Author Archives: Dandavats

By Ravindra Svarupa Dasa

Rolex or Bolex? In the Philadelphia airport, I had occasion at one time to observe a pair of free-lance peripatetic sellers of watches working the crowds. They drew you aside and offered you a rare deal: a gleaming Rolex watch for a few hundred dollars, a tenth of the retail price. It was imperative to sell them quickly. Naturally you wondered how they were able to sell such expensive timepieces so cheaply, but by their haste, furtiveness, and weighty silences you were led to surmise that the chronographs were stolen goods. Of course, when you got home all delighted with your watch, closer inspection revealed not a Rolex but a “Bolex,” and it soon fell apart. Spiritual life has its Bolex dealers: Reporter: What frankly worries me is that since the arrival in Britain some time ago of an Indian yogi, who was the first guru that most people had ever heard of, a lot of gurus have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Sometimes I get the feeling that not all of them are as genuine as they ought to be. Would it be right to warn people who are thinking of taking up spiritual life that they should make sure that they have a genuine guru to teach them?

Your servants at TKG Academy: We are pleased to announce that TKG Academy is now enrolling new students for the school year 2016-2017.

By Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi

So far scientists have mastered a few crops, but will they revolutionize the food industry with an engineered fish? In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intention to sanction the first transgenic living organism. GE opponents quickly dubbed it “the Frankenfish.” It was invented by Aqua Bounty at their farm in Prince Edward Island, Canada. With headquarters in Maynard, Massachusetts, Aqua Bounty has been conducting fishy experiments since the early 90s. To produce the Frankenfish, the genetic material of cold water Atlantic Ocean pout (looks like an eel) is inserted into an artificially compressed salmon egg. The pout puts on fat faster than a salmon, hence the combination makes a fattier fish. However, the material from the pout doesn’t exactly combine with the salmon’s DNA. It is rejected, causing inflammation. A growth factor (GF-1) is then added to accelerate reproduction of the inflammation. The fish grows twice as big and three times as fast as it would have without the engineering.

By Caitanya Carana Dasa

There’s a particle more important than the Higgs boson, and we should be investigating it. Does ‘the God particle’ disprove the existence of God?” a young man asked me after a recent talk, referring to the discovery of the Higgs boson. “The so-called God particle,” I answered, “has zero charge, zero spin, and a near-zero lifespan; it exists for less than a trillionth of a second. Does that sound like God to you?” “No, not really,” replied the questioner, taken aback. “Exactly,” I said. “Its discovery has little bearing on the existence of God; it is just one step forward in the Standard Model, which is just one theory that deals with quantum physics, which is just one branch of physics, which is just one branch of science, which is just one area of human knowledge that deals with material nature, which is just one slice of reality.” I had anticipated questions on this topic and so was prepared. “Let me quote theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, who writes in the Wall Street Journal, in an article entitled The ‘God Particle’ and the Origins of the Universe:

Gunacuda Dasi: That opportunity awaits you now. As the community in Mayapur expands at an unprecedented rate, so too does the needs of Sri Mayapur International School.

By Chandan Yatra Das The care of the house where Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was born was later taken on by the Gaudiya Matha. Now the entire house has been developed nicely, with a beautiful temple, devotee quarters, etc. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta S…

By Kripamoya dasa

In a dangerous situation you don’t let go of your child. Or in sports. In England we have a game called cricket. Anybody here in India know the game cricket? Ok its an unusual game. I am finishing now. We don’t play it very well. But in cricket to make the team, if the ball comes to you, you have to catch the ball. If you don’t catch the ball once, twice, three time you get the name butter fingers. Your fingers are made of butter, you couldn’t catch the ball and you don’t make the team. So in this team, ISKCON team we cannot be butter fingers. We have to catch those souls when they come to us and hold on. Catch them and hold on. P;ant the seeds grow and offer the fruits. Its very important. Otherwise we are spending more man hours in meeting the public than any other organization on the surface of this planet. If you look at the number of man hours spent by ISCKON touching the hearts and lives of the people, day after day after day, we need to be able to transfer that huge amount of human energy into people who have been saved and who have been gradually delivered. So please fix your mind on the spiritual home of everyone, that home which is your home, become very determined to go there in this very lifetime and take people with you, take them with you. Every one of you, be acharya and take 10, 20,30.50,a 100 with you. Why not? They have no one else except you. No one else is going to do it. But you do it.

By Ravindra Svarupa Dasa

The quest for knowledge and self improvement has occupied the minds of sincere seekers since the beginning of time. There are key elements of the bhakti practice that provide the foundation for this work. They may surprise you! To those dedicated to preserving their illusions, the sober realism of the wise looks like pessimism. The image of this world as an all-devouring fire should be kept in mind. The Vedic sages advise us to see this world as it is.

