Author Archives: Dandavats

By Praghosa Dasa A common denominator for practically each of the unlimited varieties of material bodies is that the spirit soul dwelling within is to one degree or another attached to the particular body they reside in. In turn most resided in bodies…

By Mahatma das If you are like me – or for that matter everyone I’ve ever met – you resist negative things. When others tell you what they don’t like about you, point out a mistake you made, criticize you, etc., you probably get defensive. Give Me Some…

By Kesava Krsna Dasa

The spiritual master is the central object of vision for every disciple. Quite often, the imposition of external conditions can deflect the natural bias from something, which is essentially internal, or hidden from unqualified worshipers. ‘The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person.’ (Mahabharata, Vana Parva 313-117) If a disciple fails to discern the difference between external and internal worship of the guru, it can mean a divergence from understanding the inner or outer words of the spiritual master. This also applies to understanding Srila Prabhupada’s universal siksa instructions pervading his writings. ‘Please wake up and try to understand the boon that you now have in this human form of life. The path of spiritual realization is very difficult; it is like a razors edge. That is the opinion of learned transcendental scholars.’ (Katha Upanishad 1.3.14) The disparity can be as stark as that between arcana ‘ which means worship; and bhajana ‘ which also means worship, for want of a better word, and point towards normal or higher worship. The process of worship does not guarantee receiving the Lord’s grace. Lord Krishna says ca cejyaya ‘ ‘nor by worship’ can He be understood. (BG 11.53)

By ISKCON 50 Global Office

All temples requested to display new posters prominently to publicise the 50th “We have one general poster about the 50th, and seven other posters – one for each of the seven purposes of ISKCON,” said Anuttama Das, GBC Minister for Communications who is part of the International Executive Committee for the 50th Anniversary. “One of the aims of the 50th Anniversary is to educate the general public about ISKCON. The posters depicting the seven purposes will attempt to do that with attractive imagery and relevant information.” The posters were designed by Paramsiddhi Devi Dasi from ISKCON Ahmedabad with storyboards and visualisation provided by the ISKCON 50 Global Office.

By Hare Krishna Devi Dasi

To see the true value of the Vedic social system, we need to understand it in its original form. Thinkers throughout history—from Plato to Locke to modern political theorists—have always discussed the ideal form of social organization. Vedic literature also addresses this question and presents as the ideal the social system known as varnashrama, which divides society into four varnas, or occupational groups, and four ashramas, or stages of life. The four varnas are brahmanas (priests and teachers), kshatriyas (rulers and warriors), vaishyas (farmers and merchants), and shudras (laborers and artisans). The four ashramas are brahmacharya (student), grihastha (householder), vanaprastha (retired), and sannyasa (renounced). When His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada carried the wisdom of Vedic literature to the West, he was hoping for nothing short of a spiritual revolution. He knew that without Krishna consciousness, people cannot be happy. An important part of his strategy to spread Krishna consciousness around the world was the revival of varnashrama. For many years, his followers have pondered his instructions about varnashrama, but so far have made little progress in fulfilling his vision for it.

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. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 Individuals, Monthly Top 5, Cumulative Countries, Cumulative Temples, Cumulative Top 100 Individuals, Cumulative Top 5

By Bhakti-lata Dasi

A month ago, I was in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner—in the Prabhupada House where we stayed at the time—when there was a knock on the door. My husband answered the door and I heard, “Is Bhakti-lata there?” A polite young man entered and he told me, “I know someone you know” “Who?” “Yogi.” I thought for a second. “Richard C.?” “Yes!” Yogi is the prison name of bhakta Richard (whom we now call Krishna Kirtan). The young man had been in prison with him for a short while. Now that he was free, he wanted to meet me in person. We talked for a while. It was a very sweet encounter. Each and every time I feel a little overwhelmed by my IPM service, Krsna arranges something like this to re-kindle my enthusiasm and let me know He wants me to keep going.

