LL Cool J’s recent conversation on *The Joe Rogan Experience* offered a refreshing moment of appreciation for ancient Vedic wisdom. The Grammy-winning rapper, actor, and cultural icon spoke with evident curiosity about Sanskrit, the Bhagavad-gita, and the Mahabharata—expressing openness to the idea that the extraordinary events described in those scriptures may reflect real history rather than mere imagination.

It is a positive sign of the times to see a globally recognized artist approach Vedic culture with respect, wonder, and a genuine desire to understand. His remarks are a welcome reminder that the wisdom of India’s sacred texts continues to inspire thoughtful people across very different worlds—from spiritual communities to entertainment, sports, philosophy, and popular culture.

A Celebrity’s Genuine Curiosity

During the interview, LL Cool J described himself as someone who loves reading, history, literature, and ideas that “make me better.” He spoke about the value of lifelong learning, humility, discipline, and the importance of remaining curious—qualities that resonate deeply with the Vedic emphasis on self-knowledge and inner development.

When Sanskrit came up in the conversation, he immediately showed familiarity with its beauty and antiquity. He called it “beautiful,” “ancient,” and “a dope language to look at,” appreciating how written language can carry and transmit profound ideas. His interest was not superficial; he asked where Sanskrit came from and engaged with information about its ancient origins.

For devotees and admirers of Vedic civilization, hearing a major public figure speak positively about Sanskrit is meaningful. Sanskrit is not simply an old language; it is the sacred language through which generations have received the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Ramayana, and the Bhagavad-gita.

The Bhagavad-gita and Mahabharata

The conversation became especially notable when LL Cool J brought up the Bhagavad-gita. He connected its teachings to the importance of balance—or, as he preferred to say, harmony. Using the image of an orchestra, he explained that harmony does not mean every part is identical or equal; rather, each element has its proper place and contributes to a greater whole.

That insight beautifully echoes a central teaching of the Bhagavad-gita: that human life becomes meaningful when one understands one’s rightful position in relation to society, nature, and the Supreme. LL Cool J also referred to Arjuna and the setting of battle within the Mahabharata, showing that he was not merely repeating a famous title but reflecting on the moral and philosophical drama within the text.

He then spoke about the Mahabharata’s descriptions of remarkable events, including aerial crafts and wars in the sky. Rather than dismissing these accounts, he asked whether they might represent “the creativity of human beings” or whether they “really happened.” He concluded that he was “more inclined to think that it happened,” adding that he feels humanity may be living in a later stage—or “restart”—of civilization.

Respect for Ancient Wisdom

LL Cool J’s comments reflect a broader and increasingly common appreciation for ancient knowledge. He challenged the assumption that modern people are automatically the most intelligent humans who have ever lived, asking why anyone would believe that all meaningful ideas arose only in recent centuries.

That perspective is especially relevant to Vedic culture. The Vedas present a vision of an ancient, sophisticated civilization guided by spiritual knowledge, ethical responsibility, and the pursuit of self-realization. When public figures express openness to the depth of ancient traditions, it helps create space for respectful dialogue about humanity’s spiritual heritage.

His remarks also emphasized an important principle found throughout Vedic literature: humility before the unknown. LL Cool J repeatedly said that the more he reads, the more he realizes how much he does not know. Far from weakening his confidence, that awareness made learning more exciting. This attitude closely parallels the Vedic ideal of the sincere seeker—one who approaches knowledge with humility, discipline, and an open heart.

Inspiration for Vedic Communities

For readers of Dandavats, this is good news. It shows that Vedic culture is reaching people far beyond traditional devotional circles. A celebrity of LL Cool J’s stature, speaking on one of the world’s most widely heard podcasts, naturally introduced millions of listeners to Sanskrit, the Bhagavad-gita, and the Mahabharata.

His interest may inspire others to explore these texts for themselves. Someone who hears him speak respectfully about the Gita may later open its pages, visit a temple, attend a kirtan, or ask questions about Krishna consciousness. In this way, even a brief public conversation can become a doorway to deeper spiritual inquiry.

It is also inspiring because LL Cool J did not present Vedic wisdom as exotic or irrelevant. He treated it as part of humanity’s shared inheritance—ancient, beautiful, and worthy of serious consideration. His appreciation for Sanskrit and the Bhagavad-gita affirms that the treasures of Vedic culture have universal appeal.

A Positive Sign of the Times

LL Cool J’s comments are a reminder that interest in Vedic knowledge is not confined to any one community, country, or generation. People from many backgrounds are searching for meaning, discipline, harmony, and a deeper understanding of life. The Vedas have addressed those searchings for millennia.

When a respected artist and cultural leader speaks with curiosity and respect about the Bhagavad-gita and Sanskrit, followers of the Vedas can feel encouraged. It is a sign that the eternal wisdom of Krishna consciousness continues to travel across boundaries, awakening interest in hearts prepared to receive it.

