1972 February 5: "Because we stand solidly on philosophy, and because we are strong in that way, no one can refute or defeat us, so we are wiping out sentimental religion wherever we penetrate." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
1974 February 5: "Krsna is Bhavagrahi Janardana so your decision to improve the plan is certainly very much appreciated by Him. Krsna has many Temples big and small so all our plans are under the jurisdiction of Bhavagrahi. Let us fulfill the job as soon as possible." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
1975 February 5: "Now, you must become very serious to meet death without fear. Everyone has to die, but most men your age are thinking, 'I will live another fifty years.' Take advantage of this advance notice and prepare yourself to go back to Godhead." Prabhupada Letters :: 1975
Resting on the banks of the River Ganges is “Kanhapur”—the city of Lord Krishna—presently known as Kanpur. Before going to the West, Srila Prabhupada had preached actively in Kanpur. In 1970, when Srila Prabhupada came back to India along with his Western disciples, Kanpur was on his mind. He requested his disciples to establish an outstanding ISKCON temple here and hold massive festivals to benefit the people -- Read more ›
In order to guard against the invention of unauthorized incarnations of God by the fanciful, less intelligent persons, the name of the father of the bona fide incarnation is also mentioned in the authorized revealed scriptures. No one, therefore, can be accepted as an incarnation of the Lord if his father’s name, as well as the name of the village or place in which he appears, is not mentioned by the authorized scriptures. In the Bhagavata Purana the name of the Kalki incarnation, which is to take place in almost four hundred thousand years, is mentioned along with the name of His father and the name of the village in which He will appear. A sane man, therefore, does not accept any cheap edition of an incarnation without reference to the authorized scriptures.
It is with much sadness that The Cow Shed Crew informs our readers that Bruce the Goose left his body recently. The cause of his death is not clear. According to Brhat Mrdanga dasa who found him injured the day before he died, Bruce may have sustained injuries to his back and neck. -- Read more ›
The three-month long Bhakta Training Program at New Govardhana, concluded on 24 December with six graduating students receiving certificates. Course facilitator, Uddhava Priya dasa, held classes three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4.00 pm - 6.00 pm. A dozen participants attended, including new bhaktas, congregational members and WWOOFers. -- Read more ›
First held in 1966 at the request of Srila Prabhupada (founder of the Hare Krishna Movement), the Sunday Love Feast has evolved as an integrated celebration of Lord Krishna’s pastimes: chanting, hearing spiritual knowledge, dancing, eating, fellowship and generally sharing the bliss of God’s presence.
A Sunday Love Feast is now held in hundrends if not thousands of Iskcon temples worldwide. Anyone can come regardless of beliefs as we welcome all into an experience of Love. -- Read more ›
(Automatically translated from Russian) Vasanta panchami often associated with the name Saraswati, patron of knowledge and arts. And by knowledge is meant not primarily "the granite of science", and highly moral and at the same time accessible to everyone, cultural attitudes to life in this world, which was now an acute shortage -- Read more ›
Temple Department Head Meeting: At the beginning of each year the New Raman Reti Management Board has a strategic planning meeting to set priorities for the coming year. This year we decided to go in a different direction since our priorities seem to be set: building a new Goshala and Eco Farm, guest cottages, and making plans for a new temple and conference center complex. Instead, we invited each Temple department head to meet with us. They shared their achievements, challenges and ideas for succession with the Board members and with each other. It was so enlivening and eye opening for all of us that we decided to hold this as an open meeting at the beginning of each year from now on. -- Read more ›
Krishna Lunch has launched a feature on its Facebook page called Humans of Krishna Lunch as a part of its campaign to fund the Plaza of the Americas renovations.
The posts include pictures of people eating with quotes about their experience. Photographer and Krishna Lunch employee Amy Hollis said the project aims to connect members.
“We wanted to collect stories not just for the fundraising campaign but to help the Krishna Lunch community grow,” she said. “These Krishna Lunchers are all individuals all doing the same thing every day but don’t really know each other.” -- Read more ›
Bimal Prasad das, a wonderful disciple of Srila Prabhupada and a good friend of mine, passed away a few hours ago. In Memoriam If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I’d walk right up to Heaven and bring you home again. Few farewell words were spoken, so little time to say goodbye, [...]
Sometimes adventures come of the quiet kind. Here in Hawaii with my parents, I have ventured inward into deep and quiet terrain. Lots of reading, writing, walks, dance practice. Connecting with my parents, connecting with myself.
In outward ways, I am surrounded by majesty every day, which I find is an adventure just to behold.
flying in
waiting to perform
The Rathayatra cart in Honolulu, getting ready for the parade
The Pancha Tattva in Honolulu
the Honolulu temple's backyard banyan tree
Honolulu Rathayatra
sunset from my back porch
Hawaiian snow on Mauna Loa (above) and Mauna Kea (below)
They who are very unfortunate will not take shelter of Vrndavana, where the wonderfully handsome fair and dark divine couple eternally enjoy amorous pastimes and plunge Their friends into the great nectar of intense bliss.
