Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Sadhu-sanga in the Pyramid house, Santa Monica, LA , CA (Album of photos and videos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Lord’s holy name is called sravana-mangala. This means that one receives everything auspicious simply by hearing the holy name. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.15 Purport)
Back to The Motherland - Yekaterinburg (13 min. video)
Indradyumna Swami: Our first stop on our preaching tour in Russia this year was Yekaterinburg in the Urals. As everywhere is Russia we found hundreds and hundreds of devotees eager to chant, dance, hear Krsna conscious philosophy and relish prasadam. It’s the universal process given by Lord Caitanya 500 years ago and delivered around the world by our beloved Srila Prabhupada. Sri Prabhupada came to Russia in the early 1970s and planted a seed that has sprouted into a veritable tree of devotion with so many wonderful devotees as it’s fruits and flowers. All glories to His Divine Grace!
We Love Cows (Album of photos)
On our farm we really love cows. We have 84 and each one of them is apart of our family. They e...
Podcast
The post When analyzing issues, how do we know whether we are putting them in the right context such as material or spiritual? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Gadadhara Pandit was a childhood friend of Nimai and both were students in the same school. Gadadhara’s parents Madhav Mishra and Ratnawati were natives of Chattagram district but later moved to Navadwip. Gadadhara Pandit was born in Navadwip.
In the Gaura-ganodesa-dipika, it is stated: “The pleasure potency of Sri Krishna, formerly known as Vrndavanesvari Srimati Radharani, is now personified in the form of Sri Gadadhara Pandit in the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
From his early childhood, Gadadhara was very serene, patient, calm, quiet, fond of solitude and very renounced.
Later on, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu moved to Jagannatha Puri, Gadadhara accompanied some devotees from Navadwip to visit Him. He stayed on in Puri, not returning to Navadwip. Gadadhara started living in Jameshwar’s Tota (garden). Everyday, Gadadhara would read out aloud from the Srimad Bhagavatam for the pleasure of Mahaprabhu.
Once, while sitting on the beach discussing topics of Krishna, Nimai decided to bestow his special grace on Gadadhara. He told Gadadhara to dig in a particular spot. After digging for some time, Gadadhara discovered the beautiful deity of Sri Gopinath. The deity was established in a temple in the garden and came to be known as Tota Gopinath.
Dear Devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada,
The material world 
is an overrated, disappointing place where anything bad can happen .You may hope for the best , but expect the worst And the worst is always worst than you expect.
Where as Srila Prabhupada gave us the Spiritual World, Krishna Consciousness. Where we are never the looser, and we are always in bliss connected to the Supreme, ( terms and conditions apply, always read the small print……).
Even a devotee, or especially a devotee may face challenges, some serious pot holes on the Royal road. It is the association of devotees that is our saving grace, sadhu sanga. Krishna is know as Bhakta Vatsala , for Krishna the devotees are very precious. Thus hats off to the devotees around the world who care for elderly and dying devotees.
It is very easy to loose your health, can’t pay the rent and end up on the streets homeless, and alone. We all know some devotee who had fallen into this situation. Even Srila Prabhupada had a son who became homeless, living on the streets. He would sometimes ask his disciples from Calcutta if they had seen him, Prayag.
Here is a link to a TV show, that I helped put together, about a young billionaire boy who takes a challenge of being homeless on the streets and pulling himself out of the gutter.
Two links here to the same movie
https://we.tl/t-4AMb7wtHGU
This link ,you download, then goes on to a test screen for 20 seconds then bingo.
Or
https://www.my5.tv/rich-kids-go-homeless/season-1/episode-2-2-2-2-2
This link you press then you down load an app
He fails badly to get his life together but there is a happy ending. He eats Krishna Prasad and in the end, the conclusion, the Vedanta, he declares to the world that he will donate funds to the “Hare Krishna Kitchen “, hip hip hooray!
Your servant
Parasuram das
Many ISKCON devotees around the world are now aware of the conflict and court cases that took place over the past few years regarding managerial authority of the Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn, New York City.
HARINAM SANKIRTAN IN NAIROBI (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The general mass of people, although sudras and less, can be ...
Whereas Srila Prabhupada gave us the Spiritual World, Krishna Consciousness Where we are never the looser, and we are always in bliss connected to the Supreme, (terms and conditions apply, always read the small print......) 
Avanti Schools Trust: We were delighted to receive this letter of recognition from Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP! Avanti House Secondary School is amongst the top 14% of mainstream schools for its high level of language GCSE entries thereby providing our students with ‘a firm foundation in linguistic knowledge’.
