Planet ISKCON

Today is Jayananda Prabhu’s disappearance day. He left his body in New Dvaraka, LosAngeles, in 1977. Some weeks earlier, Srila Prabhupada had written him, “A sadhu may live or die, it doesn’t matter. While living he is engaged in Krishna conscious business, and when dying he goes back home, back to Godhead.”

For Jayananda Prabhu’s disappearance day in 1982, I wrote a haiku:

Prabhupada’s full moon
Beams upon my heart’s lotus—
Guru’s service blooms

My book Many Moons, about nine exalted departed followers of Srila Prabhupada, has a chapter about him.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

“I worship and serve Jvala-Nrsimha, who has a bodily hue similar to the terrible fire that occurs at the time of destruction; who is situated on all ends of the hexagonal yantra; who is all-powerful and who is the god wearing a blazing garland.”

[ Visva-rupa-nrsimha-mantra, in the Sesa-samhita, page 201 ]

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HH Badrinarayan Swami’s Class on Narasimha Chaturdashi Festival 5/6/2020 at ISKCON San Diego

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This class on Srimad Bhagavatam 9.6.27 is given by Rukmini Devi (ACBSP) at Bhakti Center.

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The magic of the Deities' loving reciprocation in this unique abode is wonderful. One time we bought a crystal necklace with large pendant for Lord Nrsimhadev, but never saw Him wear it. My wife prayed to Him "Please let me know what I could buy for You that You will like to wear." The next day when she came to see Him, the merciful Lord was wearing the crystal necklace Continue reading "Nrsimhadev Nectar
→ Dandavats"

-Written by Bhaktimarga Swami, The Walking Monk©

May the Source be with you!

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Ramsden Park, Toronto

Bench Pride

“You must be the guy my wife met the other day. Charming!” Said the middle-aged man who stopped while passing by.

“I could have been. I’m not sure,” I expressed with some surprise.

“Do you like the bench?” He asked, referring to the seat Sarthak and I sat on.

“It’s a great bench.”

“This bench is in honour of my father. But I won’t charge you,” he said jovially.

“Thanks! That’s a great favour,” I responded as he moved on. I couldn’t resist reading the plaque on the bench. The father’s name appeared to be there. It sounded Greek (seriously). Then a caption expressed the man’s true honor with words like “honest, hard-working and not overwhelmed by fear. I could really appreciate the ancestral pride – the family spirit – with a hero or a person of ethical strength.” These values are often hard to find.

Sarthak and I also moved on, with a walk through the park’s length and back. He was noticing the fragrance of the honeysuckles. In one way this is all new to Sarthak, who arrived from India six months ago. It’s been an exploration ever since, such as how easy it can be to make a friend like the bench donor. He’s having fun along with a new job and all.

I’ll say it to Sarthak, like anyone else, “pleasure or pain” keep Krishna in the center.

May the Source be with you!

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Ramsden Park, Toronto

That stuff In the Air

I was trying to make a point by abruptly striking just one branch of a spruce tree. Suddenly, hidden in that limb of the tree, with all its sub-branches and twigs, came a cloud of golden pollen.

My dear friend and godbrother, Ugresh, was astounded to see that pollen, appearing as a light powder, suddenly manifest. “Stay away then, if you have allergies,” I recommended. Indeed, he does have that, acting up from time to time. Now is one of those times.

That gust I brought on to create that cloud was nothing. While Ugresh and I were talking and looking at old photos of the Toronto Krishna’s in the 70s, a natural gust would stir up the pollen, which was quite thick — thick enough to make a batch of chapati dough. Nature is incredible.

What held our attention more, however, was the gazing at the old photos, some of which we are selecting for our project, “Krishna in the Mapleleaf.” The project is an attempt to recount the history of those early days and make it available for all to see and read.

In glancing at those vintage pics, some taken half a century ago, we were realizing the truth of The Gita, wherein we were appreciating a changing bodies exhibit. We all look so young in a group shot from 1974, set in the park across the street from our ISKCON location at 187 Gerald St. E. Those were the days; memories that are conjured up and then dissolved like the pollen powder.

