Acharyas

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who was named Kedarnath Datta by his father, was born on 2nd September 1838 in Biranagara (Ulagrama) in the district of Nadia. He was the seventh son of Raja Krsnananda Datta, a great devotee of Lord Nityananda.He would be known as 'daitya-kulera prahlada' (Prahlada in the family of demons). This was because Vaishnavism was not very much respected in his family; on his mother's side, there was no respect for Vaishnavism at all. His childhood was spent at the mansion of his maternal grandfather Mustauphi Mahasaya, in Biranagara. His environment at this time was very opulent. He got his elementary education at the primary school started by his grandmother. Later he attended an English school in Krishnanagara, started by the King of Nadia; he left that school...

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaj (1874 – 1937), was a preacher of Gaudiya Vaishnavism throughout India in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He was born as Bimal Prasad Dutta in the seaside pilgrimage town of Jagannath Puri, Orissa, India. His father was the Vaishnava scholar Bhaktivinoda Thakur, the first to present the teachings of Chaitanya Vaishnavism to the English speaking world. He received both Western and traditional Indian education and gradually established himself as a leading intellectual among the bhadralok (Western-educated and often Hindu Bengali residents of colonial Calcutta), earning the title Siddhānta Sarasvatī ("the pinnacle of wisdom"). In 1918, Bimal Prasad Dutta accepted the renounced order of spiritual...

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami

Jayapataka Swami was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. His scholastic achievements led to an offer of a full scholarship by Brown University after his completion of high school. As a new student at Brown, Jayapataka Swami heard a guest lecturer speak on the life of Buddha. This inspired in him the desire to search for his spiritual teacher. Having lost all interest in his studies, Jayapataka Swami deemed India to be the best destination to find this teacher. Before departing he came across a group of Hare Krishna devotees and became interested in sharing their practices. Shortly thereafter he visited the San Francisco ISKCON center where he helped to build a cart for the now world famous Ratha Yatra Festival. He joined ISKCON’s San Francisco center on Ratha Yatraday then...

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Articles

Human Life

Among all the species of life, human life is the best because it affords us the higher intelligence with which to make spiritual progress. In plant or animal bodies, our consciousness is too undeveloped. With the higher awareness of human life comes greater responsibility. Animal life comprises only four activities: eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Human beings are no better than animals if they spend their lives in similar pursuits and don't try for self-realization. When we observe the vast numbers of plants and animals in this world, we can understand just how rare a human birth is. That should inspire us to make the best use of our short time in these bodies by diligently following the authorized spiritual practices of Bhakti yoga, which can lead to...

Human Intelligence

Everyone is thinking “I am American, I am Indian, I am European, I am Australian”, “I am Rich, I am Poor, I am this, I am that” – bodily concept. We have to cleanse this bodily conception of life that “I am not this body”. “Aham Brahmasmi” I am spirit soul. In the Bhagavad Gita it is said: “Janma-mrtyu- jara-vyadhi - dukha-dosanudarsanam” We are trying to be happy fighting with unhappiness, but we do not know our real unhappiness are that we have to die, we have to take birth again, we have to become diseased and we have to accept old age. This is intelligence that I am trying to solve all the problems of life by advancement of civilization, education, scientific knowledge and so many other things. That’s all right, but what is the solution of these four miserable conditions? “BIRTH”,...

The Mantra that changed my life

Discovering Spiritual Knowledge It all began with meeting a young lady, who is an astrologer. She prepared my natal map and gave some recommendations as far as what I should and should not do. First of all, she recommended to switch to a vegetarian diet. The reason for that is because I was born on Caturdasi. It is a must for people who are born on this day to be engaged in spiritual practice. Otherwise, consequences can be really harsh. I became interested. Actually, I had always been interested in spiritual living. The astrologer and I had a long conversation and I would have loved to talk more, but I had to leave for Milan, so time was limited. That is why I asked her if she could recommend any books. She told me about Radhanath Swami’s “Journey Back Home” book and also about “AGHORA,...

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Last Week in ISKCON

Fiftieth Anniversary First

by Sitalatma | August 1, 2021 | ISKCON News | 0 Comments

At the end of this month on August 31, there will be 125th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s appearance, but earlier this year Russian devotees had a big celebration of the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s visit to Moscow. It was followed by 50th anniversary of his visit to Paris, and this week devotees in Gainesville celebrated their 50th anniversary of Prabhupada’s visit, too. Alachua county in Florida is home to the largest Hare Krishna community in the world and Hare Krishna are very well known in the university town of Gainesville. Both the mayor of the city and university president came and gave speeches, which focused on their appreciation of the famous “Krishna Lunch” program. Just like Steve Jobs tens years ago remembered getting his weekly meals at a Hare Krishna temple when he was young, Gainesville mayor Lauren Poe also remembered how he was saved by Krishna lunches on numerous occasions. University of Florida President Kent Fuchs described how many foreign students really rely on getting cheap prasadam at “Krishna Lunch” to save it for their dinners. All things might pass but people never forget who feeds them, and they are all thankful “Krishna Lunch” and “Krishna House” exist. In the picture are devotees outside Krishna House, from this local news article about the event.

