Author Archives: Dandavats

His Grace Bhajahari Prabhu, disciple of Srila Prabhupada, left his body in the morning of 21st January 2017. Fittingly it was a Saturday, so an extra large harinama sankirtan party took to the streets of London that evening in his memory.Read More…

By Indradyumna Swami I inched forward to hear better and was stunned when the tallest monk told the crowd about Krsna and the spiritual world. I learned later that what he was speaking is found in the ancient Vedic scripture Brahma-samhita: Krsna is t…

By Dina Dayala dasa Speaking about Jiva, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the present-day most influential Gaudiya-Vaisnava organisation, ISKCON, said: “The Vaisnavas are by far the greatest philosophers in the world, and the greatest a…

By Yudhisthir Govinda Das

New Delhi – 21st January, 2017: ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (GEV) won a prestigious United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Award for India on 18th January in Madrid, leading over 55 countries in the category of ‘Innovation in Non-Governmental Organizations’. The UNWTO awards are recognized as one of the world’s most coveted awards in the global tourism sector. The 13th edition of this award saw 139 applications from 55 countries. Govardhan Eco Village, spread over 70 acres in Wada near Mumbai is the first Indian NGO to win a UNWTO Award. It was recognized for its ground-breaking work in using eco-tourism to reduce poverty and provide sustainable livelihoods in one of the most backward tribal regions of India.

By Mary Pratt

The phrase I often use in my consulting work is “I hear the words but do not see the behaviour”. That phrase would be absolutely obliterated here because they do exactly as they say. They are rooted in simplicity and never veer from it, staying steadfast in their values. I think more than a few companies would do well to take a page out of the Hare Krishna book because too often a business’s values are blurred with little adherence to them! We had a chance to engage with a local (non-Hare Krishna) couple who visit the temple on a weekly basis with their young child to embrace the food and ambiance. This led me to realise something. Coming from a corporate background where companies are paying thousands to find out how to engage people, it was really interesting speaking to the Hare Krishnas and learning about their beliefs and takes on life and people.

By Radha Mohan Das George Harrison Concert. Soul Expressions Christmas Party. The P.M’s Faith Advisor. Student Explore Science of Spirituality. Children’s Mitzvah Day. The Chief Rabbi. Bulgarian TV. DEVI raises funds for MacMillan Cancer. A Truly Multi…

By Mayapur Sasi dasa For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of December 2016. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 I…

By Bhurijana dasa Most devotees’ lives and views on devotional service change as their ashram changes. When several devotees pass through ashram changes at approximately the same time-or even if one respected devotee within a temple changes his ashram-…

By Somesh Kumar I first came to know about ISKCON in Pune at around 1998. My sister informed me about the ISKCON temple on the Janmashtami day. First time when I saw the temple structure from outside I felt that it’s not a traditional temple which is …

By His Divine Grace ACBS Srila Prabhupada In September 1969. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya (spiritual master) of the Hare Krsna movement, arrived as a house guest at Tittenhurst Park, the beautiful eighty-acre British estate owned…

By Ramchandra Das In computer parlance a program is defined as a set of step by step instructions given to get the desired output. Usually, even though the program is written perfectly, since the computer just does what is being told in the program, it…

By Kadamba Kanana Swami “Mathura-vasa to reside at Mathura or Vrndavana.” So we must become a resident of Vrndavana. We must realize that Vrndavana is our home. Now you are in Czech republic and I am in New Govardhana, Australia. But part of us is alw…

By Mahatma Das

1. Preaching without trying to understand people’s needs and interests 2. Continuing to speak without determining if people are understanding or accepting what you are saying 3. Not paying attention when people talk 4. Interrupting people when they talk 5. Not letting people talk 6. Speaking in a dogmatic way rather than making a logical and scientific presentation 7. Introducing or speaking elaborately on a very elevated subject that people may not be able to understand 8. Introducing or getting stuck on controversial topics 9. Compromising the truth to speak palatably 10. Not compromising the truth, yet not speaking in a way to get people to accept 11. Not giving enough preliminary explanation on a subject 12. Not relating the subject to people’s practical lives

By Shii and Nel The only thing I knew about the Krishna religion was that it was Indian, duh, and that composers such as Ravi Shankar and George Harrison (being a fan of the Beatles, he was my main role model of my interest in Krishna) made beautiful…

