Author Archives: Madhava Smullen

Govardhan Eco Village (GEV), ISKCON’s 100-acre farm in the foothills of the Sahyadri mountain range in Maharashtra, recently completed the final fourteen rooms for its 42-room Mahavan guest building using energy-efficient mud block bu…

Up till now, one of the main methods of getting your Bhakti Sastri Degree in ISKCON involved taking six months off from your job or service to study in person in Mayapur or Vrindavan. This made it elusive and difficult for many to get the &…

The South African National Council (SANC), which has served as the overarching management structure for ISKCON in South Africa since the late 1980s, is undergoing sweeping changes in its structure and approach.

With the recent COP26 climate conference in Glasgow a current hot topic of discussion, ISKCON will be holding the Felication Ceremony for its biggest Value Education Olympiad yet on November 22nd. There it will recognize hundreds of thousan…

Prasadam meals are distributed in the city, in all the suburbs around Auckland, and to homeless people in “community hubs,” as well as those who cannot work due to lockdown. Meals are also dropped off at the door of Starship Chi…

This year’s MAN-tra Retreat, held from November 12th to 14th, explored “The Hero’s Journey,” a common story template that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a crisis, and&n…

Speakers from Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Mauritius participated in the three-hour conference, which is a platform for an exchange of ideas and strategies on all matters of book distribution, publication, and innovation.

The new Devotee Care Team started in New Vrindaban, West Virginia in April 2021, is providing resources, assistance and association for residents of the large rural community.

Sanka Das, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada known for his compassionate and giving nature, his cooking and gardening, his smile, and his “huge heart,” passed away peacefully on the auspicious day of Govardhana Puja, November 5th, …

Faced with challenges such as a seriously deteriorating building and a pandemic, the Krishna House in Tallahassee, Florida recently came close to closing its doors for good. But the efforts of dedicated devotees brought it back from the bri…

Shyamasundar Das’s new book is a thrilling firsthand account of the ISKCON Founder-Acharya’s unbending energy, uncanny intelligence, sidesplitting humor and adventurous spirit as he travels around the world.

Devotees in Santo Domingo, the capital of Caribbean island nation the Dominican Republic, have launched a fundraising campaign to build a new temple for Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. ISKCON was established in the Dominican Republic nearly 50 ye…

“We have to see that nobody goes hungry within a 10-mile radius,” Srila Prabhupada said during the Gaura Purnima Festival in Mayapur in 1973. Inspired by this statement, volunteers for the non-profit organization Hunger-Free Zon…

The Bhakti Cottage in the UK’s Lake District National Park will be a place where people can stay and learn about Bhakti Yoga, Kirtan and conscious creativity amidst beautiful natural surroundings.  

Over 30 speakers are explaining sustainable development from a Krishna conscious point of view at the Congress on Conscious Sustainable Development, which is running from September 6th to 10th and is entirely in Spanish. 
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Nearly 160 children sent in submissions for the New Vrindaban Kids’ Festival Competition, which focused on the three major Vaishnava festivals in August – Balarama Jayanti, Sri Krishna Janmastami, and Srila Prabhupada’s Appearan…

The Vaishnavi Ministry of South Africa has been reaching out to honor and serve the Vaishnavi community during Women’s Month, by providing counseling, spiritual support, and care packs during difficult times.

After Hurricane Ida hit the US State of Louisiana on Sunday August 29th, the devotees, deities and cows at ISKCON New Orleans and the New Talavana Farm in neighboring Mississippi have been reported safe and unharmed. The temples’ publ…

Srila Prabhupada’s birthplace at Tollygunge, Kolkata has been acquired by ISKCON and was offered to him today, on his 125th appearance day.

Janmastami, Lord Krishna’s Appearance Day, is a very special day for bhakti practitioners. Here, three generations of devotees recall some of their favorite Janmastami memories. 

ISKCON of Washington D.C. held a three-day Bhumi Puja (ground-breaking) event last weekend, from August 20th to 22nd, for a new 22,000 square-foot temple.

“This year, Janmastami Goes Digital,” reads the massive billboard that can now be seen all over Mumbai. The billboards are advertising “Krishna Fest,” presented by ISKCON Chowpatty and Govardhan Eco-Village from…

Growing up as a little boy in Calcutta, Srila Prabhupada’s nickname was Kachori-mukhi, because he loved kachoris and would keep many of the fried stuffed pastries in the pockets of his vest.

The Gita Nagari farm in Port Royal, Pennsylvania has launched the Bhakti Immersion Experience, a Krishna conscious residency for new and experienced bhakti practitioners aged 18 to 28 with three, six or nine-month options.

The San Francisco Rathayatra, ISKCON’s first, returned on August 14th after missing the year 2020 due to the pandemic, with a bright and colorful celebration for the Lord of the Universe at Golden Gate Park.

ISKCON temples all over the world are being invited to reach out to their local private and public schools to ask them to register students for the Value Education Olympiad 2021.

The Food For Life branch in New Jagannath Puri at ISKCON of Phoenix, South Africa – a suburb of Durban – relaunched on August 9th by preparing 108 pots of Biryani, a rice dish with vegetables. As the sun rose in the early m…

Last weekend devotees celebrated the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s 1971 vist to Gainesville, Florida, as well as his 125th birth anniversary with a three-day festival. The event, which ran from July 29th to 31s…

In honor of Srila Prabhupada’s 125th birth anniversary, a special Zoom series for teens and youth will run this August, in which Prabhupada disciples will share memories of serving the ISKCON Founder-Acharya during their own yout…

On Saturday August 21st, devotees from the ISKCON Auckland congregation in New Zealand will hold Harinama Sankirtana in multiple suburbs around Auckland, as well as on the city’s main thoroughfare Queen Street in celebration.

To celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of ISKCON Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON New Vrindaban in West Virginia is set to hold the Prabhupada 125 Tournament from Friday September 24th to Sunday September 26th.

Following a global edition in April/May, the 18-hour Online Devotee Care Course, subtitled “Embedding Care in Krishna Conscious Communities,” will be offered specifically for devotees in North American timezones starting Septemb…

Kalasamvara Das is one of the most joyful, ecstatic and dedicated devotees we’ve had the fortune to speak to. We hope you enjoy this chat with him!

A Bond of Love, a series of online interviews, sees Vaishnavi disciples of Srila Prabhupada sharing their memories and realizations about their spiritual master twice a month, and thus connecting multiple generations with ISKCON’s Fou…

Not only did Prabhupada directly focus on winning people’s hearts and bringing as many to the process of bhakti as possible; but he was also an expert in creating and sustaining, as the Communications Ministry puts it, “favorabl…

Sana Mittar, a young devotee who attends the ISKCON Punjabi Bagh temple in Delhi with her family, has been honored with the Diana Award. Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, it is the most prestigious accolade a young person a…

After a successful school year of keeping all students safe during the Covid-19 pandemic, the TKG Academy in Dallas, Texas held a graduation ceremony on May 27th that felt “triumphant,” according to Vice Principal Gopi Gita…

An online “Sravana Festival,” with a series of Zoom talks by illustrious guests about the pastimes of Lord Jagannath and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, is setting the mood for the upcoming Ratha Yatra celebrations at the ISKCON temple in…

The Bhaktivedanta Academy in Alachua, Florida, a thriving spiritually-centered Pre-K through 10th grade Montessori and International Baccalaureate school, is seeking applicants for its new internship program for Pre-K and Elementary teacher…

This year the Bhaktivinod Thakur book distribution campaign runs from May 26th to July 10th (Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur’s Disappearance Day). It provides an interim point for devotees around the world to check their progress in the…