Author Archives: Dandavats

By Karnamrita Das

Studying the meaning of words (semantics) whether in Sanskrit, English, or our native language and their deeper implications in our lives is a useful endeavor in our introspection and personal growth, which I see as part of the work of “anartha-nivritti,” or retiring our unwanted, spiritually unhelpful mental and physical habits. Become free from these anarthas is an interim goal, not the end, but it is meant to lead to “artha pravritti,” or the ultimate goal of loving service to Radha and Krishna—but this is a side point to today’s discussion. Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s in the USA the hippies used the moto, peace and love, to express emotionally one of their ideals. While we may laugh at this simple expression, upon a closer and deeper exploration of the word meaning through our Gaudiya Vaishnava lens, we can find a useful application to our spiritual lives—after all the material world is considered an imperfect, distorted reflection of the spiritual world. There are also many universal truths in the world which can be perfected only by connecting them to a Godly world view in our eternal lives in perfection.

By Indradyumna Swami

ISKCON’s annual Ratha Yatra in London on Sunday was a huge success. In perfect weather, a thousand devotees pulled 3 chariots through the center of the city to Trafalgar Square. In that prestigious place many tourists, guests, and devotees enjoyed several hours of transcendental entertainment. Devotees were remembering how Srila Prabhupada himself attended London Ratha Yatra in Trafalgar Square in the early 1970’s. By his grace the event is getting bigger every year.

By Matsyavatara das Modern civilization achieved great results in countless fields, nevertheless it produced a shadow culture inclined to obsessive identification with the body, and the need to acquire richness in order to satisfy ambitions of power a…

By Mathuresha DasaA look at what the Srimad-Bhagavatam has to say about time, a concept that has challenged philosophers for centuries. Time is a little difficult to define. Philosophers and theologians have tried for at least twenty-five centuries. Al…

By Bhakta Mukesh Our devotional service gets spoiled when we fail to exercise discretion in the company we keep. One must remember that association always causes transfer of desires. Therefore, it’s imperative that those aspiring for pure devotional se…

By Brahma Das I served on Radha-Damodar Traveling Sankirtan Party for the next three years as a bus leader. Tamal Krishna Goswami was a hard taskmaster, but he was able to motivate me like no one had done before, and in turn, I was able to motivate ot…

By Devananada Pandit Das When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began His pastimes of congregational chanting of the Holy Name of Sri Hari in Navadwip, Sri Vakreshwar Pandit was an important singer and dancer in that assembly. It was by His mercy that Devananda …

By Keli-parayana das Lecture of Garuda Prabhu in Los Angeles. His Grace Garuda Prabhu is a disciple of A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada and known as Dr. Graham M. Schweig, at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of Christopher New…

By Ashwin Dubey The program consisted of worship of Bhagavatam along with deity laminations in the beginning with kirtan, then HG Radheshyam Prabhu would speak on the glories of bhagavatam for about 1 and half hour, then he would write his best wishes …

By Krishna das Chaitanya Charan is author of sixteen books on various spiritual subjects including science and spirituality, Bhagavad-gita and self-help. He is an associate-editor of Back to Godhead, ISKCON’s global magazine, and a member of ISKCON’s …

By Gautam Saha

One day of Brahma equals 4 billion, 320 million years. Since Brahma’s night is of the same length, and he lives for 100 Brahma years, in earth time, his age is 310 trillion years. According to Vedic estimates, Brahma has lived about half of his life so far, and a similar period will elapse before he dies, Brahma also being under the control of kaal (time) and mahamaya (the Lord’s external creative potency). Both are insurmountable potencies of the Supreme Lord Visnu. Brahma’s present age is about 155 trillion earth years.

By Iskcon of Silicon Valley

A recent lecture by Hanumatprekasa Swami in Iskcon Silicon Valley. (‘Hanumat Preṣaka’ is in Sanskrit and it means ‘One who sent Hanuman as a messenger’, i.e. Lord Rama”.) Hanumat Presaka Swami’s interests are toward individual education in techniques, introspection and meditation. He is actively participating in seminars, lectures and his organizations. He also holds a black belt in Uechi Ryu and Okinawan Karate.

