Deena Bandhu Prabhu: Please join us in prayers for a dear friend, Ananta Shakti Prabhu. who left us Dwadasi evening surrounded by devotees in England. A kind sensitive soul who was dedicated for over four decades serving though his art touching the hearts of many devotees. Ananta was tottaly dedicated to the mission who loved the devotess and expressed this deeply through his humility. May Srila Prabhupada take him in his arms and lead to the Lotus feet of the Lord!
The Divine Form by Ananta Sakti Dasa
An artist realizes his dream of finding the perfect form
(From Back to Godhead)
During my school days in the 1960s, it wasn’t difficult to see that the modern education system was a kind of slaughterhouse for the mind and intellect, a place where individuals were reduced to packaged goods to be consumed by an exploitative society. At age fourteen I decided to become an artist/ naturalist, which meant spending lots of time absent from school but present in my local library, and exploring riverbanks, shorelines, and wooded areas. In the library I met illustrious teachers every time I opened an art book. Great artists like Picasso, Da Vinci, Gaugin, Raphael, and the Pre- Raphaelites taught me so many lessons in the use of color, tone, composition, and most of all, imaginative expression. In the great outdoors, Mother Nature was a wonderful teacher who introduced me to the miracle of changing seasons, wherein infinite varieties of fascinating creatures coexist in an ecological wonderland.
With so much inspiration available for a budding artist, where would I start? I thought I’d give the educational system another try, and I visited the local art college. The head of the Fine Art section was a waffling intellectual living on cloud nine, so I gave that a miss. The Graphic Design department was all about selling products and making a living, but at least that was practical. I enrolled, but the psychedelic generation I was a part of had a profound effect on my consciousness. I needed answers to the important questions of life: Who am I? Where am I going? What is the purpose of life?
I concluded that art is best when it encapsulates the answers to these questions in a new, exciting way. But what are the answers? The Graphic Design department was just going to engage me in the advancement of consumerism, so I left.
My best friend at that time was Ron Holbeche, a Christian mystic who painted vibrant canvases that were exhibited in the more progressive churches. He always talked to me of God and service to God. He was like my guru and always asserted, “Man was made to serve God.”
Ron and I both craved a vision of a perfect person, and we had our own conceptualizations of what that meant. Ron painted the silhouette of a young Adonis male filled with hundreds of bright rainbow colors, whereas I considered that a perfect person must be seen to contain a harmonious combination of aggressive logic and gentle intuition. I reasoned that to be complete, such a being would be androgynous. I decided to depict this ideal not as a hermaphrodite, but in a symbolic way, with half the body male and the other half female, much like the Siva-Sakti form seen in Indian temples.
Encounter with Lord Rama
At about this time, I built a tepee of the American Indian style, lived in a forest commune, and made an independent living as a portrait artist. I also specialized in designing and making fringed, beaded moccasins for the hippie community. It was a busy, productive life. Then, as if by divine providence, an art college friend, upon returning from a visit to Bangkok, gave me some rice-paper rubbings taken from bas-reliefs of divinities of the temple of the reclining Buddha. Although I didn’t know it at first, the images depicted the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra. I immediately appreciated the combination of delicate exquisiteness and divine irresistible power that Ramachandra personified while upon His chariot, bow drawn, ready to slay His evil enemy.
I started work on a series of highly detailed color studies based on these rubbings. I became obsessed and addicted to these forms. They represented sweet perfection to me. One of my friends, who had visited Krishna’s holy town of Vrindavan, India, then told me that the divine person was Ramachandra, an incarnation of the Supreme Lord Krishna. He gave me some Spiritual Sky incense (made by Hare Krishna devotees) and advised me to offer a stick a day to the figure of Krishna on the packet, which I did.
