By Ravindra Svarupa DasaWith all the exotic trappings of 'a traditional Hindu ritual structure' thus in place, ISKCON appears to many to be heavily freighted with culturally conditioned forms and hence to exemplify sectarianism with a vengeance. It stands in contrast to advaita vedanta, that earlier Indian export, whose philosophical abstractions and non-devotional orientation make it appear universal, nonsectarian, and free from adventitious cultural and historical accretions. Yet even after Prabhupada had every...
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- 10 Jul 2015
By Dvaraka-Gamana Devi DasiThe 13th annual Ratha Yatra Festival in Rijeka, Croatia was held on Saturday, 6th June, 2015. The procession started at 5pm from Jelacic Square then proceeded through Korzo street to Jadranski Trg and back to Korzo. A stage program was held from 7pm to 9pm. Special guests for the festival were His Holiness Candramauli Swami, HH Smita Krsna Swami, HG Vaiyasaki Dasa Prabhu and HG Rohini-Suta Prabhu. HH Krsna Ksetra Swami was expected to arrive with the Slovenian devotees. Prasadam distri...
- 9 Jul 2015
By Radharaman Das This trip will include complementary return ticket, accommodation, transfers, all prasad and a trip around the holy places of Kolkata. Preference will be given on 1st come basis. There is free trip for only one person for each country. What you will have to do is to particpate in the Golden Jubilee celebration of Srila Prabhupada's Voyage to America and Kick-start of the Golden Jubilee celebrations in Kolkata from 11th to 16th August 2015. Also you will have to be part of an event to create a n...
- 9 Jul 2015
By Sunanda DasOn Sunday, June 28th, we arrived at ISKCON Houston at the home of Advaitachandra and Kalasuddha prabhus. They are leaders in the U.S. of the Bhakti Vrksha programs, helping devotees all across the country to organize their efforts in this regard. Their home was like Vaikuntha; every inch of wall-space was covered by either a photo of some Deities or guru, or a picture of the Lord in one of his incarnations. Their Pancha Tattva Deities were cast from the leftover metal used for the original Pancha Tat...
- 9 Jul 2015
By Bhakti devi dasiThe magazine is mainly pictorial, and we really need good quality high res photos, urgently now, to be able to complete the layout. * do you have high resolution quality photos of Temples, deities, devotees, festivals, prasadam, etc., for the 50th Magazine; * if you are willing to assist with this service, do you have an online folder or gallery that you would be willing to let us browse through so that we can choose photos we are interested in; * or you could email us low res imag...
- 9 Jul 2015
By Padmapani dasDevotees of all sizes, shapes and colors from all corners of the universe (and perhaps from even beyond) merged together in the bliss of Prabhupada's famous "airport arrival lila," completely oblivious to the unbelieving stares and wide-eyed wonders of the unsuspecting passengers. Flowing robes and dangling beads decorated the long corridors like the colored flags and festoons waiting to greet Lord Krishna upon His triumphant arrival in Dvaraka. Sannyasis, grhasthas, brahmacaris, mothers and babies...
- 9 Jul 2015
By Shyamasundara DasaAt the moment he departed the Lagna (rising sign) was Karkata 24° 06’ very closely conjoined by both Venus and Guru. Even a beginning student of jyotish would recognize that is highly favorable as they are both natural as well as functional benefics for this Lagna and they cause Raja yoga as well as a Mahapurusha yoga (Guru exalted in the Lagna).
...- 9 Jul 2015
By Radha Mohan DasThis year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Bhaktivedanta Manor’s main drama group. It has been led chiefly by Jaya Krishna Das and Dwarka Puri das but over the years a great many other devotees of all ages and backgrounds have participated and given much of their time. Disciples of Srila Prabhupada pioneered the first dramas at Bhaktivedanta Manor during the early 1970’s. By 1985 the baton had gradually passed onto the next generation and The Bhaktivedanta Players in its present structure ...
- 8 Jul 2015
By Hari Narayana DasHow would you describe the moment where devotees from all the different locations in a country come in a spirit so enthusiastic just to celebrate Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha, a moment where people from different faiths join the devotees and chant and dance so blissfully, a moment where you begin to admire the wonderful mercy of Srila Prabhupada and feel so indebted to him for giving us Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra, Their Chariots and the Ratha Yatra festivals? Such a moment was the Ratha Y...
- 8 Jul 2015
By Niranjana SwamiAnisthita-bhakti is symptomized by six characteristics which are all explained by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. The first is utsaha-mayi, false enthusiasm. A person with this symptom thinks that because he has developed an ability to do something in bhakti, he is therefore qualified. He is enthusiastic, because people recognize his expertise. "I can play karatalas, really expertly!" Somebody sees, "Oh, you play very good karatalas." "Yes, I am a very advanced devotee." And as soon as somebody do...
- 8 Jul 2015
By Mayapur staffFor the pleasure of their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Pancatattva, Nrisimha Dev and His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, Mayapur Local Preaching (MLP) held a ‘Summer camp’ on 13-14th June. More than 200 Bhakti Vriksha devotees participated in this program. On 13th morning, devotees arrived from different places like Krishnanagar, Dhubulia, Bhaluka, Srirampur etc. at ‘Gita Bhavan’. They stayed for 13th & 14th and on 15th morning they returned home after having breakfast Prasadam. Most of ...
- 7 Jul 2015
By Mathuralilesvari Devi DasiWhen Srila Prabhupada arrived at the Commenwealth Pier in Boston fifty years ago in 1965, he did not know if he should turn left or right. With only forty Rupees and a trunk containing Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagvatam,Srila Prabhupada carried the instructions of his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur close to his heart. In a poem that he penned upon his arrival in America he said,"O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to ...
