Gajavesha Darshan at ISKCON Auckland on Snana Yatra. On June 22, 2024, devotees worldwide celebrated the Snana Yatra festival with great love and devotion. Held on the full moon day of the month of Jyestha, the festival signifies the bathing of Lord J…
Author Archives: Thomas Haribol
Snana Yatra Events Bathe Cities Around the World in Spiritual Bliss
Lord of the Universe Rolls Through the Windy City as Chicago Celebrates its Rath Yatra
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Photos courtesy of Arjun Patel. Once again, The Lord of the Universe, Lord Jagannath, along with His brother Baladeva and Sister Subhadra, have decided to enact Their Rath Yatra pastime on the streets of Chicago, Illinois. This year, the parade and fes…
BBT Sets Ambitious Target for 2026 Bhadra Campaign and Surges Towards 2024 Goal
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The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) MCI Team (Marketing, Communications, and Innovation), under the leadership of Vaisesika Dasa, has announced the target for its 2026 Bhadra campaign as 100,008 sets of Srimad Bhagavatam distributed. The goal for the 20…
Sankarshan Das Shares the Beginnings of His Spiritual Journey in New Memoir
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In his book The Divine Love Memoir: How I Discovered the Most Secret of All Secrets, Sankarshan Das vividly recounts his spiritual journey from a young all-American boy to an insightful and questioning teen to a skillful song crafter and beyond. Sankar…
Sankirtan On! Podcast is Back for an Exciting Second Season
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After an 18-month hiatus, the Sankirtan On! Podcast is back for its second season. Sankirtan On!, an initiative of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, began four years ago and has already shared nearly 50 episodes of inspiring content. The podcast aims to be…
Bhakti Center Instructors Lead 300 New Yorkers in Times Square Yoga Event
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Photo by Prasanth Inturi On June 20th, Brinda Kumari Devi Dasi and Kishor Chandra Das, both senior yoga instructors at the New York City Bhakti Center, were among the teachers who led nearly 300 New Yorkers in yoga on the International Day of Yoga. Thi…
Ambarisa Das Launches Srila Prabhupada International Heritage Museum Project in the TOVP
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Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) Chairman Ambarisa Das has announced the future opening of a beautiful, inspiring, and permanent Prabhupada Museum in the TOVP. The institution will preserve and display various artifacts related to ISKCON’s…
Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies Inaugurates Online Summer School in July 2024
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The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) is offering an innovative virtual summer school on July 13-14th (Saturday-Sunday) and July 20-21st (Saturday-Sunday). Four amazing sessions of online presentations will showcase the latest research …
Highlights Report from June 12th GBC Meeting Released
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We are pleased to present the June 12, 2024 GBC Meeting Highlights Report. This report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the online GBC meeting highlighting the key topic discussed. The meeting commenced with an invocation of prayers led by B…
New Book Explores Srila Prabhupada’s Standards for Kirtana
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To help preserve a crucial part of Srila Prabhupada’s legacy, Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Jayadvaita Swami has released a new book, Srila Prabhupada’s Kirtana Standards: A Handbook. The handbook serves as a guide for performing kirtana following in Sri…
US Ambassador Visits Sunday Feast Program at ISKCON Temple in Suriname
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US Ambassador Faucher offering garland to Srila Prabhupada. On Sunday, June 16, 2024, Mr. Robert Faucher, the United States Ambassador to Suriname, along with his wife, visited the Sunday Feast program at our ISKCON Temple at 459 Kwattaweg, Paramaribo,…
Annual PAN America Symposium on Education to be Held Online June 21st, 2024
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The ISKCON Ministry of Education will host its annual virtual Symposium of Education, “PAN America Mini-Symposium 2024,” on Friday, June 21st, 2024, at 6:00 pm CDT, for two hours only on Zoom, FaceBook Live, and YouTube Live platforms. Tho…
Hundreds Gathered in Helsinki to Celebrate ISKCON Finland’s 40th Anniversary
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Devotees listening to a lecture by Dhirasanta Dasa Goswami. On June 16th, 2024, ISKCON Finland celebrated its 40th anniversary as an officially registered religious society in the country. The Education Ministry of Finland registered Krishna-liike ISKC…
Extensive Renovations and Expansions Underway at ISKCON New Mayapur
