Author Archives: ISKCON News

Seven years after its first release and people are still talking about it. ‘The Secret’ that Rhonda Byrne felt she had discovered was the ‘law of attraction’; whatever you think about and focus on, eventually becomes r…

Too often, devotee couples face marital challenges without knowing where to go for help, or without feeling confident about letting others know the reality of the problems they face.

The Ratha Yatra in Kolkata was held on June 29, 2014. The event was entitled as the  “Prabhupada Ratha Yatra” because A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada used to hold a small Ratha Yatra for neighborhood children when he was a boy. A …

Recently, responding to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Eastern Ukraine, the Executive Commitee of ISKCON’s Governing Commission released a letter addressed to the Ukrainian devotees affected by the challenging situation.

“When the military operations intensified our home turned out to be on the front line. Until the last moment, I had hoped that the war would be over soon.” They were not so lucky. When Lugansk got attacked by mortars and the neigh…

Attending Krishna’s Image: Caitanya Vaisnava Murti-seva as Devotional Truth  by ISKCON scholar and guru Krishna Kshetra Das (Kenneth R. Valpey) discusses how the ancient historical tradition was brought from India to countries…

How to understand that according to the scriptures Maharaja Ugrasena had over 100,000 times more bodyguards than the entire present population of the earth planet? The Vaishnava acharyas have given a number of interesting answers.
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On July 13th, the American Nick Mom TV Channel featured 7 year old Gauri, daughter of Bal Gopal Das and Lalita Sundari Dasi, residents of ISKCON New Dwaraka Dham, Los Angeles. The television show called Take Me To Your Mother w…

Researchers are finding more and more evidence to the suggest that the unique combination of fatty acids found in coconut oil can have profound positive impacts on overall health.

The Greek scholar, Pythagoras lived over 2,500 years ago and ate a fleshless diet, called the “Pythagorean diet” until the word vegetarian became popular in the late 1800s.

After 20 years of turmoil and angry debate, on Monday (July 14) the General Synod of the Church of England said “yes” to women bishops.

ISKCON News is happy to report that at 6.35 AM on Saturday, July 12th, 2014, a new member was born into the ISKCON News family. Our staff writer Madhava Smullen and his wife Manjari Smullen are now the proud parents of Ambika, a beautiful, he…

The Bhagavatam class has been recorded in Kishinev, Moldova on July 15th, 2014.

As the situation in Eastern Ukraine escalates and the number of devotee refugees seeking help increases, the worldwide ISKCON community shows an outpouring of support.  

Facebook isn’t like marmite – I hate it and love it. I can’t stand it, but I can’t get off it. How many of you feel the same? It’s the first thing I check in the morning and the last thing I check at ni…

What is the connection between social networks and being lonely? Quoting the words of Sherry Turkle from her TED talk – Connected, But Alone.

Lately, in India there has been an ongoing war of words between the Shankaracharya and the followers of Sai Baba. Now there is a threat that the conflict will escalate and apart from the court cases, it will spill over into a physical fi…

The Hare Krishna movement has been trying to build a temple in Russia since 1990. They still don’t have one. It’s not for lack of funds.

Over the past weeks, the international media has been reporting about an escalating political situation in Ukraine, which is now close to a civil war. The government has launched a massive military offensive on the insurgent-controlled parts …

Surprisingly, in our modern high-paced high-controlled life style the thing that is out of control is our own mind. Though there is a simple process that can help to bring the mind back under control. This 5 min documentary by Syam Gopal D…

Although World Cup host Brazil is still reeling from a 7–1 loss to Germany on July 8th, football fever still grips the country as the World Cup barrels towards the final. “Football is the most important thing amongst things that d…

“As if their Gods fell into the dust.” This was my first reaction seeing the videos and photos of the devastated faces after the Brazilian football team’s 1-7 loss to Germany.  “What’s the big deal? Wasn&rsqu…

On July 7, 2014, girls from Senior Girl Scout Troop 733 from Alachua, Florida were invited to meet with Samuel Mbae Ragwa, Governor of the Tharaka-Nithi County in Kenya. The girls were invited to share details about their project focused on r…

The archbishop of Canterbury plans to force legislation through if the General Synod does not accept female bishops.

In Bhagavad-gita Lord Sri Krishna indicates one of the essential steps in the bhakti process is acceptance of the shelter of such a Postal Peon, a guru, who helps connect one with Krishna, as well as assists in progressively fully restor…

Before going into politics, Councilor Ajay Maru would regularly visit ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Manor just outside London as a congregation member. So when he was voted in as the new Mayor of the London Borough of Harrow on June 12th,…

A recent news report from Vietnam features an exquisite and very ancient sculpture of Lord Vishnu. The significance of this discovery cannot be overestimated.

Popular throughout the world, Indian spices have a long history of providing a welcome burst of flavor. They also have very real benefits to the health.

A short documentary about the famous chariot festival in Puri, India.

Sound- Dwarkadhish Das, Melody – George Formby, Lyrics – Mahamantra Das, Idea, vocal and ukulele – Parshuram Das, Video – DJ Achintya.

Celibacy is no longer a vexatious condition of religious life. It is now a considered choice individuals are exerting — those not of the cloth or cloister but choosing nevertheless to test the frontiers of self-restraint and redirect their E…

An innovative presentation of the law of karma by the Bharatnatyam dance group Maya choreographed by Dakshina Vaidyanathan performed at  TEDxTughlaqRd.

Drone flight over. A stunning video of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Temple in Washington DC, USA.

A video captures a day of Indradyumna Swami’s Polish festival tour. www.vivakultura.pl

Following the start of Morari Bapu’s historic Ram Katha in Rome, Bapu was invited to meet Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue .

Today, Ramaraya Das leads parties of twenty-five or more devotees in chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra at Union Square Park in Manhattan, New York City, every day without fail. Hitting the streets from their very own Harinama Ashram, they…

There is a growing interest today in learning about different cultures and ways of life. In schools, in the workplace and in society in general, more and more people are sharing their traditions and different aspects of spirituality with each…

If you have ever thought sincerely about the phrase: “you are what you eat”, well we have a new one for you –“you are what you listen to”. With that in mind why not make a conscious effort to decide: what is the …

On the evening of June 30th, a Rath Yatra program was being held within the premises of ISKCON Dhaka, Bangladesh, when a group of people, believed to be local miscreants, began throwing stones over the boundary wall, into the temple. 
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During the winter of 2012 to 2013, as the pilgrimage season quietened down and a blanket of snow fell across the rural West Virgnia community, professional devotee foremen, carpenters and electricians flung themselves into five months of hard…