Websites from the ISKCON Universe
About 600 square feet in size, the Tulasi Devi Greenhouse features double-paned insulated glass, and a bronze-finished aluminum frame with an ornamental crest along the roof ending in a motif based on ISKCON’s lotus logo.
Perhaps one of the saddest parts about growing up is learning that Father Christmas is not real. I recall a few years ago hearing how a teacher had been hauled across the coals for revealing this terrible truth to his class of six year olds, after outraged parents had bombarded the school with complaints. I […]
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Prabhupada opened my eyes to Christ’s real message, “What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul?” I saw the truth of this.
A video about an upcoming science & religion event by Institute for Science and Spirituality Delhi.
The post Vedantic Theology For the Advancement of Scientific Temper appeared first on ISKCON News.
A video about an upcoming science & religion event by Institute for Science and Spirituality Delhi.
The Bhaktivedanta Players of UK have made their Bhagavad-gita audio drama available for everyone to hear during the this most auspicious month of Marga when Bhagavad-gita was spoken, and when whole of ISKCON focuses on the Gita. The nearly hour-long play consisting of two parts uses carefully chosen music and dramatic sound effects to make […]
The post UK’s Bhaktivedanta Players Release Bhagavad-Gita Audio Drama to Celebrate Gita-jayanti appeared first on ISKCON News.
The nearly hour-long play consisting uses carefully chosen music and dramatic sound effects to make listening to the most important conversation in humankind a memorable experience for the audience.
Medical professionals and healthcare heroes are going above and beyond in the fight against coronavirus. This week, GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) invites devotees to meet, hear from Krsnadasa Kaviraja Das. He is one of the many unsung devotee heroes who have put their own lives on the line to help others during the COVID-19 […]
The post Frontline with COVID-19 with Krsnadasa Kaviraja Das appeared first on ISKCON News.
Medical professionals and healthcare heroes are going above and beyond in the fight against coronavirus. This week, GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) invites devotees to meet, hear from Krsnadasa Kaviraja Das. He is one of the many unsung devotee heroes who have put their own lives on the line to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A video by the GBC SPT.
The post Srila Prabhupada Our Preeminent Siksha Guru – A Discussion with Malati Devi Dasi appeared first on ISKCON News.
In 1971, as a young devotee in Calcutta, Giriraja Swami approached Srila Prabhupada, “I have been trying to understand what your desire is, and two things seem to please you the most: distributing your books and building the big temple in Mayapur.” Prabhupada’s face lit up, his eyes opened wide, and he smiled, saying: “Yes, you have understood. […]
The post Books Are Bricks – ToVP & BBT Hand in Hand to Complete Flagship Temple appeared first on ISKCON News.
I stopped Sultana who was instantly drawn to the Bhagavad Gita. She explained that she meditates everyday and chants. Intrigued, I asked her what she chants. Her response was ‘Hare Krishna!’ So naturally my response was to say “you must visit the Soho Street Hare Krishna Temple”. She said she didn’t know a Hare Krishna Temple existed.
Many of us have heard the story before: In the summer of 1966, ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada acquired a storefront space in New York’s Bowery neighborhood with the help of a couple disciples. It had previously been a curio shop, the name of which Srila Prabhupada found quite suiting to his mission of spreading Krishna […]
The post 26 for 26 (2nd Avenue) – Matchless Gifts appeared first on ISKCON News.
Despite all the transformations that New York has undergone throughout the years, 26 2nd Avenue remains a place of sacred pilgrimage to tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world.