By Mathura Lilesvari Devi Dasi

Yes! 50 years of ISKCON is a big deal. We have come a long way since Srila Prabhupada established ISKCON in 1966 but we still have miles to go. Srila Prabhupada envisioned Malaysia as a fertile ground to cultivate Krishna Consciousness as early as 1971. In May 1971, Malaysia was fortunate to have its soil blessed by the dearest devotee of Srimati Radharani, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. In Malaysia, the devotees are enthusiastically and creatively coming up with various ideas on how to commemorate ISKCON’s 50 years. One such idea focuses on book distribution. Srila Prabhupada has always emphasised on book distribution. Our movement was largely expanded in the early days due to book distribution. Keeping this in mind, the devotees in Malaysia came up with an idea that combined book distribution and ISKCON50 celebrations. Every devotee in Malaysia is encouraged to distribute 50 Srila Prabhupada books as an offering to ISKCON50. 50 books a year translates to an average of only 4 books a month. This is something practically and doable by even a child.

By Indradyumna Swami

Mahesh leaned over and, to my surprise, began to speak in fluent English. “Sir,” he said, “this is a most auspicious day for me. Somehow by dint of my past pious activities, I have the good fortune to serve a sadhu. Such opportunities are rare.” Then he quoted a verse from the Padma Purana: “My dear goddess, of all types of worship, the worship of Lord Vishnu is the best, and even better than the worship of Lord Vishnu is the worship of His devotee, the Vaisnava.” “What?” I said. “How do you know that verse?” “I study sastra,” he replied softly, still gripping the chair. “You’re a devotee of Krsna?” I asked. “One day,” he said. “One day I hope to become a devotee of the Lord.” “Are you from a family of Vaisnavas?” “No,” he said. “I am an orphan. The devotees of the Lord are my family.” Then he quoted a verse from the Bhagavad Gita: “The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.”

By Sutapa Das

Puttur is a place 50 km away from Mangalore, Karnataka. 20 years ago, one person (now Bhakta Prashanth at ISKCON Mangalore) from Puttur received one book written by Srila Prabhupada from His Grace Madhava Prabhu of ISKCON Mangalore. He was so inspired by the book and the spiritual guidance given by Madhav prabhu that he started preaching in his small town. Over the years that followed, more than 1000 copies of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is were distributed there. Recently, ISKCON Mangalore Sri Jagannath Mandir organized a Bhagavad Gita contest across more than 15 schools in Puttur, as an effort to attract the school children and their parents towards devotional service. Around 800 students took part in the contest, and the winners were given awards on Feburary 14th 2016.

By Sri Nandanandana Das Narottama Dasa serves Srimati Radhika as Camaka-manjari. His samadhi is in Radha Gokulananda’s temple courtyard.The following excerpt comes from Prema-bhakti-candrika: “Radha and Krishna are my goal in life and death, and They …

By Bhakti Vigna Vinasa Narasimha Swami So today the auspicious day of the appearance day of Lord Nityananda. We will attempt to speak some of the glories of Lord Nityananda for the pleasure of the devotees. Lord Nityananda appeared in Ekacakra dhama…

By the GBC Executive Committee

We are writing to give you a brief official update from Mayapura regarding the upcoming ILS and GBC meetings. Several nights ago there was an incident in Mayapura outside the Conch Building where tempers flared and a scuffle ensued among several dozen devotees. Angry words were exchanged and some began pushing and shoving. One devotee was hit in the head with a stick. There were no serious injuries. However, that such tension has manifest in the Dhama raised concern for many devotees. This incident is related to a few underlying management and community issues that have surfaced over the past few months. The GBC members, most of whom are now in Mayapura, have been meeting with local leaders and other devotees to assess the source of the problems, cool tempers, and consider how to resolve the issues. As might be expected, rumors have circulated, including some rather wild exaggerations and untrue speculations. Some have questioned whether the upcoming meetings will be postponed. The GBC wishes to confirm that the GBC meetings, the ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS), and the Mayapura Festival will go on as scheduled.

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 January. 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 Giriraj Swami Nityananda Prabhu, as the first expansion of the Lord, is the original spiritual master. He is the first servant of the Lord, and He is the first teacher to give knowledge of the Lord (outside of the Lord Himself). The duty of the spi…

By Chaitanya Charan das Chaitanya Bhagavata gives us special insight into the transcendental psychology of Nityananda Prabhu. When he heard about the fallen condition of Jagai-Madhai, his eyes lit up with not just compassion but also ambition – the amb…

By Mohini Radha Devi Dasi A Greedy Gang of Thieves: Srila Vrindavana Dasa Thakura has narrated this astonishing pastime in Chaitanya-bhagavata (Antya-khanda 5.527–706). The leader of the gang, who had been born in a brahmana family, had rejected relig…