Around this time I received a surprise visit from someone who had been given my address. Her name was Carol, and she was from the Hare Krishna temple in Toronto. After introductions, she wanted to teach me a mantra. I responded by closing my eyes tight and repeating over and over again, with rapt attention, the words she gave me: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
As I was doing this, a beautiful bluish person of independent power, much like the figure on the incense packet, entered my consciousness. This person personified bliss and possessed a body of pure energy, just like liquid sapphire. I was stunned, blessed, and totally at a loss for words. Carol had introduced me to the chanting of the holy names, for which I am forever grateful.
Soon after, I visited the Hare Krishna temple in Watford, just outside London, and had darsana with the presiding Radha-Krishna deities, Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda. That was probably the greatest revelation I ever had. It seemed the ultimate deja vu experience, and my intuition made sense when the devotees explained that we all have an eternal loving relationship with God. It simply needs to be awakened by the glorification of His holy names.
I joined the temple shortly after and received formal initiations. In the following years I had many opportunities to study and glorify the divine forms of the Lord in His multifarious aspects and also to do portrait studies of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada.
God’s Unique Spiritual Form
Discovering the actual form of our most ancient of friends, that friend who has been patiently guiding and tolerating us since time immemorial, must surely be the greatest of all discoveries and experiences. Growing up in the patriarchal Christian tradition, I learned through art that God, being the original father, must look like a mighty yet old and bearded Anglo/ European man. He casts stern glances in all directions while sitting on His kingly throne surrounded by angels and light. At slight provocation He hurls flaming thunderbolts at those who dare defy His authority.
This anthropomorphic projection surely strikes fear and reverence into human hearts, but does such a contrivance inspire love? I think not.
I found the Vedic viewpoint to be much more attractive on all levels. It teaches that God is beyond the influence of time, which is subordinate to Him. He therefore possesses an eternally youthful form of incomparable beauty in every detail, from His fine, curling, bluish black hair, to His radiant toenails, which defeat the luster of the most precious gems. Restless lotusshaped eyes adorn His splendorous face. Every aspect of His form intrigues the eyes to an insatiable degree. Therefore the name Krishna, meaning “the all-attractive,” is surely a fitting name for God.
As an artist I am concerned with dimensions. If we examine the dimensions of Krishna’s divine form as revealed in the Vedic scriptures, we discover that many measurements differ from the human form. The most obvious differences are the size of His head in proportion to His body and that His hands reach to His knees. Indian sculptors who carve temple deities use these dimensions, which are delineated in reference books. The measurements are exact and define divine deity forms, thus setting them apart from any type of human form, although obvious similarities are there.
In the sacred Bhagavadgita (9.22) Lord Krishna says, “But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.” And in the Brahmasamhita Lord Brahma also assures us, “Only a person whose eyes are smeared with the ointment of love can see the beautiful form of Sri Krishna.”
Although I am unqualified to approach Lord Krishna, Srila Prabhupada’s followers have mercifully engaged me in Krishna’s service, in particular by depicting Krishna’s pastimes and writing and illustrating books on the subject. For this blessing I am eternally grateful because a picture of Krishna’s pastimes provides a view into the spiritual world. Therefore, as an ISKCON artist, I would like to offer the following recommendation: Suspend your disbelief, for with faith and an open mind, an apparent statue comes alive and a picture becomes a window to another world. Imagination and the spirit of devotional service give life to what appears to be the dull matter of this world. Therefore, in this mood let us serve Lord Krishna, His devotees, and whomever we can, and be happy forever. Hare Krishna.
Ananta Sakti Dasa, initiated in 1979, lives in Borehamwood, England.
Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was formerly Brihaspati, the guru of the gods.
(Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 119)
Sarvabhauma’s Scholarship
When Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami lists the branches of Sri Chaitanya, after
listing those devotees like Paramananda Puri and Svarupa Damodar who came to
join the Lord in Jagannath Puri, he enumerates those Bengali devotees who were
already living in Puri when the Lord arrived there and who then met him for
the very first time. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya is considered the most important
of these devotees.
One of the biggest branches of the Lord was Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. Another
was his brother-in-law, Gopinath Acharya.
(Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.10.130)
Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya had tremendous learning in both Nyaya and Vedanta.