You know how Sanskrit names sometimes sound funny in our languages? So this Gautama Rishi went on sankirtana with a friend called Akula Das. Akula means "shark" in Russian. Not "sounds like" but literally means shark. For our English speakers, internet says that Akula class attack submarines make lion's share of Soviet/Russia's nuclear submarine force. "Akula" is tough sounding name, for sure. Sri Narahari Sarkar Thakura , who is Madhumati Sakhi in Vraja pastimes, was born at Sri Khanda. Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami describes that the residents of Sri Khanda formed a branch of the desire tree of love of God. “Sri Khan davasi (the residents of Sri Khanda) Mukunda and his son Raghu nandan were the […]
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By the TOVP team In 1971, as a young devotee in Calcutta, Giriraja Swami approached Srila Prabhupada, “I have been trying to understand what your desire is, and two things seem to please you the most: distributing your books and building the big temple in Mayapur.” Prabhupada’s face lit up, his eyes opened wide, and he smiled, saying: “Yes, you have understood. If you all build this temple, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur will personally come and take you all back to Godhead.” Continue reading "Announcing – The BBT/TOVP Books Are Bricks Campaign
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By Gauranga Das During the extended lockdown due to the pandemic situation, the residents of Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV) took to an in depth study of Srimad Bhagavatam, making the most of the collective opportunity. GEV is the home for many scholarly devotees who share the wealth of their Vedic wisdom across the world. As circumstances would have it, many of them like Sanatkumar Prabhu, Gauranga prabhu, Chaitanya Caran prabhu, Damodar prabhu, Gauranga Darshan prabhu, Balaram Sakti prabhu and Madhav Gopal Prabhu were all in GEV from March to November 2020. It was like a sweetshop being unable to distribute it's sweetmeats to outsiders instead generously gave it all within the house. Continue reading "Bhagavata Pravaha: The Flow of Srimad Bhagavatam at ISKCON Govardhan Ecovillage during the Lockdown
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By Taruni Radhe Devi Dasi TOTAL GHEE LAMP OF WHOPPING 132,180! HG Jagabandhu das, a disciple of HH Janananda Goswami Maharaj is a humble youth & highly inspiring devotee who distributes Srila Prabhupada’s teachings through his words, actions and preaching by conducting major scale Ratha Yatra, distributing Mahaprasadham, chanting beads & Srila Prabhupada’s books! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Continue reading "Highest Damodara Ghee Lamp Offering Score
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“Before meeting Mahaprabhu Narahari had written many Sanskrit and Bengali songs about the vraja rasa of Radha-Giridhari. Later, he and Gadadhara Pandit always stayed with Lord Chaitanya. Narahari used to please the Lord by waving a chamara or a peacock fan. Shrila Thakura Bhaktivinoda’s Gaura-aroti song glorifies this, narahari adi kori camara dhulaya.
Narahari Sarakara’s family was the pride of the Vaishnavas. By their influence all the people in Shri Khanda became Vaishnavas. The entire village turned into a “branch of the desire tree of love of God.” Since the time of Lord Gaurachandra, Shri Khanda has been a preaching center for Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
One day Shri Nityananda Prabhu came to Shri Khanda and asked Narahari, “All right, we know who you are. So where’s the honey?” By his mystic power Narahari turned a pot of water into supersweet honey for the Lord’s pleasure. Narahari serves Lord Shyamasundara in Vraja lila as Madhumati, a prana-sakhi who supplies mouth-watering honey for Radha-Damodara and Their dear ones.
“Shri Narahari Sarakara’s very being was saturated with Radha Krishna prema. No one can fathom the depth of his devotion and pure love for Radha and Krishna. In Vraja he is Radha’s dear sakhi, Madhumati (a storehoue of sweetness). And in Gauranga lila he is Narahari, a storehouse of Radha-Krishna prema.” (Shri Chaitanya Mangala)
Narahari Sarakara books Padakalpataru and Krishna-bhajanamrta include wonderful intimate songs praising Lord Gauranga and Shri Nityananda Prabhu. Shripad B.V.Narayana Maharaja said, “Narahari composed many ambrosial nectarean songs that overflow with the sweetest devotion.” In Shri Krishna Bhajanamrtam, Narahari teaches how to worship Shri Krishna and Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Shri Lochana Dasa Thakura and many others were disciples of Narahari Sarakara Thakura. Though not accessible, his samadhi is in Radha-kunda.
