Author Archives: Kripamoya dasa, UK

The violence against the Jews of France, which has escalated as feelings have boiled over against the war in Gaza, is shocking and terrifying. A mob of mainly Muslim demonstrators in Paris, reportedly armed with knives, axes and iron bars … Continue reading →

The other day I told you about my 40th anniversary of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. Now here is an old friend of mine who has probably sung thousands more kirtans than myself, who has involved hundreds of thousands more … Continue reading →

  I couldn’t let this week go by without saying a few words of appreciation for Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi who has just passed on, aged 89. I met him once, some years ago in London, and he was the father of … Continue reading →

Above: Wakey wakey campers! Reading Music Festival, 1976. After two years on tambourine, I had been promoted to chief drum-banger. This year, on a sunny afternoon in August, I will be celebrating my 40th anniversary of kirtan. On the sunny … Continue reading →

The Great Vishnu, transcendentally situated in a place beyond winning and losing Three weeks ago I was in Cologne, Germany. We were celebrating the 10th annual Hare Krishna chariot festival there. For four hours we sang and danced our way … Continue reading →

  Boyton in Cornwall. It was a small village with two places of worship – one at either end of the main street. One was a church and the other a chapel, a situation which posed an existential question. “Are … Continue reading →

Sunrise in England. Hard to catch it, sometimes, but always worth the effort. This week I have been thinking about the Gayatri mantra and how it is chanted at sunrise, noon and sunset. Although the Hare Krishna maha-mantra can be … Continue reading →

Manuscript of the Isha Upanishad Dear readers, you may well know that the Upanishads are the cardinal philosophical scriptures for those who follow the Vedic tradition. All of them are important, but the Sri Isha Upanishad, or Ishavasya Upanishad (also … Continue reading →

One of my favourite stories is the one about the boiling frog, who simply fails to realise that the water is getting hotter. His failure to comprehend the incremental rise in temperature (he’d jumped into a pan of cool water … Continue reading →

Although I am from England and grew up as a Christian, I was always interested in Vishnu. When I became a Vaishnava I learned more about Vishnu from the scriptures. I have also raised my children on the same path. … Continue reading →

A curious confection: The British ‘Stick of Rock’ is made entirely of pink and white coloured sugar and has the name of the seaside town where it is sold running all the way through it. No matter where you slice … Continue reading →

Words by B.B.Govinda Swami   I read, with sadness, of the death of the young Indian girl who was gang raped in Delhi. My prayers go to that departed soul, to her family, and to her friend who was also … Continue reading →

Interesting to see that yet another hard-hitting anti-smoking ad campaign is about to be released here in Britain. Although there’s been drastic changes here in the past ten years, there are still so many smokers who cannot conceive of the … Continue reading →

  When one thousand people in the United States were asked the question: “What factors brought you to your present religious belief and membership of your current religious community?” the overwhelming majority, 85%, responded that ‘my friend got me interested,’ … Continue reading →

I often get asked questions by people who are looking for a guru: “What sort of teacher should I be looking for?” is shortly followed by: “And where do I begin looking for someone like that?” After they’ve thought a … Continue reading →

I wanted to share this piece from the Huffington Post’s Religion section with my readers. Its a Hindu comment on the tragic school shootings by Vineet Chander, a chaplain at Princeton University: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vineet-chander/arjunas-grief-a-hindu-mou_b_2317529.html?

This was President Obama’s speech yesterday: Thank you. Thank you, Governor. To all the families, first responders, to the community of Newtown, clergy, guests – Scripture tells us: “…do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away…inwardly we are … Continue reading →

I have been a bit surprised at the level of media interest in the Duchess of Cambridge’s pregnancy. From all over the world reporters have descended on London, crowding the streets outside the private Edward VII hospital where Kate was … Continue reading →

Here’s the news today, as relayed by the Theos website: The Scout Association has launched a consultation to gauge support among members for an alternate atheist Scout promise, removing the invocation of a deity. At the same time, the Guide … Continue reading →