Although he was a grihastha, he took the kshetra-sannyasa, vowing never to set
foot outside of Jagannath Puri, and he taught Vedanta to students there. He
gave discourses on Shankaracrya’s commentary on the Vedanta to Mahaprabhu
himself until he came to understand its real meaning by his grace.
Mahaprabhu delivered the Mayavadi Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. Both Vrindavan Das
Thakur, not different from Vedavyasa himself, and Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami
have described how this took place in their biographies of the Lord.
HOUSTON, TX — On Saturday, October 3rd, 75 devotees gathered with joyful enthusiasm in Houston, to celebrate the 61st anniversary of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s historic arrival in the United States. Organized by the Houston Harinam Sankirtan group as part of their weekly street chanting program, the landmark occasion took to the local waters on a riverboat in League City, Texas echoing the momentous 1965 Jaladuta voyage that brought the teachings of Lord Chaitanya to the Western world.
This special celebration marks League City as the second location covered by the Houston Harinam Team, following Katy, as part of their inspiring initiative to spread the holy names to every town and village across the greater Houston metropolitan area.
The event commenced with a spirited kirtan that reverberated across the water as devotees chanted and danced in deep gratitude. Attendees gathered to listen attentively to narration detailing Srila Prabhupada’s perilous voyage from Kolkata to Boston, reflecting on the immense faith and sacrifices he made to establish the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). To connect more deeply with Srila Prabhupada’s mood and the inner intent of his mission, the devotees collectively sang his heartfelt prayer, “Krsna Tava Punya Habe Bhai” (Bhagavan Krsner Pada Padme Prarthana). Singing Verse 2 especially reminded the devotees of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s prophecy coming to fulfillment before their very eyes that the holy names would be heard in every town, village, river, ocean, and stream.
In the days leading up to the gathering, weather channels issued warnings of severe storms and potential flooding. Recalling how Lord Krishna miraculously calmed the Atlantic Ocean during Srila Prabhupada’s journey, the organizing team prayed earnestly to Houston’s presiding deities, Sri Sri Radha Nilamadhava, for clear weather. Krishna mercifully answered their prayers: not a single drop of rain fell during the event, and a pleasant blanket of clouds kept the scorching Texas sun at bay throughout the afternoon.
As a token of appreciation for their hospitality on the water, the devotees presented boat Captain Jake and crew members Michelle and Cameron with copies of Srila Prabhupada’s books alongside sacred Maha-garlands from the deities.
The celebration concluded with a sumptuous prasadam feast featuring veggie burgers, potato chips, and carob cake. Energized by the voyage’s spiritual bliss, participating devotees expressed excitement about making this boat-based anniversary celebration an annual Houston tradition.
Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was formerly Brihaspati, the guru of the gods. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 119)
Sarvabhauma’s Scholarship
When Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami lists the branches of Sri Chaitanya, after listing those devotees like Paramananda Puri and Svarupa Damodar who came to join the Lord in Jagannath Puri, he enumerates those Bengali devotees who were already living in Puri when the Lord arrived there and who then met him for the very first time. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya is considered the most important of these devotees.
One of the biggest branches of the Lord was Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. Another was his brother-in-law, Gopinath Acharya. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 1.10.130)
Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya had tremendous learning in both Nyaya and Vedanta. Although he was a grihastha, he took the kshetra-sannyasa, vowing never to set foot outside of Jagannath Puri, and he taught Vedanta to students there. He gave discourses on Shankaracrya’s commentary on the Vedanta to Mahaprabhu himself until he came to understand its real meaning by his grace.
Mahaprabhu delivered the Mayavadi Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. Both Vrindavan Das Thakur, not different from Vedavyasa himself, and Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami have described how this took place in their biographies of the Lord.