By Bhakti Caru Swami ISKCON is a spiritual organization personally established by Srila Prabhupada. We must take care that it doesn’t become material. Anything (husband-wife relationship, Deity worship, even prasadam) can turn material by one’s conscio…

By Radhanath Swami Narada Muni the great acharya has previously explained to Maharaja Yudhisthira, the story of Prahlada Maharaja who is the perfect example of devotional service. Prahlada Maharaja remained faithful to the words of his spiritual mas…

By Satsvarupa dasa Goswami The arduous sea voyage from Calcutta to Boston was finally over. The lone passenger aboard the cargo ship Jaladuta, a seventy-year-old Indian holy man, had been given free passage by the owner of the Scindia Steamship Company…

By Sivarama Swami I first met my spiritual master on March 6th 1975 in Dallas Texas. Srila Prabhupada had just been in South America and had toured the Southern United States. I was on travelling book distribution with a sankirtan party and had straye…

By Dravida dasa

*Absolutely no offerings will be accepted after April 15, 2017.* Offerings must be in English. Please restrict the length to a maximum of 3,000 words. Please omit all diacritics on words that can be found in the VedaBase. It’s easier for us to put them in. If you quote a verse from outside the VedaBase or compose original Sanskrit, please include diacritics. Do not “recycle” an offering — no offerings from previous years will be accepted. The Vyasa-puja book is meant for glorifying Srila Prabhupada, not venting grievances. The BBT reserves the right to reject an offering it deems inappropriate or to ask for a rewrite. When writing an offering on behalf of a temple or other unit, please try to write in such a way that the other devotees in your unit can also identify with the offering. Who may write an offering?

By Varshana SwamiThis was just unacceptable that Srila Prabhupada could not show his love by not handing out cookies in gurupuja. So Radhanath Swami very quickly took the Deities’ plates with the offerings from mangala arati and tried to offer these to…

By Mahatma das

You feel entitled to special treatment or status, and when you don’t get it you become critical of those who should give it (or who should arrange for it to be given). You have a strong need to be right which manifests as a strong need to make others wrong. You are trying to get attention or communicate your feelings but you lack the proper skills to do this, and thus the only way to get attention is through criticism. You are an expert in a specific area(s) and therefore criticize or condemn others for their ignorance or inability. When you are misunderstood, your frustration manifests as criticism of other’s lack of ability or intelligence to understand you. You feel rejected by someone through their words or behavior and you condemn them for rejecting you.

By Romapada Swamii

Here are some of the following few ways to practically apply and understand whether the happiness experienced is for own satisfaction or for the satisfaction of the Lord: 1. We can check our internal consciousness when we experience happiness (i.e. introspect). Ask yourself “Is this experience based on a selfish motivation, e.g. derived from an activity that we love to do, or perhaps an activity which will put us in the forefront, making us more noticeable thus helping us to gain appreciation from others?”

By Romapada Swami The reason why Lord Caitanya’s identity is concealed is stated within the Bhagavatam itself: the incarnation for this age does not directly assert Himself to be the Personality of Godhead. Prahlada Maharaja states this in Bhagavatam…

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaKrishna’s abode in the transcendental kingdom is called Goloka Vrindavana. The city in India named Vrindavan, where I have come from, is called Bhauma Vrindavan, which means the same Goloka Vrinda…

By Ananda Tirtha das As the United Airlines jet descended on the San Francisco Bay area, Srila Prabhupada turned to his disciple Ranacora and said, “The buildings look like matchboxes. Just imagine how it looks from Krsna’s viewpoint.” Srila Prabhupada…

Harinam Mela 2017 at HyderabadRead More…

By Vaishnava das

Winter Festival is being held in exceptionally beautiful place – Seminar and recreation center “Dubingiai”. Residential space is located in 4 separate buildings. Conference halls are in a separate enclosure near residential buildings. During the festival the devotees are able to rest in comfortably furnished rooms. In each room there are comfortable beds, white linens, shower, wc. Children at the festival will be able to participate in their own workshops, which will take place in a separate room. One separate room will be devoted to recreation for mothers with young children.