By Radhanath Swami Lord Nityananda – The epitome of Compassion. So Lord Nityananda, he was in the sublime mood. Although he was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he took the most humble position in order to satisfy Lord Gaurasundara. Caitanya Maha…

By Artha Forum

On 17th January, Artha forum organized its 5th event in Singapore held at Tanglin Club on the back of very successful events in 2013 and 2014. The conference titled “Conscious Leader” was attended by over 120 entrepreneurs, industrialists, corporate leaders and professional in yet another successful event by Artha Forum (a Not for Profit initiative dedicated to bringing relevance of Ancient Wisdom in Modern business). Bhakti Charu Swami was invited to be the keynote speaker for the event. Esteem corporate leaders from Singapore shared the dias including Vikram Rao of Crayon Data, Dr. Charles Chow – Founder and MD of East West Group, Subba Vidyanathan – MD and Regional Head of Retail Banking at SCB, Sumita Ambasata – Founder of Flowering Tree Inc. and Gowthaman Ragothaman – COO at Mindshare Asia Pacific & Global Client Lead at WPP. Other eminent business leaders present during the event were Jayesh Parekh Co-Founder of Sony Entertainment Television, Anurag Srivastava of Jungle Ventures, Chandrasekhar Pingali – Managing Director at I Cube Consortium Limited and Sanjiv Aiyar – President PAN IIM Alumni.

By Hari-sauri dasa There are different incarnations or appearances of Lord Varahadev. Previously the white boar incarnation has been described. The one that is in the Bhagavatam as we receive it is the story about the red incarnation and His fight with…

By Gour Govinda Swami The two brothers went to the village called Mayuresvara, which was the village of Their maternal grand-father. Close to the village there was a jungle. Once, when these two brothers were about to enter that jungle, two villagers d…

By Abhaya Mudra Dasi

The meanings of personalism and impersonalism may seem clear when the subject is discussed in theory, but in practice these two understandings of eternal existence seem to intertwine and confound the inexperienced spiritual practitioner. The answer lies in how we approach the Supreme Absolute Truth. While espousing the cause of a personal Godhead, neophytes are often seen to behave in a way that reveals longstanding impersonal roots. To understand the highest concept of personalism, let us see how Shrila Prabhupada describes the relationship of Krishna’s foremost devotees, the gopis of Vrindavana, to the Supreme Lord. And then let us consider how these compare with the relationships between materialistic women and men. Understanding this comparison is essential for realizing the difference between the ultimate reality of personalism and the utterly materialistic falsehood of impersonalism.

By Gokulananda das

It has now become a tradition here at our Montreal temple – for close to 10 years now – to have a yearly festival in honor of Srila Prabhupada, usually held during the first weekend of Sept. For this very popular festival we have hosted many stalwart followers of Srila Prabhupada such as Guru Das, Srutikirti, Yadubhara and Vishaka, Yogeswara, Puskar, Ranjit etc. And – for the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s founding of our ISKCON society – we are also planning an even bigger celebration for 2016. So your presence would be greatly appreciated to share with our whole community your very unique devotional expertise, thus enhancing our sharing of Srila Prabhupada’s glorious legacy. Also this historic event will focus on Srila Prabhupada’s prolonged stay here in Montreal for the entire summer of 1968. And we have already received confirmations to also take part from some of the pioneers of both the San Francisco and London temples – such as Shyamsundar, Guru das and Malati, Significantly they had also received special training from Srila Prabhupada during their visit here in August 1968, which memories they will surely share with us.

By Romapada Swami

Karma is only created in the human form of life. But it is said that karma does not act on a child or on grown-up persons with child-like or animal-like intelligence. For example: according to Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 13 verse 1, Srila Prabhupada describes an interesting story of Manduka Muni who was wrongly sentenced to be impaled for an action he did not commit. The story is narrated as follows. Once upon a time the state police caught some thieves who had concealed themselves in the hermitage of Manduka Muni. The police constables wrongly arrested all the thieves and Manduka Muni along with them. The King’s court specifically sentenced the muni to death penalty by being pierced with a lance. When he was just about to be pierced, the news reached the king that the condemned man was not a criminal but a great sage. The king at once stopped the death penalty enactment. The king personally begged the muni’s pardon for the mistake of his men.

By Sri Gauranga Das

On Sunday 14th February 2016, ISKCON Nairobi held its first ever Gita Champions League prize giving ceremony. The Chairman of Hindu Council of Kenya Mr. Nitin Malde graced the occasion and enlivened the audience with his inspiring address. The National Secretary of Hindu Council of Kenya Mr. Kamal Gupta, His Holiness Bhakti Vasudeva Swami a travelling sannyasi, senior members of ISKCON Nairobi – Madhava Das and Rukma Das and Mrs. Mahida headmistress of Nairobi South Nursery, Primary and Seconday School also graced the occasion. The Gita Champions League (GCL) is a competition based on the teachings of the ancient book of knowledge, the Bhagavad Gita. This contest was a fun, inspiring and motivating way to help everyone to absorb themselves in the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, enrich and refocus their life in the right manner.

