Websites from the ISKCON Universe
What is the message that the students of Bhaktivedanta College want to tell us? Read more › 
The tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam relates many of Krishna’s amazing pastimes. Of these, “The Lifting of Govardhan Hill” is one of the devotees’ favourites.
It tells the story of how Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill in Vrindavan for seven days and seven nights, balancing it on the tip of his small finger and thus providing a huge umbrella under which all the residents and animals of Vrindavan could find shelter from the devastating rainstorm sent by Lord Indra (god of rain and king of heaven) upon their village. When Lord Indra realized that only the Supreme Lord could defeat him in such a mystical way, he surrendered to Krishna. Read more › 
TKG Academy in Dallas is a non-sectarian, co-educational day school for Vaishnava elementary education. It is the first gurukula established by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1972 and nurtured by His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami. It now serves students from Preschool to Eighth Grade and facilitates TKG Academy Sunday School Read more › 
Vrinda Kund, the place of Vrinda Devi. One of the most peaceful and very intimate holy places in Vraj. Read more › 
Event: Tour Of New Vrindaban
Date: Saturday, November 9th, 2013
Time: 10:00 am to 1:30 pm
Place: Starting at the Bahulaban Barn
Dear New Vrindaban residents and well-wishers,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
As you may be aware, the board members of ISKCON New Vrindaban and ECO-Vrindaban will gather for a bi-annual face to face joint boards’ meeting the weekend of November 8th – 10th, 2013.
On behalf of the board members, I invite you to join us on a tour through parts of New Vrindaban. We will start at Bahulaban and include stops at the original Vrindaban Farm, Srila Prabhupada’s Palace, Garden of Seven Gates and perhaps a few other locations as well.
Our goal is to visit each of these places before having more in depth discussions about them throughout the weekend.
We would be pleased if you accompany us and express your cares and concerns, ask questions and engage in open dialog along the way.
We appreciate your participation and look forward to seeing you!
Hare Krishna.
Your servant,
Jaya Krsna dasa
ISKCON New Vrindaban Community President
P.S. While this is a walking tour of each location, we will be driving from one place to the next. Please make sure to arrange your transportation ahead of time. Immediately afterwards we will partake in lunch Prasad at the Temple and you are welcome to join us then as well.
Goblins And Witches Of New York City Offering Flames And Prayers To Lord Damodar On The Auspicious Month Of Kartik Read more › Nitai Fest 6.9.13 Indradyumna Swami in Israel
Please Join us to celebrate the festivals of lights, or Diwali and Govardhana Puja at Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir.
Monday November 4, 2013
As Lord Krishna’s instructed us in Srimad Bhagavatam, we will be offering a mountain of foodstuffs, Annakuta-Mahotsava, to Sri Giri-Govardhan and Sri Sri Radha Govinda Dev.
On this day, Govardhan hill, considered to be the very form of Lord Krishna Himself is worshiped. It is believed that on this day, about 5000 thousands years ago, Lord Krishna instructed Nanda Maharaja, to worship Govardhana Hill and honor cows, instead of Indra. Govardhan hill provids grass for cows and bulls, while cows provide milk and bulls plough land the land. Krishna thereafter instructed Nanda Maharaj to proceed with the Govardhan puja by preparing various foodstuffs to offer to Govardhan, give charity to brahmanas and decorate the cows and feed them. Outraged, Indra retaliated with terrifying thunderstorms. Krishna protected his village of Vrindavan from severe rain and floods by lifting the Govardhan hill balancing it on the tip of his small finger for seven days and seven nights. Realizing the futility of his actions, Indra finally appeared before Sri Krishna with folded hands, offering prayers of supplication.In this way Lord Krishna demonstrated that he is Deva Deva, Lord of the demigods, and that the purposes for which demigods might be worshiped could easily be served simply by worshiping Him, the cause of all causes.Govardhan puja is celebrated annually in Krishna temples around the world with great fervor.
The Festivities are scheduled from 6:30 pm onward including Arati, Bhajans and Kirtan, Maha Abhiseka of Sri Giri Govardhan, Damodarastakam (Offering of Lamp to Lord Damodar), Circumambulation of Govardhana Hill and Prasadam Distribution. Also their lordships will be offered a new dress.
If you would like to make an donation or an offering to offer to Sri Sri Radha Govinda, please contact Shobamayi Devi Dasi @ (718) 897-2267 or Satya Devi Dasi at the Temple.
Your servants,
N.Y. ISKCON
Camera: Polaroid Automatic 100
Film: Fuji FP-100C (reclaimed negative)
It’s a shame that the geodesic dome never fully caught on. Sure, they’re ridiculously impractical, wasteful, prone to leaks, and prohibitively expensive, but they look great and isn’t that worth it? Well, maybe not. But seeing one in an otherwise natural environment gives me the juxtaposition I adore.
No reason not to throw in a few old buses to obscure the time when the shot was taken. Makes me want to watch Laser Floyd.
–
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 7 November 2010, Vrndavana, India, Govardhan Puja Lecture)
The cow and the bull are described by Srila Prabhupada as being totally harmless creatures. Everything about them is auspicious.
