On October 13th, devotees at ISKCON Devasadan Mandir in Detroit, Michigan, celebrated the annual Dussehra festival. This event commemorates the victory of good over evil. Dussehra is the day when the evil King Ravana, who was well-known for causing atrocities to his citizens, was slain by the virtuous King Rama. Typically, this celebration includes the burning of Ravana, which symbolizes this defeat. The Ravana effigy burned in Detroit was 18 feet tall, making it the tallest in the USA.

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Bhakti Kids, an initiative by ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry (CDM), has announced the Bhishma Panchaka Challenge from November 11th to 15th. Led by Gourangi Gandharvika Devi Dasi, this event aims to engage children, youth, and families in a spiritual celebration that not only deepens their connection to Lord Krishna but also offers a fun and meaningful way to end the sacred month of Kartika.

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On October 8th, 2024, ISKCON Phoenix visited “A New Leaf’s East Valley Men’s Center” in Mesa, Arizona, distributing over 100 plates of prasadam to residents. This service is part of ISKCON Phoenix’s ongoing commitment to uplift and support the local community.

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The Warsaw Human Dimension Conference 2024, held from September 20th to October 11th in Warsaw, Poland, focused on critical human rights and fundamental freedoms across the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) region.

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kazan, Russia with over 20 other world leaders for the upcoming BRICS Summit. ISKCON devotees welcomed him with kirtan and Sadhu Priya Das gifted him with books on Krishna art and a doll made by one of the devotees which was dressed in Tatar style clothing. During the brief encounter, Vaisnavas shared about their activities in Tatarstan and Russia which he appreciated. 

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Ethiccraft Club, a Social & Youth Wing of ISKCON, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment from the Government of India, organized a Mega Youth Festival “UDGAAR” on October 18th, 2024 at Dehli University’s stadium. More than 8,000 students from the school joined the festival. According to the World Book of Records, UDGAAR is the world’s largest anti-addiction campaign in the world.

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In a recent initiative that merged health care with spiritual support, Bhaktivedanta Manor’s Devotee Care Office hosted a groundbreaking Cancer Workshop. The event, which Mahimarnava Dasa orchestrated in collaboration with One Vision NPO and Macmillan Cancer Support, sought to address a growing need within the devotee community: comprehensive cancer care. Inspired by the increasing number of devotees affected by cancer, Mahimarnava led the charge in bridging the gap between spiritual guidance and practical health care, ensuring that those dealing with this life-altering disease received both emotional and medical support.

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Nectar Talks, a podcast hosted by devotees at ISKCON Alachua, has launched its second season following the success of its first. The podcast is dedicated to capturing and sharing the essence of devotees’ spiritual journeys. 

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As part of the 2024 Bhadra Purnima campaign, the Badrinath/Haridwar Yatra distributed more than 150 Srimad Bhagavatam sets over a five-day period. It was yet another wonderful opportunity to reconnect, rejuvenate, and recommit to exploring one of the many channels that Srila Prabhupada continues to provide so that we can participate in his most cherished service—book distribution.

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The Damodara Outreach Program (DOP), initiated by the Congregational Development Ministry (CDM) in 2004 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, aims to spread the teachings and love of Lord Damodara during the sacred Kartik month, which spans from October 17 to November 15 in 2024. This initiative has grown from a small local effort to a global movement, attracting devotees eager to engage in acts of devotion.

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Mauritius recently commemorated the 49th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s historic arrival in the country in 1975 with a week of celebrations that honored his legacy as well as set the stage for next year’s highly anticipated 50th-anniversary event. From heartfelt gatherings at Krishna Balaram Mandir to a vibrant beach kirtan at Pointe aux Sables, the spirit of devotion and gratitude for Srila Prabhupada’s contributions was palpable.

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The Better India platform shares positive stories happening across India “uncovering the tales of everyday unsung heroes, community change-makers, groundbreaking innovations, and remarkable ideas often overlooked by mainstream media.”

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The annual World Holy Name Festival (WHNF), organized by the ISKCON Kirtan Ministry, concluded its 2024 edition with great success, uniting temples and devotees from across the world. This festival, observed from September 17 to September 23, celebrates Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental journey to the West, which marked the beginning of ISKCON’s worldwide mission to spread the glories of the Holy Name.

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By Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi

I am only starting to understand that I was an enemy to the gardener. Whatever prestige I maintained in the garden is just so much rotten mulch. I hereby permanently drop it as garbage! Pride which is not for the satisfaction of Krishna is only a false path of repeated self-defeat, with an ugly tree named Fear at the end of the trail. I am fascinated by all that has happened, the way the garden is transformed, the sounds of soft sweet praises for God as given by the spiritual expert. T...