As LL Cool J himself suggested, dreams do not have deadlines—and neither does the journey toward wisdom. His thoughtful words offer a hopeful example of how ancient Vedic culture can continue to inspire people in the modern world.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prSEP6gvGH0

Join us LIVE on 20 October at 7:30 AM for Day 3 of the Seven Purposes of ISKCON series, with HH Prahladananda Maharaj speaking on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.45, “Seeing Krishna in Everyone.”

c/o mayesvara dasa ACBSP

October 17, 2026, at the age of 80. the Vaishnava community bid farewell to another dedicated and very accomplished disciple of Srila Prabhupada, Balabhadra Prabhu.

I personally met Balabhadra and his good wife Chaya Devi towards the end of the 1980’s. They had driven across the country with a large trailer to bring two enormous bulls from Gita Nagari to the Los Angeles Ratharatra. The bulls they were transporting were so huge, I had to stretch my arm way up just to reach the top of their back and I am over six feet tall! After LA, they were later scheduled to attend the San Francisco Rathayatra.

Because I lived midway between this two major events, Balabhadra chose to stop at my home to allow their bulls to graze in my large side lawn. That plot was adjacent to Villanova Road a prominent street in Ojai, and as people came home from work they were compelled to pull over and admire these huge animals they had never seen before!

What follows is the dramatic story of how I arranged for Balabhadra to show these extraordinary creatures at the Ventura County Fair and how they were later bullied out of the fair by large irate cattle ranchers. This bigotry inspired me to respond with an editorial that was published in four different local newspapers. I also arranged for Balabhadra to speak about it all on a one hour interview which was broadcast on the local radio station.

I am submitting both the editorial I wrote, and the audio from that radio show. I enhanced the interview with video footage of the many hours of service Balabhadra gave. It shows him raising, training and lecturing about how to engage the bulls in productive work which they enjoy doing with ease. His focus was to demonstrate how these blessed bovines are far more valuable when kept alive than when they are cruelly slaughtered, way before they are fully grown, so people can tickle their tongue with the convenience of a fast food burger!

The attached “Commercial Bigotry” article (with introduction) is 1500 words. The duration of the video on Youtube is 35 minutes. I am quite certain that for those of you who take the time to follow this dramatic tale, you will find it quite captivating and uplifting. (Not a dull moment) It is presented here with visuals lifted from his International Society for Cow Protection (ISKCOP) organization:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY_52BgO-B0

Hare Krishna

Thank You!

Commercial Bigotry

Editorial Reporting By William Roberts (AKA mayesvara dasa ACBSP)

Published By Star Free Press – Ojai Valley Voice –

Ojai Valley News – LA Times Ventura County Edition

Week of August 26, 1990

Background & Introduction

Balabadra Prabhu (William Dove) spent his whole life raising and training oxen to work the land like every farmer knew how to do prior to the creation of the tractor. In the summer of 1990 he brought his magnificent bulls to walk in the Los Angeles Rathayatra and the one in San Francisco a few weeks later. He came to my home in Ojai California during the interim period to let get the bulls out of the city, and relax in comfort in my large front yard. When he went to the local feed store the clerk recognized that he was not local and asked who the feed was for. When Balabhadra said it was for two full grown oxen, their curiosity was tweaked so Balabadra invited them to come out and see them in his trailer parked outside. This particular feed store had been contracted by the fair to provide all the grains for the animals at the Ventura County Fail and when the clerk was so astonished to see these bulls, that stood larger than six feet tall, he immediately asked if Balabhadra would be willing to have them exhibited at the fair. The answer was a no-brainer and so Balabadra was contracted for $300 to show Burfi and Lee at the fair for the full two weeks of its duration.

The first week went very well because it highlighted the display of exotic animals. The second week all the lamas, yaks and exhibit animals were sent home and the cattle ranchers from Midstate California descended onto the fair. They come to auction of the breeds of livestock they raise for the slaughterhouse. When these breeders discovered that there was an exhibit educating the public about the advantages of NOT killing the bull but instead, how a loving owner can train them to cultivate the earth, they were furious!

At 10 am Monday morning, four very large big hat cowboys weighing at least 250lbs or more drove up to Balabhadras “Cow-Protection exhibit” in a golf cart with clear intent to make a proposal to him that he could not refuse. They looked Balabadra sternly in the eye and instructed him to pack up his literature, load his prize bulls and immediately get out of the fair. Balabadra informed me later there was no question of negotiating with these thugs based on the contract he had with the Fair. It was clear they wanted him gone and considering their size and the demeanor, Balabadra realized the smart response was to pack up and leave without any objections.

