On February 10th, hundreds gathered in Phoenix, Arizona, for the annual Jagannatha Ratha-Yatra parade hosted by ISKCON of Phoenix. In addition to the procession, a festival was held at the Steele Indian School Park, which included book distribution, yoga and meditation, henna and face painting, children’s activities, cultural programs, dance presentations, and the distribution of 1,000 plates of prasadam.

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Revati Raman Das, GBC Chair, welcomed members and initiated the meeting by inviting Niranjana Swami to read excerpts from two ‘Conversations with Srila Prabhupada,’ one from Geneva 1974 and the other from Mayapur, January 1977.  The meeting agenda focused on continuing the reading of the ‘Guru Projects and Guru Dakshina’ paper presented by Badrinarayan Swami.

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India’s National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) and the Museum of Sacred Art (MOSA) presented a new exhibit entitled “Shakti: Fair & Fierce” in New Dehli, which celebrates feminine creativity and empowerment ahead of the upcoming International Day of Women on March 8, 2024.

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Medical professionals from across the nation gathered at the serene Veda Foundation in DeLand, Florida, February 2nd-4th, for the 6th Annual Conference of the Bhaktivedanta Medical Association US. Inspired by the divine instruction and desire of Bhakti Charu Swami, this transformative retreat, organized by BMA Secretary Dr. Prasanna Tadi and Prasannatma Das, in collaboration with the Veda Foundation, provided a sanctuary for attendees to rejuvenate and realign their focus on holistic well-being.

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On February 11, 2024, devotees gathered at ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai to perform the abhiseka of stone imprints of the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, which will be installed at Nasika, Kolapura, and Mumbai where Lord Chaitanya visited.

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Food-for-Life Nepal (FFLN), a non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to the well-being of marginalized children and communities in Nepal, hosted a hiking program at the Bishnudwar, Shivapuri National Park, Budhanilkantha on February 3, 2024. The tagline for the event was “Hike For A Purpose, Climbing Hills, Nourishing Minds – Every Step You Take Supports a Child’s Education and Nourishment.”

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Devotee youth and young adults from across Florida participated in the annual Gasparilla Parade held in Tampa, Florida, on January 20th, bringing the mercy of Lord Jagannath to the third-largest parade in the United States.

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Eight and a half years ago, Sharana Prada Das came to Mayapur following his spiritual journey in the 1990s when he first discovered the philosophy he yearned for in Srila Prabhupada’s “Teachings Of Lord Chaitanya.” His relentless dedication in Mayapur has helped transform the Russian-speaking community into a vibrant cultural center. 

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This month, the Bhaktivedanta Institute held its third Richard L. Thompson Lecture Series on Thompson’s book, Parallels: Ancient Insights into Modern UFO Phenomena, initially published as Alien Identities (1993). The event featured presentations by Michael Cremo (Drutakarma Das), Christopher Beetle (Krishna Kripa Das), and Bob Cohen (Brahmatirtha Das), along with a small party held in honor of Sadaputa’s birthday.

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On January 18, 2024, Sri Udupi Dham in Karnataka, India, witnessed a paryaya (transfer of worship) to Sri Puthige Mutt, which was one of the most significant events in the whole of Karnataka. The three-day celebration, with a series of Vedic rituals and cultural events, created great jubilation in the Holy Dham of Udupi.

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By Radhanath Swami

Material life is when we put the flickering pleasures and securities of the mind and the senses in the center of our lives, our decisions, our aspirations, our goals are according. Spiritual life or true bhakti is when we put the pleasures of God or Krishna in the center of our life— what pleases Krishna, all of our decisions, our aspirations are orchestrated accordingly.

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By Bhakti V. V. Narasimha Swami

So this is one of the two verses which are used in the beginning of Caitanya-caritamrta by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami to introduce us to Advaita Acarya. The chapter then goes on to explain how Advaita Acarya is the second branch of the tree of Caitanya Mahaprabhu - the first branch of course being Lord Nityananda and the main trunk being Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.

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By Gour Govinda Swami

Advaita Acarya’s father and mother disappeared when he was very young. Feeling very distressed he went on pilgrimage visiting many, many holy places. When He came back, some of His relatives requested Him to marry. Therefore, at the request of the relatives He was willing to marry. At that time one very pious orthodox brahmana was living there whose name was Nrsimha Vaduri. He had two daughters; their names were Sri and Sita. They were both very beautiful and Advaita Acarya married both of them. Thus Advaita Acarya had two wives; Sri ...