By Nila Kamal das On the 11th of June 2017, devotees from Bali assembled at the Merta Sari (Nectarine Ocean) beach in order to celebrate the annual Cida Dahi Festival. Panihati, on the banks of the Ganges, remains glorified for the pastime of Sri Nitya…

So many times we hear the word ‘bhava’ among devotees that one should develop bhava for Krishna or so and so devotee has a very nice bhava. So what actually is this bhava? Is it emotions, is it feelings, is it love or is it a mixture of many things. So…

The Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannatha (Ratha Yatra), the Lord of the Universe, has been performed at the spiritual seaside resort of Puri, India for more than two thousand years. Since 1976, this attractive, beautiful, and bliss inspiring annual Jagannatha Ratha Yatra festival has been celebrated by the Hare Krishna devotees on New York’s Fifth Avenue, the heart of New York City. This Jagannatha Ratha Yatra festival is performed in a mood of love and devotion and invokes auspiciousness for universal peace, harmony, and good will for all of God’s children.

By Hari Narayana Das

The picturesque view of Negara results from a combination of the mountains, the sea with its black sands beaches lined with coconut trees and vast expanses of rice fields in between the two. The landscape is dotted with Balinese Hindu temples as well as mosques and people generally tend to carry a warm attitude. It was in 2011, during a visit to Negara, Srimat Subhag Swami expressed his feelings that a preaching centre there would be very beneficial for the devotees. Gadadhar pabhu and his family members, all initiated disciples of Srimat Subhag Swami, took it a bit seriously and immediately Mother Sureshwari came forward and offered her family land for the new ashram and dedicate it to Srila Prabhupada. Although in her late sixties and struggling with failing eyesight, Mother Sureshwari is more active than most of the younger devotees in Negara. She looks after melon farms which are spread out for hectares upon hectares and the harvested ripe melons gets transported to many parts of Indonesia. Then there are rice fields, banana plantations, tulasi and flower gardens which she looks after and above all she cooks the best prasadam for Gaura Nitai and of course, for the devotees. Almost two years back she completely lost her eyesight and doctors expressed her inability to cure her, she kept crying and when Gadadhar Prabhu went to console her, she revealed a nice prayer. She was praying to her family deities, Gaura Nitai, that … ‘my dear lord, my only means to render some service to the devotees is by cooking some prasadam for them and now that I am unable see I will no longer be able to serve your devotees anymore.’ Within a short time, to the utter amazement of the doctors, she could see again and ever since she hasn’t slowed down in her service for her deities and the devotees.

By Karnamrita Das

Many people know what their problems are, but are unwilling, or don’t believe it is possible for them, to do the difficult work of change and transformation. Or there may be too much secondary gain for staying the same, regardless of their unhappiness or dissatisfaction. We may wear our past wounds like a badge of honor, hoping to get sympathy strokes from other, as in “woe, is me.” Some call this “wound-ology.” Being creatures of habit the thought of change, even positive, beneficial change, is challenging for most people, even if they are currently miserable, and think they “should” change—maybe tomorrow, or that faraway place in the ocean, “Someday Isle.”