As soon as Balabadra got back to my home he called me at my office to inform me about what happened. When I realized how he had been intimidated I became indignant and felt the way he had been confronted and betrayed by the Fair was a newsworthy issue the public should know about. I immediately wrote the following “Commercial Bigotry” editorial and submitted it to the local KVEN radio station and every newspaper in our area. I requested the owner of the radio to read what I submitted and consider if he would be willing to broadcast a live interview with Balabadra. KVEN agreed to have Balabhadra interviewed on Frank Hanes one hour news show the following Thursday at 3pm. By the time it was all over there was a public uproar and Balabhadra’s picture with the bulls Burfi and Lee were all over the news including the front page of the Ventura County Edition of the Los Angeles Times.

The attempt of the cattle ranchers to silent the message of the “Working Oxen” completely backfired. Their intolerance inadvertently triggered what is referred to as the “Barbara Streisand” effect. Instead of quietly shutting down Balabadra’s peaceful message and shooing him away, they ended up generating millions of dollars of free advertising informing the public how it is more intelligent to protect the bulls and not eat them!

Commercial Bigotry Newspaper Article

Editorial Reporting By William Roberts (AKA mayesvara dasa ACBSP)

Published By Star Free Press – Ojai Valley Voice –

Ojai Valley News – LA Times Ventura County Edition

Week of August 26, 1990

Many folks had the opportunity to see a unique exhibit in the livestock section of the Ventura County Fair, but unfortunately many others will be deprived of that opportunity because of commercial bigotry.

For the first five days of the fair, William and Irene Dove introduced Lee & Burfi, their two prize winning bullocks. They were living proof of an alternative agricultural way of life that utilizes oxen not for food, but as partners in working the land for a truly organic harvest. From ten in the morning till ten at night thousands of fascinated fair goers crowded around their corral to admire the beauty of the two, 2000 lb, fully grown Brown Swiss Oxen.

Children were fascinated by the docile nature of these tremendous animals and with the help of a chair they were able to pet their huge head and feel their horns . Adults admired that they weren’t just dumb beasts, but intelligent enough to respond to voice commands and had been fully trained to plowing and haul tremendous weights. Indeed, Lee and Burfi were not ordinary oxen, they were the shining example of what the 20th Century left behind when the world embraced the industrial age of tractors and fossil fuels.

Thousands of people appreciated the message. It was actually quite simple. “Get back to the land”. In the presence of these majestic animals it was painfully obvious how our so called advanced society has somehow been duped: We had traded the opportunity to work in an open field, under a blue sky with a beautiful animal, for dirty factory jobs, in confined areas, with loud, dangerous equipment that erodes our health and destroys the environment.

William and Irene had come all the way from Pennsylvania where they tend a full herd of 135 Brown Swiss bovine. They started the International Society for Cow Protection and to teach small farmers, and environmentalists, how there is greater benefit in protecting bulls then in selling them to the slaughter house. Everyone can appreciate the tremendous amount of milk that comes from the Cow because by natures arrangement the volume of milk she provides every day weighs more than the total weight of her baby calf. The excess miracle food milk is God’s gift to us so we can produce cheese, yogurt, butter, and ice cream etc. Similarly, the bullock is capable of providing such a phenomenal amount of energy they can easily till the earth to grow grains for bread. Anyone who has had the opportunity to travel to a third world country knows how important these animals because they provide a pollution free low cost energy. The people of India understand these facts so well that is why they treat the cow as their mother.

It should not be too difficult to understand why so many people appreciated Lee & Burfi even though they initially seemed to suggest a step back to the 1700’s. What they really represented was hope, the alternative to pollution, factory work, the oil crisis, chemical pesticides, and the artificial way of life that has driven many people to depression despair and apathy. Why then were they driven out of the Ventura County Fair? The Fair that is portrayed as a family event, educational, fun, a reflection of our own beautiful community and whose purpose is to promote agriculture? It seems the only real answer is commercial bigotry.

While the common folk were crowding to see the harbingers of hope – Lee & Burfi, behind closed doors the cattle ranchers plotted to expel the heretics. Apparently the very idea of raising animals in a loving community, where man and beast work cooperatively together for the mutual benefit of all, was just too radical. The decision had been reached. Even though the Fair is billed as an educational, community event, it really isn’t. Alternative viewpoints to that of the cattle ranchers would not be endured regardless of how nicely they are presented. The Pennsylvania farmers Bill and Irene were demonstrating the environmental and social benefits of how to live in a harmonious relationship working the land instead of polluting it and the protecting of cows instead of eating it. It had been decided that, that message was not appropriate for the Ventura fairgoers!

