“Secrets to Self-Improvement” (Album of photos)
On the 30th of August, 2018, Vaisesika Dasa gave a motivational talk entitled “Secrets to Self-Improvement”, as a part of Mindfulness & Conscious Living Series @Intel HQ in Santa Clara, California. It was attended by 300+ employees worldwide who enthusiastically took back valuable nuggets of wisdom to aid in their personal & professional life.
Vaisesika Dasa reflected on the famous quote of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura,“Intrinsic in every living being is the ability to rise in due course of time”. He shared five practical tips for self-improvement, viz.: write down your goals, get a house-on-fire-desire, gather quality information, collect mentors and practice.

Young devotee girls at Iskcon Almviks gård, Sweden, have performed an appreciated drama

Bhakti & Science - Village to Village.
The highlight of the tour was the Russian conference. When Caitanya Candra Caran Das and Bhakti Vijnana Goswami (originally a scientist himself) heard the news that a representative of the BIHS was in Europe, and wanted to give a seminar in Russia, they gave their blessings to Abhinanda, Vasushretha, and Jagannath Baladeva to mobilize the academic devotees throughout the country. Murali was amazed by their efficiency: “Immediately all these devotees got overnight trains and airplanes from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ukraine, etc. to Yekaterinburg.” And in two weeks time an elaborate conference was organized for the weekend of July 21-22, with dozens in attendance (many Phd’s). Murali held the the group’s attention all day Saturday with the Mustery of the Sacred Universe seminar.On day two, he gave the “Modes of Material Nature” talk interspersed with snippets of BI history, and the other qualified academics also gave their presentations. Every meal was a feast, and kirtans were plentiful. Murali was surprised that the local devotees had heard of his musical talents, “Then at the end, they gave me a violin. I was a little out of practice, so I just did the Prabhupada tune!”
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/yvwauW

The day begins early for visitors to Sridhama Mayapur. They wake many hours before the sun rises, anytime between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., to bathe and prepare to go to the early morning mangalarati. At the temple, the pilgrims get in line and wait to enter the temple. Sometimes, the lines can reach up to 400 or 500 meters! After mangalarati is finished, the devotees in the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir disperse to various places to chant their japa or do service. The pilgrims are encouraged to stay in the temple and are engaged in chanting a round of japa by an enthusiastic brahmachari. Every morning after Nrsimhadeva arati, this brahmachari gathers the visiting pilgrims and teaches them how to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra on japa beads. Continue reading "A Pilgrim’s Day in Sridhama Mayapur
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ISKCON's Governing Body Commissioner Anuttama Das speaking at the World Hindu Congress in Chicago, USA. On behalf of ISKCON he received the recognition by the World Hindu Congress for taking the message of Gita worldwide and introducing it to the ethnic community of the countries. The audience comprising of Head of States, Business leaders, Scholars, Celebrities along 2500 delegates from 60 countries appreciated the legacy of Srila Prabhupada. Continue reading "ISKCON’s Governing Body Commissioner Anuttama Das speaking at the World Hindu Congress in Chicago
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HH Gunagrahi Goswami Maharaja, my very oldest devotee friend, the munificent kind soul who made me a devotee, passed away this morning just before 4 AM this morning. He was surrounded by loving godbrothers and devotees, singing the holy names loudly and in ecstasy. He had been unconscious since the afternoon .. but when the end was eminent I was screaming the mahamantra into his ear and each time he would respond. He was such a kind loving devotee. A radiant star has stopped shining in this world .. but now glows brilliantly in Goloka Vrindavan. All glories to my beloved god brother and friend of 47 years. Tonight he conquered his cancer .. and now has a sat cit ananda form and life in the groves of Vrindavan, with Radhe Shyam and all their myriad friends. Continue reading "HH Gunagrahi Goswami left his body in full Krishna consciousness
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Answer Podcast

Transcription :

Transcriber: Keshavgopal Das

Question: If an equal devotee becomes more advanced, how can we avoid envy?

Answer: First of all, we need to understand that we have eternal relationship with Krishna. Just because Krishna is reciprocating with someone does not mean that Krishna is not reciprocating with us. It is not a love triangle where two boys are after a girl and the girl goes to only one of the boys. Krishna is infinite and he is available for all of us no matter what happens. Spiritual connection with Krishna, satisfaction, experience of love etc., all this is accessible to all of us all the time. If another devotee advances, it is not going to affect us. There is a place in the spiritual world for the devotee and for us as well. From spiritual perspective it makes no difference. But because we are in the material world, from social and emotional perspective it may matter.

If we see other person becoming more advance, getting more appreciation, so we can see that as a spur to ourselves becoming more dedicated. We can think that if this person can advance then why can’t I? Nobody is born a pure devotee. May be this person’s life was more favourable or was already advanced from previous life. If they have gone that far in their journey, I can also progress similarly in my life. Somebody’s advancement can give us faith in the process of bhakti.