Then Big Anniversary Proper

by Sitalatma | August 1, 2021 | ISKCON News | 0 Comments

Preparations for 125th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s appearance are going on around the world. Devotees in New Zealand are planning a big Maha Harinama across Aukland, the largest city in the country. Last time devotees held Maha Harinama there was in 2012, for the 40th anniversary of installation of Sri Sri Radha Giridhari, Aukland presiding deities. For Srila Prabhupada celebration five sankirtana parties will spread across the city and suburbs and then they will converge on Queen Street, city’s main thoroughware. Maha Harinama then will move on both sides of Queen Streets simultaneously, inundating the entire city with the sound of the Holy Name, and then, like a river, it will meet the ocean at the Queens Warf and inundate the entire Auckland waterfront, too. It will be impossible to escape. And then they will also hold Ratha Yatra there as part of ongoing celebrations. Meanwhile on the other side of the world, in the easternmost provinces of Canada, devotees from several small centers are preparing their own Ratha Yatra to he held next Sunday, on August 7th. It’s not going to be as big and glamorous at Toronto but it will be their own. In June they had their first run with Ratha Yatra in a small village of Memramcook in New Brunswick. It was clearly a very rural affair – see the picture, and if you read the full story you will see the ratha passing through literal forest. Next Sunday they will take the deities through New Brunswick capital but this entire part of Canada is just not known for urban development. Nevertheless, Lord Jagannatha is the Lord of the entire universe, and this includes picturesque Atlantic provinces of Canada as well.

Preaching Wins and Losses

by Sitalatma | August 1, 2021 | ISKCON News | 0 Comments

Bhaktivinoda Thakur marathon results for the entire world are not in yet but North America already reported their scores and, as expected, they show a big jump from 60 thousand books in previous months to over a 100 thousand books in June. Hopefully, they will keep the tempo through July as well, as Bhadra campaign of distributing 25 thousand Srimad Bhagavatam sets is fully underway -there are less than fifty days left. Last week we mentioned harinamas and padayatras in Europe and in the picture you can see Czech Prime Minister receiving Bhagavad Gita during one of these harinamas. Here you can see more ecstatic pictures from street preaching in Lithuania where devotees from Parama Karuna Mandir travel around the country by bus. Here is the video of Maharastra Padayatra with Lokanatha Swami leading the kirtan but it was “All India Padayatra” that suffered a loss this week – one of their two oxen, Vishal, has passed away. For padayatris their oxen is their family as they walk side by side and share all the joys and tribulations of travelling sankirtana party, plus the oxen pull the cart and carry the deities. Here is a story of Vishal’s passing and many pictures of him – he was gorgeous and his service was glorious.

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Bhagavad Gita Quotes

The Bhagavad-gita is universally renowned as the jewel of India’s spiritual wisdom. Spoken by Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead to His intimate disciple Arjuna, the Gita’s seven hundred concise verses provide a definitive guide to the science of self realization. No other philosophical or religious work reveals, in such a lucid and profound way, the nature of consciousness, the self, the universe and the Supreme.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is uniquely qualified to present this English translation and commentary on Bhagavad-gita. He is the world’s foremost Vedic scholar and teacher, and he is also the current representative of an unbroken chain of fully self-realized spiritual masters beginning with Lord Krishna Himself. Thus, unlike other editions of the Gita, this one is presented as it is–without the slightest taint of adulteration or personal motivation. This edition is certain to stimulate and enlighten with its ancient yet thoroughly timely message.

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Prayers of Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Shri Krishna

Prayers of Lord Siva

Lord Siva addressed the Supreme Personality of Godhead Shri Krishna with the following prayer: O Supreme Personality of Godhead, all glories unto You. You are the most exalted of all self-realized souls. Since You are always auspicious for the self-realized, I wish...

Prayers of Lord Brahma

My dear Lord Krishna, You are the one Supreme Soul, the primeval Supreme Personality, the Absolute Truth — self-manifested, endless and beginning less. You are eternal and infallible, perfect and complete, without any rival and free from all material designations....