Evicting Bill and his wife raises the question about the very core of the Fairs purpose. Is it an educational, community centered event, or is it just a big marketing tool that serves as a mouthpiece for the vested commercial interests of a few? Using the legal convenience of corporate policy, the Fair’s board of directors made it perfectly clear that they were diametrically opposed to anything that did not promote the cattle industry. Bill was specifically told not to present anything to the public about a vegetarian lifestyle, cow protection, or raising oxen for working the field! The obvious enthusiasm that the general public had for the first, to hear their message was totally irrelevant. All that mattered to the cattle ranchers was that they were the biggest patrons of the Fair and they were going to dictate to the Fair what they wanted!

Monday morning Bill Dove were approached and he was told to cease, desist and go home. If he wanted to challenge the Boards decision, there were several large, unhappy, ominous looking large men who routinely slaughter thousands of innocent animals ready to “help him understand their viewpoint.” The tension was evident and Bill wisely chose to put Lee and Burfi back into their customized rig and depart.

If you are interested in learning about the practical aspects of Cow protection or want to know more about a sane alternative lifestyle then give us a call at (805) 640-0405. Despite the commercially bigoted behavior of the Fair directors it’s reassuring to know that there is a real alternative lifestyle available for real people wishing to live it!

URL To Youtube Audio

Interview with Balabhadra On Frank Hanes Radio Show, KVEN Ventura

The 35 minute KVEN Audio Interview of Bill Dove (Balabhadra Prabhu) is quite captivating and worth the time to listen to. It is presented here with visuals lofted from his International Society for Cow Protection (ISKCOP) organization:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY_52BgO-B0

Hare Krishna

Thank You!

Prabhupada Memories Part 114 – Dinatarini dasi, Partha das v2

Channel: Prabhupada Memories

Dinatarini dasi and Partha das share their unique perspectives and realizations about their time spent with Srila Prabhupada.  more

GBC MGM 2026 | Day 1 Highlights – Update from the GBC Organizational Development Committee

Channel: ISKCON Governing Body Commission – GBC

Highlights from Day One of the GBC Mid-term General Meeting 2026, held on 19 October at Govardhan Eco Village (GEV). The day was largely dedicated to discussions led by the GBC Organizational Development Committee, and update How this was made Auto-dubbed Audio tracks for some languages were automatically generated. Learn more Transcript Follow along using the transcript. Show transcript ISKCON Governing Body Commission – GBC 4.77K subscribers Videos About ISKCON GBC Facebook ISKCON GBC Instagram Video details Date Oct 19, 2026 Views 701 Likes 26 Show less

Govardhan Eco Village, founded by HH Radhanath Swami in 2003, is an award-winning Eco-community and spiritual oasis nestled in the Sahyadri mountains near Mumbai, India. Spread across more than 100 acres, it promotes living in harmony with Krishna, the self, nature and the community.

Govardhan Eco-village is recognized by multiple United Nations bodies and is dedicated to developing and implementing sustainable models that integrate Vedic wisdom with modern methods. The GBC was fortunate to be invited here for its midterm meetings.

I was doing books in Dunedin, NZ and I saw an Indian lady with her 7 year old son. She had a red dot in her hair so I knew she was Hindu. I said Hare Krishna and the son lit up with a big smile and said Hare Krishna back to me. He then took the Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1 out of my hand and said “how much? how much?”

I looked at his mother and said “oh he’s a devotee of Krishna” and she looked totally confused.

https://www.mcremo.com/news.htm

A Sunday Feast program with lecture by HG Shyamasundar Prabhu (ACBSP) and HG Janaki Devi Mataji (ACBSP)

By Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)

Sometimes when people ask me what is Hinduism, or Sanatana-dharma, or the Hare Krishna Movement, I tell them that it is the billion-dollar culture. They immediately ask me why I say that. I explain that just as when you have a billion dollars, all your ten-dollar or even one-hundred-dollar problems are solved, when you have the billion-dollar culture or philosophy, all your ten-dollar questions about life are automatically answered. This naturally opens the doors to further conversation.

Let me explain how I experienced this. I remember when I was only seven years old, I was already spiritually realized enough to know I was not this body, but that leads to the question of how I got the particular body I was in. How did I get this body? How was I born into this family? How did I end up in this town? Why did I not get born into my neighbor Jack’s body? But if I was born into his body, that would also mean that I would have his parents. Well, maybe that would not be such a good thing. But nonetheless, where did I come from and how did I get here? And what is the point of being here? What am I supposed to do? This is how I was thinking even at that age.

The other thing I questioned is why is the physical body so vulnerable? You have to give it enough sleep, clothe it, feed it, and then you have to take it to the bathroom. You have to spend so much time working for it. And what is worse is that if you cannot breathe for three minutes, then you die? Is this normal? Is this the way it is supposed to operate? But naturally, if you have a material body, this is what you need to do. Yet I could not accept this so easily. I felt it was a very uncomfortable situation. However, I could not find the answers. Looking back on this, it shows how weird of a kid I was to be thinking like this, or that this was a carry-over from a previous existence wherein I had acquired this knowledge before, and I was merely taking up where I left off.

