VRINDAVAN – The continuing flooding along the Yamuna, 20 feet higher than usual in some locations, has forced many Vrindavan families to flee their homes or find themselves living on rooftops. “Trapped and losing everything, they face unimaginable hardship without food, medical aid, electricity, and water, clinging to hope on 2nd & 3rd floors,” said Food For Life Vrindavan.

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Mahaprabhu Das, Director of MOSA (the Museum of Sacred Art) in Radhadesh, introduces a new limited summer exhibit on display for the next two months. Guests can view the two exhibits: “Illuminations from the Bhagavad Gita” and ten additional pieces from the more extensive MOSA exhibition “Narasimha and the Avatars,” which includes a total of 400 works by 60 artists.

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TED’s Countdown Summit, the invite-only gathering in Detroit, Michigan, on July 11-14th, welcomed the world’s top leaders in technology, science, business, government, philanthropy, and faith to explore solutions to the growing problem of climate change. As part of their mission, the TED events gather “people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.”

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Srila Prabhupada envisioned four levels of study of his books—Bhakti-sastri, Bhakti-vaibhava, Bhakti-vedanta, and Bhakti-sarvabhauma. The Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education (VIHE) is endeavoring to establish these degrees and thus provide interested devotees an opportunity for higher studies in Krsna-conscious philosophy. The first ever Bhakti-vaibhava Course was started in 2002. Bhakti-vaibhava Course is the study of the first six cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

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This year, in anticipation of the opening of the completed Nrsimhadeva Wing in October, we are happy to celebrate the 37th Anniversary of Lord Nrsimhadeva’s arrival in Sridham Mayapur from July 28-30, 2023. In July 1986, the Deities of Prahlad-Nrsimhadeava were completed in Chennai, India, and installed in Sridham Mayapur during a three-day celebration from July 28-30. This year commemorates the 37th Anniversary of that historic occasion.

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CROATIA – On Wednesday, July 19th, a severe storm with 150 km/hr winds raged across Croatia, killing at least four people and injuring hundreds. In all, 2,000 buildings were damaged in Croatia’s northwestern capital of Zagreb, including ISKCON’s New Jaladuta Temple. The deadly storm blew a substantial part of the roof off of the temple, carrying it 300 meters into a local backyard.

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The ISKCON Ministry of Education will host its Annual Virtual Symposium of Education, “Pan-America Mini-Symposium 2023,” on Friday, July 28th, 2023, 6:00-8:15 PM CDT. The virtual event will be viewable on Zoom, Facebook, or YouTube Live.

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Members of the Harmony Collective devotee community in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA, were awarded “Best Presentation” at the 2023 Ypsilanti 4th of July parade. This year’s parade was especially significant and well-attended because it marks the small town’s bicentennial (200th anniversary). “It felt extra sweet to get some formal appreciation from the parade crew on such a memorable mark in the city’s history,” said Deva Madhava, Community Director.

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A new video released by ISKCON Vrindavan shows the extent of the flooding of the Yamuna River as of June 16, 2023. Drone footage shows the impact upon key historical areas like the Keshi Ghat and the Bhaktivedanta Swami Goshala, home to 350 cows, bulls, and calves. The expanding waters of Yamunaji have reached the gates of the goshala, and steps are being taken to ensure the safety and relocation of the cows as needed. On July 17th, a Yamuna Arati was performed.

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The award-winning author Pranada Comtois is reaching a broad and appreciative audience with her “Bhakti Trilogy” book series. The prolific author began to ask deep spiritual questions at the age of eight, and by age 16, she had met her spiritual master Srila Prabhupada. She was initiated as his disciple in 1976. Her Krishna-conscious journey included living for 20 years in bhakti ashrams and another twenty years raising a family and running two very successful businesses.

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By Rupanuga dasa

The most interesting thing about Koko, however, is her communication of certain abstract concepts, like old age and death. She cried when her pet kitten (which she named All Ball) died. Previously, her keepers phrased questions to her about death: "Why do gorillas die?" they asked, She sighed in return, "Trouble, old." When asked, "Where do gorillas go when they die?" She answered, "Comfortable hole," blowing a kiss goodbye. Her psychologist was puzzled where she got such a concept, but found a confirmed observation of a group of gorillas who came upon a dead crow, dug a hole, placed the corp...

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By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Just like here in this planet we have got presidents in each country. So now there are so many presidents. Formerly even on this planet there was one president. They are trying to be united. The United Nation organization, they want to unite. For the last twenty years the United Nations are trying to unite, but the result is we are disunited.