[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, 1-53 Translation.]
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, March 2011, Melbourne, Australia, Lecture)
Spiritual life immediately leads to fearlessness. Leaving it up to Krsna. Trusting in Krsna that Krsna will protect us. Krsna will take care of us. Krsna is not going to forsake us. Krsna is surely going to give us an auspicious destination, so what is the problem!? Everything is fine and he will decide when and where and how and this and that…
"The first regulative principle is that one must chant the Hare Krsna maha mantra loudly enough so that he can hear himself, and one must vow to chant a fixed number of rounds."
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 January 2013, Durban, South Africa, Lecture)
Devotional service is given to us by devotees. You cannot take devotional service. It is a gift. And because that element comes in, that a superior vaisnava is asking us to do a service and then we do that service. This is where the selfless element comes in. We just do what the superior vaisnava wants. Not that we think, ‘What I will offer Krsna.’ No, we do what the vaisnavas ask us to do. And it is there we can overcome that selfish motivation.
Of course, even if we do some service to Krsna and there is some personal motivation, it doesn’t matter because the service will purify our heart from personal desire. So overtime, the personal desires will diminish. But if we quickly want to rise above then we must serve the superior vaisnava and that is the trick!
Ananta Vrindavan dasa from Australia arrived two days ago to spend a week with our festival tour here in Gujarat. His photography is a work of art. He perfectly captured the mood of our festival in Vadadora the other night.
Wednesday, February 5th marks the appearance anniversary of Advaitacharya, one of the foremost teachers of bhakti in the Hare Krishna tradition. On this day we fast till noon in his honour.
Advaitacharya appeared some sixty years before Lord Chaitanya’s own advent, over 500 years ago. It was Advaitacarya who asked Lord Chaitanya to descend. Before Lord Chaitanya’s advent, Advaitacharya had already begun chanting Krishna’s names in the streets with devotees and discussing scriptures on devotional service to Krishna. Advaitacharya’s name indicates that He is nondifferent (advaita) from Lord Hari (Krishna), and He is called acharya (spiritual master) because He taught bhakti.
Money given in charity to a suitable person is guaranteed bank balance in the next life. Such charity is recommended to be given to a brahmana. If the money is given in charity to a non-brahmana (without brahminical qualification) the money is returned in the next life in the same proportion. If it is given in charity to a half-educated brahmana, even then the money is returned double. If the money is given in charity to a learned and fully qualified brahmana, the money is returned a hundred and a thousand times, and if the money is given to a veda-paraga (one who has factually realized the path of the Vedas), it is returned by unlimited multiplication.
1968 February 4: "Lord Caitanya instructed us to be more humble than the grass on the street, and more tolerant than the trees, and to offer all respects to all, demanding no respect for ourselves. All these nice qualifications make one worthy to chant Hare Krishna." Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1969 February 4: "Our movement is not for some theoretical teaching, it is for developing practical character. By their exemplary character our boys and girls have drawn the attention of many respectable persons and public papers. Our exemplary character will conquer the whole world." Prabhupada Letters :: 1969
1972 February 4: "I am very much pleased that you want to remain there because the people are in desperate need of Krishna Consciousness. That is our policy, once we enter a place, to sit down, then to lay down and eventually occupy everything!" Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
1972 February 4: "Teaching Krishna consciousness in the schools, this is our best field. Simply demonstrate chanting and dancing, and induce them to participate, give them nice philosophy talk, distribute prasadam profusely, ask them to buy our books and study them closely - that's all." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
1972 February 4: "We cannot become very good preachers in such difficult language but if we take a few weeks to train some local men in Krishna Consciousness philosophy, then they can preach like anything. In this way, we shall expand very rapidly." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
1972 February 4: "We shall not expect that anywhere there is any Utopia, even in the Krishna Consciousness Society. Utopians cannot find anyone without faults, so they want to become void, merge, nothing - that is their Utopia." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
There are twelve vanas in the Vraja Mandal. Madhuvan, Talavan, Kumudvan, Bahulavan, Kamavan, Khadiravan, Vrindavan, Bhadravan, Bhandiravan, Belvan, Lohavan. -- Read more ›
1974 February 4: "Please see that accounts are kept carefully, not that money is taken for whimsical expenditure. This kind of thing should be carefully watched. Let us all work together for the glory of Lord Caitanya's sankirtana movement." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
1975 February 4: "One copy of our book, Lord Caitanya in Five Features may be handed over to Svami Cinmayananda as our humble presentation. As far as possible, all big Mayavadis sannyasis should be presented with this book." Prabhupada Letters :: 1975