Author Archives: Dandavats

By Subhag Swami Madhu means sweet. It means honey. Krishna is also called Madhu. In this material world there is one type of honey and in the spiritual world there is also a type of honey. The sweet honey in the spiritual realm is the real honey which…

By Sri Nandanandana das I feel there needs to be some clarification about the use of the words “Hindu” and “Hinduism.” The fact is that true “Hinduism” is based on Vedic knowledge, which is related to our spiritual identity. Many people do accept it to…

By Krishna-kripa das I share an excerpt of a letter from Srila Prabhupada, and a quote from his guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. I share inspiring selections from Vaishnava Compassion and Begging for the Nectar of the Holy Name by Satsvarupa da…

By Krishna-kripa das

Since Vivekananda’s 1893 address to the Parliament of World Religion in Chicago, Aurobindo’s extensive writings on evolutionary theory in the early to mid-20th century, and Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda’s discussions with scientists and philosophers popularized by his young Hare Kṛṣṇa followers in the late 20th century, the natural sciences of the West have been on the mind of great thinkers from India. Focusing on how Bhaktivedanta Swami’s teachings have been developed and articulated in the early 21st century, this conference highlights developments from some of those on the forefront of the encounter between Kṛṣṇa consciousness and the sciences. Friends and followers of Sadaputa Prabhu, many in Alachua County, Florida, started a branch of the Bhaktivedanta Institute in Gainesville. They decided to do a practice conference on November 13, inviting devotee scholars to speak and present papers. What follows is some notes I took on the presentations of things that were striking to me.

By Nikunja Vilasini Devi Dasi Reading or hearing about Krishna’s astounding pastimes in Vrindavana will satisfy our innate spiritual need to be connected with the supreme spiritual person, Sri Krishna. Mundane tales bind us to the material sphere, wher…

By Vishakha Devi Dasi Simply by hearing about Krishna and His devotees, we will lose our longtime desire to control and enjoy this world, and as we gradually reduce our desire to dominate, we will proportionately enjoy spiritual happiness. A Vedic mant…

By Urmila Devi Dasi

The enlightened devotee’s detachment derives from the superior satisfaction of spiritual love. The rising tide of spiritual love gradually increases to a flood. This love, real love, means giving rather than taking. It means giving oneself for the pleasure of God. It means being an agent to unite the Lord and His energy of pleasure – Krishna with Radha, Narayana with Lakshmi, Rama with Sita. Of course, the Lord and His eternal consort do not depend on a tiny soul to aid their union. It is the kindness of the Lord that He engages the expanded living beings in this way so as to share His bliss. The finite soul, thus linked with the infinite through loving service, eternally experiences ever-expanding ecstasy. Such is our natural, constitutional, inherent nature. Let us take daily steps toward regaining our nature and letting go of its pale reflection.

Krishna Kripa das: Alachua County Hare Krishnas Chant Before Gators GameRead More…

By Chandan Bhatia As a child, Nimai cried a lot and would not stop until everyone sang “HAR! HARI!” and clapped their hands. His golden ankle bells tinkled as He kicked His legs while an Sachimata’s lap and as He took His first faltering steps while le…

By Giriraj Swami

We all want to know who we really are, what role we are meant to play in God’s plan, what contribution we are meant to make to God’s work. And, by God’s grace, we may get a sense of our calling, what we are meant to do in His service. But even then, we may shrink from what we know is our duty, shirk what we know is our responsibility. We may fear the challenges ahead and retreat into what we imagine will be a safer, more comfortable place. We always have that choice–to face God and the mission he ordains for us, or to flee from Him, and in doing do, depart from our true self. Especially as we grow older, we may wonder what fruits our efforts will bear, whether we should even bother to make the effort. Even those who have labored faithfully in the service of the Lord may wonder what will come of the efforts they have made, the projects they have undertaken.