May the Source be with you!

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Ramsden Park, Toronto

Three Levels

An elderly woman came to where I was sitting. It looked like she had something to say, however, I started the conversation.

“How are you today?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Well, I’m a bit upset. The telephone company I’m with has not been giving service for five days.”

Now I don’t dress in a uniform from a phone company. I’ve donned my kurta (my upper garment), my dhoti (lower garment) and my uttariya (the third swami piece), so I don’t qualify for being a service man. I do, however, feel obliged to be a friend. In fact, we just didn’t hit on the spiritual topic at all. I consider it great to have met yet another neighbour.

I returned to the ashram after a good read in the park and received a call from a devotee in the States. We discussed the three levels of bhakti (devotion). Uttama bhakti refers to the highest view of people. The spirit of such a person is that everyone is viewed as devotional. Deep down inside there is a genuine love for God. The second level of bhakti is a reasonable state in which to live. One demonstrates awe for God and elders, shows a good mutual love for peers, shows compassion to the innocence and avoids antagonists. The third level of devotion is the most unfavourable. There is an attitude of pride and, although Krishna is revered, little or no appreciation is shown to others on the devotional path. We should strive for the first two levels.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Ramsden Park, Toronto

Freeing the Squirrels

When I returned from the park, after a short walk, and came close to the driveway I heard a noise coming from the dumpster. It was a scratchy and squeal-ish kind of noise. I figured that maybe two raccoons were creating a ruckus and perhaps they were accidentally trapped inside. The dumpster was newly arrived and, I am sure, empty as renovation debris didn’t yet have a chance to make it into its walls.

I was able to peek inside. It wasn’t raccoons but three squirrels going chaotic. Upon my seeing them they just went bananas. They were scared and had no way of getting out. So, I called Vallabha, our new handyman, and he grabbed a nearby ten-foot wooden stick and leaned it in, angling it so the little guys could get some traction and escape.

Well, that did the job. One by one they made it to freedom and up the nearest tree, with its branches providing some refuge. One leapt onto the roof of Govinda’s, scurrying about.

It was a good feeling, getting them out of their predicament, something that often happens to wildlife; getting stuck.

On further reflection I believe that we are all like the squirrels. We are trapped in bodies and trying to work our way to a new freedom, a new body, however, we do meet disappointment after disappointment. Real freedom is to be relieved of this body once and for all. With blessings of bhakti we can find an escape route.

May the Source be with you!

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Today is Rukmini-dvadasi, the appearance day of Srimati Rukmini-devi. There have been wonderful festivities all day, beginning with the special darshan of the Deities in Their flower outfits, and just now a wonderful abhiseka. During the abhiseka I really felt like I was in Vrindavan. There was so much devotion, spontaneous devotion—every time the pujaris poured another substance on the Deities, there would be gasps and cries of ecstasy and approval.

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Today is Rukmini-dvadasi, the appearance day of Srimati Rukmini-devi. There have been wonderful festivities all day, beginning with the special darshan of the Deities in Their flower outfits, and just now a wonderful abhiseka. During the abhiseka I really felt like I was in Vrindavan. There was so much devotion, spontaneous devotion—every time the pujaris poured another substance on the Deities, there would be gasps and cries of ecstasy and approval. It was really wonderful. And that is life in Krishna consciousness—somehow being captivated by Krishna, the beauty of Krishna, manifest in His deity forms, His holy names, and His words and descriptions, the revealed scriptures. We want, somehow or other, to be absorbed in Krishna, and that absorption, encouraged by all these different activities, will cleanse the heart naturally and make us happy.