On 13th Evening Anand Utsav(Festival of Joy) was celebrated at Dharm Sabha Bhawan, Gaya. Inspite of a cold weather about 500 people attended and enjoyed the festival. Program started with a melodious kirtan followed by a wonderful lecture by Hg Devaki Nandan Prabhu (Zonal Secretary, Bihar & Jharkhand). He declared that very soon a beautiful Radha Krishna temple will be built in the holy land of Gaya. A drama on Me & Mind was performed. Program ends with Aarti and delicious dinner prasadam

By Yadava Hari das The peak of the Gita-jayanti festival was held at Grand Ballroom Pertamina, Jakarta on December 24, 2016. Many Hindu from around Indonesia participated on the celebration. Minister of Religious Affairs Republic of Indonesia through D…

By indianewengland.com

WASHINGTON, DC–Last week Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) celebrated her re-election to US House of Representatives and was sworn into session. She took her oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita once again. After the ceremony, family, friends, and supporters gathered together and visited Rep. Gabbard and congratulated her. “Tulsi shared how the Bhagavad Gita continues to serve as an inspiration in her life, and how grateful she is to the people of Hawaii for allowing her to continue to serve in Congress,” said a statement from her office. Separately, sealing a historic breakthrough for Indian-Americans, five were sworn-in on earlier this month as members of the US Congress — one of them, Kamala Harris, becoming the first to become a Senator. Ami Bera, who was the only Indian-American in the 435-member House of Representatives and re-elected in the November elections, was joined by the four others, increasing the Indian-American contingent to five members in the Congress. All five are Democrats and three of them — Harris, Bera and Representative Ro Khanna — are from California. The other two Representatives are Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois and Pramila Jayapal from Washington state.

By Indian Press The story of Swami Prabhupada is so interesting and inspirational.. he started Hare Krishna movement and founded ISKCON and he is regarded as Guru Prabhupada worldwide. As Nag said to have impressed with the script he showed interest to…

By Darpa-ha Krishna das

Ambarisa das: 2016 was a challenging year for the TOVP. However, we have come through unscathed and stronger than before. Construction continues unabated, and fundraising is branching out into newer areas all the time. Significant challenges remain, including the recent currency upheaval in India. The TOVP is more than ever depending on the friends and supporters of Srila Prabhupada’s TOVP to finish this project for the glory of Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada.

Vaisnava dasa: How can you say that,” asked the surprised barber. “I am here, I am a barber and I just worked on you!” “No!” the customer exclaimed. “Barbers don’t exist because if they did there would be no people with long dirty hair and untrimmed beards like that man outside.” “Ah, but barbers do exists! What happens is people don’t come to me.”

Titiksava Karunika Das: So I’m sitting there on the planter box watching all this and at this point I get up and yell at this guy “Hey don’t be pushing my friend”! So the guy looks at me then looks at Dhruva and says “I know how to deal with you punks”…

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami: When Srila Prabhupada visited Hawaii, he had to deal with controversial persons who claimed to be his followers and yet who denounced the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Prabhupada wanted to encourage everyone…

Kunja Bihari Devi Dasi: Although they speak about universal love and brotherhood, the non-theistic moralists, like their immoral brothers, are unable to appreciate others as anything more than dull matter. Their perception is limited to the external body, and the relationships they form with others are similarly skin- deep—shallow, short-lived, and ultimately prone towards exploitation. Since they identify themselves as temporary matter, there is no reason for them to perform truly selfless acts.

By Gour Govinda Swami

“Krishna is My life. Now My life has gone out. I cannot see Krishna, I cannot find Krishna.” He cried piteously when Haridas Thakur disappeared. “Krishna is so merciful. He gave Me the association of such a dear devotee who was always with Krishna. But now he disappeared, so I cannot feel the presence of Krishna who is My life. I am without life, I am without life.” That is how one should cry.

By Gour Govinda Swami

Still, after the disappearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, a black period was there. Who fulfilled Mahaprabhu’s prediction? Bhaktivinode Thakur started. Because India was blindly following the West, he thought that the books and teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu should be presented in English‚ and that this science should be taught in the Western world.

Krishna – kshetra Swami: At the end of one of lectures Srila Prabhupada asked for questions. One middle-aged man – apparently a Christian – stood up and said, “I am afraid there is no religiosity present here whatsoever!” Srila Prabhupada responded i…

Tirtho Banerjee: Sindoor can cause local irritation and skin toxicity, says N. M. Khanna, an ex-Central Drug Research Institute scientist. The nature of sindoor or kumkum can change with exposure to the environment over time and this can result in bl…