Author Archives: Dandavats

By Urmila Devi Dasi Overview of the Program, The Most Important Point, Spiritual Holidays! The Story in Simple Form. Scripture Focus, Scripture Resources, Deity Worship Focus, Deity Worship Resources, Holy Name Focus, Holy Name Resources, Association …

By Deena das For the pleasure of the devotees, below is Chapter 231 of the Garuda purana, where Mahadeva Shiva calls on Lord Narasimhadeva. (The Matrgana’s mentioned in this story are eight goddesses produced from the bodies of Vishnu, Shiva and six ot…

By Chandan Bhatia

Chand Kazi was the Chief Magistrate of Navadwipa. He was a devout & strict Muslim who was well versed in the Koran. As the Chief Magistrate of Navadwipa-Mayapur, he kept law and order for the Hussein Shah and was also the spiritual advisor of the Shah. He was a tyrannical ruler and the Hindus were oppressed in their religious practices.

Volume One of Shyamasundar’s long-awaited memoir is now available. This is the most intimate, detailed, and exciting account yet of Bhaktivedanta Swami’s amazing adventures in the dawn of the Hare Krishna movement.

By Sri Nandanandana dasa Today, we celebrate the appearance of Sri Jahnava devi, the wife of Lord Nityananda. Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in his Kalyana Kalpataru has prayed as follows at the lotus feet of Shri Jahnava Mata: “Having fallen into t…

By Drutakarma dasIn 1992 and 1993, paleontologists of the San Diego Natural History Museum were monitoring the construction on State Highway 54 in San Diego County. In the road excavations they found some interesting fossils that raise the possibility …

By Bhaktin Anya Nimaeva We are all looking for inspiration. Without it our life becomes dull and our spiritual practice stagnates. Attending a retreat is a great way to find inspiration and get a new perspective. The VIHE International Vaisnavi Retrea…

Krishna Mangala das: Today is Jayananda’s disappearance day. We compiled the film about Jayananda Thakur. Also we put his Bhagavad-Gita ClassRead More…

By Ajitananda dasFrom the very beginning of our association I sensed something special about Jayananda, and always felt extremely happy and contented in his company. I certainly considered him to be my spiritual superior, but never felt uncomfortable o…

By Kalindi Devi Dasi Around 8 a.m. on August 6th I entered her room and found that she was getting closer to leaving her body. She was unresponsive to verbal cues and her body was quite limp. I took this opportunity to sing the Maha Mantra one last t…

Nectarean Krishna katha by Romapada and Bhakti Chaitanya Swamis while visiting several sacred sites in Vrindavan.Read More…

By Subroto Biswas

At ISKCON Mayapur , devotees turned up in large numbers from various parts of India and abroad, braving the inclement summer heat to get an opportunity to grind the sandalwood ( chandan) which is used as a paste to smear over the body of Radha Madhav . For next 21 days every evening a large procession, carrying the resplendent deities on a palanquin will be taken out within the campus where thousands of devotees will sing and dance ecstatically. Then the deities will be placed on a nicely decorated boat and will be taken out for a ride in the pond so that They can enjoy the evening breeze. During this time various pastimes of Krishna – Rasa Leela, Govardhan Leela, Aghasura Vad, Gajendra Uddhara and many more will be depicted in the temple. Every day large quantities of delicious prasadam like different varieties of cakes, sweet rice, laddoos, halua, pakoras will be distributed . At the ancient ISKCON Jagannath Temple Rajapur too devotees celebrated the festival by smearing sandalwood paste on the deities of Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra and it will be done regularly for 3 weeks.

Bhakta Rohit Ahuja: Long long ago appeared a Lord’s devotee Famous was he for his serving attitude and purity Madhvendra Puri was his name In his dream Lord Gopal came

By Vrsabhanu das HH Dayananda Swami (UK): The course was very advantageous and helped me to get a basic understanding of the skills required in order to be an effective leader. It was intense without being a burden. The lecturers were well versed in th…

BB Govinda Swami: Reconnection is our offering of love to Srila Prabhupada, our predecessor acaryas, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and Radhe Shyam.Read More…

By Kamalesh Krishna Dasa

London—ISKCON’s International Office of Child Protection (CPO) announced today that it has launched a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Kartik Sharma, who drowned while swimming in the pool of the Bhaktivedanta Gurukula International School (BGIS) in Vrindavana, India, on April 24. Although preliminary reports have been unclear, what was reported to the CPO is that Kartik, 13, originally from New Delhi, was swimming with a group of classmates with an adult supervisor present. Kartik was a good swimmer and was swimming in the deeper end of the pool.