In terms of tattva (ontology), Krishna is the Absolute Truth. From Him everything emanates. He is the cause of all causes.

isvarah paramah krsnah
  sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
  sarva-karana-karanam

“Krsna, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, and He is the prime cause of all causes.” (Brahma-samhita 5.1)

Once, on a morning walk here at Cheviot Hills Park, I asked Srila Prabhupada, “We say that Krishna is the origin of all, but sometimes people question us, ‘You say Krishna is the origin, but what is Krishna’s origin?’ What should we answer?” And Prabhupada replied, “You should tell them that according to our information, Krishna is the origin of everything and has no origin, but if you find someone or something that is the origin of Krishna, we will worship that person or thing—but until then you should worship Krishna.”

So, Krishna is the origin, but in terms of tattva, there are two basic categories: vishnu-tattva and shakti-tattva. Krishna is the source of all Vishnu forms, beginning with Balarama (Krishna’s first expansion), Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha—so many expansions on the side of the energetic (Vishnu). Similarly, there are so many expansions on the side of the energy (shakti), and the first is Srimati Radharani. From Her expand so many gopis in Vrindavan, so many queens in Dvaraka, and so many Laksmis in Vaikuntha.

krsna-kanta-gana dekhi tri-vidha prakara
  eka laksmi-gana, pure mahisi-gana ara
vrajangana-rupa, ara kanta-gana-sara
  sri-radhika haite kanta-ganera vistara

“The beloved consorts of Lord Krsna are of three kinds: the goddesses of fortune, the queens, and the milkmaids of Vraja, who are the foremost of all. These consorts all proceed from Radhika.” (Cc Adi 4.74–75)

Of all Krishna’s queens in Dvaraka, Rukmini-devi is the principal. Ultimately, she is an expansion of Srimati Radharani. All of Rukmini’s qualities are present in Radharani, though Radharani manifests some qualities that Rukmini doesn’t.

Many of Rukmini and Krishna’s pastimes are described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, and they are relishable and instructive. When I first read the story of Rukmini and Krishna in the Krsna book, I thought that it was the most wonderful story—one that could make a fabulous movie, with romance, suspense, chivalry, adventure, and a truly happy ending. I thought, “This is amazing. You get everything in Krishna consciousness—but completely pure and spiritual.”

Rukmini was the daughter of the king of Vidarbha, and when sages and saintly persons visited the royal palace, they would glorify the transcendental beauty, prowess, and character of Krishna. Sages knew Krishna to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and so they were pleased to glorify Him. And because He was acting as a ruler, kshatriyas were also pleased to speak about Him. By hearing about Krishna, Princess Rukmini became attached to Him (we could say she fell in love). She had never met Him, but just by hearing about Him she developed great faith, attraction, and love for Him and decided that He would be the perfect husband for her.

This is instructive for all of us, that if we hear about Krishna without envy we will also become attracted to Him. Of course, Rukmini was a very pious, religious, pure-hearted girl. In fact, she was an expansion of Srimati Radharani. But because she was pure and religious and cultured, hearing about Krishna had an especially powerful effect on her heart. In the same way, if we lead pure lives as ordained by scripture, as taught by Srila Prabhupada, when we hear about the beauty and qualities and pastimes of Krishna, we will also become attracted.

Thus Rukmini, a most qualified princess, became attached to Krishna, the most qualified prince, and decided to marry Him. But her eldest brother, Rukmi, was envious of Krishna and forbade her marriage with Him. Instead, he arranged her marriage to his friend Sisupala, who was practically from birth envious of and antagonistic toward Krishna.

Other than Rukmi, all Rukmini’s family members and well-wishers, including her father, favored her match with Krishna. And Rukmini, Krishna’s eternal consort, could not think of marrying anyone else. Later, she told Krishna that only a woman who had not relished the fragrance of the honey of His lotus feet could accept someone else as her husband or lover. Any other suitor would be a “living corpse”—a bag covered with skin, whiskers, nails, and hair and filled with flesh, bones, blood, stool, mucus, bile, and air. “The aroma of Your lotus feet,” she averred, “which is glorified by great saints, awards people liberation and is the abode of Goddess Laksmi. What woman would take shelter of any other man after savoring that aroma? Since You are the abode of transcendental qualities, what mortal woman with the insight to distinguish her own true interest would disregard that fragrance and depend instead on someone who is always subject to terrible fear?” She insisted that she would depend only on Krishna, who has an eternal, blissful, spiritual form.