Nonetheless, my parents could not answer these questions. The pastor at the church that my mother would take me to did not have the answers, and said that if God wanted us to know, He would supply the answers. The thing of it is, He had supplied the answers. You just needed to look in the right place.

Nonetheless, without finding the resolutions to these questions, I just went on with my life, trying to find something to interest me and justify my existence. But there was a time when I went through a deep depression, which is natural when you are forced to do something, like go to school or college to prepare yourself for an occupation that you may not even like, just to survive. What’s the point? The whole thing did not make any sense to me.

Then I found music that I loved and which gave me a reason for living. I was good at playing my instrument and all my friends thought I was going to become really successful. But later, when I was about nineteen, those old questions came back. I just had to put my guitar down and start searching for the answers. I practically did my own comparative religion course and researched everything I could get my hands on to find deeper levels of philosophical and spiritual understanding. Certainly, my view of various religions and cultures expanded, and I could see a strong connection between them all. They all had deep moralistic principles and traditions and histories. But I still could not find the specific answers to my original questions, no matter where I looked. Only after several years of this I finally came across the “Bhagavad-gita As It Is” by Srila Prabhupada, the small blue version that had first been published. A friend of mine from my small home town in Michigan had gone to Toronto and met the Krishna devotees on the street and got one of their brochures. When he got back, we were looking at it and he pointed to one book and said that this was like the Hindu Bible. This is exactly what I wanted, because I was highly interested in learning about the cultural views on God, the soul, who we are, what is our purpose and so on.

It was only after I started reading the “Bhagavad-gita As It Is” that I found the answers to those old questions that I had. These were the answers I could not find anywhere else, after spending years looking and researching every other culture and religion that existed. I finally learned where I came from, how I got here, what is the premise of karma and reincarnation, what is my eternal identity, who and what is God, what is our connection with this Supreme Being, how we operate in this material energy, and what is the purpose of life. All I knew was that I wanted more of this knowledge and proceeded to continue my search to get more books on Vedic culture, both from Iskcon and other portions of Vedic literature I could find. I finally found what I had been searching for.

Therefore, I often say that it is a privilege to be born into a Vedic or Dharmic or devotee family. It is a privilege to be exposed from such a young age to the profound teachings of the great rishis of India, or from Lord Krishna Himself as He describes His teachings in the “Bhagavad-gita.” You are way ahead of all those who are bereft of such deep answers to these important questions about life. It gives you the answers to the simplest of questions on life up to the deepest understandings of the Absolute Truth, the questions that are often left out of other cultures and religions. For this reason, it is the “Billion Dollar Culture.”

However, it can also be compared to growing up in a huge mansion. After a while, you can begin to take it for granted, like it is not so special. But when someone from a small house comes to visit you, they may be so impressed with the facility that you have and express their high impression of your house. But you may say, “Yeah, it’s OK,” as if it is no big thing. But it is a big thing. You are simply out of touch with the comparisons between your huge mansion and the small houses that most other people have. In this way, you may not realize the advantage you have with being connected to the Vedic tradition and its deep philosophy.

The point is that you may have this big house, or this billion-dollar culture, but you still have to do the work of researching it and becoming familiar with its profound teachings and the deep views of life, the soul, the nature of the Absolute Truth or God, and our spiritual identity and connection with the Supreme Being. These teachings and more will give a person a strong sense of individual stability and strength in what is their real identity and the purpose of life.

When this first happened to me, I recognized that I had the confidence about myself and what I was doing in this world that others lacked. The problem is at the time I would sometimes play on that and subtly challenge people I would meet on their motives and who they thought they were. It was like a game, and even my friends would become amused to see how I would handle certain people, especially those who had big egos (the bigger the ego, the harder the fall), and then watch me make them feel unsure of themselves and their direction in life. Some people gained insight from it, while others became too afraid to face my intimidations and then avoided me. To me, it was a game, but I realized that it was still based on ego, my ego, the very thing that we should overcome. So, that tendency did not last long, as I soon realized that rather than challenging people for the fun of it, it is better and more constructive to begin teaching them the philosophy that could make them have greater insights into who they actually were. That inclination gradually lead me to the idea of writing books to help spread this philosophy, especially after I had become a devotee and joined the Iskcon ashrama, which changed everything for me, which is a story by itself.

In America, I have heard many people say that they wished they knew what they were supposed to do with their life. But in the Vedic tradition, which is also called Sanatana-dharma, the purpose is right there in the name. The word “Sanatana” is usually interpreted as “eternal.” The word “dharma” is interpreted in several different ways, including “duty,” or our “nature,” just as the “dharma” of fire is to give heat and light. If it does not give heat and light, then it is not fire. In the same way, we also have our spiritual “dharma.”