There must be more to Christmas
Perhaps one of the saddest parts about growing up is learning that Father Christmas is not real. I recall a few years ago hearing how a teacher had been hauled across the coals for revealing this terrible truth to his class of six year olds, after outraged parents had bombarded the school with complaints.
I was never a big believer in Santa myself. I think it dawned on me at an early age that a portly gentleman bearing a huge sack on his back somehow would not fit down the chimney, even accepting that he had flown across the skies in a reindeer drawn sleigh to get there. More of an issue for me as I was growing up was the reality of Jesus himself; was there ever such a person, and was he really God’s son? I was inclined to accept this but faced conflicting messages from my seniors, some of whom advocated in favour and others quite the opposite. School introduced me to the concept of scientific atheism, that belief in God was irrational and that science had all the answers. The patent falsity of this claim soon became apparent when I began to ask the big questions like why am I here? Why do we die? What is the point of our lives? And so on. These would generally be dismissed with a laugh. ‘Don’t waste your time with such pointless enquiries. Life is meant for living, that’s all.’
An understandable view perhaps from science teachers, but even philosophy lecturers had apparently decided that such questions were useless. My wife told me how, when she was studying for her philosophy degree, her professor had warned her, ‘If you are here to discover life’s meaning you’re in the wrong place. Philosophy today is simply about the meaning of words.”
As a young boy I attended Sunday School in my local church but they too struggled to answer my queries. I remember one day asking a church elder, “If men are made in God’s image why are they imperfect and even sometimes evil?” The man stared back blankly. “Some things are hard to understand,” he said. “All will be revealed in time.”
This did little to strengthen my faith and I went through my youth in a state of some perplexity. On the one hand, I assumed the guise of an informed and rational atheist, subscribing to the latest scientific theories, but within myself I would secretly talk to God. I never admitted this secret to friends and family, for fear of ridicule, but I even had trouble myself coming to terms with the fact that I actually did have faith.
As I grew older my confusion was compounded as I sought answers by delving into all kinds of quasi-spiritual books and a plethora of other esoteric works, such as the Greek classics. I didn’t know what to believe. It wasn’t until I came across the ancient Vedic writings, and especially their great ambassador, Srila Prabhupada, that things started to make sense. At last my faith was given a rational and indeed scientific basis. I could finally declare myself to be a man of faith, confident in my ability to establish the reasonableness of that position.
It was only then that I understood the true position of Jesus and the real meaning of Christmas. “Christ was God’s pure messenger,” explained Prabhupada. “Such great personalities sometimes sacrifice their lives for our sakes.” This was surely true. The message of surrendering to God and giving up sinful life tends to attract fierce opposition. Jesus had paid the ultimate price for the love he showed and taught. I was deeply moved by this thought. Christmas, and particularly Christ’s glorious life and sacrifice, was something worth celebrating.
I had often heard Christ’s life and teachings characterised as the victory of light over darkness, of truth over falsity. He had taught that we are servants of God not Mammon, or material profit. Looking around me it appeared that this message had fallen on deaf ears. Most people were solidly engaged in a frantic endeavour to secure wealth and worldly happiness. Material pleasure was the goal and even Christmas itself had become a virtual orgy of sensual gluttony. Prabhupada opened my eyes to Christ’s real message, “What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul?” I saw the truth of this. No one seemed to be finding satisfaction and lasting joy in worldly pursuits.
I realised that festivals like Christmas were meant to remind us of these spiritual truths. Diwali, perhaps the Hindu equivalent of Christmas, which was recently celebrated, is another example. This also marks the victory of light over darkness, good over evil. God himself appeared many years ago as Lord Rama to tackle a powerful demon named Ravana, the very embodiment of darkness. After a terrific fight, described in the great epic, Ramayana, he despatched the heinous monster and that is celebrated to this day, when pious Hindus light lamps symbolising his victory.