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By Sridhara Swami

Have you ever worked for someone who doesn’t have time for you? Krishna is the controller of everything, but He has all the time in the universe for you. And not only for you but for me too. That’s the beauty of Krishna. He is with all of us individually. Because the Krishna conscious person is regulated in his work, speech, sleep, wakefulness, and other bodily activities, he or she experiences no misery. This is practical. If someone undergoes some sort of stress...

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By Acyuta Dasa

Srila Prabhupada often referred to bhakti-yoga as “the science of Krishna consciousness.” This was not his attempt to falsely confer a sense of empirical cachet upon a spiritual process, an area of knowledge that is, in the West anyway, largely considered to be too nebulous to warrant such distinction. Prabhupada was well aware of the antagonism that scientific circles sometimes have for their spiritual counterparts, as well as the condescension with which western societies frequently treat rel...

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By Damodara Dasa

Indra once became captivated by the superior facilities for sense gratification available on his heavenly planet, and therefore when his spiritual master, Brhaspati, the guru of the demigods, scolded him, Indra acted offensively toward him. Brhaspati then decided to teach his student a lesson. He cursed him to take birth on a lower planet as a pig. Sloshing around in mud and stool, Lord Indra as a pig felt that he was enjoying life very much. He thought to himself, "I ...

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By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

So the conclusion is if Krishna saves, nobody can kill; and if Krishna wants to kill, nobody can save. Therefore our conclusion should be that we should always be under the protection of Krishna. Avasya raknibe Krishna this is saranagati, or surrender. Surrender means, “I am surrendering to Krishna with full faith that He is quite competent to give me protection.” This is called surrender.

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By Rasanand Das

As conditioned souls within this material world, people who are averse to God, lament and aggrieved when they suffer but devotees of the Lord worships him with full faith and devotion and take these sufferings as gifts of the Lord and they understand that these sufferings are temporary and external. Sufferings are gifts of the Lord for a devotee, which apparently seems bitter but in reality its blessings of the Lord. Queen Kunti prays to the Lord in Srimad Bhagavatam (1.8.25) as: I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again an...

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By Vraja Bihari Dasa

Making sense of Vedic Rituals. Are traditional rituals mere acts of blind faith, or are there scientific reasons behind following them? An envelope protects and carries something valuable. It is the inner content of the envelope that’s actually precious. Similarly empty, meaningless rituals are like an empty envelope: devoid of any substance at best or downright offensive at worst.

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Bhāgavata-dharma Means Following the Orders Given by the Supreme Lord, Bhagavān

HG Dravida Dasa 7/17/2023

The systems of religion that do not concentrate upon service to the Supreme are temporary and cannot last for long because they are full of envy. There are many activities directed against such religious systems, and therefore one must give up the idea of “my belief” and “your belief.” Everyone should believe in God and surrender unto Him. That is bhāgavata-dharma.

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“ON MARCH 24, 1984, at 12:20 A.M., thirty-five men armed with weapons and bombs attacked Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, ISKCON’s center in Mayapur, West Bengal. When the dacoits tried to steal the Deities of Srila Prabhupada and Srimati Radharani, the devotees fearlessly challenged the attackers. How could the devotees see Srila Prabhupada and Srimati Radharani carried away? Both sides fired shots, and people on both sides were injured. Srila Prabhupada was rescued, but the Deity of Radharani was not.”

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The drama, Arrival of Nrsimhadeva in Mayapur: The Journey from Fear to Shelter, is a play performed by ISKCON Pune devotees, based on the amazing and miraculous story of the making and arrival of the Prahlad-Nrsimhadeva deities in ISKCON Mayapur. The video of the drama is a production of Radha Kunjabihari Media Services.

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The historic Grand Opening of Lord Nrsimhadeva Wing in October, 2023 (date to be announced) is part of the greater TOVP 2024 Marathon to open the temple in 2024. This is a crucial stage towards that goal, and we request all devotees to come together and give their might to complete Lord Nrsimhadeva Wing for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada.

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Dr. Richard L. Thompson (Sadaputa Dasa)

The Cartesian paradigm - all matter has position and extension in space - reduces everything (even a person) to points and lines. Sadaputa Dasa (Dr. Richard L. Thompson) questions this approach to science, and examines the Vedic matter-as-energy model, which highlights the element of self.

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