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Govinda Das, Construction Manager. ISKCON New Mayapur temple, housed in a 100-year-old castle with an area of approximately 83 hectares, is receiving a much-needed restoration and renovation under the guidance of Temple President Locananda Das and Vice…
Remembering Sudharma Devi Dasi
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From Sudharma Devi Dasi’s godsister Pranada Comtois: “Our dear friend and valiant servant of Srila Prabhupada, Sudharma dasi, has left us just after 11:00 pm EDT on June 14, 2024, in Alachua, FL, from cardiac arrest. Sudharma devi dasi took…
Sweden Hosts Youth Leaders from 12 Countries with Focus on Child Protection and Security Education
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From June 6-9, 2024, over 20 youth leaders from 12 different countries gathered at the ISKCON Almvik Eco-village in Sweden for a transformative four-day seminar. The event focused on critical topics such as Child and Youth Protection, First Aid, and Se…
ISKCON Nairobi’s Ratha Yatra Festival Attracted Thousands in Kenya’s Capital
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On June 8, 2024, ISKCON Nairobi celebrated its 38th Annual Festival of Chariots, attracting over 2,000 participants from all walks of life. “The four-hour procession passed through the [capital city of Nairobi] with many onlookers joining in the …
Krishna Capital Gate Centre Opens in Hainault, London
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“The Krishna Capital Gate Centre was inaugurated with great enthusiasm and joy [on June 9, 2024 in Hainault, London]. This newly established centre marks a significant milestone in the efforts to support humanitarian aid and community service. Th…
ISKCON Minnesota Launches Monthly Sankirtan Festival Near Major Tourist Attraction
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On Saturday, June 1st, 2024, the vibrant community of ISKCON Minnesota came together to launch their first-ever Monthly Sankirtan Festival at Minnehaha Falls, the largest park in Minneapolis. “Minnehaha is a Lakota tribe word that means ‘w…
Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies Joins University of Arizona’s Conference on Consciousness
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Akhandadhi Das (Martin Fleming) opened the workshop with a summary of Vaishnava Vedanta and Sankhya metaphysics which could address the problematic gaps in current thinking about the interaction of the conscious agent, the mind and the brain. The Bhakt…
Construction Updates on the State-of-the Art Sri Mayapur Community Hospital
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Harilila Das (left); the Sri Mayapur Community Hospital under construction. In a recent interview, Harilila Das, head of ISKCON Mayapur’s Health Care Division, shared the latest updates on the Sri Mayapur Community Hospital project. The ground-br…
COMING OF AGE #16 – I, Me, Mine – Field!
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There’s one thing about minefields. They are dangerous. The “I, Me, Mine” mentality is arguably more deadly to our spiritual progress, even if compared to the dangers of traversing an explosive minefield during a war. There’s a famous story of Srila Pr…
Krishna Center for Empathic Communication to Host Online Workshop
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Bir Krishna Das Goswami; Workshop details. The Krishna Center for Empathic Communication, an online platform under the guidance of Bir Krishna Das Goswami, is hosting an online workshop called “Seeking Harmony Within and Without” from June …
Astronaut Carried Bhagavad Gita on Historic Starliner Flight to the International Space Station
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Photo credit: Joel Kowsky. On Thursday, the new Boeing Starliner made history by successfully docking with the International Space Station. One of the two astronauts aboard, Sunita Williams, brought some “essentials” along on the mission, …
Sadhu Sanga Kirtan Retreat Returns to Texas with Record-Breaking Attendance
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Over Memorial Day weekend 2024, more than 3,100 devotees gathered in Frisco, Texas, for the 11th annual US-based Sadhu Sanga Kirtan Retreat, organized by Indradyumna Swami. The sold-out event was held at the Frisco Convention Center near Dallas, Texas …
Greek-Catholic Seminarians Visit ISKCON’s New Navadvipa Mandir in Kyiv, Ukraine
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On June 5th, 2024, a group of Greek-Catholic seminarians visited the ISKCON Kyiv temple with their professor as part of their religious studies curriculum, which includes learning about other spiritual traditions. Under the guidance of Acyuta Priya D…
Canadian Devotees Open Unique Cultural Centre in Northern Ontario
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Sri Sri Radha Muskoka Isvara with 175 preparations in the new Muskoka Krishna Cultural Centre. The Muskoka Cultural Centre in Huntsville, Ontario celebrated its Grand Opening during the 3rd week of May 2024, with the aim of spreading Krishna Consciousn…