Understanding the entire situation, Rukmini, in a bold move, sent a message to Krishna through a trustworthy brahman, expressing her heart’s desire to have only Him as her husband and suggesting how He could steal her away from the assembly at her proposed marriage the following day.

Rukmini was so beautiful and attractive that not only Sisupala but many kings and princes desired her. That is what we experience in the material world: Pretty much everyone looks at us as objects to exploit and enjoy, however sweetly they may act or speak. For example, at the end of almost any phone call to a large business, the company’s rep will ask, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” It’s all scripted. The ultimate purpose is to get your money, but they ask ever so politely, “Is there anything else I can do for you today?” Underneath it all, people want to get something from you for themselves. They want to exploit your body, your mind, or your resources. They are just like the lusty kings and princes hovering around Rukmini.

In that delicate predicament, that awkward situation, Rukmini reached out to Krishna, cried out to Him to save her. That was the only recourse she had, and ultimately that is the only recourse any of us has. We are in an ocean surrounded by sharks ready to devour us, and the only one who can save us is Krishna.

daivi hy esa guna-mayi
  mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
  mayam etam taranti te

[Lord Krishna says,] “This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Gita 7.14)

Rukmini surrendered herself to Lord Krishna with utter, complete sincerity, and the Lord reciprocated and delivered her. Sometimes we also pray to Krishna, but with some duplicity. We want Krishna’s help but at the same time still desire to enjoy materially, without Krishna. There is a saying about soldiers in combat: “There are no atheists in foxholes [pits dug for cover from enemy fire].” There are no atheists in foxholes because someone in extreme danger will naturally pray to God, knowing intuitively that only God can save him. But after he has been saved from his immediate danger, the person will tend to forget God and again think, “I’m the controller, I’m the enjoyer, I’m the proprietor,” and return to his ordinary, self-centered, inauspicious way of life.

Princess Rukmini was completely sincere. She wanted only to serve Krishna, and nothing else. Nothing else would satisfy her. And so she concluded her message to Krishna:

yasyanghri-pankaja-rajah-snapanam mahanto
  vanchanty uma-patir ivatma-tamo-’pahatyai
yarhy ambujaksa na labheya bhavat-prasadam
  jahyam asun vrata-krsan chata-janmabhih syat

“O lotus-eyed one, great souls like Lord Siva hanker to bathe in the dust of Your lotus feet and thereby destroy their ignorance. If I cannot obtain Your mercy, I shall simply give up my vital force, which will have become weak from the severe penances I will perform. Then, after hundreds of lifetimes of endeavor, I may obtain Your mercy.” (SB 10.52.43)

Now, one could argue that yes, Rukmini wanted Krishna, but along with Krishna she got a beautiful palace—there are descriptions in the Bhagavatam of the extraordinary opulence of Dvaraka—and so many nice children and servants and maidservants, and so much affluence. Actually, there is no harm in opulence as long as Krishna is in the center. The main thing is that Krishna should be in the center. A chaste and faithful wife—this is another instruction from the narration of Rukmini and Krishna in the Bhagavatam—will follow her husband. If he is in an opulent position, so be it; or if by circumstances he falls into a poor condition, still she will stay with him. And sometimes it happens that the poor husband, by the grace of Krishna, becomes opulent.

One example is Sudama Vipra. He was Krishna’s friend from when they were students in gurukula, in the ashram of Sandipani Muni. Sudama was a peaceful and learned brahman, detached from sense enjoyment, and he ended up being very poor. Krishna was a prince, the husband of the goddess of fortune, and He naturally ended up being supremely opulent. One day, Sudama’s wife, weak from hunger and distressed (more for her husband’s sake than for her own), implored him, “The Supreme Lord Krishna is nearby in Dvaraka. He is a personal friend and is compassionate to brahmans. Please approach Him, and He will surely give you, a suffering householder, abundant wealth.”