By Prahladananda Swami

We are pleased to introduce you to the Sannyasa Newsletter. This is a reformed and revised version of the journal published a few years ago. The aim of this newsletter is to increase the communication between the Sannyasa Ministry and the current ISKCON sannyasis, and to strengthen the relationships amongst the sannyasis. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has instructed His followers to serve all living entities by trying to awaken Krishna consciousness in the hearts of whomsoever they meet. Certainly, the mission of all ISKCON sannyasis is to, intelligently and enthusiastically, serve this instruction through following the teachings and example of Srila Prabhupada.

By Mohini Radha Devi Dasi Even a child can manifest symptoms of sincere devotion. About fourteen miles from Jagannatha’s temple stands the temple of a deity named Ålarnatha. Lord Brahma installed this four-armed deity in Satya-yuga, millions of years a…

By Yadunandana das On Friday, January the 4th in 1891, Hindus who were bathing in the sacred river Yamuna witnessed an amazing scene. A ship with the name of an unknown language approached. In the morning mist, surrounded by armed soldiers, a young li…

By Krishna Dharma Das

As the Greek oracle proclaimed, ‘know thyself’, and this is the first instruction in the Gita. It tells us we are parts of the Supreme Spirit and therefore we have the same nature—not only of eternality, but also pure knowledge and bliss. There is evidence for this as well in that we can see how we are always aspiring to attain those three states. Take the first, eternality. We constantly strive to secure our ongoing existence, seeking good health, longevity and whatever security we can in what is, let’s face it, a rather insecure world. Knowledge is also constantly sought in so many ways, we want to know what is happening (such as all those desperately important FB updates), we want the news and don’t like to be in the dark. And of course everything we do is aimed at somehow increasing our happiness or decreasing our discomfort and suffering.

By Rashi Singh Somehow, it happens that our motivation in Krishna consciousness may falter. Usually that faltering comes in the form of lacking the desire to do some practical service, associate with devotees, or develop our spiritual practices, such a…

By Sri Chaitanya Chandra Das Once when Pandavas, great devotees of Lord were in exile they were extremely thirsty while nomadic in the forest. Yudhistir asked his brothers to search some lake nearby. When after long time they didn’t return he himself w…

By Mathura Lilesvari Devi Dasi

Hundreds of devotees dancing down on one of the busiest streets in Kuala Lumpur was probably one of the best ways to kick start ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary in Malaysia, a country which Prabhupada referred to when speaking of Candan wood. Then known as Malaya, Malaysia had the good fortune of having Srila Prabhupada’s feet touch its soil in 1971. It was on the 2nd of January and the devotees were all prepared to bring in the year with the great Jagannath parade, Ratha Yatra 2016. Guest of honour, YB Datuk Seri Dr. S. Subramaniam, Minister of Health Malaysia, spoke very highly of ISKCON and was proud to be part of the festival. Other chief guests were Regional Secretary – HG Simheswara dasa, HH Bhakti Vrajendranandana Swami – President of ISKCON Malaysia, HH Janananda Goswami, HG Prabhavishnu Prabhu and YB Senator Dato’ Dr. Loga Bala Mohan (HG Loka Bandhu Gauranga dasa JPS) – Deputy Minister of Federal Territories. Under the expert guidance of Temple President – HG Kripa Sindhu Krishna das and Festivals Organizing Chairman – HG Siddhi Sadhana Das, the congregation worked together in putting the festival for the pleasure of Their Lordships.

By Jennifer Scheper Hughes

By participating in other religious and cultural realities, we break from the mundane and open up the possibility of enchantment. It is the unknown of the festival that beckons to outsiders—the potential for the experience of the ephemeral, the surreal, the transcendent. Tens of thousands of young adults, mostly in their teens and twenties, clamor toward the stage at the spring Festival of Colors in Los Angeles. From a panoply of backgrounds and cultures and beliefs (or no belief at all), they gather to celebrate Holi, to reenact the colorful play of Radha and Krishna, the supreme Hindu expressions of divinity and the enchanters of the world. Radha and Krishna’s love play is relived and remembered in the crowd’s joyful “playing of colors.”