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By His Divine Grace A.C.B. Swami Prabhupada

"Brahma, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead." There is no other cause of all causes than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari. One should be attached to the root of everything rather than bewildered by the branches and leaves.

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By Rama vigraha Dasa

To say that most politicians are incompetent, and in many cases downright dishonest, isn’t very controversial. We’ve all read about their blunders, their tricks, and their schemes. So the aim of this article is not to give proof of their failure to bring about world peace and prosperity; it is rather to show that the root cause of their incompetence is selfish materialism, and that the remedy is the re- spiritualization of society through the worldwide propagation of Krishna consciousness...

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By Govinda Swami

According to many pure devotees, nama-sankirtan is not only the best means of devotional service but the final perfection itself. Of course, prema is the final goal of bhakti, but nama-sankirtan so quickly and infallibly leads to prema that the two are considered virtually identical. Wherever prema is seen to have developed, one can presume that nama-sankirtan must have been performed. Nama-sankirtan is the necessary and sufficient cause of prema.

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By Vamsi Vihari Dasa

According to the Bhagavad-gita (15.1), this material world is a perverted reflection of the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. All varieties of this world exist in the spiritual world in its original pure form. If this material world, despite the inherent miseries of repeated birth and death, can appear so attractive to us, we can only imagine how attractive the spiritual world must be, which is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. Therefore, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, regularly appears in this world to att...

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By Hector Rosario, PhD

Now, you may ask, but Srila Prabhupada instructed us to only chant 16 rounds. Why should we change that standard? Actually, we are not asking to change the institutional standard from 16 to 64 rounds. Our suggestion is simply that, on an individual basis, devotees should consider increasing their minimum daily vow of 16 to a higher number of rounds.

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By Sanatana Gosvami

Karttika is the best and most glorious month, purest of pure. It is particularly dear to Lord Krishna, because it is the month of Srimati Radharani. This month is full of love of the Lord towards His devotees. Any vow followed in this month, even a small one, brings tremendous results. The essence of Karttika-vrata is to satisfy Sri Sri Radha-Damodara with our more and better devotional service to Them. Kirttika is the name of the third daughter of Prajapati Daksa. It was a custom in Vraja ...

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By Giriraj Swami

Srila Rupa Gosvami compiled the law book of Krsna consciousness, the science of devotion, in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, translated by Srila Prabhupada in a summary study as The Nectar of Devotion. There the observance of Kartika is mentioned as one of the sixty-four items of devotional service. Rupa Gosvami quotes from the Padma Purana that just as Lord Damodara is favorably inclined toward His devotees, so the month of Kartika, which is also dear to Him, bestows great favor upon His devotees, even for a li...

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HH Svayam Bhagavan Keshava Maharaja
Chicago, USA

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On October 31, Dipawali, the TOVP will celebrate the Jvala Nrsimhotsva Festival of Lights for Lord Nrsimhadeva, marking the next milestone phase in completing the Nrsimha Wing. Participate in this historic and auspicious occasion by sponsoring one or more of our dipa lamps to be offered to Mayapur Lord Nrsimha for USD 11 / INR 900. Only 1,000 lamps are available to sponsor. Sponsor’s names will be read to Lord Nrsimha.

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On March 1-2, 2024, the Nrsimhadeva Wing in the TOVP reached the first milestone and opened for all devotees to view. Now, to celebrate the next milestone of completion of the construction work in the Wing, another grand celebration is scheduled on Diwali, October 31, 2024: Jvala Nrsimhotsava, Festival of Lights for Nrsimhadeva.

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Kartik is the most auspicious month for the Vaishnavas. It is the last month of Chaturmaas.It is also known as Damodarmonth.Kartik (Damodar) is the holiest, the purest of purifiers, and most glorious of all months. Kartik month is particularly dear to Lord Sri Krishna. This month is full of bhaktavatsalya. Any vrata, even the smallest, will yield huge results during this month. The effect of performing a Kartik Vrata lasts for one hundred lifetimes. Kartik or the festival of offering lamps to Lord Krishna, glorifies Lord Krishna’s pastime of being bound with ropes by Mother Yashoda.

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SB 2.10.45 - Religion, Science, and the Paranormal (Alachua 10/5/94)

According to current Judeo-Christian philosophy, everything that happens in nature follows the laws of physics, and the role of God is merely to sustain these laws. Thus, there is no direct link between God and Nature, a situation which Sadaputa Dasa (Dr. Richard L. Thompson) compares to “trying to write in the sand with cooked spaghetti”. Nonetheless, with the tacit sanction of most western religions, scientists have banished all kinds of supernatural intervention from the affairs of nature, and preemptively label all paranormal evidence as a hoax or an illusion.

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