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By the Sastric Advisory Committee

One argument for a beardless deity of Advaita Acarya is that we should follow Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Certainly we should follow the previous acaryas. Sometimes, as in the case of Maharaja Priyavrata, the param-guru may override the decision of the guru. In this regard, Srila Prabhupada wrote, “The duty of a great devotee is to carry out the order of the spiritual master, or the spiritual master of the spiritual master in the parampara system. “ (SB 5.1.20 purport) Unfortunately, neither Srila Prabhupada...

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By Giriraj Swami

Advaita Acarya, although Visnu Himself, was in the mood of a Vaisnava. As a Vaisnava, He felt compassion for the fallen conditioned souls who were suffering without Krsna consciousness. Although previously Navadvipa had been a great center of devotion, it had deteriorated into a center of dry learning. Thus, Advaita Acarya felt compassion for the fallen souls of the age, so engrossed in material affairs, devoid of devotional service to Krsna. In the mood of a humble Vaisnava, although He was Visnu Himself, He felt that He was not capable of...

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By Anandini Padayachee

For centuries man has been growing deluded by wealth and the material, but the disintegration and degeneration of society caused by this materiality is reaching a turning point. The plague of natural disasters, the growing numbers of civil wars, the increase in refugees, the global recession, inabilities of governments to provide basic amenities to the poor and security to nations are signs of the effects of how through the propagation and promulgation of greed and aspiration for material greatness, so...

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By Satyaraja Dasa

If you ask the average yoga practitioner in the West what yoga is all about, you'll probably hear answers like, "It makes me feel good," "It's stimulating," "It's relaxing," "It's quite a workout," or "It keeps me in shape." Nearly every response refers to the physical aspect of yoga practice. One would think yoga merely another exercise regimen, or at best a way to keep body, mind, and soul in some sort of integrated harmony. The fact is, this body-centered focus i...

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By S.B. Keshava Swami

Once, Srila Prabhupada was being driven to a public engagement. As they hit a series of roadworks, the traffic slowly built up, and within minutes all the vehicles were at a complete standstill. As they peered outside the windscreen, a luminous highway sign read “road works: temporary inconvenience, permanent improvements.” The Swami laughed heartily and exclaimed “the material world: temporary improvements, permanent inconvenience!” And so, learning to live with chaos is more realistic, progressive and pragmatic. Like running ...

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By Chaitanya Charan das

Love is our innermost longing. Gita wisdom declares that our longing for love is best fulfilled when we learn to love Krishna. Let's understand this central Gita teaching in five parts: Loving Krishna enables our love to break free from all limitations, Krishna is eminently lovable, Krishna loves all of us impartially, Krishna's love for us is unconditional and Krishna engages his omnipotence to help us when we choose to love him.

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HH Bhakti Anugraha Janardana Swami Maharaj
ISKCON Delhi, January 30, 2024

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Vaishnava Jaya (Bhaimi) Ekadasi is an important fasting ritual observed on the 11th day during the Shukla Paksha (the bright fortnight of moon) in the month of Madhava in the Vaishnava calendar. This observance falls somewhere between the months of January to February in the Gregorian calendar. Jaya Ekadasi is also popularly called as Bhaimi Ekadasi and it is strongly believed that one who observes a righteous fast on this day will find a place in Vaikuntha. Observing the Vaishnava Jaya Ekadasi vrata is equivalent to observing all other Ekadasi fasts.

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This month, on February 29, all Gaudiya Vaishnavas worldwide will celebrate the most auspicious 150th Appearance Anniversary of the Founder-Acharya of the Gaudiya Math, and spiritual master of ISKCON Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: His Divine Grace Ashtotarashata Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada.

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For many years, Sridham Mayapur has had only a very basic medical facility. This has been a long-standing matter of concern both for residents and visiting devotees. However, this will no longer be the case, considering the focus and attention Mayapur management has provided since the post-COVID time, towards developing a robust healthcare infrastructure in Mayapur.

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Sadaputa Dasa (Dr. Richard L. Thompson) continues his astronomy interview with Laura Lee by correlating the “rings” of Bhu-mandala with the planetary orbits of modern cosmology. This leads to a technical discourse on ancient measurement systems, revealing a remarkably advanced understanding of the lay-out and workings of our vast universe. We find in the Vedic scriptures an accurate knowledge of the eliptical path of the planets, intricate use of degrees latitude, and exact prediction of stellar locations.

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