In this way, it is right there in the name of Sanatana-dharma, that the purpose of life is to follow one’s eternal duty as a human being to attain your eternal and spiritual nature. So, from the very beginning, this gives anyone who follows the Vedic tradition the means to understand what we are meant to do. This is beyond mere moralistic codes of conduct or wisdom in social development. This relates to the higher principles of spiritual realization. This is what can give you a jump-start, compared to other traditions, in perceiving what is our reason for being here, and how to attain the purpose of human existence.

Therefore, the point is, if you are born into a Vedic or devotee family, what good is it to remain ignorant of your own culture? When someone asks you questions about the Vedic tradition, you immediately become a representative for it, and for the rest of us who follow it. It is not impressive to remain unable to answer the questions that you may be asked about it. This means that you should know your culture properly, and also be able to teach your children about it in a way that answers their own questions. Then, as you do the research into the knowledge of what Vedic culture and Sanatana-dharma has to offer, you also may reach the stage when someone asks you if you are a Hindu or a devotee, and in response say that you are a part of a “billion-dollar culture” that automatically answers all the ten-dollar questions about life. It is the culture that begins, simply with the Bhagavad-gita, by answering the most basic of human inquiries that give us the insight into understanding who we really are, our real identity, and the purpose of our existence.

(This was a short lecture I gave at the Bharatiya Temple in Troy, Michigan when I was honored to receive the title of being the “Dharma Seva Sarovar” (the great reservoir of service to Vedic Dharma) from the Great Lakes Aradhana Committee at their Navaratri celebration.)

Day 2 | When Everything Is Offered to Krishna | ŚB 10.16.10 | HG Anuttama Prabhu

Channel: ISKCON GOVARDHAN ECO VILLAGE (GEV)

Join us LIVE on 19 October at 7:30 AM for Day 2 of the Seven Purposes of ISKCON series, with HG Anuttama Prabhu speaking on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.16.10, “When Krishna Means Everything.”  … more

HG Daivi Shakti Mataji || Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita || 18-10-2026

Channel: ISKCON Vrindavan

Follow Us Facebook:   / iskconvrindavann   … more

Channel: Hare Krishna Gita NYC

more

Parasuram das: Right now the world is in turmoil, nobody will disagree. War in many countries, fuel shortages, food has rocketed in price world wide, and some world leaders appear hell bent on creating more and more chaos.

Here in the UK over 27% of children live in food-insecure households, with millions facing hunger due to household low income and cost-of-living pressures, according to data highlighted by the BBC News

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yqw5d00r0o

And the House of Commons Library

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9209/

Srila Prabhupada lecture Bombay 3/01/1973:

“These grains belongs to Krishna. Why am I throwing it? There are so many living entities. They are part and parcel of Krishna. Let me distribute,” that is Krishna consciousness. But he is thinking, “It is mine. These grains are mine. I am the proprietor.” This is due to lack of Krishna consciousness. If he knows that everything belongs to Krishna, then he’ll not misuse it.”

A few years ago during the COVID Pandemic we got very busy here in London and we distributed 5,000 packets of Prasad daily.

This time, during this ‘food crisis’ we are opening Food Banks. Video below shows our regular 2,000 plates of Prasad being cooked and distributed, followed by the opening of our distribution centre in East London … I named the initiative “Big Heart”, it has attracted the attention and support of the local government officials.
Please see:

https://foodforalluk.com/share/XeruC71BPXCw1RuW/food-for-all-v3-1080p.mp4

Govardhan Eco Village, founded by HH Radhanath Swami in 2003, is an award-winning Eco-community and spiritual oasis nestled in the Sahyadri mountains near Mumbai, India. Spread across more than 100 acres, it promotes living in harmony with Krishna, the self, nature and the community.

Govardhan Eco-village is recognized by multiple United Nations bodies and is dedicated to developing and implementing sustainable models that integrate Vedic wisdom with modern methods. The GBC was fortunate to be invited here for its midterm meetings.

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.
 

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Today's Featured Video: Day 3 | Seeing Krishna in Everyone | ŚB 11.2.45 | HH Prahladananda Maharaj

Join us LIVE on 20 October at 7:30 AM for Day 3 of the Seven Purposes of ISKCON series, with HH Prahladananda Maharaj…

ISKCON Paris | HH Janananda Gosvami | SB 10.1.52-53

Sunday Programme 18.10.2026- ISKCON Coventry

_.. || || @ISKCONNVCCPune

Srimad Bhagavatam Class – SB11.2.34 | Class by HG Bhagavat Ashraya Das | 18.10.2026

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.29 I HG Jaya Krishna Das I 10/19/2026

Srimad Bhagavatam Text 3.29.9 Speaker – H.G. Akincana Balarama Das

Bhagavatam Class 5.14 1-19 | Ekendra Prabhu

His Grace Panca Gauda Prabhu || CC Adi Lila 05.93 || 19-10-2026

SB 4.21.36 | HH Vedavyasapriya Swami

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A lecture given in February 1972

by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,
Founder -Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness,
at an art gallery in Auckland, New Zealand.

Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for coming here and giving us a chance to speak about the Supreme Artist. The Vedas describe how great an artist Krsna is: na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate na tat samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate. Nobody can be found who is greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead or equal to Him, and although He is the greatest artist, He doesn’t have to do anything personally.

In this world every one of us knows somebody lesser than us, somebody equal to us, and somebody greater than us. That is our experience. However great you may be, you will find somebody equal to you and somebody greater than you. But as far as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is concerned, great sages have concluded by research and experiment that nobody is equal to Him or greater than Him.

God is so great that He has nothing to do, no duties He must perform (na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate). Why? Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate: His energies are multifarious and they are working automatically, according to His desire (svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca). Suppose you are an artist. To paint a picture of a very nice rose, you have to take your brush, mix your colors on the palate, and tax your brain to make the picture beautiful. But in a garden you can see not only one rose but many thousands of roses blooming. They have been very artistically “painted” by nature.

But we should go deeper into the matter. What is nature? Nature is a working instrument, that’s all—an energy. Without some energy working, how could the rose bloom so beautifully from the bud? There must be some energy working, and that energy is Krsna’s energy. But it acts so subtly and swiftly that we cannot understand how it is working.

The material energies seem to be working automatically, but actually there is a brain behind them. When you paint a picture, everyone can see that you are working. Similarly, the “painting” of the actual rose is also worked out by several energies. Don’t think that the rose has been created automatically. No. Nothing is created automatically. The rose is created out of the energies of the Supreme Lord, but these energies are so subtle and so artistic that a nice flower can bloom overnight.

So, Krsna is the greatest artist. Nowadays, in the electronic age, a scientist just pushes a button and his machine works so perfectly. Or an airplane pilot simply pushes a button and a huge machine just like a small city flies in the sky. So if it is possible for ordinary men of this world to work so wonderfully simply by pushing some buttons, how much greater must be God’s ability to work. How much more fertile His brain must be than ordinary artists’ or scientists’. Simply by His desire—”Let there be creation!”—everything is immediately manifest. So Krsna is the greatest artist.

There is no limit to Krsna’s artistic ability, because Krsna is the seed of all creation ( bijam mam sarva-bhutanam ). You have all seen a banyan tree. It grows from a small seed. This small seed has so much potency that if you sow it in a fertile place and water it, one day it will become a big banyan tree. Now, what are the potencies, what are the artistic and scientific arrangements within that small seed that allow it to grow into a big banyan tree? Also, on that banyan tree there are many thousands of fruits, and within each fruit there are thousands of seeds, and each seed contains the potency of another tree. So where is the scientist who can create in that way? Where is the artist within this material world who can create a work of art as pleasing as a banyan tree? These inquiries should be made.

The first aphorism of the Vedanta-sutra is athato brahma-jijnasa: “In the human form of life one should inquire about the Absolute Truth.” So one should carefully study these questions. You cannot manufacture a machine that automatically grows into a big banyan tree. So don’t you think there must be a big artistic brain, a great scientific brain, behind nature? If you simply say “Nature is working,” that is not a sufficient explanation.

The second aphorism of the Vedanta-sutra is janmady asya yatah: “The Absolute Truth is He from whom everything is generated.” We have to expand our vision from the small things to the great things. Now we become amazed when we see a small sputnik flying in the sky. It is flying toward the moon, and we are giving all credit to the scientists, and the scientists are challenging, “What is God? Science is everything.”

But if you are intelligent you will compare the sputnik to the millions and trillions of planets and stars. Just on this tiny earth planet there are so many oceans, so many mountains, so many skyscrapers. But if you go above this planet a few million miles, it will look just like a small spot. You will see it as just a spot in the sky. And there are millions of planets floating in the sky like swabs of cotton. So if we give so much credit to the scientists who have manufactured a sputnik, how much more credit we should give to the person who has manufactured this universal arrangement. This is Krsna consciousness—appreciating the greatest artist, the greatest scientist.