In one Vedic prayer it is said, “I offer respects to my spiritual master who forced open my eyes, freeing me from darkness with the torchlight of knowledge.” Srila Prabhupada taught us that darkness means ignorance, not knowing who we are, why we suffer, who is God and what is life’s true goal. The very questions no one could answer when I was younger. Questions that nevertheless do have answers, delivered by personalities like Jesus Christ, Lord Rama and Srila Prabhupada. We observe festivals to reconnect with their teachings, to remember that we are eternal servants of God, and that our real goal should be to come back to the point of loving him, not Mammon.
This is the path to real happiness. Ignorance means suffering, as we act in foolish ways that bring painful consequences. Festivals like Christmas and Diwali are therefore joyous occasions because they celebrate the greatest possible gift that we can all receive, the gift of knowledge, peace and ultimately everlasting love.
The GBC Strategic Planning Team (GBC SPT) is looking for devotees to join our team and take on responsible service in several key areas.
-From a devotee who is distributing Bhagavad-gita and other books in Hungary:
“I was going door to door. A lady opened her door, and I showed her books. She invited me in and said she would get a donation for me. I was astounded at what I saw in her house. There was a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ, 2.5 meters high (about 7 feet tall). I was awed. It was so nice. The lady returned and saw me appreciating the picture.
“Srimad Bhagavatam class by HH Subhag Swami in ISKCON Mayapur
Today is a red-letter day—I received an advance copy of my book about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu: I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story. The volume is beautiful, and I felt humbled by and grateful for all the help I received in this effort.
Thank you very much.
Hare Krishna.
Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami
Gourangi Gandharvika is a second generation devotee from Mayapur who has created the most amazing activity book for children.
In 1973 devotees decided to build a home for Srila Prabhupada, where he could write his books and enjoy the clean country air. A location was chosen for its potential beauty, the land was cleared and construction was started on a simple house. The plan was a rough sketch drawn on a scrap of paper.
Gourangi Gandharvika is a second generation devotee from Mayapur who has created the most amazing activity book for children. In this episode we cover: what inspired her to create the book what it was like growing up in Mayapur how a team of young devotees helped her create the book the challenges she faced publishing […]
The post SV31-Becoming Your Devotee – Krishna Conscious Activities for Kids with Gourangi Gandharvika appeared first on Successful Vaisnavas - Personal Development for Hare Krishnas.
Krishna Kripa Das: Intrigued by seeing the Hare Krishnas chanting and dancing every time she visited New York, Tori Luecking, who is pursuing a masters degree in journalism at NYU and who comes from a Jewish background, decided to make a brief video about them for her own education and that of others. About her experience she wrote, “It was a blast to put together, and I hope you like it and that it helps people better understand Hare Krishna!” We thank her for her devotional endeavor!
Toronto, Ontario
A Walk in the Quiet
I made an official call on behalf of our temple to an agency. It’s not my favourite type of service but nevertheless it must be done. My legal name was in their records but not my email address. I gave them my current email address but it did not compute with what they had. They were nice to me in terms of being helpful but the mood of service stepped up when I explained the following.
“Well, at one time I may have had thewalkingmonk@pamho.net. You see, I’m a monk who’s walked long distances, for instance, across Canada four times.”
That got a response.
“You are awesome!” said the lady. And so what took some time in searching or sorting out things, became less of an ordeal. People do respect the monk status to some degree. When the phone call ended, she said it once again. “You are awesome!”
After that I certainly have to live up to the title and so, after a day of official and less official work—yes, I got into scrubbing a corner of the kitchen—I felt the need to walk in the area between Rosedale and the Annex. How quiet it was, and even when it was not terribly late, 8:45 p.m. Covid is doing its work. I guess we have our job to do; keeping some social distancing going. The hustle-n-bustle of Christmas will be less of a reality this year. Oh well! Silent night, right?
May the Source be with you!
3 km
243 Avenue Road, Toronto
Got Into Cleaning
I got into cleaning again, tackling another corner of the kitchen. In truth, there’s too many items and too much clutter. However, it’s therapy. Cleaning anything in the temple/ashram is like cleaning the corners of your heart.