Sometimes advancement may not be just an external activity. A devotee may be doing a lot of service and getting appreciation because of the same. However, whatever service the other devotee is doing, if we also appreciate the devotee, we will also make advancement. We may not get spontaneous appreciation within us, but if we appreciate in the mood of doing service, it will purify us and will inspire us to look into the positive.

End of transcription.

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Eric Clapton: It was an amazing experience to be listening to it in the condition we were in. They had begun to explore Indian mysticism, perhaps as a result of George's influence and at some point the chanting of 'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare' began to be heard in the club... we were all dancing to the rhythm. I have to admit we were pretty moved by the whole thing

Answer Podcast

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 07 January 2018, Brisbane, Australia, Q&A Programme)

What was it that first gave you the idea to travel to India? What was the inspiration behind going there and how was your first experience?

I started travelling around 1970 and one of the first places I visited was the coast of Croatia where younger people who had been to India… there was something different about them. I went to India by walking across the border from Pakistan as there were a lot of tensions in the region during that time. I walked into the country and there were big green palm trees on both sides of the lane. There was an officer at the end of the lane, a sardar with a turban and a big moustache, who asked me, “Why have you come to India?” (laughter) I replied, “I hear India is a very spiritual country.” So the sardar said, “Ahh very good! Then, you will go to Banaras (Varanasi).” So this officer actually bought me my train ticket from Amritsar to Banaras.

Would you say that when you went to India you were looking for God?

No, I was looking for the truth. I remember the lyrics to this song back then, “I am nothing but a stranger, always around. I am nothing but a seeker, for what I’ve never found.” So, I was looking for something. I was not sure what it was, but I knew that I was looking for the greater truth. Over those 8 years before I joined the movement, I was living in Holland and around, but every year I visited India.

The article " Q&A with KKS: First trip to India " was published on KKSBlog.

ISKCON Kiev: Most spectacular offerings for Srila Prabhupada’s Appearance Day (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If one can please a pure devotee of the Lord, such action means immediate satisfaction of the Lord, even though such a person is not officially qualified to receive the mercy of the Lord. Letter to Yeager, December 20, 1970.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/3nmA9o

As I sat talking to an old friend of mine the discussion turned to the old faith we both grew up in and it always becomes lively and interesting. One thing that was mentioned was that the Lord Jesus Christ who came in disguise he found only one true religion which was well the faith we used to be a part of.
Well it’s easy to make a claim so I looked at justifying this apparent revelation by God and this is what I came up with:
Hindu – Isn’t authorized as they worship idols and the bible speaks against idol worship
Muslim – Does not use god’s name but emphasises the prophet putting the prophet above God which the bible speaks out against
Catholic – Has the pope and as the bible speaks against the use of high names and status in a religious context this discounts them and again don’t use god’s name
Church or England – Has the queen as head so again not a true religion one shouldn’t put man (or women) above god, and doesn’t use god’s name
Other Christian denominations, recognise Jesus but don’t see him as God’s son so don’t know God or his name; so this discounts them
Jewish – If you study the Old Testament of the Bible they were condemned by God himself and that they will be persecuted and the land will ever see peace so in this case cannot be seen as a true religion
Taking this into account then Yes the faith we grew up in must be the one true religion, we laughed and suggested maybe we should rejoin.
However that is over simplistic one thing we learn from Srila Prabhupada is to test and ask questions and look at things from all angles and become convinced; this Krishna Conscious Movement is very scientific.
Indeed philosophically the faith we grew up in falls down on the basic question on it’s teachings indeed the more you look the more holes are found in the teachings.
False idols are indeed mentioned in the bible but understanding why they were told not to worship idols is often misunderstood or discussed; it was simply that they didn’t follow the principles of idol worship and worshiped objects that shouldn’t be.
This is one of the many examples we looked at and indeed it was enlightening doctrine is one thing but one should be able and free to test and question; being told what to think, feel and say may work in unification but long term doesn’t satisfy the spirit soul.
It impresses on me the need to allow each person to learn and progress at their own pace but also our experience help develop who we are and also gives us a unique position to help others who are also on their unique path of spiritual awakening and advancement; these experiences means we can help others we meet and in this way both make more advancement in Krishna Consciousness.
Questioning has to be there and in this way we can make the greatest advancement as we journey in a unique path; looking at the philosophical and scientific becoming convinced is the key and in this end open discussion and questioning is needed and must be encouraged.
Hare Krishna.