Sudama was not very keen on asking for something material from Krishna, but he did like the idea of seeing Him. In accordance with proper etiquette, he wanted to bring some gift, and he asked his wife if there was anything in the house he could take. They had nothing, so she begged four handfuls of flat rice from neighboring brahmans, tied it in a torn piece of cloth, and gave it to her husband as a present for Lord Krishna. Thus Sudama set out to Dvaraka, constantly thinking of Krishna.

When Lord Krishna caught sight of the brahman, He immediately stood up, went forward to meet him, and embraced him with great pleasure. He seated him very nicely on His own bedstead and washed his feet, while Queen Rukmini, the divine goddess of fortune herself, personally fanned the poor brahman. After some affectionate, philosophical talks about their times in service to their guru, Krishna asked His friend, “What gift have you brought Me?” Sudama felt so ashamed and embarrassed, he simply remained silent and bowed his head. Then the Lord, who knew everything, snatched the flakes of chipped rice tied in the old cloth and exclaimed, “What is this?” He ate a palmful of the rice, but when He was about to eat a second, Queen Rukmini caught hold of His hand and said, “One palmful is enough.” According to Visvanatha Cakravarti, she was thinking, “If You eat all of this wonderful treat Yourself, what will be left for my friends and servants and me?”

Rukmini told Krishna, “This is more than enough to satisfy You. Your pleasure alone assures Your devotee of opulence in this life and the next.” In Krsna (Ch. 81), Srila Prabhupada comments, “This indicates that when food is offered to Lord Krsna with love and devotion and He is pleased and accepts it from the devotee, Rukmini-devi, the goddess of fortune, becomes so greatly obliged to the devotee that she has to go personally to the devotee’s home to turn it into the most opulent home in the world.”

Sudama spent the night in Lord Krishna’s palace, and the next day, after being duly honored by the Lord, without having asked Him for any material benefit, he set off for his home. Walking along the road, he felt blissful, satisfied just by the Lord’s darshan. And he thought that the merciful Lord, considering that if he suddenly became rich he would become intoxicated with material happiness and forget Him, had not granted him even the slightest wealth.

Thus the brahman eventually reached home. In place of his former meager residence, however, he found a celestial palace with beautiful gardens and servants and maidservants. And when Sudama’s wife came forward to greet him, she looked just like the goddess of fortune herself. Without Sudama’s having asked Krishna for anything, and without Krishna’s having told Sudama that He would give him anything, He gave him more than Sudama or his wife could ever have imagined. And Sudama never forgot Lord Krishna. He concluded:

kincit karoty urv api yat sva-dattam
  suhrt-krtam phalgv api bhuri-kari
mayopanitam prthukaika-mustim
  pratyagrahit priti-yuto mahatma

“The Lord considers even His greatest benedictions to be insignificant, while He magnifies even a small service rendered to Him by His well-wishing devotee. Thus with pleasure the Supreme Soul accepted a single palmful of the flat rice I brought Him.

tasyaiva me sauhrda-sakhya-maitri-
  dasyam punar janmani janmani syat
mahanubhavena gunalayena
  visajjatas tat-purusa-prasangah

“The Lord is the supremely compassionate reservoir of all transcendental qualities. Life after life may I serve Him with love, friendship, and sympathy, and may I cultivate such firm attachment for Him by the precious association of His devotees.

bhaktaya citra bhagavan hi sampado
  rajyam vibhutir na samarthayaty ajah
adirgha-bodhaya vicaksanah svaya
  pasyan nipatam dhaninam madodbhavam

“To a devotee who lacks spiritual insight, the Supreme Lord will not grant the wonderful opulences of this world—kingly power and material assets. Indeed, in His infinite wisdom the unborn Lord well knows how the intoxication of pride can cause the downfall of the wealthy.” (SB 10.81.35–37)

Firmly fixed in his determination by his spiritual intelligence, Sudama remained absolutely devoted to Krishna, and without avarice, he, with his wife, remained in the opulent position awarded them by Him. Being completely purified by constant remembrance of the merciful, affectionate Lord Krishna, Sudama attained the Lord’s supreme abode.

