Author Archives: Thomas Haribol

Bala Krsna Das, formerly known as Bongani Mazibuko, has been creating art since childhood. Unfortunately, his impoverished situation prevented him from studying art at university. He explains, “I could not afford to attend university, but I think…

On Saturday, April 22nd, almost 50 North American leaders and managers gathered online for the first-ever virtual Intimate Partner Abuse (IPA) Prevention Program, which introduced new tools and resources to assist ISKCON leaders in dealing with domesti…

New Mayapur rolls out their “Be a monk for a week” programme for young people to acquaint them with the practice of bhakti yoga. The programme gives hands-on training and direct immersion in the Vedic lifestyle to participants, mainly consi…

Dr. Meena Srinivasan, Krishna Balaram, and his mother, Abhidheya Devi Dasi at the event. Krishna Balaram, an 11-year-old devotee living in Sydney, Australia was awarded second place for his memorized recitation of chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita in San…

Cutting of a royal cake with a ceremonial sword by Lord Lieutenant Robert Voss and Temple President Vishaka Devi.  In the run-up to the momentous occasion of the coronation of King Charles III, Bhaktivedanta Manor hosted a ‘pre-coronation tea’ for fait…

Eco-Farm director Akuti Dasi makes fresh mozzarella cheese for guests On Saturday, April 22nd, the Eco Teaching Farm at New Raman Reti in Alachua, FL, celebrated its sixth annual Earth Day Eco Festival. Established in 2017, the Eco Teaching Farm’…

There once was a tiny anti-material particle Not reported in any regular news article Jiva was the name of this glowing entity Who somewhat lost purpose and identity In its wanderlust it really liked to move Feeling as though life would then improve Ye…

Retreatants at Hare Krishna Valley Hare Krishna Valley was founded in 1987 as a rural community for the members of the Hare Krishna Movement in Victoria, Australia. The beginning years saw the development of a great deal of infrastructure, including re…

The GBC College for Leadership Development has recently begun its next Zonal Supervisor Training course that includes thirty leaders from nine different countries worldwide.   The GBC College has successfully offered this training fifteen times worldwi…

Vaishnavis gathered at the inauguration event. The Village of Love is a nonprofit organization that helps provide goods, services, and resources for women and children in Mayapur, India, the international headquarters for ISKCON. The organization was i…

Artist rendering of the new ISKCON Temple being constructed in Mauritius The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is constructing a new temple in Mauritius that will be a significant milestone for devotees on the island. This projec…

Have you ever made a bad decision in your life? Who hasn’t? In hindsight, review a couple of your bad decisions. Then ask yourself if you made those decisions on your own or if you may have consulted the wrong people. When His Holiness Tamal Krishna Go…

Devotees gather in the new extensive temple room to participate in hours of uplifting kirtan and dance. Festivities abounded in Naperville, Illinois as ISKCON devotees prepared to install the Deities of Sri Sri Radha Syamasundar and Lord Caitanya and t…

The Krishna’s Home Adult Care facility in Tucson held a pre-opening event on April 21, 2023, to celebrate the completion of their facility near the existing temple community. This joyful gathering of devotees occurred during the auspicious time o…

Urmila Devi Dasi (Dr. Edith Best), an initiated disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, feels very blessed that multiple generations of her family have taken up Vaishnava bhakti. As a practitioner and teacher of Bhakti Yoga since 1973, she reg…

On the weekend of April 22-23, 2023, the local Vaishnavas Care chapter in Philadelphia organized a two-day seminar called the “Art of Caring for Vaishnavas,” taught by Sangita Devi Dasi (ACBSP), a Registered Nurse, CHPN, Certified Grief Cou…

Ambassador-designate Garcetti with Yudhistir Govinda Das at US Ambassador’s Residence April 24, 2023 Eric Garcetti, the new US Ambassador-designate to the Republic of India, hosted senior faith leaders at his residence on April 24, 2023. Among th…

Record-breaking crowd of 8000+ youth and guests gathered in Kanpur ISKCON Kanpur has surcharged the youth with UP’s biggest youth festival, XPRESSION 2023, on 7th April, with the purpose of reviving the spiritual consciousness of the youths of In…

Ratnalekha Devi Dasi, a devotee from South Africa, has successfully organized a Bala Bhagavatam Level One course for children as offered by the Mayapur Institute. The course, which started in August 2022 and ended on January 22, 2023, was initially des…