By Radhapad Das Wednesday, 7th June this year marked the 501th anniversary of this festival. The Panihati branch, next to ferryghat boasts to be one the rare ISKCON centers on the bank of Ganges with a well maintained bathing ghat. Strategically locate…

By Sacinandana Swami Here I will teach a simple process for reading the Srimad-Bhagavatam (or Bhagavad-gita or any sacred bhakti text) with relish. This process of studying sacred scripture is given in the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad. It entails three elem…

By Ananda V. Devi Dasi Over 35 years ago I sat before the fire and took the same vows. I am grateful to still be practicing. Later that day I heard a talk which shared 4 reasons why devotees sometimes give up the process of Krishna consciousness, the o…

Cintamani dhama dasi: Radha Krishna das (UK) ACBSP has travelled to many farms since 1995 teaching and setting up what is now known as the Howard-Higgins Horticultural System, including Mayapur, Krsna Valley Radhadesh and Bhaktivedanta Manor to name b…

Ecstatic Rathayatra in Rome, Italy. Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna mantra is specifically mentioned in many Upanisads, such as the Kali-santarana Upanishad, where it is said: “After searching through al the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Krishna.” (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 3.40 Purport)

By Rupeshgauranga Dasa

However fast world may progress towards automation and robotics, every individual will still require an another human to love him because machines can not fulfil the most basic urge of the heart, that is ‘to love and to be loved’. Relationships are the most important but simultaneously difficult to cultivate if not cared properly. “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” “We can improve our relationships with others by leaps and bounds if we become encouragers instead of critics.” “When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.”

By Padmapani Das On July 29, 1971, Srila Prabhupada was interviewed on television at the University of Gainesville in Florida (which His Divine Grace described as “a remote corner of the world, thousands of miles from the birthplace of Lord Caitanya”)….

By The “Hare Krishna!” team Exciting news!! Hare Krishna! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami who started it all has won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Picture at Illuminate Film Festival, the top prize of the festival! Lead Juror Michael Kiehnert s…

There were many enthusiastic and blissful devotees yesterday in the center of Italy’s capital, Rome, as Lord Jagannatha, Lady Subhadra and Lord Balarama graced with Their presence the streets of this ancient city of Europe.Read More…

By Hari Narayana Das Flowers parade to commemorate the 724th anniversary of Surabaya city was successfully attracted many visitors along the way of the parade even the sun shine brightly in the sky. It was the most eagerly awaited attraction. This eve…

By the Executive Team, RISE

ISKCON Auckland NZ, is pioneering the establishment of a spiritual learning centre, named Rupanuga Institute of Spiritual Education (RISE). The opening of RISE was celebrated on the 21st May, 2017 during the Sunday feast at the temple with the blessings and guidance of HH Ramai Swami Maharaj & HH Devamrita Swami Maharaj. Temple President, HG Kalasamvara das, who supported the creation of RISE wholeheartedly, spoke about the legacy left behind by Srila Prabhupada in the form of his books and the need for systematically studying them. Speaking especially on one of the books being currently studied in Bhaktisastri, “The Nectar of Instruction” he said holding the book, “If somebody reads this book given by Srila Prabhupada and follows this one book, then he can return back home, back to godhead…Just for a small price , you can attain the highest level of devotional service. He thanked devotees for starting RISE an educational Institute for spiritual education and was happy to see the congregation’s enthusiasm in enrolling for the Bhakti Sastri course.

By Brajsunder Das

It is recommended that one accept sannyasa to dedicate his life for the service of the Lord, and everyone must take that kind of sannyasa, for by accepting such sannyasa one renders the best service to both his paternal and maternal families. But one should not accept the sannyasa order of the Mayavada school, which has practically no meaning. We find many Mayavadi sannyasis simply loitering in the street thinking themselves Brahman or Narayaṇa and spending all day and night begging so they can fill their hungry bellies. Mayavadi sannyasis have become so degraded that there is a section of them who eat everything, just like hogs and dogs. It is such degraded sannyasa that is prohibited in this age. Actually, Srila Sankaracarya’s principles for the acceptance of sannyasa were very strict, but later the so-called Mayavadi sannyasis became degraded because of their false philosophy, which propounds that by accepting sannyasa one becomes Narayaṇa. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu rejected that kind of sannyasa. But the acceptance of sannyasa is one of the items of the varṇaśrama-dharma. How then can it be rejected?

