-Mayor visited our annual Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) in 2014. It was the second day of our grand two-day annual event on Centre Island and word quickly got around that the Mayor had arrived at the festival site. He first visited the Deity booth, diligently removed his shoes and then took darshan (audience) of Lord Jagannatha (Lord Krishna). He was then garlanded by one of our pujaris (priests). Mayo...
- 26 Mar 2016
By Madhava SmullenIt’s hard to beat Festival of Inspiration for sheer variety. This year’s ISKCON 50 special edition of the Appalachian spiritual retreat in New Vrindaban, West Virginia will overflow with the best Krishna consciousness has to offer: seminars, kirtans, entertainment, and the tastiest prasadam this side of the spiritual world. Hundreds of devotees from all over the East Coast of the United States and Canada are expected to pour in for the May 6th to 8th weekend. Each day of the festival will begin with an extended themed Srimad Bhagavatam class. Author Yogesvara Das will...
- 26 Mar 2016
By Vijaya dasAfter the departure of Aindra Prabhu, a good friend of his, Rama Raya Prabhu, had the strong feeling that his friend Aindra wanted him to chant the holy name in New York City. So this is what he and many others do, 365 days a year. There are no days off. Aindra Prabhu was originally doing harinama preaching in NYC, but Krsna has His plans, so Aindra went to Vrindavana and restarted the 24-hour kirtan that Srila Prabhupada had once instituted. Now Rama Raya and his team of chanters in NYC not only distribute the holy names but also books. Last month they distributed 2,293 books...
- 25 Mar 2016
By radhanathswami.comThe Radha Gopinath Temple in Mumbai, India celebrated their annual Flower Festival on January 30th, 2016. Over two hundred western yoga teachers and students joined thousands of members of the Radha Gopinath Temple congregation for the event. Participants of the Bhakti Immersion Retreat held at Govardhan Eco Village rushed to Mumbai for the celebrations. Gaur Vani, of the music band The Hanumen, posted on the internet, “After seeing the new developments at Radhanath Swami’s Govardhan Eco Village (including life-size replicas of the holy sites of Vrindavan), tons of ...
- 25 Mar 2016
By Padmapani DasIn early 1978, Tribhuvanatha Prabhu gathered together a small group of devotees with the aim of spreading Krishna consciousness in the Middle East for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada. The group traveled overland from London to Beirut where 5,000 Arabic Bhagavad-gitas and thousands of Arabic Sri Isopanisads were distributed in the midst of civil war. Some devotees were imprisoned -- risking life and limb -- but were eventually released unharmed.
...- 24 Mar 2016
By ISKCON European Office of CommunicationsOn Tuesday March 22nd 2016, a terrorist attack with multiple blasts shook Belgium’s capital, Brussels, killing and injuring dozens at Zaventem Airport and in the subway. On March 23rd, ISKCON European Office of Communications issued the following statement: ISKCON deplores the atrocious violence and terror recently committed in Brussels. The deranged persons who committed such acts do not represent any bonafide spiritual tradition but on the contrary only represent and practice hatred, madness, envy, violence and terror. Our prayers an...
- 23 Mar 2016
By Dandavats StaffMantra Choir performance of Mahaprabhu. Involving over 400 musicians, singers and dancers from all around the World. Early 70’s pop star John Richardson aka Jayadeva Prabhu released today on Gaura Purnima day (23 March), his ISKCON 50th Anniversary offering–the virtual mantra choir. Having gathered the voices of devotees from more than 25 countries, Jayadeva conducts the Mantra Choir in singing the name of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
...- 23 Mar 2016
By Prananatha DasAfter months of intense work, for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada, we present the 2016 TOVP update video. Please watch in HD. The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP), being built at ISKCON's World Headquarters in Mayapur, West Bengal, India, is ISKCON's flagship project and most ambitious undertaking to spread the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Golden Avatar. Mission The fulfillment of the desire of visionary spiritual leaders, saints and incarnations, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is a unique and ambitious project to make the vast culture and philosoph...
- 22 Mar 2016
By Bhakti Carudesna SwamiThe spirit soul, the living entity, has no death, for he is eternal and inexhaustible. Being free from material contamination, he can go anywhere in the material or spiritual worlds. He is fully aware and completely different from the material body, but because of being misled by misuse of his slight independence, he is obliged to accept subtle and gross bodies created by the material energy and thus be subjected to so-called material happiness and distress. Therefore, no one should lament for the passing of the spirit soul from the body.