A toddler devotee is taking the French yatra by storm with her extraordinary will to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. Sangita, the two-year-old daughter of New Mayapur’s temple presidents Locanananda Das and Gandharvika Rai Devi Dasi an…

PBS Television has developed a new travel series highlighting the “must-see” locations along Utah’s Heritage Highway, which stretches over 500 miles from the state’s northern border with Idaho to its southern border with Arizona…

On April 14th, 2023, HG Patri Das was honored by the President of Nepal, Ram Chandra Poudel, with the prestigious Suprabal Janashree Medal, the highest civilian award granted in the country. The award recognized his significant spiritual contribution t…

FFLV bids farewell to 12th grade graduates Food For Life Vrindavan (FFLV), a nonprofit organization and school, was formed 30 years ago by the founders to educate young girls in and around Vrindavan, India. It provides free education, skill training, a…

Following the successful formula developed at Krishna House in Gainesville, devotees recently opened the Krishna House Dallas Ashram in collaboration with the long-established Dallas community. ISKCON Dallas has been hoping to open an ashram for severa…

Youth from around South India, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala gathered for three days to mark the celebration of “Parivartan,” a mega youth festival organized by ISKCON Tirupati.  “It was a massive festival for three days …

Amidst Potomac, Maryland’s cherry tree blossoms and spring flowers, religious scholars and spiritual practitioners gathered for the 26th Annual Vaishnava-Christian Dialogue on March 14-15th. Attendees include priests, pastors, professors from bot…

The following is a letter accompanying today’s release of the “Review of Safeguarding and Child Protection in ISKCON Mayapur and Vrindavan schools” Report Dear Devotees, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhu…

Loka Manohara Giridhari Das sharing Krishna consciousness  Meet Loka Manohara Giridhari Das, a devotee who finds great joy in distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books a few years after discovering them with his family. Today, he is a seasoned book distrib…

The ISKCON Environmental Initiative (IEI) is launching a new seminar series entitled Divinity and the Environment. This inaugural event will be held on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22. It will feature a one-hour talk given by distinguished speaker Radhik…

The ISKCON Environmental Initiative (IEI) is launching a new seminar series entitled Divinity and the Environment. This inaugural event will be held on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22. It will feature a one-hour talk given by distinguished speaker Radhik…

Executive Director of BIHS Brahmatirtha Das speaks to participants The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) will host an international conference, “Vedic Cosmology: Historical Perspectives and Current Research,” on November 17–19, 2023, at…

El Paso Community gathered in living room of Krishna Charan Das following El Paso’s first Ratha Yatra in October 2021.  All Photos courtesy of Krishna Charan Das. Krishna Conscious devotees have been visiting the border cities of El Paso and Juar…

Devotee sharing Krishna Consciousness on university campus Wake up South Africa (WuSA) is a newly established initiative by African devotees explicitly focused on African preaching in university settings. The active non-profit, recognized as an ISKCON …

Participants of the Devotee Care Training held in New Vrindaban. All photos are courtesy of Bhaktin Beverly Fifteen members of the New Vrindaban community recently participated in an intensive four-day Devotee Care Education and Training Course led by …

Hanumatpresaka Swami gathered with Mexican officials and forum speakers in Parliament.  Photo courtesy of Govinda Pramodini Devi Dasi and NIOS On March 30th, the “Building Peace around Ancient Cultures” forum was held in the Legislative Palace of San L…

The following letter from two ISKCON legal experts explains the current effort to seek input from ISKCON devotees worldwide in formulating a Constitution for ISKCON.  ISKCON News encourages all devotees to open the link, review the draft, share their t…

Photos courtesy of Acyuta Gauranga Dasa via Facebook The Durban Festival of Chariots, one of the largest Ratha Yatra festivals outside of India, returned to the Durban North Beach Front this year for a second time after COVID restrictions in 2020. The …

Gopaswami Prabhu and devotees engaged in eco-house construction  New Mayapur in Central France is working to implement Srila Prabhupada’s vision for rural farm communities where devotees can live in harmony with nature, while addressing the climate cri…

The Law Department of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is pleased to announce its third annual Global Law Conference, which will be held from May 19 to May 22, 2023, at Bhaktivedanta Manor near London, UK. The Conference wil…

The Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education (VIHE) is delighted to announce the upcoming courses for the year 2023. 1) On-site Bhakti-śāstrī course: 21 June – 11 November 2023 Special features of the course: The VIHE onsite Bhakti-śāstrī course …