Websites from the ISKCON Universe
ISKCON Nepal Awards 2017 (Album with 192 photos)
This year on 18th August 2017, ISKCON Nepal celebrated an award ceremony just after Sri Krishna... 
By Krishna Dharma Dasa This question has probably caused more people to lose their faith than anything else. Why does God sit peacefully in his cloud or wherever, feet up and smoking his pipe, while we suffer all kinds of grim miseries down here on earth? The best answers we can usually manage are: a) He can’t do anything about it, b) He is mean and nasty, or c) He is not there at all. Obviously these three conclusions mean our faith is gone or as good as gone. So are there any other answers? In my short book “Why Me?”, I explore this question. Mainly based upon the Bhagavad-gita, I try to find an answer that leaves us believing in a good and indeed almighty God (who doesn’t smoke a pipe:). I also look at a number of other traditions and secular philosophies to see what they have to say on the matter. Continue reading "Why Does God Let us Suffer?
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Devotee association (English/Hungarian).
By Shaunaka Rsi DasSunday Open House Talk at ISKCON of DC. The six Bhagavad-gita values. What is the relevance of our tradition. How can we include the teachings of the gita in modern day life. Millions of people actually practice the gita every day. So let's bring it into the world we live in. Continue reading "Valuable Values
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Walking across America, Bhaktimarga has been attacked by wasps, birds, and even a grizzly. But this walking monk laughs about his bouts with nature and promotes walking with a purpose. 
By Bhaktin Diksha “We would like to see this develop as a marathon,” says HH Lokanath Swami. “We want everyone’s participation. From GBCs to ABCs, everybody must be a part of this endeavour which glorifies the Holy Name and glorifies Srila Prabhupada - the one who shared this gift with the world at large.” This year also marks the centurial anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USA. Therefore, this year’s theme is called ‘Srila Prabhupada’s gift to the world’. For this event, the team has invited coordinators from all the temples and centres across the world to hold programs like japa marathons, harinams, seminars on the Holy Name and Nagar Sankirtans. Continue reading "Lokanath Swami urges Temple and Center Representatives to participate in the World Holy Name Week
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Ratha Yatra in Edinburgh, Scotland (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Fire will act, regardless of whether handled by an innocent child or by ... 
A Blue Baby’s Birthday! ISKCON Secunderabad - Janmastami 2017! (10 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/9LZSSr
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The post Prabhupada life-story 02 – From political activist to spiritual activist appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS) is the foremost gathering of leaders and devotees from around the world. The ILS is eight wonderful days of seminars on leadership and related topics within the sacred atmosphere of Sri Dhama Mayapu
Gauranga festival near Moscow, June 2017, featuring one of two Russian Gurus, Chaitanya Chandra Charan Das is giving initiations. He also sings in the video by Dmitry Tolkachev.
Just as Krsna’s appearance was not ordinary, in the same way, Srimati Radharani’s appearance was also not ordinary. One day, Maharaj Vrsabhanu was approaching the Yamuna and within the waters of the Yamuna there was one extremely effulgent lotus flower. The effulgence of that lotus flower was so attractive that Maharaj Vrsabhanu felt like taking it. So he went into the water of the Yamuna, but then, he saw, in the whorl of that lotus flower, the cause of that effulgence. It was not that the lotus itself was so effulgent but it was a little girl, golden in complexion, lying there in that lotus! He forgot his idea of taking that lotus and he just picked up the little girl with great joy in his heart and took her home. In this way, Kirtida conceived a child – somewhat unusual but divine just like Krsna’s appearance.
Celebrations of Mother Kulangana's 85th Birthday at Bhakti Centre, London, UK, on Wednesday 3rd May 2017. She would leave her body on Monday 14th August 2017.
What if we could have an alternative vision of reality, a vision that made greater sense of things and brought deeper meaning into our life?
How to make those three little words have the greatest impact. A video by "Simple for the Simple".
Brinda Raval, 21, is offering an inspirational example of how young ISKCON devotees can engage with today’s global concerns. “I’m very interested in social justice issues, and how as a devotee and a spiritual person I can use that to serve,” says Brinda. Through a rigorous application process, Brinda was recently accepted to attend the UN Summer Youth Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York City.