By Braja Vilas das

“If the devotee offers something to the Lord, it acts for his own interest because whatever a devotee offers the Lord comes back in a quantity a million times greater than what was offered. One does not become a loser by giving to the Lord; one becomes a gainer by millions of times.” (Krsna Book Ch. 81)

By Ananta Purushottam Das He was always known for being jovial and bubbly. Many used to find having conversations with him very entertaining. He was very friendly and got along with any stranger he came across. He was very fond of Aindra Prabhu’s kirta…

By Amanda N’Duka

The pic, which was directed by John Griesser and co-directed by Jean Griesser and Lauren Ross, will world premiere on June 3 at Illuminate Film Festival in Sedona, AZ, followed by a nationwide theatrical rollout starting June 16 in New York City. “The perfection of this life is to understand oneself”: Words from the film, which combines Prabhupada’s own recorded words, archival verite and interviews with scholars and his early followers to offer insight to the cultural movement, now known as the Hare Krishna movement.

Intense heat, festivals and chariot processions, thousands of devout pilgrims, ecstatic harinamas, transcendental book distribution—Sri Ramanujacarya’s mercy is pouring down at the celebrations marking his 1000th appearance at his birthplace, Sriperambudur.

By Romapada Swami Srila Prabhupada said in certain places that one should accept a spiritual master whose guidance will make one’s life perfect. Would it make any difference to one’s spiritual progress if the spiritual master one accepted was at a dif…

By Acarya Dasa

Thirukurungudi is referred to by the Vaishnava sampradaya as the ‘Southern home’ of Lord Vishnu. There are five nambis there; nambi in the Tamil language means ‘personification of all virtuous and righteous qualities blended with beauty and grace’. It is used to describe these five sacred places of Lord Vishnu. The first is the ‘Ninra Nambi’ where Lord Vishnu is in a standing position, the second is the ‘Irundha Nambi’ where Lord Vishnu is in a seated posture, the third is the ‘Kidandha Nambi’ with Lord Vishnu in a sleeping position and the fourth and fifth are the Thiruparkadal Nambi and the Thirumalai Nambi. The Thiruparkadal Nambi Temple is very close to the Nambiyaru river and is about one kilometre away from the main temple. The Thirumalai Nambi Temple is situated in the hills on top of Mahendragiri Mountain about eight kilometres away from the main temple. Our padayatra party took darsana of all five nambis and coincidently there was a rathotsava (chariot festival) going on while we there too. We joined in with our padayatra ratha (chariot or cart) and walked alongside the other rathas. It was a marvellous procession.

By Diksha Vohra

With the onset of preparations for this year’s World Holy Name Week celebrations, devotees gear up to take the Holy Name beyond physical spaces through new strategies and agendas.

In the constant pursuits to bring relevance of ancient vedic wisdom into modern businesses and corporate world – Artha forum conducted its 7th event in Singapore inviting entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and professional from for all walks of life. The event was hosted at Tanglin Club, Singapore with a hall full of guests who were eager to hear fresh perspective of vedic wisdom and its practical applications in ones day to day life.

By Nikunja Vilasini Devi Dasi

n memory of His Holiness Krishna Dasa Swami, whose life and passing exemplify his words: “Live for dharma, die for dharma; live for Krishna, die for Krishna.” …Days passed, and Krishna Dasa’s mind was bursting with thoughts of Srila Prabhupada and how to meet him. He rushed to Srila Prabhupada’s door at Bhaktivedanta Manor only to be turned away by two strict disciple-guards. “You look as if you are the guards at the doors of Vaikuntha. Are you Jaya and Vijaya?” teased Krishna Dasa, referring to a story in Srimad-Bhagavatam. “But you are very fortunate that I am not one of the Kumaras. I won’t curse you!”

By S.B. Keshava Swami Once, Srila Prabhupada was being driven to a public engagement. As they hit a series of roadworks, the traffic slowly built up, and within minutes all the vehicles were at a complete standstill. As they peered outside the windscre…

By Sri Nandanandana dasa When the majority of people in a country are influenced by commercialism and addicted to the four most karmically implicating activities–meat-eating, intoxication, illicit sex, and gambling–there will definitely be reactions …

Patrick O’Sullivan: After living in India and studying music in the United Kingdom he joined a Hindu Monastic community before undertaking religious studies in the Netherlands where he was a Research Master student at the University of Groningen’s Cent…

By His Divine Grace A.C.B. Swami Prabhupada The Vedanta-sutra philosophy begins with this inquiry about life, and the Bhagavatam answers such inquiries up to this point, or the mystery of all inquiries. Lord Brahma wanted to be perfectly educated by th…