So, we are not against opulence, and we are not for poverty—we are for Krishna. Sometimes, however, opulence can be an impediment. We may be tested: “Do I want Krishna more or maya more?” And sometimes poverty, in a way, can be an impediment. But whatever is destined for us will come to us. We don’t have to bother about it. It is ordained. Some people are rich automatically, and some people are poor. It is ordained. Whatever happiness is due to us will come, and whatever distress is due to us will come, but the main thing is Krishna, to have Krishna, to make Krishna—the Deity of Krishna, the holy name of Krishna, the pastimes of Krishna, the philosophy of Krishna, everything Krishna—the center of our lives. And if Krishna, the husband of the goddess of fortune (and Rukmini, the goddess of fortune herself) wants, He will give us more facility to serve Him. That is what He did with Sudama Brahman. Knowing that the brahman would not misuse the facility, that he would remain a humble, devoted servant, Krishna gave him everything.

So, if we worship Rukmini-Dvarakadisa and make Them the center of our lives, we may enjoy some of Their opulence. New Dvaraka itself is quite opulent, so we are already enjoying some of Their opulence. But material opulence is incidental, because material things without Krishna will not make us happy. The real thing is Krishna. Only Krishna can make us happy, and with Krishna we will be happy—with or without material things.

Today’s festival is wonderful because it infuses us with thoughts of Krishna, inspires our attraction for Krishna. That is why Srila Prabhupada established this temple, installed the Deities, and trained the devotees, so that they could always be busy with Krishna, busy for Krishna, and by association, inspire and teach others also how to be absorbed in Krishna. Among the main processes in the present age of Kali, the foremost is the chanting of the holy names: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So let us chant Hare Krishna, dance, feast on krsna-prasada, and be happy in Krishna consciousness.

Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Rukmini-dvadasi, May 14, 2011, New Dvaraka, Los Angeles]

Saturday Sanga with HH Hanumat Presaka Swami (May 22)

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By HH Sivarama Swamu

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Your Fearless Hand

“O Lord who lies on the bed of Ananta Sesa! O Lord of the universe! O Nrsimha! O husband of Laksmi! O destroyer of the devotees fear! I am suffering from great distress due to drowning in the ocean of sinful activities and disease. So, kindly lend me Your fearless hand and give me protection!”

[ Hari-bhakti-vilasa, Vilasa 14, Texts 486-487 ]

kara avalamvanam dehi / sesasayin jagatpate
sri nrsimha ramakanta / bhaktanam bhayanasana

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Get ready to hear some of Sanka Prabhu’s wild stories in Krsna Consciousness! He’s been cooking for Yogeshvara Krsna for many many years and is ready to pass the torch. How is he going to do that? Learn about his views on family and how he is dealing with his terminal diagnosis, and much more

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 Nrsimha-caturdasi, the appearance day of Lord Nrsimhadeva. The appearance and activities of the Lord in the world are a great mystery. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita (4.9) Lord Krishna says: janma karma ca me divyam   evam yo vetti tattvatahtyaktva deham punar janma  naiti mam eti so ’rjuna “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities […]

The post Nrsimha-caturdasi appeared first on ISKCON News.

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”

"We called the cows to the fresh spring grass of the back pasture. Happy cows ran, jumped, and mooed their joy! Once they reached the spring grass, they munched to their heart's content. All winter they have been eating hay with an occasional mouthful of grass from under the trees or from the front pasture when the weather turned warmer than usual. Lila shows us how blue flowers taste great too! Now from our back windows, we can watch the cows munching contentedly on the fresh spring grass," said Chayadevi, ISCOWP Co-Managing Director. 