By Chandan Yatra Das Kanchipuram, also known as Benares of Southern India or The City of Temples, is one of the most ancient and sacred cities of India. Kanchipuram is an eternally holy place and has some of the most magnificent temples. The Garuda Pur…

By Mahatma Das Lord Caitanya says: one should offer ALL respect to others and should not demand or seek respect for himself. When your peers do better than you, are you happy? Do you appreciate what they’ve done or do you feel concerned or upset that y…

By Giriraja Swami and Bhurijana prabhu “In the course of time, the transcendental news of Krsna’s pastimes in Vrndavana, was almost lost. To enunciate explicitly those transcendental pastimes, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, at Prayaga, empowered Srila Rupa G…

By Bhakta George Shihundu

Despite the chilling cold and rainy weather of Nairobi, a large group of more than 250 devotees assembled at the Sri Sri Radha Banke Bihari Mandir to commemorate the ISKCON’s golden jubilee. Amongst them were HH Bhakti Narasimha Swami(South Africa), HG Akhandadhi Prabhu(UK), ISKCON Nairobi Vice President Rukuma Prabhu,HG Manasi Ganga Mataji, and 90 jubilant students that celebrated attaining a Certificate of Ethics and Morality after a year-long course on Vaishnava philosophy. The programme is run by the Hare Krishna Training Center, part of ISKCON Nairobi. The goal is to introduce students to the ageless wisdom of Vedic philosophy and practice of Krishna Consciousness. The centre seeks to further A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada’s mission of preaching to all people around the world. The centre also seeks to establish a large pool of devotees by targeting mostly young students from local universities who have an interest in understanding their purpose in life. By offering character building courses, students are not only introduced to the need to live an ethically astute and morally sound life as young adults, but are also introduced to the unwavering practice of Krishna Consciousness that is a much needed weapon against the vagaries of society in an increasingly volatile East African region struggling with poverty, Islamic fundamentalism, corruption, and ethnically motivated conflict and violence. Perhaps the pure love for Krishna and the peace that comes with it could not have come in handy. It is akin to the 60s when Prabhupada gave the hippies the Krishna Conscious “drug” for self-realization.

By Chirag Dangarwala Srila Prabhupada says in his purport that mode of goodness is better than the others because in this mode one is able to see all the things in their right perspective and hence it gives chance to develop devotional service to Godhe…

By Advaita Acarya Dasa Worshiping the cows: The Vedic scripture states that all the demigods and demigoddesses reside in the body of a cow. This explains why the body of a cow is divine and holy. If we worship Mother Cow, we attain the same material be…

By Satyaraj Das and Dr. Deadwyler The question of sampradaya, or the disciplic lineage of spiritual teachers, is the basis of authority for all religious and philosophical teachers and movements arising from the Vedantic traditions. There is no concep…

By Madhavananda Das At about 6:46 pm yesterday evening, this world became a darker place. Pujyapad Fakir Mohan Maharaja left this world, surrounded by devotees chanting Hare Krishna and crying. His departure was extremely auspicious: He had a prasada T…

By Dvarakadhisa Devi Dasi God is a person, and out of His infinite kindness He allows us even in our present condition to render Him personal service. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the devotee Prahlada Maharaja, a great spiritual authority, says, “Hearing …

By Madhava Smullen Few prasadam stories from New Vrindaban’s history are as legendary as those of the late Amburish Dasa’s sweet rice and Pitambar Dasi’s ice cream. Straight from the cow barn and prepared by the cowherd couple with deep love and devot…

By Bhaktisiddhanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, our most noteworthy example, established an international society amidst overwhelming physical handicaps or apparent setbacks that became a precursor to a worldwide society. Then there are his sincere follower…

By Damodar Prasad das “A person is not considered a great sage unless he disagrees with another sage”. This adage suitably describes the career of La Mettrie, whose contentious writings during the eighteenth century were almost universally reviled b…

By Krishna Kishore Das

On, 17th of November 2016, Institute of International Social Development – New York, an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations awarded a special award to His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami. Over the years, Institute of International Social Development, has grown from a small organization to a vast Non Governmental Organization, helping those in disadvantaged areas. The organization is very grateful for all the support His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj gave them on behalf of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, in spreading the message of spirituality for the World Peace and Understanding between Nations and Civilizations. Institute wanted to show him their appreciation, with this small token of love and sincerity.