The city of Puri could be dealt a catastrophic blow from Fani. Officials are concerned about the welfare of the city's 858-year-old Jagannath temple during the Fani's onslaught, according to BBC News. 
What is the role of the ox in cow protection? Attendees of the Ox Training Seminar in New Vraja Dhama Hungary learned about training oxen and their valuable role in sustainable agriculture. ISCOWP traveled to New Vraja Dhama farm in Hungary to help present the week-long Ox Training Seminar held April 17-24. Attendees came from Croatia, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, USA, Greece, England, and Hungary. A video by ISCOWP.
Our "Paramahamster" comic strip follows an enthusiastic devotee as he navigates a 9 - 5 work day in the corporate world. Please check back weekly for new episodes!
MotelGita Team joins AAHOA 2019 Trade Show! (Album of photos)
MotelGita participates at the Annual AAHOA Convention in San Diego, CA
Celebration of the Holy Names (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The second day of our visit to Ekaterinburg, Russia was spe...
By Mahatma das What are your expectations for a guru? A psychologist to solve your emotional issues? A father to run to whenever you have a problem, or to replace the loving father you never had? Do you expect him to be someone who will always do what you need or want him to do, or make time for you whenever required? Do you expect him to be so self-sacrificing that he will give up his own needs for you? Do you expect him to answer every email you send within a few days, or even answer at all? Do expect to get enough of his love to feel complete? Do you want to write often about what’s going on in your life and heart, sometimes writing very long and detailed letters? And will you expect him to carefully read and contemplate every detail, and remember these details long into the future? Continue reading "What Are Your Expectations for Your Guru
→ Dandavats"
By Srimati Dasi Yes. Blinded by prejudice. Who? Me?! Never!!! Prejudice is the cause of so much heartbreak and violence in this world — I don’t want to know about it! I’m a very liberal person. I’m not judgemental. I’m not blinded by prejudice! Oops! Looks like we have touched a very sensitive spot! Definitely not a good idea to tell him now that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura doesn’t agree with his self-perception and analysis.... Continue reading "Blinded by Prejudice
→ Dandavats"
Podcast
The post When nothing works, we surrender to Krishna – how can we surrender to him in the beginning itself? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
A short film by 15-years-old Calypso Camacho, a student at the Bhaktivedanta Academy in Alachua, Florida, shows how doing gardening for God helps cultivating the creeper of selfless love in the heart. (www.bhaktischool.org)
Krishna conscious paintings by Chaitanya Chandra Carana Prabhu (Iskcon GBC and guru in Russia) (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhup...
Back In The Motherland (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Our first stop on this year’s Russian tour is Ekaterinburg, a city with a population of 2 million people. Devotees have come from other cities as well - some from as far as Kazakhstan a two-day train ride away. Everyone is eager for kirtan, Krsna katha and prasadam. We hope not to disappoint them!
JAX Beach Parade 2019 - Festival of Chariots (Album of photos)
At Jacksonville Beach Parade, over 70 Alachua youth came together, dressed in all the brightest festive colors. Taking to the streets, everyone danced and chanted while interacting with the crowd and bringing smiles to thousands of faces. They distributed over 4,000 lollipops to excited children along the way. The Ratha Yatra cart trailed behind, spreading the Holy Name of ‘Hare Krishna’ to an estimated 30,000 attendees. The two-mile stretch in the city of Jacksonville is only one of many sites visited by the youth and Hare Krishna community members yearly. One of the largest festivals, the St. Augustine Rathayatra, is a spectacle of over 300 participants bringing enlivening music, dancing, and spirit to the city square. These Ratha Yatra festivals, hosted by the Festival of Chariots team and the devotees of Lord Jagannath, are a jewel of the Alachua community. They continue to exemplify the spirit of the spiritual community and are a cornerstone for God-consciousness in the western world. Every year, at these vibrant festivals, thousands of free plates of karma-free vegetarian food are distributed to people within Florida. The goal of the Festival of Chariots team is to take these parades nationally, and even internationally, beyond what is already available. They strive to one day be part of parades in Disney World and other festive venues, bringing Lord Jagannath and his chariot in front of the masses of our modern society.
Ox Training Seminar, New Vraja Dhama, Hungary (10 min. video)
What is the role of the ox in cow protection? Attendees of the Ox Training Seminar in Vraja Dhama Hungary learned about training oxen and their valuable role in sustainable agriculture.