By Radhanath Swami In Italy, near the city of Perugia, is the place called Assisi, the birth place of a very popular saint named Francis. He was the son of a wealthy merchant, but he took up the life of renunciation. Committed to a life of self-imposed…

By Raman Raghunatha das A historic event for ISKCON was the acquisition of 60 acres of land near NH-2 for construction of the new eco-friendly campus for Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and International School (BGIS) The construction work in the new school b…

By Manu dasa One of the first devotees to land on Irish soil in the early seventies did so on a motorbike, with the intention of getting a slot on the famous TV program, ‘The Late Late Show’. That devotee was Tribhuvanatha and being Irish, he knew this…

By Romapada Swami Gopa Kumara goes from one planet to another planet. But what helped him stay focussed in chanting the mantra? Elements of Bhakti to reach suddha bhakti stage: Receiving mantra is important Having faith in the mantra is important Havin…

By Acarya Dasa

We all took darsana of the beautiful deity of Lord Adi Kesava Perumal and performed kirtana in the temple while circumambulating the deity. The vigraha (deity) is said to contain up to 16,008 shaligrams We stayed there for three days preaching and distributing books in the nearby areas. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited this temple in 1510 AD during His South India tour. It was here that He discovered the 5th Chapter of the Brahma-saṁhitā, which, is said to contain a hundred chapters. This scripture is so old and so sacred it was practically lost to the general population at the time. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu understood the supreme importance of this scripture and therefore He rediscovered it in the Sri Adi Kesava Temple . During Lord Caitanya’s visit to the temple he discussed spiritual matters to highly advanced devotees. He also bathed in the Tamprapani river before taking darsana of Sri Adi Kesava Perumal.

By Giriraj Das I worship the one absolute truth, Krsna, who is eternal bliss and supreme consciousness, (Nityananda, Advaita-Caitanya), personified as the eternal Bhagavatam which is the complete form of Brahma-sutra, in its most embellished form and w…

By Karnamrita Das

This message was given to me on a magnet many years ago from a friend who sold it at her store. It is a cute and funny saying, but never more true for me than at this time. For those of you in anxiety trying to figure out your life mission or calling, take some solace that I am still figuring that out for myself at 67! You can do it at a much younger age than I have. I am learning what I want to do when I grow up, and for me that time is now, and every day thereafter! I just got pushed out of the nest and I have to fly, or die! We all have our time to flower. The past is over, and useful only to learn from, and today, well, I may die today, so what shall I do to make a difference in my life and that of others? As long as we are growing as a person, we have service to do in our body, in the world, to make as an offering to our conception of Divinity–for me, Radha-Krishna. Conversely, when we stop learning and becoming more as a person, we aren’t truly living.

The Spiritual Master and Krishna are two parallel lines. The train, on two tracks, moves forward. The Spiritual Master and Krishna are like these two tracks, they must be served simultaneously. Krishna helps one to find bona fide Spiritual Master, and …

By Krsnā devi dasi

The participants of “Unraveling the Mysteries of the Sacred Universe Level 1” were asking themselves this very question while attending this informative workshop co- sponsored by the Bhaktivedanta Institute of Gainesville and the Krishna Institute in Alachua on May 20-21. How we view the universe impacts our understanding of ourselves. Additionally, the more we push the boundaries of knowledge, the more knowledge expands before us. In the Vedic literature it is said, sa-tattvato ‘nyatha-buddhir vikara ity udahr?tah? from one fact another fact is generated. For example, a father is one fact, and a son generated from the father is a second fact. Thus both of them are truths, although one is generated from the other.

By Bhakti-lata Dasi

For many years I have wondered why it is so difficult to find devotees who are inspired to not only correspond with inmates but to do so steadily as well. It’s been quite a bottleneck since there are far more inmates who write than there are volunteers to reply to them. It seems that often the devotees who volunteer with IPM have an unrealistic, romantic view of what this service is and they get discouraged when reality turns out to be different. I am wondering if, in some way, this IPM NEWS itself contributes to this misconception. Why?