By Parsada dasi I watched the happy look on my friends face and gave her, her first assignment, “Please take that pan from this mataji and you go to that part of the barn and fill it up with cow-dung.” With an amazed look her face, she turned to me, “Y…

By Cintamani Madhavi Devi Dasi

On Saturday, November 12, the Chariot Festival Ratha Yatra was held in Chile, with thousands of people pulling Lord Jagannath’s car through the main avenue of the capital, followed by a cultural show in fron of the Government Palace La Moneda. In an unprecedented event, Santiago’s main street, Avenida Libertador Bernado O’Higgins, was used exclusively by the majestic chariot that carried the Lord of the Universe and the people who pulled its ropes, filling the streets of Santiago with joy and colors like never before. It all started as a dream. When Sri Bhakti Das, in charge of the Department of Culture of ISKCON Chile, visualized Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra in front of La Moneda, he felt that it would be a beautiful offering for Srila Prabhupada on the 50th anniversary of the International Society for Consciousness Krishna.

By Bhaktivedanta Hospital and Research Institute

H. G. Jagajivan Prabhu joined ISKCON in the year 1970. He was initiated by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada in the year 1972. Throughout his stay at the Hospital H. G. Jagajivan Prabhu was extremely cheerful and always spoke enthusiastically about the preaching mission. He will be fondly remembered by the Hospital team which considers itself fortunate to receive an opportunity to serve this dear devotee of the Lord.

By HariKirtan Das

Recently I got an opportunity to attend the conference on Rural development based on cows, conducted by National Institute for Rural Development (NIRD) & Panchayati raj (Ministry for Rural Development, Government of India) Rajendranagar, Hyderabad on 3rd of November, 2016. As a pleasant surprise, I met Rupavilas prabhu (Venumadhuri trust director) who was also giving a seminar sharing his experience about Venumadhuri NGO activities. Seminar was well organized by NIRD inviting the elite group consisting of Senior IAS officers, scientists, doctors, scholars, NGO’s directors. I was the only odd man out representing a spiritual organization. It took me a while to convince the gate keeper to allow me in as he couldn’t believe that in saffron robes I was also a participant.

By Kesava Krsna Dasa We may be surprised to learn that many things we consider as acts of spiritual advancement in Krishna consciousness, like tapasya or austerity, are actually acts of selfishness, and will impede our real growth. Even following the…

By Indradyumna Swami

So we should arrange things, we should arrange our life in such a way that we don’t become overburdened with unnecessary things and so our whole life revolves either around chanting the holy names or distributing the holy names to others. This is the Internationals society for…this is our business. To get up in the morning and chant, to join the congregation of devotees and chant and somehow assist the sankirtana movement. A famous verse amongst kirtaniya’s. Whatever results was attained in Satya yuga by meditating on Visnu, in the Treta yuga by performing agnihotra’s or sacrifices and in Dvapara yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet which meant technically going to the temple, can be obtained in Kali yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

By Gaurachandra Das

Recently, there were incidents of anti-corruption protests started by some national leaders in India. They had started nation-wide awakenings to make the people alert and aware for corruption free India and curbing the use of black-money. Such efforts may be appreciable to some extent but they are not perfect as far as wiping out of corruption from a state is concerned. The people are in general attached to sense gratificatory propaganda, and such protests can’t withdraw sinful tendencies from the minds of the public. Consequently, people are again taken up by such tendencies and the nations can’t breathe relief. The recent incidents of mass killings, terrorism, and rape-incidents are a proof that any attempt to curb corruption by artificial means by above leaders may not be perfect as long as the society is not properly educated in bonafide religion. The Bhagavata vision of anticorruption campaign is in this way different, it is aimed at following four regulative principles and spreading of sankirtana religion. The four regulative principles are no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling and no illicit sex. The history of this fact is corroborated in Srimad Bhagavatam in the event of Maharaj Pariksit curbing the personality of kali-yuga.