A day on the beautiful New Govardhana farm in NSW, Australia.
Answer Podcast
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Answer Podcast
The post The soul can’t be cut, but can God cut the soul – Hindi? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
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Harinama at Broadbeach (Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia) - 20 August 2017 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In old age, at the time of dea... [Bhagavatam class at ISKCON Belgaum, India]
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The post Gajendra Moksha Katha 5 – Which comes first – giving up lower taste or getting higher taste – Hindi appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON Belgaum, India]
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The post Gajendra Moksha Katha 4 – How age helps us become renounced – and how it doesn’t – Hindi appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Sunday feast class at ISKCON Belgaum, India]
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The post Gajendra Moksha Katha 3 – Understanding when to wield control and when to yield control – Hindi appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON Belgaum, India]
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The post Gajendra Moksha Katha 2 – Deviated spiritualists may lose the human body, but not their spiritual attraction – Hindi appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Ecstatic Solar Eclipse Harinam Sankirtan in NY - August 21, 2017 (2 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/yixkvC 
The Swastika: A Symbol of Goodness or Hate?
The swastika may be offensive to many people, but it’s probably sacred to far more. And with one billion Hindus, Buddhists and Jains holding it as auspicious, it could hardly be considered “one of the most hated symbols in human history.”
When Hitler began using the swastika as the symbol for his Nazi party in the 1920s, he brought about the death not only of millions of innocent people, but also of an innocent symbol. His use of the beloved Hindu religious sign instilled so much hate for it in the Western world that I wonder if its true meaning will ever be reclaimed.
In Hinduism, swastikas are used in conjuction with the elephant God Ganesh and the sacred om to remove obstacles and bring auspiciousness – at religious rites, as well as house and business openings. In Buddhism, they appear on the chest of some statues of Gautama Buddha, and mark the beginning of many scriptures. And amongst Jains, the swastika is the emblem of the seventh Arhat, or saint – the first of whom was Lord Rishabhadeva, whom the Srimad-Bhagavatam acknowledges as an incarnation of Krishna.
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The post Daily Darshan: August 24,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Memories of the early times of the Hare Krishna movement as narrated this morning in Radhadesh, Belgium, by Gurudas, one of the first and closest... Conversation.
By Yogesvara Das The hero of India’s epic Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna, is at a crossroad. He is intelligent, well-intending, and overwhelmed by a dilemma we all might recognize: the apparent incompatibility of worldly responsibilities and other-worldly aspirations. Arjuna is a warrior who feels the call to a more peaceful, non-invasive life. On the verge of a mammoth war he refuses to fight, even though the enemy is an aggressor who must be brought down. Like Arjuna, once we acknowledge the call to a more enlightened life we may also find mundane duties distasteful. Is it possible to attend to such obligations without compromising our higher self? Is it possible to live in the material world without becoming overwhelmed by it? The Gita responds by analyzing our dilemma through the eyes of a soldier preparing to do battle. Continue reading "The Self at War
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By Satyaraja Dasa When you're actually on the platform of love of God, you understand your relationship with God: "I am part and parcel of God - and this dog is also part and parcel of God. And so is every other living entity." Then you'll extend your love to the animals also. If you actually love God, then your love for insects is also there, because you understand, "This insect has got a different kind of body, but he is also part and parcel of God - he is my brother." Sama sarvesu bhutesu: you look upon all living beings equally. Then you cannot maintain slaughterhouses. If you maintain slaughterhouses and disobey the order of Christ in the Bible - "Thou shall not kill" - and you proclaim yourself a Christian, your so-called religion is simply a waste of time . . . because you have no love for God. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada and the Sixth Commandment
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Iskcon Mayapur: Lalita devi’s favourite instrument is the vina, and her favourite tune is raga Bhairava-kalingada. She specialises in serving tambula, betel nut to the Divine Couple. She can be seen offering a chamara whisk to Sri Sri Radha Madhava on the altar in Mayapur. She is twenty-seven days older than Srimati Radharani, her age being eternally fourteen years, eight months and twenty-seven days old. Her mood is khandita, like that of a jealous heroine who chastises her beloved. This mood is never manifested in relation to herself, however, but only when there is a delay in the meeting of Sri Radha and Madhava. She is well known for her hot and contrary nature, and her protective mood over her Prana-sakhi – Srimati Radhika.“Activism is my rent for living on the planet.”