Sunanda das: In November, 2015 the Sadaputa Digital Channel was launched on Youtube to provide the insightful and inspirational lectures of Sadaputa Dasa

By Anya Kultyshkina

Kerala is the most materially educated state in India. Almost all local people know English. That is why even those devotees who do not know the local languages of India can go there and preach Krsna consciousness. There is a need to bring Krsna consciousness to this area, because although the people are materially educated, spiritual knowledge is lacking. Because of contact with Europeans, first with Vasco Da Gama in the 15thcentury and later with the British dominion, many Christian churches were established there and I met Christians at every step. It was almost impossible to make them aware of what kind of heavy sin they were committing by killing animals for their food. They consider that God created animals for their enjoyment and their churches fully endorse such philosophy. But even among the Christian people, I met some who were quite intelligent and open to dialogue. They were interested in Bhagavad Gita As It Is and they even were taking the books.

By Sundar Nitai das

When we approached Paul in his office two weeks earlier to present our humble request for translation of one of Srila Prabhupada’s books, we were anxious and excited, but Paul’s genuine warm personality drove the anxiety away. Our excitement remained. Paul advised us to send our work to him and we sent him the Maha mantra and its explanation. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught that the holy name of the Lord is the sound incarnation of the Lord and that since the Lord is the absolute whole, there is no difference between His holy name and His transcendental form. Thus by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can directly associate with the Supreme Lord by sound vibration. The Lord further predicted that the chanting of His names will spread in all towns and villages of world.

By Sacinandana Swami

The Govardhana Retreat has been going on since 2000 – the first with only thirty students under the trees surrounding Giriraja (we still remember having to crawl under a barbed wire fence to get to our spot!), the most recent with almost a thousand students, now at a rented ashram. As the number of students has grown, so too has our desire to serve this ever-expanding community of devotees by building our own centre at Govardhana, along with our awareness that we needed our own place to house and host the devotees, and to give them a quiet place to actually retreat from the busy-ness of their lives. For us, the bhumi-puja was a monumental event, like a first mango flower finally blossoming on a tree planted twelve long years earlier. We have been patient. We originally procured land near Govardhana Hill in 2004, and added three more small pieces over the next eight years. Finally, two years ago, we added a large two-and-a-half-bigha plot, making the final size of the plot for the Centre five acres. Finally, we had enough land to allow our centre to be uncramped, unbuilt-up, and to possess the natural and simple ambiance we desired.

By Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi The Mayavadi sannyasis asked, “You belong to our Sankara-sampradaya and live in our village, Benares. Why then do You not associate with us? . . . You look as brilliant as if You were Narayana Himself. Will You kindly explai…

By Caitanya Carana Dasa Material desires are like parasites because they almost always subvert, even sabotage, our best interests. When they divert us from our goals, they are the sources of distraction, as explained above. And when they themselves bec…

By Urmila Devi Dasi “You’ve broken your probation three times,” the stern judge said. He leaned forward on the desk and glared at the man in shackles and bright orange prison clothes. “You’ve had to go to a drug-rehabilitation program. Each time you st…

By Prof. Keith Ward Can a scholar be a true believer? Can a believer be a good scholar? Two parts of a problem that has exercised many in the West since at least the Enlightenment. Prof. Keith Ward, Regius Professor Emeritus of Divinity at the Universi…

By Bhagavan Das

Among the activities carried out in the holy atmosphere of Nova Gokula, there was a lot of contact with nature: a visit to the stables, work in the garden and bathing in the river were some opportunities provided for participants for enjoying the simple life, away from the artificiality and pollution in urban environment. Vaikuntha Murti, Secretary for the Youth of ISKCON Brazil and Subhadra’s husband, says: “The visit to the goshala was surprising because many of them had little contact with nature, and although we had gone there just to observe, almost all of them asked to milk a cow and gave their best to achieve it, contrary to my expectations”.

Loka-guru Das: We are devotees from 6 years and we complete the holistic approach of the health system by adding bhakti yoga in a outreach/loft preaching way

By Gour Govinda Swami Advaita Acarya’s father and mother disappeared when he was very young. Feeling very distressed he went on pilgrimage visiting many, many holy places. When He came back, some of His relatives requested Him to marry. Therefore, at t…

Jagannath Swami dasa: We are looking for pujaris/cooks to serve the Deities here in Berkeley temple. The Deities here include Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra who were installed by Srila Prabhupada in 1967.

By the Sastric Advisory Committee One argument for a beardless deity of Advaita Acarya is that we should follow Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Certainly we should follow the previous acaryas. Sometimes, as in the case of Maharaja Priyavrata, …