...- 21 Mar 2016
By Jagannath Kirtan DasDear devotees, today, on the disappearance of Srila Madhavendra Puri, the celebration of Sri Advaitacarya's Shantipur festival, just three days shy of Gaura Purnima, after months of work, it is with deep gratitude and joy that we present to the devotee community our latest film entitled For Tomorrow. Our politicians pay lip service to it. Our technology is indifferent to it. Our commerce despises it. Nonetheless, it is the weightiest and most important thing to think about. Spirit. The living force. The soul. Srila Prabhupada wrote that society's most vexing and painf...
- 20 Mar 2016
By Aniruddha DasaThe positive reputation of ISKCON in Australia is built in good part on the good will created by the prasadam distribution of our restaurants and the vegetarian or bhakti yoga clubs in our universities. It is an essential element of connecting with the man on the street, especially in countries with small populations where you can’t sell a book to an individual every day of the week. They will however, be hungry every day, and happy to pay for a good, healthy, scrumptious meal of delicious Krsna prasadam. Sometimes eating more than one meal a day! We should take advantag...
- 20 Mar 2016
By HH Bhakti Madhurya Govinda SwamiI asked Srila Prabhupada personally, Srila Prabhupada, I said, United States is like a heavenly planet, if you go to super market then everything is there. In US you could buy imported jams and jellies real fruits you know & packets good, packet, cereals, canned goods and very fresh produce from various place around the world. It’s like a paradise except the meat department. So I asked Prabhpada, it’s so much like a heavenly planet and so much opulence and all that but no yajña to support it. Of course I was thinking of the BG “yajno vai visnuh”, ...
- 19 Mar 2016
By Vrajendranandan DasHH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja apprised the Prime Minister about the global preaching efforts of ISKCON, particularly the propagation of the priceless message of the Bhagavad Gita in most of the significant languages of the world. The Prime Minister was pleased to hear that the Bhagavad Gita is available in 81 languages of the world. The Prime Minister was also presented with a copy of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is in Russian, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi and English. Maharaja also offered to have a copy of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is in all languages, kept in the Prime Min...
- 18 Mar 2016
By Nitya Kishor DasiOn the 8th day (18th of March), we are going to see the sacred places in Antardvipa, the island of full surrender. It is interesting that a big part of ISKCON Mayapur complex is situated in Antardvipa. We are just 1km from Yoga Pitha. Those who come to Mayapur or live here are invited to practice the process of surrender; these are the blessings of this island. We are scheduled to reach ISKCON Mayapur campus tomorrow 9:00am where a Maha Milan (great meeting) will take place with all the parties meeting at the same time, which demands a lot of communication and organizati...
- 18 Mar 2016
By Mayapur Sasi dasaFor the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of February. 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 Mar 2016
By Vraja Vilasa dasOn this most auspicious occasion, 530 years ago, Lord Krsna Himself descended here as the Golden Avatar to deliver a spiritual treasure to each and every one of us. Even as the branches of the sankirtan movement continuously spread from Mayapur all over the globe, every Gaura Purnima thousands of joyful devotees return to where it all began to celebrate, worship, and pay homage to our Lord. Together, through our collective prayers and determined efforts, Lord Caitanya’s new temple is being raised by your generous contributions.
...- 18 Mar 2016
By Sita Rama dasWhy are people more attracted to churches that demand more, when they could choose one that demands less? Answers to this are found in an academic paper published in the, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (Sacrifice and Stigma: Managing Religious Risk, by Prosper Raynold). It is because people have the propensity to develop faith and hope in God; but people tend to rely on “faith intermediaries” to deepen their understanding of the will of God. They need to believe they have found...
- 17 Mar 2016
By Bhaktin Anjali PanchalSince the last five years, book distribution in North America has been on a steady increase. In 2012, under the encouragement and guidance of H.G. Vaisesika Prabhu, temple presidents and leaders assembled Team North America (continent wide team with one goal). In 2012, Team North America set a goal of 20% increase in the dollars remitted to BBT versus prior year; in 2013 another 20% increase on top of that, and in 2014 and 2015 each, additional 10% increase. The results were astounding ...
- 17 Mar 2016
By Anuttama DasI have a friend, he is a professor who is a Muslim man and he is older. He may be in his seventies. He went and heard Prabhupada speak at Harvard University, whenever Prabhupada was there in early 69 or 70’s something like that in the early days, he just happened to walking through the hall of the divinity college and he saw someone in saffron. Being from India he knew saffron was not something you ordinarily see in the Harvard campus. So, he went to hear Prabhupada and two things he said came ou...
- 17 Mar 2016