Smita Krsna Das joins guests at the cinema entrance. A screening of Hare Krishna! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami Who Started It All drew approximately 250 people to Suncoast CineCentre in Durban, South Africa, in September. Hosted by ISKCON Durban as part of the movement’s 60th-anniversary commemorations, the in-person event attracted an audience […]
On Sunday, 4 October 2026, approximately 3,500 people gathered in Ilford, East London, to celebrate the Ratha Yatra of Their Lordships Sri Jagannatha, Sri Baladeva and Srimati Subhadra Maharani.
The festival began at Valentines Park, where the beautifully decorated Ratha cart set off towards Ilford High Street, passing through Ilford Station. As the chariot moved through the streets, devotees led the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, followed by the beautiful recitation of Jagannathastakam. People of all ages and backgrounds joined the procession, taking turns to pull the Ratha and participate in Lord Jagannatha’s service.
A classical dance was performed before the chariot as the procession began, adding to the devotional and cultural atmosphere. The celebration continued at Ilford High Street, where a range of activities welcomed the wider community.
The Bhakti Corner provided an opportunity for visitors to connect with the East London community and learn more about devotional activities. The Kids Corner offered crafts and games for children, while the Sankirtan team distributed books by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The Main Tent hosted a vibrant programme of cultural and devotional performances. The audience particularly enjoyed a delightful dance by the toddlers, while the Pandava Sena presented a drama.
The festival was honoured by the presence of Cllr Bert Jones, Mayor of Redbridge; Cllr Sunny Brar, Cabinet Secretary for Policing; and Cllr Yogesh Saini, Councillor. Senior ISKCON representatives HG Dayal Mora Dasa, Temple President of ISKCON London; HG Parusuram Dasa, Director of Food for All; and HG Tribhangananda Dasa also participated in the celebrations.
A special highlight was the launch of Damodar Puja by the dignitaries, introducing the wider community to the devotional celebrations of the Damodara season.
The spirit of service continued with the distribution of 3,500 plates of prasadam.
Ratha Yatra is a festival in which Lord Jagannatha comes out onto the streets to offer His darshan and mercy to everyone. The Ilford celebration beautifully reflected this spirit. Children, families, young people, elderly guests, devotees, local residents and civic representatives all came together in an atmosphere of devotion, joy and community.
The 2026 Ilford Ratha Yatra was therefore much more than a procession. It was an opportunity to share the chanting of the Holy Names, Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, prasadam and the spirit of devotional service with the people of East London.May the mercy of Sri Jagannatha, Sri Baladeva and Srimati Subhadra Maharani continue to bless the people of Ilford and beyond.
A continuously updated stream of Vaishnava and devotional content, combining original articles from Dandavats.com with daily posts. Covers Krishna consciousness teachings, scripture classes (Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam), devotee news, and community events from across the global ISKCON. Our desire is to promote the development of Krishna bhakti, to nurture well-informed thought, and to support sustainable bonds between devotees engaged in all varieties of services and social relationships.
The highlight of our visit to Skopje, Macedonia, was our Soul Culture Festival, held in the city’s main square.
The evening featured a Ramayana drama, an inspiring philosophical talk, beautiful dances and uplifting kirtan. We also gifted the guests traditional saris, adding a special cultural touch. The audience relished every moment!
Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta tells the story of a remarkable individual and a remarkable achievement. The individual is A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: philosopher, scholar, religious leader, saint. The achievement is the revolutionary transplantation of a timeless spiritual culture from ancient India to twentieth-century America.
This second volume begins in 1971. In the West, Srila Prabhupada had firmly established the Krsna consciousness movement, which his disciples were expanding in his absence. This volume chronicles Srila Prabhupada’s triumphant return to India and his plans for constructing temples in three crucial locations: Bombay, the center of India’s wealth and business; Vrindavana, the sacred village where Lord Krsna lived and sported; and Mayapur, the holy birth site of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who had inaugurated the Hare Krsna movement some five hundred years earlier.
These are vigorous years spent building a spiritual society in India and establishing centers around the world where people could contact the ancient, orthodox faith of India in their own cities. In this volume, Srila Prabhupada circles the globe repeatedly, speaking out on timely issues and defending his budding religious society against “brainwashing” charges in America and shady business practices in India.