– Alice Walker
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The idea of activism – of being a part of some cause that helps makes things better in the world – is increasingly catching on. It has become much cooler than what it was a few decades ago, when greed ruled the roost.
What has led to activism’s increased appeal? Thoughtful people have started realizing that when we live only for ourselves, for our own gratification, we sink into a black hole of self-centeredness wherein our obsession with our own cravings becomes compulsive and destructive. Today, we are ecologically threatened because of the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources. We are intellectually adrift because mainstream materialistic culture doesn’t offer our life any meaningful purpose. We are emotionally alienated because our families, communities and countries are becoming increasingly fragmented. This ecological, intellectual and emotional context underlies activism’s appeal.
However, is the notion of paying rent for living on the planet anything more than a quaint image? From the materialistic perspective mainstream in today’s world, the material is the only thing we need, the only thing we can have, the only thing that is real. And the planet we live on is just a blob of stardust in a vast unfeeling cosmos. By some lucky accident, it has somehow provided the conditions for us humans to live. Given that the planet’s human-friendliness is accidental, no one owns it. So, materialism reduces the notion of paying rent for living on the earth to just a cute metaphor.
Some utilitarian materialists may reason that if the notion inspires people to do good, there’s no harm in using it. Maybe. But the notion would have far greater impact if it were appreciated as being not just metaphorical but also metaphysical. What if we could have an alternative vision of reality, a vision that made greater sense of things and brought deeper meaning into our life?
The Bhagavad-gita offers us such a vision wherein it (05.29) states that the entire world, nay all of existence, belongs to the Whole, whose parts we all are. We use the resources of the earth for our sustenance and enjoyment, though we didn’t create any of these resources. Just like some apartments come with the basic facilities for cooking, ventilation and sanitation, so too does our cosmic apartment come with the basic needs for living. And just as we need to pay rent for the apartments we live in, so too do we need to pay rent for staying on the earth – the rent of activism.
People often conceive of activism as anything done for making a difference. Gita wisdom gives such activism a deeper foundation and a more fruitful direction. It explains that we are at our core spiritual beings, parts of a Whole. We are meant to live in harmony with the whole. How? By using whatever talents and interests we have in a mood of devotional contribution.
This holistic vision can spiritualize our specific form of activism. If we feel driven to make the world a greener place, we can become spiritual environmentalists. We can help clean not just the polluted rivers but also the polluted hearts that make people indulge in short-sighted, self-aggrandizing actions that pollute the rivers. If we feel driven to use education as a means to make a difference, we can share spiritual knowledge that equips people to find higher purpose and pleasure in their lives. By thus spiritualizing our educational activism, we help people to counter and conquer the forces that impel them to live disharmoniously.
When we imbue our activism with the inspiration to harmonize with the whole, our activism makes an enduring difference – in our own lives, in our social circle and in the world at large.
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Chariot procession through York city center (UK) (Album with photos)
SINGING and dancing members of the Hare Krishna movement have staged their first procession through York city center - pulling along a big chariot.
Tourists and shoppers were treated to a colorful and noisy parade, which began and finished in Parliament Street and took in streets including Coney Street, Stonegate and Low Petergate.
The Lord Mayor of York, Cllr Barbara Boyce, began the procession in line with tradition by breaking a coconut.
About 100 devotees of the movement, which follows ancient teachings of devotional yoga with roots in the Vedic culture of India, came to York from all over the country, including leader Janananda Goswami.
An American member, Krishna Kripa, said he really liked coming to York. “There’s a really nice group of people here,” he said, adding that they met once a month at the Quaker Meeting House.
A spokesman said the Hare Krishna philosophy was attractive to many people, adding: “In a world that’s becoming increasingly competitive, and has people believing they’ll only be happy through material gain, we’re showing a deeply positive alternative.”
One of the procession organizers, Ganesh Thapa, said it had been very successful, despite delays in transporting the chariot to York, and he hoped it would become an annual event. “It’s been amazing,” he said.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/8NcCcE