By the TOVP team

The main dome stainless steel superstructure is now completed! This was a major undertaking and is a milestone in the progress of the TOVP. Visually we can now admire its perfect roundness and how every segment and ring fits like a glove. Such a task and structure has never been accomplished anywhere else in the world; it is unique to the TOVP. We would especially like to thank Mr. Chaudhuri, our senior engineer, for making every single section of the dome perfect. The next challenging phase will be the mounting of the Kalash and, finally, the Chakra, which must be accomplished with as much precision and perfection as the dome. May we all pray together for the successful completion of this endeavor.

By Purushottam Nitai Das Imagine if a message suddenly flashes on the sky: “Due to a technical fault the supply of oxygen will remain unavailable for some time all over the world. Next update about the issue in another hour”. What would happen to us? T…

By Murari Gupta Dasa “Can you please speak to my relatives,” a doctor friend requested me after a Sunday feast program in our temple. “Their youngest son died in an accident recently, and they are much traumatized.” I agreed and went to meet the famil…

By His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Krishna is so kind: We wanted to enjoy the material world; therefore He has given us full opportunity: “Yes, enjoy.” But Krishna does not want us to enjoy the material world. Sometimes fool…

By Chaitanya Charana Dasa

I was born with a congenital heart deformity that doctors said would probably not allow me to see my fifth birthday. My parents gave me the name Chandrahas, “one whose laugh is like the moon,” but sadly they found few reasons to smile in my childhood. When I was around one, learning to walk in our middle-class house, I suddenly collapsed to the floor, never to walk naturally again. My parents, Ramachandra and Sunanda Pujari, had already had me vaccinated against the dreaded polio infection rampant in India in the 1970s, but the doctor had unknowingly given me a defective vaccine. With my left leg diseased, I had to walk with either a limp or a brace. When I was around two, I was enjoying the spectacle of the popular Diwali firecrackers with the neighborhood children when a rocket-firecracker went off course and headed toward me. I couldn’t run away like the other children, and the rocket hit my right arm, fusing my shirt with my skin and, racing upwards, burning my face, missing my right eye by millimeters. The rocket then fell to the ground, leaving lifelong scars on my right arm and the right side of my face. When I was three, I fell from a wall near my house and cracked my skull. An astrologer told my despairing parents that I was plagued by Saturn, which would cause repeated trouble for the first seven and a half years of my life.

Sri Arjuna Das: The Goal of Life is to remember our Relationship with Krishna.

By Mahatma das As it is said, “Pray as if everything depends on God and act as if everything depends on you.” This is what Prabhupada did and Krsna definitely answered Prabhupada’s prayers. Personal responsibility towards preaching is empowering. Pra…

By Kesava Krsna dasa

The waking process may take some time. If it is very rare to attain bhava where our true eternally awakened self is developed, shedding the gross and subtle dream body, then only a greedy, hungry effort, anxious to adopt all positive awakening procedures may expedite matters. Lord Krsna states: “After many births and deaths, he who actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knows Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” BG. 7.19. While we are awakening, any acquirement of mercy can be passed on to other sleeping souls, to sound gentle informed alarm bell talks. When awakened souls gather to converse about the awoken reality personified [Krsna] and His nearest and dearest, such enlivening chatter will keep us awake and entice us towards Krsna Prema. “O Narada, I am not in Vaikuntha nor am I in the hearts of the yogis. I remain where My devotees glorify My name, form, qualities and transcendental pastimes.” Padma Purana. In the meantime while we are here staying awake, perhaps we can also, like Maha-Visnu, observe the incredible workings of this dream world, if even as a reminder to keep alert, or to be interestingly occupied.

By Dravida dasa

Kindly submit your homage to Srila Prabhupada for his Vyasa-puja book by April 15. Also, this year, in observance of the fiftieth anniversary of ISKCON’s founding, we have been requested to ask everyone who submits an offering to work in something about that theme. In addition, if you’re a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada, please check out www.sptributes.com to learn about a Vyasa-puja book open to all his disciples. The deadline for submission to this book is also April 15. The standards for submitting an offering to the traditional Vyasa-puja book (the one published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust) are as follows: ———— *Absolutely no offerings will be accepted after April 15, 2016.* 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.