They are supportive for the environment and in this way; with cow protection, we find all the good that is required. The cows provide milk – she is one of the seven mothers along with the mother by birth, the wife of the brahmanas, the wife of the king, the wife of the guru, the nurse, the earth… The cow is one of our mothers and as such, we depend on the cows for our existence and the cows depend on us for protection. Cows don’t do well in maintaining themselves independently. They are domestic animals; they are meant to be protected by human beings. There is a natural relationship between the two. That relationship is also there in the spiritual world and the entire culture in Goloka Vrndavana is built on that culture.
When I first met my Guru Maharajah he gave me a challenge to use my work as a way of sharing love of Krishna so it was with some great delight to hold the second Diwali celebration; with the help of Bridgend People’s First who arranged the hall.
It was also a great delight that one of the wonderful devotees who go to Bhaktivadant Manor Mena Mataji offered to make a wonderful cake based on the theme of the Ramayana: their was a cake with Mother Sita on it, one with Ravana on it and one with Lord Rama, Laxman and Hanuman. The attention to detail also included the stones with Ram written on them.
Mother Sita On a Cake of Her Own
Lord Rama Lazman Hanuman Ready to do battle against Ravana
Ravana Ready to do battle with his ten heads showing
The amazing scene based on the Ramayana Story
Over 40 people attended, it was a delight to see how many got involved and also offered a small light to Sri Krishna for those who didn’t feel too confident offered a small flower, danced for the deities and enjoyed the small but humble feast of prasadma put on.
The small community hall filled ready for the start of the celebrations
Flowers and confetti was thrown to make the place nice for Lord Rama’s return
Vijay Prabhu lead a small kirtan whilst we had a small arati performed which always mesmerizing which was something I was unable to do last year given the logistics of presenting Krishna Consciousness on my own; so the help this year was really appreciated and I ow a big debt of gratitude to these two wonderful devotees.
The cake also made it easier to tell the story of how Lord Rama returned back to Lanka following his exile.
In the end we discussed with the co-ordinator of Bridgend People’s First next years Diwali celebration’s and the need to hold it in a bigger hall so that more community groups can be invited and join in; it was also wonderful that so many of people enjoyed their taste of Krishna Consciousness; indeed to be invited to some more school’s and community groups is wonderful.
I would encourage anyone and everyone to hold a small Diwali Celebration for their local community especially during the month of Kartika it is the sweetest feeling ever.
ISKCON PUNE'S - New Vedic Cultural Center :
Spiritual, Educational and Architectural landmark of Pune. It will have state-of-the-art facilities to Spread the message of Divine Love and Fraternity from the Vedic texts of ancient India. Read more › Ads, promos, billboards fill us with ideas of what all we need. Some of these things may be our actual needs, but many are simply superfluous trinkets that we mistake as our needs due to the outer propaganda blitz.
To seek without intelligently, we need to see within diligently. Seeing within means to contemplate our cherished values and our deepest aspirations. To see within more clearly, time-honored wisdom texts like the Bhagavad-gita serve as inner torchlights.
Gita wisdom helps us understand our true identity as souls and our eternal life of love in relationship with the all-attractive Supreme Being, Krishna. And it helps distinguish our core self and its central concerns from outer persuasions that have lodged themselves in our mind and are unscrupulously masquerading as “needs.” Once we make this distinction, we get two benefits: relief from pursuing un-necessities, and release for pursuing necessities. Thus by seeing within, we learn what to seek without. This is demonstrated in the setting of the Bhagavad-gita wherein Arjuna while being on the verge of fighting a history-defining war faced an emotional breakdown. Krishna through the Gita’s message helped him to see within, and thereby understand how and why to act without.
Significantly, the flow of insights is bi-directional. By seeking without, we learn to see within. When we strive to achieve something externally, the ensuing struggle tests our inner muscles, our grit and determination. More importantly, it helps us recognize the compatibility or incompatibility of our outer actions with our inner aspirations, thereby showing us the room for course corrections.
We often crave and slave for the things that the world glamorizes. But gaining those things often turns our to be an anti-climax – they give a short-lived titillation followed by a prolonged, in fact permanent, letdown. Most people try to get rid of this emptiness by seeking something else glamorized by the world. But astute people recognize this emptiness as a prompt for soul-searching, for enriching themselves with a clearer understanding of who they are and what will make them happy.
Moreover, our inner values are tested and toughened when we try to live them in the outer world. That’s why the Gita urged Arjuna not to renounce world, but to utilize it in the service of God and all living beings. By doing our outer responsibilities in a mood of service to the Supreme, we become enriched with epiphanies, as the Bhagavad-gita (9.2) indicates. Thus by seeking without, we learn to see within better.
This symbiosis of our inner and outer worlds is the key to a meaningful and joyful life.
Among all the practices of the Hare Krishna movement, the most prominent is the public chanting of God’s names, ecstatic dancing, and playing of musical instruments—a spontaneous street liturgy common in most major cities throughout the world. Read more ›