ISCOWP is the International Society for Cow Protection, Inc. (ISCOWP). Incorporated in the USA, March 1990, as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization. William and Irene Dove (Balabhadra das and Chayadevi dasi) are its founders. They are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Through their spiritual master’s teachings, they have imbibed the practices and benefits, both spiritual and material, of lifetime cow protection.

Paramahamsa Thakur is a play written by HH Tamal Krishna Goswami in glorification of HDG A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and produced by the disciples of HH Kadamba Kanana Swami. It was created with the help of over 30 devotees with illustrators, video editors, a director, subtitles creator, translators, music composer and many voice actors.

Communication is a basic human need. Our words can have deep lasting impressions on people. We can encourage or cut with our razor-sharp words. Compassion in the three modes of nature and spiritual compassion will be discussed. Srila Prabhupada’s compassion spurred a worldwide movement. Is compassionate communication a by-product of Krsna Consciousness? Tune in to find out and pick up some tools and tips for communicating compassionately! This presentation was organized by the ISKCON Alachua EOL Team. Catch it on:
YouTube: ISKCON Alachua Hare Krishna Temple
Facebook: ISKCON Alachua

ISKCON of Naperville, New Jersey is continuing its new temple construction and this has been reported in the local news channel, the Naperville Community Television (NCTV17).

This next phase of construction was celebrated by an event onsite. This current phase is building the temple and community center while the next phase of the project will be to build a guest house and restaurant. 

Deep Leap, a new Youtube series from Bhaktivedanta College of Radhadesh, Belgium, is responding to the “overwhelming need” amidst ISKCON devotees for applied philosophy, with authentic solutions to modern challenges.

On May 1st, 2nd and 8th, devotees from all over Brazil and beyond attended the “Art of Caring for Vaishnavas” Zoom webinar by Vaishnavas CARE co-founder Sangita Devi Dasi, which offered training in how to lovingly serve devotees, especially those experiencing terminal illnesses. Altogether 80 people registered for the course including participants from the North […]

The post Devotees From All Over Brazil Take Online Vaishnava Care Seminar appeared first on ISKCON News.

“We certainly hope that after having attended the seminar, devotees are inspired and will inspire others to be trained and launch Vaishnavas CARE teams in their respective communities,” Ekanistha Radha says.

This year, we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the appearance of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, born in 1896 in Calcutta. Leading up to his Appearance Day or Vyasa-Puja on August 31st, ISKCON News is commemorating the occasion with a series of articles glorifying his achievements, contributions and qualities. […]

The post Your Ever Well-Wisher: Stories of Srila Prabhupada’s Care for All appeared first on ISKCON News.

ISKCON News is commorating Srila Prabhupada's 125th appearance anniversary with a series of articles glorifying his achievements, contributions and qualities. 

Wikipedia defines Vaisnavism as “one of the major Hindu denominations.” This definition is misleading.  To be a Vaisnava transcends any religious, social, or ethnic designation. A Vaisnava can come from any caste or any racial or ethnic group. Bhaktivinoda Thakura referred to this as “the principle of natural brotherhood.”  This depicts a state when people […]

The post The Way of the Vaishnavas appeared first on ISKCON News.

Sankirtana Das is a longtime resident of the New Vrindaban Community and an award-winning author and storyteller. His most recent book, Hanuman’s Quest, is acclaimed by scholars and has received a Storytelling World Resource Honors. For more info about his work see www.Mahabharata-Project.com

The Lotus Trust, the welfare arm of Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK is working with the ISKCON Temple in Delhi. This help has come at the most vital time for India. Sundaranand das (Dr Sanjiv Agarwal) a consultant Urologist at Imperial College and Director of the Lotus Trust said “to achieve this enormous help at this scale and […]

The post Bhaktivedanta Manor’s charity wing The Lotus Trust raises £140,000 to help Covid victims in India appeared first on ISKCON News.