Once upon a time at dusk I was strolling on the streets of Kothrud, Pune. I was superficially observing shops, restaurants, people, vehicles but my mind was absorbed in some other thoughts. I was an engineering student studying in MIT college. From my childhood I always used to deliberate on subjects like the mind, consciousness, sufferings, Death. After coming to engineering college my thoughts on these topics intensified. I used to think why I am suffering? Was there any time I was not suffering? What is the purpose of the univers...

When her son joined the Hare Krishnas, she wasn't sure what to think, but was determined to find out more. At age nineteen, my son moved to Portland, Oregon, to live with a friend and his family. His goal was to be in a rock-and-roll band and become rich and famous. During this same time, my oldest daughter was getting ready to have her first child. When she went into labor, it was exciting, but the labor became long and difficult, with complications. In the midst of an atmosphere of anxiety and concern, my children's father calle...

The truth is, neither the U.S. nor the U.S.S.R. is a free agent. They are both acting under the influence of the inescapable law of karma. An example from the Vedic literatures, the timeless books of knowledge from ancient India, may help us understand. The sages explain that although two bamboo trees rubbing together sometimes ignite a forest fire, the real cause of the fire is not the trees themselves but the wind that brings them together. The trees are only instruments. In the same way, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. are not the real causes ...

Even before founding ISKCON in 1966, during Srila Prabhupada’s beginning times in New York City, he had recorded himself singing Kunti’s prayers. These prayers are the only section of verses Srila Prabhupada ever recorded from the Srimad-Bhagavatam. He was living alone in what was an office on West 72nd Street in New York during the winter of 1965–66, after having come to New York from Butler, Pennsylvania. These were difficult days. Not only was Srila Prabhupada alone, but his quarters offered no shower or kitchen. To bathe and to...

Motorcycles were fashionable amongst boys my age. One day I took a drive on Mirco's motorcycle. At one point I became so excited that I lost control and … bang! I lost my balance in a turn and crashed into a wall, face first. I broke my jawbone, one tooth broke into pieces, another fell out, and a piece of my lower lip was almost cut off. It was a wake-up call. The following year I had so many painful meetings with dentists that the situation became unbearable. That's when I seriously started thinking about my life. Inside I was crying out...

(A retired British Army officer living in Taiwan) "I had made the trip with an open heart and mind, but never imagined quite how huge a transformation this journey would have on me." I started planning my pilgrimage to Vrindavan and Mayapur early last summer at my home in Taiwan. As my dates were becoming fixed, Sankirtana Dasa, my friend and mentor from the Taipei temple, told me he would also be visiting Vrindavan around the same time, and we synchronized our outbound flights so we could travel together. The weeks flew by, and suddenly i...

Saranga Thakura had vowed never to accept any disciples. But again and again he received messages from within encouraging him to make disciples. On one occasion, after reprimanding Devananda Pandita, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was on His way home, accompanied by Srivasa Pandita. Lord came across Saranga Thakura. Lord Gauranga asked him why he had never initiated any disciples. Sri Saranga replied that he had not found any suitable person. Lord Gauranga blessed him saying, "Whoever you shall choose as a disciple will be most suitable." ...

When I first saw the monk from a distance, all sorts of thoughts raced through my mind. "What a loser," I thought, and wondered if he'd flunked out of school, or if he'd graduated from university but had such low marks that he couldn't get a job. I thought of myself as the epitome of what every young man should be, or if they were not, then at least they should aspire to be. I was very proud of my excellent marks in school and my prestigious job, for which I had beaten thousands of other qualified engineers. I was proud of the money I ha...

The inquisitive human mind naturally yearns to understand the universe and man's place within it. Today scientists rely on powerful telescopes and sophisticated computers to formulate cosmological theories. In former times, people got their information from traditional books of wisdom. Followers of the Vedic culture, for example, learned about the cosmos from scriptures like the Srimad-Bhagavatam, or Bhagavata Purana. But the Bhagavatam's descriptions of the universe often baffle modern students of Vedic literature. Here Bhaktivedanta Instit...

In the 5th Canto 11th Chapter Text 17 in conversations between Jada Bharata and Maharaj Rahugana the answer presents itself. “This uncontrolled mind is the greatest enemy of the living entity. If one neglects it or gives it a chance, it will grow more and more powerful and will become victorious. Although it is not factual, it is very strong. It covers the constitutional position of the soul. O King, please try to conquer this mind by the weapon of service to the lotus feet of the spiritual master and of the Supreme Personality of Godh...

Adapted from a paper delivered at a seminar on "Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Universal Brotherhood," hosted by the Gaudiya Mission and held on February 20–21, 2012, in Kolkata, India. The post-industrial world is international and multi-cultural. Thoughts can be shared at the speed of light, communication between individuals or groups anywhere on the surface of the globe happens instantaneously, and technology transcends what were once insurmountable barriers. In the last century, colonialism has been shunned, the exertion of rac...