Included in the fun is being in the room with two younger, Bangladeshi devotees. One is cooking and the other cleaning the pots. I have to be careful not to be too isolated in my upstairs room. Lest it be perceived as an ivory tower. I feel the driving need to give time to these two hard and dedicated workers, Dwarkanatha and Uttamananda, respectively.
I also, on a daily basis, get to chum with two senior devotees, Dharmaprana and Dakshin, when we sit down together and read from the book Chaitanya Charitamrta. I basically read aloud about the great monk himself, Chaitanya. It was He who was so divinely motivated to do so much walking by going on pilgrimage. He also championed big-time cleaning of temples, most notably the famous Gundicha Temple in Puri, India.
Between the classes (I gave) and kitchen seva (service) I’m on the phone for classes via Zoom, as well as to encourage our leaders in our Northern-zone to contribute to the sponsorship of Bhagavada-gitas. They will be installed in prisons, hotels/motels, hospitals and other institutions such as libraries.
It’s working. I hate to say “no walking” today but that’s what happened or rather didn’t happen.
May the Source be with you!
0 km
Christie Pits, Toronto
Talking It Up and the Eyes of God
We had a full day of rain, then a full day of snow. Finally, on Tuesday, the sun reigned and dominated the skies.
After a session of cleaning in the kitchen and taking a small portion of kheer, a sweet prep quite renowned in our temple in Toronto, I laid down on the floor to bathe in the rays of the sun. What a comfort that was, receiving vitamin D in such a fine dose, along with the prana in the air due to having my windows open.
I heard the ringtone on my phone. It was Victor, my young Muslim friend, who asked for a walking opportunity. “Yes, let’s go to the Pits. The sun will be shooting through to the east-west direction on Bloor”, is what I suggested.
The appointment was on. As usual, Victor struck up a conversation regarding spiritual beliefs. We took a break at the park bench at Christie Pits. We began to speak about idol worship. He is anticipating a visit to Mecca.
“Oh yes! Muslims worship the idol, the Kaaba, a stone image,” I said. He found that interesting. I mentioned that I have a cousin who questions my practice of idol worship in the temple and I respond by saying, “In your Christianity you have your crucifix which you adore.”
Victor and I were enjoying the sun. “Some people worship the sun but we say in Islam that nothing should stand in the way of the one God,” he remarked.
I responded that the sun is a part of the universal God. It is his eye and the moon is his other eye. God blinks, shifting as day and night. He liked that. I confirmed there is one Supreme Person and that Person empowers the sun, the moon, you and me, etc.
With our walk complete, and the day also, I laid down on my bed with the moonlight pouring on my body, perfectly aimed.
May the source be with you!
6 km
In today's world, scientific temper occupies the center stage in deciphering the nature of reality. Contrary to the preconceived notion of being dogmatic and ideological, ancient Vedantic theological tradition conforms to the highest kind of rational inquiry. Thus, scientific progress can be expedited by such a body of knowledge.
Do you know before the advent of proper paper, what was the substance on which people used to write? What are the types of manuscripts?
Mathura Lilesvari Dasi: Below is a letter written by HG Vadanya Nitai Das, a disciple of HH Jayapataka Swami and son of HG Mahesh Advaita Das and HG Ananda Sundari DD. Vadanya Nitai passed away on Dec 3, 2016 in Malaysia. He was 27. His parents recently received this letter that he wrote to his aunt in 2010 when her mother passed away. They felt like he was speaking to them and asking them to be strong
The Bhaktivedanta Players have made their Bhagavad-gita Audio Drama available for everyone to hear during the this most auspicious month of Marga sirsha When Bhagavad-gita was spoken, and when whole of ISKCON focuses on the Gita. Enjoy!
With folded hands, we thank all the Vaishnavas for participation in this year’s Kshetra Parikrama. Irrespective of the pandemic and the bridge in physical association it has caused, in great numbers from all around the world, has tuned in daily to participate in the parikrama engaging our minds fully in Puri Dham. This has proved […]
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