Podcast
The post Won’t it help us spiritually if we remember our past lives? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
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The post QA on mindfulness at South Illinois University 2019 Spring appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Daily readings of Srila Prabhupada’s Books (video)
HH Kesava Bharati Dasa Goswami has been reading through Srila Prabhupada’s books, Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta out loud every day for the last four years. We have created this page now in order to allow more people to take advantage of this nectar. We join Maharaja in March 2018 where he has reached the end of the Tenth Canto.
It is so important for us to read Srila Prabhupada’s books and even more so to hear it out loud and from exalted Vaisnavas.
Please do not miss this chance to hear these books daily.
The TOVP is ISKCON’s most important and historically significant project. In the short term the temple will provide the long-awaited new home for our beloved world Deities Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Sri Pancha Tattva and Sri Nrsimhadeva, and bring much attention and stature to ISKCON and the holy birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Sridham Mayapur, the organization’s World Headquarters. In the long term the TOVP will become a world-class mecca for Krishna conscious enlightenment and education, and the spiritual center from which the yuga dharma manifests for hundreds of thousands of years into the future.
Preaching in South Korea (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: When a Vaisnava sees mismanagement in the government, he feels gr...
A visit to the beautiful Iskcon temple of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Caitanya Mahaprabhu says: “I have brought medicine to awaken very living being from perpetual sleep. Please receive the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, and awaken. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.13.9 Purport)
Mayapur faces severe tropical cyclone threat, prayers required.
Fani to be second severe April cyclone to make landfall in India in 118 years.
Cyclone Fani is only the second severe cyclone in the last 118 years to form in the Bay of Bengal (BOB) in the month of April and cross over to the Indian mainland, according to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). “The last severe cyclone, Nargis, devastated Myanmar in 2008,” said M Rajeevan, secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences on Twitter.
Appearance Day of Srila Vrindavan dasa Thakura (video)
Srivasa’s niece was only four years old. Her name was Narayani. She was just seating peacefully in the corner of the room. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu cried out “Narayani! Chant Krsnas name and cry in ecstatic love.” And little Narayani called out “Oh! Krsna, oh! Krsna, oh! Krsna…” and tears just irrupted from her eyes profusely, soaking her body, her limbs trembled and she felt to the ground just crying out “oh! Krsna.” But the devotees saw that they understood the power of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He gave the ultimate perfection of prema Bhakti to a four-year-old girl by just chanting the name of Krsna. And then Srivas Thakur, he got up, he raised his arms to started dancing and he said “my Lord I give up all fear even when you come as the supreme destroyer of the entire universe and as time personified I see that you are destroying all the fourteen worlds, I will raise my arms fearlessly and chant your Holy Names.” And then Srivas Thakur with all of his servants, maidservants, friends and relatives saw Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu manifest His Vaikuntha form. And Vrindavan das Thakur explains in this connection ”just see the power of a Vaishnava, any one who serve the Vaishnav, anyone who pleases a Vaishnava become so dear to the Lord. Even the servants and maidservants of Srivas attained the ultimate perfection of seeing the Lord of Vaikuntha before their eyes. This is something that even Brahma, Shiva and the greatest yogis can not see. There is no higher religious principle than becoming dear to the Vaishnavas.”
So this Narayani is the mother of Vrindavan das Thakur. It is said that Srivas Thakurs elder brother Sri Nalina Pandit. And his wife gave birth to Narayani. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu would regularly give her the remnants of His food. Sometimes, Lord Caitanya would personally with His own hand feeds this little girl the food that he had eaten. And therefore, a little Narayani became famous throughout the entire Vaishnava society as she who receives the remnants of Lord Caitanya. When she was young, she was married to a great brahmin who came from Srihatta or Silet, his name was Vaikunthanath. She became pregnant. While she was carrying her child, her husband passed away. She was a widow. And the child was born. That illustrious child is Vrindavan das Thakur. Some say he was born in Mamgachi. Some say he was born in Kumar Hatta. Narayani, who was only about fifteen-year-old at the time, she was a young girl and a widow. But in Mamgachi she was given shelter by most compassionate devotee of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Vasudev Datta. She would take care of Vasudev Datta’s, help him with his deity worship and performed so many nice chores for him. And Vasudev Datta protected and cared for Narayani and especially helped to raised little Vrindavan das.