- 7 Jul 2015
By TKG Academy In a lecture by His Grace Nityananda Prabhu, the following question was posed: “How do we balance the spiritual and material aspects of education in the gurukula?” His response was insightful and thought-provoking. It is not a question of balance, he replied, but a question of integration. Krsna consciousness can be integrated into any subject being learned, because Krsna is everywhere. In other words, the two aspects of education are not mutually exclusive.
...- 7 Jul 2015
By Madhava SmullenJune 21st, 1976 was a normal day at the Pittsburgh International airport until a group of Krishna devotees from New Vrindaban, dressed in an odd combination of dhotis or saris with large rubber farm boots, appeared. Commuters stared open-mouthed as the fifty-strong crew exploded into a cacophonous burst of chanting, mridanga drums, and gongs in front of the arrival gate. They were there, of course, to greet their beloved guru Srila Prabhupada, who appeared presently, effulgent and regal with his...
- 6 Jul 2015
By Akrura dasaInterviews and conversations between Visnu Murti dasa and Akrura dasa. Why? When Srila Prabhupada left the planet, he left us possibility to serve him by bringing his teachings to pristine condition. So what do we mean by this “bringing in pristine condition”? We understand this as a work in progress, because still there are books, his lectures, conversations and letters, which have to be translated in different languages, Srila Prabhupada's audio tapes have to be made available and studied, th...
- 6 Jul 2015
By Govardhana Seva dasaIn 2008, an Indian devotee named Sharma Suka donated a run-down six unit apartment block in Calcutta and this was the beginning of the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC). Shortly afterwards Hari Sauri met Pranava Prabhu, who had a PhD, spoke seven languages and could read ten. He told Hari Sauri that he had 4000 books and handwritten documents, written in Bengali, which he was going to export to Oxford University Museum and Library, because he didn’t know of anywhere in Calcutta where he...
- 6 Jul 2015
By Rasamandal Das and Vrndavanlila Devi DasiWhat appeared to be a small village preaching program in a sleepy village near Bodhan, small place in the state of Telengana and the border of Maharashtra turned to be a day full of activities, immersed in kirtan, Krsna katha and devotee association. Bodhan is said to be the treasury of Pandavas, no wonder it still retains some of its old splendor. As one keeps moving through its streets one can see number of beautiful and healthy desi cows strolling happily along with ...
- 6 Jul 2015
By Mukunda GoswamiThere is a Chinese proverb that says, “Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land.” If the longest journeys begin with the first step, then at minimum that first step should be taken. Doing what I know I can do in my limited sphere of influence is extremely important. Every member of ISKCON can take the first step. Thinking “big” should also be encouraged. Srila Prabhupada is known for saying that his only flaw was that he could not think sma...
- 6 Jul 2015
By Sacinandana Hari DasSrimad Bhagavad Gita is not just a sacred book for all but a book giving lessons on various topics like : - How to control your mind - How to control your senses - How to connect to God - How to know “whom am I “ and many more such questions. Srimad Bhagavat Gita is not only popular in people generally but is now catching up in corporate organizations too. Manager are interested to know what lessons Bhagavad Gita has to solve their managerial prob...
- 5 Jul 2015
By Radhanath Krishna dasA team of 15 devotees from ISKCON Batticaloa and guests from abroad voyaged from the east coast of Sri Lanka till the capital city of Colombo covering all major cities and towns of the island bringing Vaikuntha atmosphere at each location. We mainly targeted youths in schools and colleges by performing drama, distributing books, holding harinama sankirtana, distributing prasadam and follow-up. Every school program had an attendance of 500 to 900 students.
...- 5 Jul 2015
By Sunanda dasWe arrived in Gita Nagari from New Vrindaban on Friday, May 29th, Pandava Nirjala Ekadasi, only for a few hours to make a presentation at the weekend retreat there with Radhanath Maharaja and Giriraja Swami, attended by 300+ devotees from across the country. There was no time for an abhisheka or puspanjali for the Padukas and Sitari, and after setting up our banners and table, Radhanath Maharaja spoke about the TOVP, glorifying the project and requested devotees to give their financial assistance. Ra...
- 4 Jul 2015
By Padasevan Bhakta DasThe festival featured a talk on topic –‘Yoga for modern age’. It was delivered by Rambhadra Das. He holds a B.Tech from Chandigarh, and has worked for software giant TCS. Currently he is Director of IYF, Bihar and Jharkhand. In talk, he established the supremacy of Bhakti Yoga over all other forms of yoga. He quoted several sanskrit shlokas from scriptures and made the audience chant in horus. This made the sublimated the atmosphere.
...- 4 Jul 2015
By Madhava SmullenIn his 1885 essay Pancha Samskara: The Process of Initiation, he discusses the five purificatory processes from Prameya Ratnavali mentioned earlier in this article, two of which are tapa (defined by Baladeva Vidyabhushana as branding) and wearing tilaka markings. Yes, he acknowledges them as prescribed ways to sanctify oneself so that one’s true spiritual nature can develop. But far more forcefully, he condemns being concerned only with the external: “Tapa applies not only to the body, but a...
- 3 Jul 2015
By radhanathswami.com Radhanath Swami spoke of how members of a project inspired by his teachings, the Bhaktivedanta Hospital in Mumbai, recently went to Nepal after the recent devastating earthquake. He recounted that there were all kinds of doctors there – allopathic, Ayurvedic, naturopathic, etc. treating the injuries and broken limbs. However, he succinctly pointed out, more than broken limbs in Nepal, were broken hearts. There was starvation of stomachs, but more significantly, there was starvation of heart...
- 1 Jul 2015