By Tattvavit das

Recently, I took the initiative to encourage the BBT trustees to correct the translation of the refrain in Srila Prabhupada’s Bengali poem written on the Jaladuta as he arrived in America. On September 13, 1965, he wrote: “Today I have disclosed my mind to my companion, Lord Sri Krishna. There is a Bengali poem made by me in this connection.” Coincidentally — precisely fifty-one years later — on September 13, 2016, the BBT trustees discussed the proposed correction. During a Skype meeting, they decided to get the revision’s accuracy endorsed by three qualified Bengali speakers. By early December, three endorsements were obtained. So the trustees accepted the correction and passed this correspondence resolution (CP16-01)

By Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada speaks about proper mood for devotees towards the society’s temples. It is more intelligent to create a living Matha rather than to build a Matha for comfortabl…

The Haveli is the house that will forever sing out the glories and teachings of Shree Krishna, passing culture, traditions and the life of bhakti to each new generation. It is the completion of Srila Prabhupada’s dream for Bhaktivedanta Manor. And as Prabhupada blessed George Harrison back in 1973 for giving shelter to us, so too will he bless us with the eternal shelter of Lord Krishna for giving shelter to our next generation by building the Shree Krishna Haveli.

Highlights in this edition include: Gaura Purnima festival Ramanavami Festival, University Retreat, Soul Expressions with Radhanath Swami and Kirtan London, Sri Krishna Haveli Project Update, Synthesising Science and the Soul and more.Read More…

By His Divine Grace A.C.B. Swami Prabhupada Herein lies the mystery of His transcendental knowledge. This mystery is transcendental love of Godhead, and one who is surcharged with such transcendental love of Godhead can without difficulty see the Perso…

By Hari Narayana Das

Sunday April 2, 2017, the old city in Semarang became crowded by people who wanted to watch ogoh-ogoh carnival. The Old City became witness of the diversity of the ethnic, religion, culture and faiths. Narayana Smriti Temple too was officially invited and the devotees pulled Lord Jagannath in the main streets of Semarang. “This is very good proposal. Make the Ratha-yatra festival very great success. This will be a great introduction in your city and people will appreciate it” (SPL to Syamasundara, 4th May, 1967)

By His Divine Grace A.C.B. Swami Prabhupada According to the Padma Purana, within the material compass there are innumerable material universes, and all of them are full of darkness. Any living being, beginning from the Brahmas (there are innumerable B…

By ISKCON Wellington

On a warm Sunday morning, in a city bereft of people who are away to enjoy a long weekend, a stream of devotees in Vaishnava attire trickle out of a small building in a quiet Wellington suburb, carefully hugging their books. Their faces are lit with serene contentment as one more part of their existence is explained, one more aspect of their life given meaning and purpose. The devotee congregation in the ISKCON temple at Wellington, New Zealand is small, but tightly woven. The quaint single story building adorned with floral beauty is home to the deities of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. It also serves as the primary venue for the Bhakti Sastri classes. Around forty devotees are taking the next step in their spiritual growth through an in-depth study of the Bhagavad Gita, Isopanisad, the Nectar of Instruction and the Nectar of Devotion. They eagerly digest the scriptural knowledge from Srila Prabhupada’s books, clearing any doubts they have towards the goal of applying it in their lives.

Vraja Vihari das: We’ll take a look at some interesting answers given in the Vedic Wisdom teachings Read More…

A seminar on The Place of Spirituality in Holistic Education at The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Laucala Campus on 12 April, 2017 heard that the need for spirituality in holistic education is absolutely essential.

By Chandan Yatra Das

Ahobilam (Ahobalam) is the place where Supreme Personality of Godhead incarnated Himself as Lord Nrsimhadeva to kill the demon Hiranyakasipu and save His dear-most devotee Prahlada. Here at Ahobilam, Lord Nrsimhadeva emerged from the pillar of Hiranyakasipu’s palace, killed him after a fierce fight, simultaneously honouring the boons that Hiranyakasipu received from Lord Brahma. The pillar from where Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared, the ruins of the palace of Hiranyakasipu, the exact spot where Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu, the pond where Lord Nrsimhadeva washed His lotus hands after killing Hiranyakasipu and the school where Prahlada studied still exist at Ahobilam. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited Ahobilam during His south India pilgrimage as mentioned in Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila chapter 9 verses 16-17 and Madhya-lila chapter 1 verse 106. Lord Ramacandra also came here and sung five verses named “Narasimha Panchamritam”. Ahobilam is located in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh amidst the majestic hills of the Eastern Ghats range. It is 256 km from Tirupati, 110 km from Cuddapah, 68 km from Nandyal and 24 km from Allagadda. To visit Ahobilam, the best is to travel from Tirupati. It is approximately 5 hours drive from Tirupati to Ahobilam (256 km).