So Vrindavan das Thakur was in that environment of Srivas Thakur, of Vasudev Datta and all the Vaishnavas. This was the association he was raised in. And it is said that he was the last disciple, was initiated by Nityananda Prabhu. Personal associate of Nityananda Prabhu. And Lord Nityananda prabhu ordered his disciple Vrindavan das Thakur to write the life story of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So, he took that order as his very life and soul. According to historians, Vaishnavas, Vrindavan das Thakur took birth, I believe it was about four years after Lord Caitanya had already taken Sanyas. And as a young man taking the order of Lord Nityananda prabhu on his head, he went to a place called Dhenur. Dhenur is not very far from Katwa, where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took Sanyas and there he made his Bhajan kutir, his home. And it was there in Dhenur that Vrindavan das Thakur wrote Sri Caitanya Bhagavat.
Watch it here: https://is.gd/O2EvvP
Today is Srila Vrindavan dasa Thakura’s appearance day. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 11.55) states, “Srila Vyasadeva described the pastimes of Krsna in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Vyasa of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was Vrndavana dasa.” In his purport, Srila Prabhupada elaborates, “Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura was an incarnation of Vedavyasa and also a friendly cowherd boy named Kusumapida in krsna-lila. In other words, the author of Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura, the son of Srivasa Thakura’s niece Narayani, was a combined incarnation of Vedavyasa and the cowherd boy Kusumapida.” Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura was the last disciple initiated by Sri Nityananda Prabhu.
In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 8.33–40, 42, 44), Srila Krishna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami glorifies Srila Vrindavan dasa Thakura and his book Sri Caitanya-bhagavata (then called Sri Caitanya-mangala):
“O fools, just read Sri Caitanya-mangala! By reading this book you can understand all the glories of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thakura Vrndavana dasa has composed Sri Caitanya-mangala. Hearing this book annihilates all misfortune. By reading Sri Caitanya-mangala one can understand all the glories and truths of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda and come to the ultimate conclusion of devotional service to Lord Krsna. In Sri Caitanya-mangala [later known as Sri Caitanya-bhagavata] Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has given the conclusion and essence of devotional service by quoting the authoritative statements of Srimad-Bhagavatam. If even a great atheist hears Sri Caitanya-mangala, he immediately becomes a great devotee. The subject matter of this book is so sublime that it appears that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has personally spoken through the writings of Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura. I offer millions of obeisances unto the lotus feet of Vrndavana dasa Thakura. No one else could write such a wonderful book for the deliverance of all fallen souls. What a wonderful description he has given of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya! Anyone in the three worlds who hears it is purified. Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has written Sri Caitanya-mangala and therein described in all respects the pastimes of Lord Caitanya.”
In his purport to text 45, Srila Prabhupada writes, “Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura’s Sri Caitanya-bhagavata was originally entitled Sri Caitanya-mangala, but when Srila Locana dasa Thakura later wrote another book named Sri Caitanya-mangala, Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura changed the name of his own book, which is now therefore known as Sri Caitanya-bhagavata. The life of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is very elaborately described in the Caitanya-bhagavata, and Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has already informed us that in his Sri Caitanya-caritamrta he has described whatever Vrndavana dasa Thakura has not mentioned. This acceptance of Sri Caitanya-bhagavata by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami indicates his acceptance of the disciplic succession. A writer of transcendental literature never tries to surpass the previous acaryas.”
And in his purport to text 48—“The subject matter of this book is so sublime that it appears that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has personally spoken through the writings of Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura”—Srila Prabhupada explains, “The secret in a devotee’s writing is that when he writes about the pastimes of the Lord, the Lord helps him; he does not write himself. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita (10.10), dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te. Since a devotee writes in service to the Lord, the Lord from within gives him so much intelligence that he sits down near the Lord and goes on writing books. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami confirms that what Vrndavana dasa Thakura wrote was actually spoken by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and that Vrndavana dasa simply repeated it.”
How blessed we are to receive knowledge of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu through our glorious parampara—and to be engaged in their service.
Hare Krishna.
Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami
How our outer world and our inner world deludes – and how bhakti delivers
[Bhagavat Shravan talk at Bhakti Center, New York, USA]
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The post How our outer world and our inner world deludes – and how bhakti delivers appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Ahalya cursed and blessed – 3 I’s for changing our consciousness
[Talk at Pinebrook, New Jersey, USA]
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The post Ahalya cursed and blessed – 3 I’s for changing our consciousness appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Hold your plans lightly, not tightly
[Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Towaco, USA]
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The post Hold your plans lightly, not tightly appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Talk at Bhakti Center, New York, USA]
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The post Sentimentality Sensitivity Spirituality appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