By Nima Suchak

The archives of famed Leicestershire architect Joseph Goddard were handed over to ISKCON in a ceremony on Monday 14th November. Tony and Joe Goddard, the great grandsons of Joseph Goddard, the architect of Leicester’s Clock Tower and the grade 2* listed former bank on Granby Street, signed over archives and their copyright to the care of ISKCON in the presence of members of Leicester City Council, representatives from The Victorian Society, historians and design students. The archives will be placed in a newly built Heritage Room at the Centre for the benefit of schools, colleges, universities, and the general public. Joseph Goddard designed and built the grade II* listed heritage property at the heart of Leicester City Centre in 1874 as the headquarters of the Leicestershire Banking Company. The spectacular gothic building which is now an ISKCON Centre has long been acknowledged as a landmark in Leicester’s Victorian architecture, and one of Goddard’s most important works. The building is set to contribute to regeneration, engagement and a place of a multi-variety of activities to suit the needs of all people.

By Chaitanya Charan Das “Man proposes, God disposes” has been the cause of immense frustration for humanity since time immemorial. The best plans are often foiled forever in a single moment by factors beyond human control. Misery can be said to be the …

By Radha Mohan Das

As ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary draws to a close, Bhaktivedanta Manor would like to make an epic final offering. Every December the entire ISKCON world focuses all attention on distribution of transcendental literature, something we all know was so close to Srila Prabhupada’s heart. Indeed, he said it gave him life. When a new book was printed, Prabhupada felt as though he had conquered an empire. He told one disciple – “the best of me is in my books.” Last year’s historic “100k Effort” at the Manor was a resounding success, with a record number of devotees participating. This year the team is aiming to distribute 200,000 books for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada!

By Radhanath Swami One day Murari Gupta began to reflect, “If I can leave my body in the Lord’s presence then that will be very good.” For this purpose he fashioned a large dagger and hid it in his house. But the Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya, who is total…

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 October 2016. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 In…

By Guru Prasad Swami Jagajivan Prabhu was the main person instrumental in opening Peru and Chile. He was a pioneer in some of, especially at that time, the most difficult countries in Latin America; extreme poverty and lack of education amongst the pop…

By Ananda Tirtha Das The Annual General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society will begin on February 9, 2017. Following the ISKCON GBC Society’s Rules of Order, the GBC Secretariat requests proposals, duly sponsored by TWO GBC members, to be submitted by D…

By WIDC Staff

ISKCON Western India Division Council (WIDC) Brahmachari Sanga was conducted recently at Govardha Ecovillage, Mumbai. It was a 2 day event in the serene and natural setting of GEV located near the Kohoj mountain ranges. The venue provided a naturally refreshing and spiritually enlivening experience to devotees participating from various cosmopolitan cities and rural centers in different parts of Maharashtra. The event was attended by 350 plus devotees from over 43 ISKCON centers. Explaining the vision for this sanga, HG Gauranga Das, Chairman, WIDC, said, “The inspiration for this brahmacari sanga came from the EIDC brahmacari sanga which happens in Mayapur every year. We were inspired to follow in their footsteps last year and this is the second WIDC brahmacari sanga we organized at ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (GEV). The gathering of hundreds of sincere, dedicated devotees in the renounced order giving shelter and hope to each other and hearing from experienced sannyasis and brahmacaris is a powerful element of Devotee Care. We hope that one day we can have a pan India and a global gathering of devotees in the renounced order spreading Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission.”

By Mahatma Das

I’d like you to take a minute and envision the kind of devotee you would like to be if anything were possible. What qualities would you like to possess? How would you like to act? What kind of mentality and attitude would you like to have?