By Drutakarma Dasa Is There A Conscious Self distinct from the physical mechanism of the body? Is there a mind distinct from the brain? Those who answer yes to such questions are called dualists, and they are rare in contemporary science and philosophy…

By Patita Pavana dasa

Each day the artists—Baradwaja, Muralidhara, Jadurani, Parikshit and sometimes Devahuti—were upstairs in the studio. Adwaita was running the gigantic offset. Uddhava was moving from here to there organizing everything. Madhusudan and Narayani were typing away on the IBM electric in a tiny basement nook. Vaikunthanatha and me were downstairs in the basement—once a morgue—hand binding Ishopanishads of Nectar of Devotions or cutting BTGs. Or we could be found operating the folding machine upstairs once Adwaita had printed the sheets. Brahmananda was in the office with Swarupa seeing to the business aspect. Satswarupa was the temple president, and a very austere one. He was editing the Bhagavatams at the time, or working a job to pay the bills.

By Iskcon LA

This project is to present what we do as traveling monks, and a means to keep in touch with the people we meet both online and on the streets! (Universities, festivals, etc.) We have been working on this project for almost five months now. Before it was just an idea of “we should make a website..” But now we are in full swing and have gathered content of our lifestyle and are trying to open it up to the general. Our goal is to share with people the ancient teachings of spiritual India, the Vedas, which according to the Vedas is beyond all material designations. Its a spiritual tradition that has been practiced for thousands and thousands (and thousands) of years by monks, yogis, and spiritual conscious persons all over the world. Anyone can learn the ancient practices of yoga and meditation no matter who you are, or where you come from.

By Kavicandra Swami

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what it means to give fifty percent. For most householders their income does not allow them to live and to give 50% to the temple. The Lord definitely says that no one is more dear to Him than one who is always engaged in the preaching work of the Lord’s name and fame all over the world. The scientific discoveries of the material world can also be equally engaged in carrying out His order. He wants the message of the Bhagavad-gita to be preached amongst His devotees. It may not be so done amongst those who have no credit of austerities, charity, education, etc. Therefore, the attempt must go on to convert unwilling men to become His devotees. Lord Caitanya has taught a very simple method in this connection. He has taught the lesson for preaching the transcendental message through singing, dancing and refreshment. As such, fifty percent of our income may be spent for this purpose.

By Hari Narayana Das

The organizers of the Ratha Yatra committee would like to offer their obeisances to His Holiness Kavicandra Swami and His Holiness Ramai Swami, the GBCs for Indonesia. We are grateful for their support and for constantly guiding us in pushing forward Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Sankirtan movement. We are extremely grateful to His Holiness Subhag Swami Maharaj who has been inspiring us to explore new frontiers in preaching and performing this Jagannath Ratha Yatra in every city in Indonesia for the pleasure of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. We thank His Holiness Atmanivedana Swami for attending this event and inspiring the devotees. We offer our respects to His Grace Samudrasena das the leader of ISKCON Batam for helping to make this festival a success. Last but not least we thank Sesa das and Rasikananada das for their melodious singing which attracted all.

By Krishna-kripa Das

At Krishna House we had an end of the semester party with appreciations of the devotees and some humorous entertainment, and I share some of the parts most striking to me. I was part of our kirtana team at inspiring deity welcoming ceremony in Tallahassee that brought a lot of people together chanting Hare Krishna. “In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the Pañca-tattva distributed love of Godhead.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.23)

By Sankirtana Das

Once there was a sage who lived by the banks of the Ganges River. The sage spent much of his time in meditation and he understood the difference between that which is ‘sat’ (eternal) and that which is ‘asat’ (temporary). Now he was destined to live until all the hairs on his body fell off. He is described as a ‘hairy’ sage. And only a single hair fell off during a life time of Brahma (which is millions upon millions of years). So this sage was going to live for an awfully long time. One day he was asked, “Why don’t you build yourself a nice home?” The sage replied, “Why should I bother? I’m only here temporarily.”