Srila Prabhupada wanted to unite two worlds, the “lame man” of India and the “blind man” of America. “A blind man can carry a lame man,” he said, “and together they can walk. Similarly, the combination of Indian spirituality and American technology can benefit the whole world.” His principal means of accomplishing this feat was to publish his books – annotated translations of India’s spiritual classics. Under his guidance, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust was organized, and by 1977 it had produced and distributed more than sixty million volumes of Srila Prabhupada’s writings.
A final tour of India in 1977 took Srila Prabhupada, eighty-one and in failing health, to the colossal Kumbha-mela religious festival, to Hrsikesha, and finally back to his beloved Vrindavana. The time for his passing had come, he said. As his anguished disciples flooded Vrindavana from all corners of the world, Srila Prabhupada presented them with the greatest challenge – and the greatest lesson – of their young spiritual lives.
Channel: ISKCON Delhi
Morning Srimad Bhagavatam Class by HH Guruprasad Swami Maharaj || Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta Vol. 2 || ISKCON Delhi || 06.10.2026
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HH Bhaktimarga Swami: It was my idea to have Yadubara, a seasoned film maker, come to be a presenter at the MANTRA retreat held in the Yogashala for our 9th Annual. He kick started this year’s gathering of Krishna Conscious men at 4 pm. It was heart warming. The content covered some of the early days in Mumbai (then Bombay) when our Founder Acharya, Prabhupada, inspired so many westerners into this culture. Well, his slide show and explanation was worth it.
Apart from the special service he has rendered for over 52 years, he also expressed to us that it has been that length of time that he’s been married. Both the films he’s produced over the years and his family life are successful ventures. He and Vishakha are the ideal role models as grihasthas, householders. The group of men in the room gave an explosive round of applause for this achievement.
The atmosphere in New Vrindavan is always conducive to spiritual upliftment. There are rolling hills, a pond, a creek, cabins, cows, peacocks, swans, and beautiful people spending time at the temple of Radha Vrindavan Chandra.
I’m one of those people that chanted, prayed in that special place and also delivered a class on the Bhagavatam from the 4th Canto. The topic from the great book was concerning in-law dynamics. One of the prajapatis (progenitors) by the name of Daksha lodged some mighty harsh words to Shiva, his daughter’s husband. That didn’t sit too well with many of the people present. Daksha ended up with a somewhat bad reputation. “Careful what you say,” says one supporter of Daksha to a supporter of Shiva. A brawl took place which was most unpleasant. Anyways, New Vrindavan is very, very pleasant.
With Yadubar.Happy couple visiting New Vrindavan.Another happy couple, residents.
Bhagavatam Class 3.29 6–16 |
In this class from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.27.6–16, Shyamala Kishori Dasi explains how the development of love of God begins with faithful hearing about Kṛṣṇa. The discussion hig …
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Mukunda Maharaja visited the temple for Srila Prabhupada’s Appearance Day! Sunday 6 September 2026.
Everyone was very happy to see Maharaja, after months of temple absence due to recovery.
The 2026 New Govardhana Kirtana Mela was a grand success with over a thousand registered guests and thousands more participating on the individual days.
As usual, there were many kirtana leaders and each one was given a 30 minute slot to head up blissful chanting. Everything was organized brilliantly by the N.G. management with stalls and booths serving sumptuous prasadam.
European farm delegates gather at Goloka Ecofarm. Twenty-five devotees representing projects in nine countries gathered September 11–13 for the 15th European ISKCON Farm Conference at Goloka Ecofarm in Pontinvrea, Savona. The three-day, in-person meeting brought farmers, cow-protection practitioners and community representatives together around sustainable agriculture, self-sufficiency and practical cooperation. By the end, participants were developing […]
| Episode 11 | ISKCON Vrindavan Podcast
Welcome to the official Live Stream of ISKCON Thane (Sri Sri Radha Govind Dev Mandir). …
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