We may appreciate so many artists, but unless we appreciate the greatest artist, Krsna, our life is wasted. We find that appreciation in the Brahma-samhita, the prayers of Lord Brahma, the creator of this universe. In appreciation of Govinda, Krsna, he sings,

yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti
kotisv asesa-vasudhadi vibhuti-bhinnam
tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
(Bs 5.40)

Now we are trying to understand the planetary system by our scientific method. But we have not been able to finish studying even the nearest planet, the moon, what to speak of the millions and billions of other planets. But from the Brahma-samhita we get this knowledge: yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-kotisv. By the glaring effulgence emanating from Krsna’s body, innumerable universes are created. We cannot study even one universe, but from the Brahma-samhita we get information that there are innumerable universes and that in each and every universe there are innumerable planets ( jagad-anda-koti-kotisv ). (Jagad-anda means “universes,” and koti-kotisv means “in innumerable.”) So there are innumerable universes with innumerable suns, innumerable moons, and innumerable planets.

All of this is made possible by Krsna’s bodily effulgence, which is called the brahmajyoti. The jnanis, those who are trying to approach the Absolute Truth by mental speculation, by dint of their tiny brain power, can at most approach this brahmajyoti. But that brahmajyoti is only the illumination of Krsna’s body. The best analogy is the sunshine. The sunshine is coming from the sun globe. The sun is localized, and the effulgence of the sun, the sunshine, is distributed all over the universe. Just as the moon reflects the sunshine, the sun also reflects the brahmajyoti. And the brahmajyoti is the bodily effulgence of Krsna.

So the greatest art is to understand Krsna. That is the greatest art. If we actually want to be an artist, we should try to understand, or try to be intimately associated with, the greatest artist, Krsna. For this purpose we have established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The members of this society are trained to see in everything the display of Krsna’s artistic sense. That is Krsna consciousness—to see the artistic hand of Krsna everywhere.

In the Bhagavad-gita [10.8] Krsna says, aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate: “Whatever you see is an emanation from Me. Everything is created out of My energy.” One should understand this fact—that Krsna is the origin of everything. Lord Brahma confirms this in his Brahma-samhita [5.1]: isvarah paramah krsnah. “Krsna is the Supreme Controller.” Here in this material world we have experience of many controllers. Every one of us is a controller. You are a controller; I am a controller. But above you there is another controller, and above him there is another controller, and so on. You may go on searching out controller after controller, and when you come to the Supreme Controller—He who is not controlled by anyone but who controls everyone else—that is Krsna. This is our definition of God: the Supreme Controller.

Nowadays it has become a cheap business to see many “Gods.” But you can test someone to see if he is God. If he is controlled by somebody else, he is not God. Only if He is the Supreme Controller should you accept Him as God. That is the simple test for God.

Now, another quality of God is that He is full of pleasure (anandamayo ‘bhyasat). By nature the Supreme Absolute Person is anandamaya, full of pleasure. Suppose you are an artist. You engage in artistic work just to get some pleasure. By painting a picture you enjoy some rasa, some pleasurable mellow. Otherwise, why would you work so hard? There must be some pleasure in painting.

So, Krsna is raso vai sah, the reservoir of all pleasurable mellows. He is sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah full of eternity, knowledge, and pleasure. (Ananda means “pleasure.”) His pleasure potency is Srimati Radharani. You have seen pictures of Radha and Krsna. So, Radharani is the manifestation of Krsna’s pleasure potency. As I have already explained, Krsna has innumerable energies, and one of these is His pleasure potency, Radharani.

So those who have developed love of God are enjoying transcendental pleasure at every moment by seeing the artistic work of Krsna everywhere. That is the position of a devotee. Therefore we request everyone to become a devotee, to become Krsna conscious, so that you will see the artistic work of Krsna everywhere.

Seeing Krsna everywhere is not difficult. For example, suppose you are thirsty and you drink some water. When you drink you feel so much pleasure. And Krsna is the reservoir of all pleasure (raso vai sah). So, that pleasure you feel by drinking water—that is Krsna. Krsna states this in Bhagavad-gita [7.8]: raso ‘ham apsu kaunteya. “I am the taste of water.” For an ordinary person, who cannot fully appreciate Krsna, Krsna is giving the instruction that He is the taste of the water that quenches your thirst. If you simply try to understand that this taste is Krsna, or God, you become God conscious.

So it is not very difficult to become Krsna conscious. You simply require a little training. And if you read Bhagavad-gita As It Is —understanding it the way it is stated by Krsna Himself, without any rascaldom or false interpretation—you will become Krsna conscious. And if you become Krsna conscious, your life is successful. You will return to Krsna (tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti).

So there is no loss in becoming Krsna conscious, but the gain is very great. Therefore we request all of you to try to become Krsna conscious. Read Bhagavad-gita As It Is; you will find all the information you need to become Krsna conscious. Or, if you don’t want to read Bhagavad-gita, please chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. You will still become Krsna conscious.

Thank you very much.

The words and glories of Lord Krishna are transcendental nectar, bringing spiritual nourishment to suffering hearts and awakening our eternal relationship with Him.