By Jatayu dasa Learning to appreciate the devotees is a Vaisnava etiquette that helps us in our quest for purification, especially the appreciation of senior devotees. I have always been slow to understand this but as time passed I began to develop a…

By Zayani Bhatt

Devotees from temples across the UK congregated at Bhaktivedanta Manor on Saturday 9th January to celebrate the success of the Srila Prabhupada Book Distribution Marathon, which ran for a month from 21st November to 25th December 2015. Known as the Sankirtan festival, the event was the culmination of the hard work put in by the UK temples, in sharing Krishna Consciousness in the form of Srila Prabhupada’s books with new audiences. Led by Visvambhara Prabhu, a long term advocate of book distribution, devotees celebrated the numbers of books that various individuals, groups and whole temples had distributed and the donations that had been collected. Those who were within the top 50 for distributing most books were given a small token of appreciation from senior devotees HH Dayanand Maharaj, Kripamoya Prabhu, Dhananjaya Prabhu and Praghosa Prabhu to celebrate their success and hard work, as well as to encourage others to partake in the next marathon at the end of this year. Despite being one of the eldest devotees present, HH Dayanand Maharaj continues to distribute books today, having started in 1984. As he explained; “Book distribution is the best service. It is most enlivening.”

By Urmila Devi Dasi

Can one find happiness in this world? For most of us what we call “happiness” is the temporary mitigation of distress, or sadness. Without sadness, there is practically no meaning to happiness in a material conception of life. First, all that we term “happiness” depends on some sort of prior suffering. We enjoy eating because we feel the pain of hunger; without any hunger or appetite, eating will bring us no pleasure, no matter how tasty and well prepared the food. We find pleasure in sleep due to the distress of fatigue; a child who isn’t tired will be told to “go to bed” as a punishment–not a reward. Sex is pleasurable because of the urgency of lust. Those who wish to increase their sexual pleasure therefore also desire to increase their lust. On the emotional level as well, company is meaningful when we have experienced loneliness. If we examine any type of material pleasure, we will find that the experience is enjoyable only in proportion to the amount of pain it alleviates. If there is no prior pain, the so-called pleasure will be meaningless or even perceived as distress also. On a full stomach, more food is painful, and to a well-rested person time in bed is an irritation. “Happiness” can therefore be defined as the temporary absence or mitigation of pain.

By Indradyumna Swami

As a devotee grows older, he becomes more and more aware, by the grace of the Lord, that his life is coming to a close and his time to achieve perfection in Krsna consciousness is running out. Sometimes the signs come in disconcerting ways. A few months ago several of my disciples approached me and asked if I would tell the history of each of the salagram silas on my altar. “Perhaps another day,” I replied. “But Guru Maharaja,” said a woman disciple, “you’re the only one who knows the unique story behind each sila. And you’re getting older … ” She didn’t finish the sentence. There was no need. Old age implies that things are winding down and coming to an end.

By Sutapa Das

To commemorate this great event and following on the lines of Sankirtana movement, ISKCON Mangalore celebrated ISKCON’S Golden Jubilee festival in 2 broad realms: Kirtan festival : At Panambur beach, Mangalore on January 3rd, 2016 in midst of mother nature and blessings of many senior Vaishnavas. The program was graced by His Holiness Indradyumna Swami(USA), HG Haripada Prabhuji and his good wife HG Phalini mataji(USA), HG Ekalavya prabhu, HG Patri prabhu(Russia) and many other devotees. Hundreds of devotees and thousands of visitors relished the mesmerizing and sublime chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra.

By Subhangi Devi Dasi I will tell you how I found out about it, and this story is a classic example of the dreadful reality faced by all the suffering souls of this material world. It also shows clearly what Srila Prabhupad has saved us from and why we…

By Satyaraja Dasa Since we don’t hear of a demon named Madhu in Krishna’s pastimes, why does Arjuna address Krishna as “the killer of Madhu”?Madhusudana. The name always seemed curious to me. Where did it come from? In the Bhagavad-gita, one of our mos…

ISKCON New Vrindaban: Serving as one of the farm hands at New Vrindaban since the early days, Madhava Gosh spent decades of his life gardening and working on simple living projects.