Author Archives: Dandavats

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?

By ISKCON Wellington

What began as a wet and cloudy Friday evening marked by long traffic jams quickly opened up into a pleasant, spiritually charged morning as devotees trickled in for Mangala Arati. After Tulsi Arati, the enchanting voice of Srila Prabhupada accompanied the devotees in the chanting of 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Devotees from all walks of life and age groups took part in the programs – from toddlers and teenagers to adults – all gracefully dressed in Vaishnava attire. While the parents and young adults attended the presentation and group activities, the children were engaged in storytelling, games, art and craft to teach them the values of patience and gratitude.

Mohanasini Devi Dasi: My husband said something so sweet this week…I just have to share it with you….He said, “This album you post every week is your garland that you offer to Srila Prabhupada…every book distributed is a flower in that garland!” …

By Mayapur Sasi dasa Vaisesika Prabhu and his team did it again! They had a huge month of distribution in April. ISKCON of Silicon Valley was the No. 2 temple worldwide, with 20,701 book points. No one lives in the temple. It’s a congregation of devote…

By Prabhupada-priya Devi Dasi My invitation had been for two weeks, but the more I read the books, the more I became fascinated by the philosophy. The practices the devotees followed, such as chanting the Hare Krishna mantra and worshiping the deity, w…

By Navin Jani One aspect of the Vedic culture—knowledge of the future—may seem at first glance to contradict free will, but this is not so. In fact, St. Augustine’s explanation of this phenomenon in relation to the omniscience of God parallels the Vedi…

By Romapada Swami The ability to tolerate comes from the internal faith in Krishna’s shelter, even if we don’t yet have a strong realization of it. A devotee can always remain happy because of this shelter they feel. Knowing Krishna to be the Supreme …

By Gunagrahi das Goswami Although I am missing you dearly, I am so very happy and proud of you that you you made your life successful by offering it fully at Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet. At our first meeting at Govinda’s in San Diego during the early…

By Hari Narayana Das

At 01.00 PM the carnival started. The Mayor of Cilegon, Mr. Tubagus Iman Ariyadi welcomed all the participants and expressed his gratitude to all. “The CEC participants bring a good message that all Cilegon people must unite to realize a peaceful life by appreciating diversity and enhancing ownership,” Tubagus said when opening the “Cilegon Ethnic Carnival.” Other important guests who attended the carnival were the Ambassador of the Republic of Panama.

By the BBT Communications Team Every follower of Srila Prabhupada holds his books as sacred. However, his specific instructions that his disciples and followers cooperate with the BBT for the printing and distribution of his books, his formula for allo…

Festival will take place in Dubingiai, Lithuania on August 4 – 11, 2017. Make a celebration for your soul – join the amazing, fun and awsome Festival!

By Nila Kamal das

Sragen is regency in the eastern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is Sragen, located about 30 km to the northeast of Surakarta. Sragen is bordered with East Java Province to the east. Presently there are no devotees that are staying in Sragen. The first time devotees held the Ratha Yatra festival in Solo, Indonesia, a few months prior, they met the Tourism leader of Sragen. The Tourism leader of Sragen requested the devotees to join in their annual city parade and hold a Ratha Yatra festival as well. This was in mid February. When HH Subhag Swami was present earlier in the year in Indonesia, after being informed about the invitation from the Sragen Tourism Department, he encouraged the devotees to hold a Ratha Yatra festival there. And by the Lord’s arrangement on the 4th of April, an official invitation was sent to the devotees by the Sragen Government.

By Madhava Smullen

The sale has been a matter of interest, concern and controversy amongst the New York temple’s board members and congregation as well as devotees around the U.S. So the meeting, held at the Dweck Auditorium of the Brooklyn Public Library, was well-attended by over 120 people. The event was hosted by the GBC’s Brooklyn Temple Sale Committee – Bhakti Charu Swami, Sesa Das and Praghosa Das. They were joined by co-counsel Guru-Gauranga Das, a Prabhupada disciple and corporate finance attorney. Proceedings began at 7pm with a spiritual invocation by Bhakti Charu Swami, who emphasized the need for trying to understand Prabhupada’s desires and working cooperatively together.

By Satyaraja Dasa

An ambitious multi-year and multi-million dollar renewal effort is in the works, with an enthusiasm that rivals the Palace’s initial construction. The Palace Restoration Committee, established in 2010, is focusing first on the outside Palace wall, and then will move on to the Palace and the grounds. Gopisha Dasa, project manager for Palace restoration, says, “I was absolutely overwhelmed when I first saw the Palace. It was so beautiful. But what was most exciting to me was the spirit of cooperation, to see so many devotees working together for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada. That same spirit is alive again, and it will facilitate, even mandate, the Palace’s new incarnation. In fact, it is now a priority to improve the entrance way and front steps by 2016 as an offering to Srila Prabhupada for the fiftieth anniversary of ISKCON.”

Rasika SIndhu Dasa: We were surprised to see a patient admitted at the hospital off his bed standing near the window in the building on the 3rd floor dancing while waving exuberantly.Read More…

By Dina Krishna Das We all have attachments in this material world. The secret of success is to dovetail these attachments to Krishna. This is easy said, than done. However, if you have access to a mature devotee, then the doors of detachment will star…

By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Just like here in this planet we have got presidents in each country. So now there are so many presidents. Formerly even on this planet there was one president. They are trying to be united. The U…

By Chandan Yatra Das

One time, Jiva Gosvami heard a flute playing, and then Damodar called out and said, “Jiva! Come; I am playing the flute for you.” And Jiva Gosvami came to the altar and there he saw Damodar dancing! The Deity of Damodar was dancing – His three fold bending form playing upon His flute beautiful, sweet music for the pleasure of His devotee. Jiva Gosvami saw the beautiful form of Damodar, whose eyes were like lotus flowers. His head was decorated with a peacock feather, a garland of beautiful forest flowers was around His neck, and lovely ornaments decorated His body. He was dancing and singing, playing sweet, sweet melodies on His flute for His devotee. Jiva Gosvami fell unconscious in ecstasy, and when he came back to consciousness, he could only cry in ecstatic love. These were some of the pastimes that Sri Jiva Gosvami performed with Sri Damodar, who is worshiped here.

By ISKCON Wellington

A lot has changed since H.H. Subhag Swami’s last visited the Wellington ISKCON temple many years ago. But the one thing that remains unchanged is the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and his disciples, H.H. Subhag Swami Maharaj being one of them. Initiated by Srila Prabhupada himself in 1971, H.H. Subhag Swami has since served Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission and vision from Sridham Mayapur for the last 40 years out of his 46 years in ISKCON.

By Chaitanya Charan Das Before we can understand whether God is male or female, we need to clearly understand that we ourselves are neither male nor female. We are at core spiritual beings, souls, whereas our gender refers only to our shell, our physi…

By Udayananda dasa I was doing some work at my home, and I was listening to some Srimad Bhagavatam lectures giving by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada told a humorous story about a rabbit that killed a lion. It was so transcendentall…

By Jaganmohini Devi Dasi I will have to tell you that today science education- people are taking it as very important. Scientific civilization, or scientific knowledge or scientific education, people are becoming engineers, doctors, telecommunication e…