It appears that a number of atheistic scientists have caught wind of the accusation of ‘No-purpose’ levelled against them. They have done some homework and figured out cute responses in debate. They now try to make atheism appealing for the heartstrings, like religion does. “Yes, of course there is purpose to our lives... and we love and want to share that love...” is their charming open-arms invitation. Is there such a thing as scientific love? How would such ‘love’ benefit humankind? It should be a very interesting concept. We are considering soul-less love, mechanistic love, God-less love, mammal love and the rest. Continue reading "Going Nowhere In Particular
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God is our supreme father, and one of His energies, nature, is our mother. A mother nourishes her child with the milk from her body, and she also sees to the overall development of her child by imparting proper culture and education. Similarly Mother Nature cares for her innumerable children by providing grains, fruits, flowers, and medicinal herbs, and she showers her motherly affection on us by giving invaluable lessons, guiding us on the journey of life. Continue reading "In the Lap of Mother Nature
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The Divine Form. "Then, as if by divine providence, an art college friend, upon returning from a visit to Bangkok, gave me some rice-paper rubbings taken from bas-reliefs of divinities of the temple of the reclining Buddha. Although I didn't know it at first, the images depicted the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra. I immediately appreciated the combination of delicate exquisiteness and divine irresistible power that Ramachandra personified while upon His chariot, bow drawn, ready to slay His evil enemy." Continue reading "The Divine Form
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Sri Vyasa Puja - ISKCON of Alachua (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The secret of surrendering to Krishna is that such surrendered devotee sees that everything is part of Krishna’s plan. Whatever is meant to be I am doing. Let me do it with my full attention to every detail. Let me become absorbed in such service, never mind what it is. Let all other considerations be forgotten and only my desire to do the thing best for Krishna’s alone pleasure is my motive. Letter to Jayapataka, December 19, 1972
Find them here: https://goo.gl/k9Mg7K

"'I think this is the star of the show,' Clapton said prior to the 2004 Crossroads Guitar Auction at Christie's, where it sold for $847,500. Even though the guitar was 40 years old when Clapton sold it, it was in remarkably good shape. Even the Hare Krishna stamp that George Harrison affixed to the back of the headstock was still in good shape. 'It's worked really hard,' Clapton said. 'It was on a lot of albums, went everywhere, and was played regularly over the years, but it never got old or worn down or lost anything. It’s amazing that it's survived in this condition. I'd still play it today."

Dear Prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances All glories to Srila Prabhupada,

Here is the new Food for All website.

We are presently operating out of Krishna’s Castle in the City of London, cooking 2,000 delicious plates of Prasad daily.

Every year we have almost 40 Rathayatra festivals,(Basingstoke and Brighton Rathayatras this weekend, and Hounslow and Manchester next weekend), Padayatras and on the 22nd Sept we have a “feed the 5,000” event in Leicester. All this is on our other website.

Please forward this website around as we need your help !
Your servant
Parasuram das

food for all uk new website

Answer Podcast

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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Podcast

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Giriraj Swami, Janmashtami abisheik September 3, Houston from Derek Carter on Vimeo.

Giriraj Swami, Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja, September 4, Houston from Derek Carter on Vimeo.

SB 5.19.28 Critique at Every Moment 2013-06-04

Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 5.19.28 Critique at Every Moment 2013-06-04 Radhadesh

Srila Prabhupada’s ingenuity!
Ramesvara das: What Srila Prabhupada did was so ingenious, it has to be appreciated from a historical point of view. No one in modern history has ever made philosophy books popular for the mass market. So what Prabhupada did was a stroke of genius and he should be described as…this should be understood to be part of Prabhupada’s genius in knowing how to popularize Krsna consciousness.

Janmastami 2018 - Zurich (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The secret of surrendering to Krishna is that such surrendered devotee sees that everything is part of Krishna’s plan. Whatever is meant to be I am doing. Let me do it with my full attention to every detail. Let me become absorbed in such service, never mind what it is. Let all other considerations be forgotten and only my desire to do the thing best for Krishna’s alone pleasure is my motive. Letter to Jayapataka, December 19, 1972.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/2LHeKC

Rathayatra by the Volga River (Album of photos)
The Volga River, the 10th biggest river in the world.
Bhakti Chaitanya S...

There has been an attempt to explain the origins of such languages as Sanskrit, Greek and Roman for many years. This is because there has been a recognition of many similarities between them, but the exact original language which they have derived from has never been identified. So they say that it is now extinct, but they call it the Proto-Indo-European Language (PIE). This has now given way to the groupings of many other languages that are now included in what has become the "family" of 439 languages and dialects (as of 2009) of Indo-European languages. Continue reading "The Issue of the Proto-Indo-European Language
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Be it Greek Latin English Hindi Lithuanian – Sanskrit is the mother of all Languages. Even Scholars like Voltaire, Immanuel Kant, etc believed that Sanskrit was the root of all Indo-European languages. “I am convinced that everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganges” said Voltaire. He believed that the “Dynasty of Brahmins taught the rest of the world”. Continue reading "List of English Words derived from Sanskrit via Latin Greek Persian
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Suppose you go to Svargaloka and become Indra, the king of the heavenly planets. That is not a permanent position. By pious activities you can become Brahma, Indra, and so many demigods. You can hold such posts. But even if you go to Brahmaloka, the planet of Brahma, what is the benefit? You have to come back. Similarly, even you go to the Brahman effulgence, the impersonal spiritual energy emanating from Krishna, you will eventually fall back to the material world. Continue reading "Desire Nothing But Bhakti
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The Premiere Show of Hare Krishna!
The Mantra, The Movement and The Swami who started it all At Kathmandu Nepal with the prese...