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"The Poison is Personal Ambition"
The highlight of my visit to Mayapur this year was Anuttama Prabhu's seminar on leadership and management—an extremely valuable course, which teaches so many important skills and principles of effective leadership and management.
BBT Statement on Annotating Srila Prabhupada's Books
The ISKCON Governing Body Commission has recommended to the BBT trustees that we insert endnotes or appendices into Srila Prabhupada’s books to explain statements Srila Prabhupada makes in Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.25.41, 4.25.42, and 4.26.26 concerning a woman’s attitude towards the aggressive advances of a man and towards a man who is “expert at rape.” The GBC has also recommended that the endnotes or appendices explain “other such statements.”
Krishna Carnival Lights up London
The streets of London are used to seeing juggernaughts rumbling through their streets, but this was a very different kind of heavy traffic.
It was a riot of colour in the heart of the capital - three 40-foot-high wooden chariots pulled from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square, accompanied by a colourful crowd singing, chanting and dancing their way along the route.
Deaf Tourists See Signs of Devotion at London Rathayatra
When a large group of deaf tourists took a guided tour through Trafalgar Square this June 22nd, they never expected to not only chance upon an ancient Vedic festival, but be explained its meaning in detail.
Intrigued by the colorful chariots and tents of London’s annual Rathayatra festival, they had come over only to take a look. Naturally, they didn’t expect anyone to be able to explain it to them.
European Farm Conference Inspires Hope for Sustainable Future
The New Vraja Dhama Farm Community in Hungary hosted the first ever annual ISKCON Farm Conference this May.
Devotees from America, England, Belgium, Germany, Czech, Slovakia, Poland, Sweden, and Hungary attended, many of them cowherds and farmers.
European CPA (Cow Protection and Agriculture) Minister Syamasundara Dasa organized the event, aiming to reverse the decline in ISKCON Farm development within the last ten years.
24-hour Kirtana Festival Rocks New Vrindavana
The verdict was unanimous. You could hear it all around: "This is the best festival I've ever been to!" "These kirtans are so ecstatic that I can't believe they're happening!" "I've never felt so enlivened in my whole life!" "I've been dancing for hours and hours, and I don't want to stop!"
It was a mass revelation that harinama sankirtan is the safest and most exciting place to be in the world for the hundreds of devotees who descended on New Vrindaban Dham in West Virginia for the 2008 24-Hour Kirtan Festival, recently held on June 21-22, 2008.
Australian ISKCON Farm Goes Officially Organic
This week the ISKCON New Govardhana farming project in Australia received organic certification from the national Organic Growers Association. After several rigorous inspections, the farm was granted a certificate of compliance which allows all fruit and vegetables grown to carry the official OGA logo.
Kazakh Authorities Intimidate Sunday Worshippers at Krishna Center
On June 22, 2008, the Hakim of Zhetisu district, Almaty Province, Orynbay Zhanedil, intimidated the worshippers at the Sunday service of the Society for Krishna Consciousness.
As the Krishna congregation arrived by bus, on the territory of the commune in Zhetisu district, the Hakim arrived accompanied by a car of local policemen.
Bhagavad-gita As It Is in Braille
This month sees the BBT release a unique publication — Bhagavad-gita As It Is in Braille. A complete Spanish edition has been printed by devotees in Argentina, while Croatian devotee Dvaraka-gamana Dasi has produced a two volume edition in her native language. Initial copies number only one hundred for each volume, but a larger print run can be expected according to demand.
BBT Hyderabad Step Up to the Challenge
As a young man in Lille, France, Anandamaya Dasa probably never expected to live most of his adult life in India. But in 1971, he took an epic journey that would change his life, driving thousands of miles from his home to the mystical Eastern country, where he planned to spend a year traveling.
Jagannath Temple Authorities Worry About ‘Incongruous Show’
Rath yatra is a few days away and the entire city of Jagannatha Puri, Orissa, India is gearing up for the festival billed for July 4. But Jagannath Temple authorities are worried about ‘incongruous celebrations’ organized by ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) on different days across the country. In 2007, the institution organized rath yatras in October and December instead of the official dates in June.
How do You Become an ISKCON Sannyasi?
Vaisnava culture emphasises renunciation therefore ISKCON has many people who have accepted a role as a sannyasa, or traveling monk. However, in the past many aspirants have had difficulty maintaining their vows which created controversy and scandal. ISKCON responded to the issue by developing a system by which we can better ensure the maturity and qualification of candidates.
ISKCON News approached Prahladananda Swami, GBC minister of sannyasa, to help clarify the system by which an ISKCON member can take sannyasa.
Krishna back on Indian TV
Jai Shree Krishna, a new show on Krishna will hit the TV screens on July 21. Though Krishna has not been finalized, the rest of the star cast has already started the shoot. The producer of the show Moti Sagar gave us the details.
”We made Krishna in the 90’s but a lot has changed now so we felt the need to come up with a new series.
Processed Meats Dangerous for Human Consumption
Have you ever wondered why the consumption of processed meats is so strongly linked to cancers of the colon, breast, prostate and pancreas? The evidence continues to mount, as demonstrated by a recent study showing a 67% increase in pancreatic cancer for people consuming moderate amounts of processed meat on a frequent basis.
New Vrindaban's Country Rathyatra on Saturday July 12th
New Vrindaban Community wishes to invite family, friends and well wishers to New Vrindaban's Country Rathyatra on Saturday July 12th beginning at 11 am up on the Ridge past the Palace across from Nityo Dita's log siding-palace...come rain or shine we will pull the Lord in His rathyatra chariot!
Go Green -- Buy a Used Car. It's Better Than a Hybrid.
Ditching your gas guzzler is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, but if you really want to do something about global warming, get a used car. You'll be putting less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
As Matt Power notes in this month's issue of Wired, hybrids get great gas mileage but it takes 113 million BTUs of energy to make a Toyota Prius.
Non-Christians Learn Sunday School Value
If you think Sunday school is just for Christians, think again.
Each Sunday morning, thousands of children show up in classrooms at houses of worship across the Washington area. But instead of learning about Jesus Christ, the Trinity and stories from the New Testament, they study the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita and the Torah. They learn about Indian culture, memorize Arabic or Hebrew, or explore an atheist path to ethical living.
Ratha Yatra Rolls Down New York
New York City – On Saturday, June 14, 2008, more than five thousand Krishna devotees, guests, and festival-goers braved scattered thunderstorms and downpours to attend the annual Ratha Yatra (Festival of the Chariots) parade and Festival of India.
The all-day event, put on by the New York chapter of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), began with a colorful procession of three 40-foot high traditional Indian chariots, bearing sacred images of Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra Devi, pulled by hand down the world-famous Fifth Avenue.
'The Love Guru': Lessons for Hindus
As anyone who has ever told a "How many _____ does it take to change a light bulb?" joke knows, humor can be tricky. Attempting religious humor can be downright dangerous. On the one hand, we fear offending people's cherished beliefs; on the other, spiritual growth seems to necessitate that--from time to time, we all learn to not take ourselves quite so seriously.
Succulent Gujarati Pumpkin
This dish proves just how delicious pumpkin can be if teamed up with the correct flavour partners. Succulent Gujarati Pumpkin is excellent served with hot chapatis. Makes enough for 6 persons.