ISKCON South Africa and Food for Life Rushes Aid to Tornado Victims
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Gomatila Dasa and his Food for Life team distributing prasada in affected area. A tornado has caused significant damage in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, resulting in the loss of eleven lives and injuries to more than 50 people. T…
ISKCON’s 30th Communications Conference Held at Radhadesh
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The four-day ISKCON Communications conference held at Radhadesh on May 25–28 was the thirtieth conference organized by ISKCON Communications Europe (ICE). The first day was dedicated to this anniversary. Mahaprabhu Dasa, ICE’s current director, invite…
Annapurna Dasi’s “Illuminations from the Ramayana” Exhibit Debuts at MOSA
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On May 25, 2024, a new exhibition featuring the paintings of Annapurna Dasi (Anna Johansson) opened at the Museum of Sacred Art (MOSA) in Radhadesh, Belgium. Titled “Illuminations from the Ramayana,” it will be on display for one year and s…
New Book by Vaisesika Dasa Answers Four Timeless Questions, Offers Inspiration
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“The Four Questions: A Pathway to Inner Peace” by Vaisesika Dasa is a remarkable, compact book that not only summarizes the wisdom of ancient Vedic texts into four multi-layered questions but also provides practical answers that are highly …
Highlights Report from May 29th GBC Meeting Released
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We are pleased to present the GBC Meeting Highlight Report for the GBC Meeting held on 29 May 2024. This report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the online GBC meeting highlighting key topics discussed. The meeting commenced with Prahladanan…
ISKCON Italy Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Prestigious Gathering and Ratha Yatra
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Parabhakti Dasa speaking at the event. Seated to the right: Ugo Papi, Msgr. Michael Santiago, and Madhu Sevita Dasa. June 1, 2024, marked a historic turning point for Yatra Italia as it moved closer to achieving the Agreement with the State, the highes…
A Festival of Devotion Honoring Kadamba Kanana Swami
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In the heart of Vrindavan, amidst the vibrant colors of the Holi festival of India in 2024, devotees from around the globe converged to honor the Tirobhava & Samadhi Festival for Kadamba Kanana Swami. This sacred gathering, rich in devotion and cel…
Vedic Culture Means Protection
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What is the difference between the spiritual and the material worlds? In the spiritual world, everyone is serving Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And these lovers of Krishna are also serving one another. Even Krishna relishes serving H…
BRC Releases Visual Tour of its Extensive Rare Manuscript Collections
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The Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC) has released a visual tour on YouTube of their extensive collection of rare manuscripts, books, and journals dedicated to Vaishnavism and Indian philosophy. Located in Kolkata, West Bengal, the BRC is a premier…
Rupa Vilasa Dasa Continues to Chronicle the Legacy of our Vaishnava Acharyas
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Rupa Vilasa Dasa has dedicated his life to preserving and disseminating the rich heritage of our Vaishnava acharyas through his devotional biographies. Recently, he spoke with ISKCON News about his latest offering. At the heart of Rupa Vilasa’s s…
ISKCON Kuala Lumpur Holds its 5th Annual Youth Retreat in Bali, Indonesia
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Youth gathered with Kavichandra Swami. On May-24-28th, a group of 42 youth and 18 senior devotees from ISKCON Kuala Lumpur traveled to ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha Mandir in Bali, Badung (Indonesia) for a spiritual youth retreat. The much anticipated…
Research Study, Released by 24-Hour Kirtan Birmingham, Shows the Positive Impacts of Kirtan
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A research study was recently conducted to explore the impact of the 24-hour Kirtan Birmingham event on participants and the broader community, particularly during the 25th Anniversary of this extraordinary gathering. This popular annual event provided…
Global Companies Honored for Appreciating Religious Diversity in the Workplace
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Yachneet Pushkarna, CEO of HARIBOL Foods, Sonia from American Airlines, and Anuttama Dasa, ISKCON’s Global Minister of Communications. On May 21-22nd, the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation (RFBF) hosted its fifth annual Faith@Work Confere…