Connecting you with the world wide ISKCON family
Unsubscribe
View in your browser
ISKCON Connection Newsletter, Issue 28, September 22, 2019
 
Prabhupada Nectar
Prahlada Maharaja was put into so many trials when he was only a child, still he never forgot Krishna. That is the sign of maha-bhagavata. In any circumstances

760211 - Lecture SB 07.09.04 - Mayapur

Dayānanda: (chants synonyms, with devotees repeating)

Translation: (01:39) "O King Yudhiṣṭhira, Prahlāda Mahārāja, the exalted devotee, although a little boy, accepted the words of Lord Brahmā and gradually proceeded towards Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva, and immediately fell down to offer his respectful obeisances with folded hands."

Prabhupāda:

tatheti śanakai rājan
mahā-bhāgavato 'rbhakaḥ
upetya bhuvi kāyena
nanāma vidhṛtāñjaliḥ

(SB 7.9.4)

So Prahlāda Mahārāja, mahā-bhāgavata, uttama-adhikārī. There are three stages of devotional platform. First stage is called kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, second stage is called madhyama-adhikārī, and third stage, or topmost stage, is called uttama-adhikārī. So he was only five years old. How he became uttama-adhikārī, on the topmost stage? He had no training. Still, he is addressed here by Narada Muni—Narada Muni was his guru—and still, he is describing Prahlāda Mahārāja as mahā-bhāgavata. That means even one is mahā-bhāgavata, he has to accept a guru. Narada Muni, he is guru; he knows that "Prahlāda is my disciple, but he is mahā-bhāgavata." Not only that, before his birth, when he was within the womb of his mother... His mother was attacked by the demigods, headed by Indra, and they were dragging her to their palace. Narada Muni met, said, "What are you doing this? You are harassing one woman?" "No, sir, we are not harassing, only we are taking her in our place to wait for the deliverance of the child. Then we shall kill him. Because he is born of atheist father, so he is another demon." Narada Muni said, "No, no, no. You are mistaken. He is not demon, he is mahā-bhāgavata."

So in the beginning he was mahā-bhāgavata, since he was in within the womb of his mother. And later on he is mahā-bhāgavata. This is called nitya-siddha, eternally mahā-bhāgavata. Eternally mahā-bhāgavata never forgets Kṛṣṇa, in any circumstance. That is the sign of mahā-bhāgavata, nitya-siddha. Prahlāda Mahārāja was put into so many trials when he was only a child, still he never forgot Kṛṣṇa. That is the sign of mahā-bhāgavata. In any circumstances. It does not mean that because one is mahā-bhāgavata he should not be put into trials. He can be put into trials, because the material world is like that. The Western country, they, Lord Jesus Christ, he was put into trials but he never forgot Kṛṣṇa. This is sign of mahā-bhāgavata, nitya-siddha.

 

 

 

 

ISKCON News

Courtesy of iskconnews.org

Is it Maya to Become a Parent?
Is it Maya to Become a Parent?

Being a father or mother in Krsna Consciousness can be a little confusing. On the one hand, there is this small child who appears as our son and gradually grows and develops his intelligence and personality. At the same time, we philosophically understand that the soul is eternal and nobody is actually anyone’s son, since we are all eternal parts and parcels of Krsna. 

Read More

Bliss House Devotees Share Kirtan and Culture on CBS Morning Show
Bliss House Devotees Share Kirtan and Culture on CBS Morning Show

Bliss House, a San Antonio-based spiritual outreach, was recently featured on “Great Day SA,” a widely viewed morning show airing on the CBS network. With an estimated audience of 30,000 to 50,000 viewers, the five-minute segment offered a vibrant introduction to the Bhakti-yoga lifestyle as practiced at Bliss House, which has served the San Antonio community under various names since 2010.

Read More

Mahavatar Narsimha Trailer Released; In Theatres July 25, 2025
Mahavatar Narsimha Trailer Released; In Theatres July 25, 2025

In January 2025, ISKCON News interviewed Ashwin Kumar about his stereoscopic 3D film Mahavatar Narsimha. To learn more about its origin and inspiration, click here. This month, on July 25th, the Divine Roar will arrive in theatres worldwide.

Read More

ISKCON Ministry of Education to Host PAN America Symposium Online July 18
ISKCON Ministry of Education to Host PAN America Symposium Online July 18

The ISKCON Ministry of Education will host its Annual PAN America Mini-Symposium 2025 on Friday, July 18, bringing together educators, leaders, and practitioners from across the Americas in a two-hour virtual event. The symposium begins at 6:00 PM CDT (4:00 PM PDT / 7:00 PM EDT) and will be conducted online via Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube Live. To register for the event on Zoom, click here.

Read More

Seva Care Tackles Loneliness in New Talk Series
Seva Care Tackles Loneliness in New Talk Series

Seva Care is relaunching its monthly educational talk series designed to raise awareness on key issues related to community wellbeing. The initiative, titled Caring for Our Community, will explore diverse topics intended to inspire thoughtful action and spiritual reflection.

Read More

“Krishna My Best Friend” Online Bhakti Course for Kids Now Enrolling
“Krishna My Best Friend” Online Bhakti Course for Kids Now Enrolling

Bhakti Kids, an initiative of ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry, will be leading an inspiring new online course beginning this week titled Krishna – My Best Friend, designed to help children build a personal and loving relationship with Lord Krishna. The initiative, led by Gourangi Gandharvika Devi Dasi, seeks to cultivate spiritual values, devotional reflection, and emotional connection with Krishna in an accessible and engaging format.

Read More

Ontario, Canada Honors ISKCON Thunder Bay Devotee
Ontario, Canada Honors ISKCON Thunder Bay Devotee

Premkishor Das (Dr. Prashant A. Jani), a dedicated member of ISKCON Thunder Bay and Director of the Vedic Cultural Centre, has been awarded the June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism 2025. This is one of the highest civilian honors presented by the Government of Ontario. Conferred upon only 20 individuals across the entire province each year, the award recognizes outstanding, long-term contributions to community development through volunteer service.

Read More

Kamalini Devi Dasi Saved from Rising Floodwaters by Radha Golokananda’s Mercy
Kamalini Devi Dasi Saved from Rising Floodwaters by Radha Golokananda’s Mercy

Our beloved Kamalini Devi Dasi, a respected disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who has devoted her life to the distribution of his books and the education of our youth, experienced a harrowing brush with death — and a remarkable example of Krishna’s protection — as she made her way to New Goloka Temple for Mangala Arati.

Read More

Wheels of Devotion: ISKCON Botswana’s 9th Annual Rathayatra Draws Crowds and Hearts
Wheels of Devotion: ISKCON Botswana’s 9th Annual Rathayatra Draws Crowds and Hearts

On June 15th, the streets of Gaborone vibrated with rhythm, color, and spiritual energy as ISKCON Botswana held its 9th Annual Rathayatra, also known as the Festival of Chariots. What began nine years ago with a handful of determined devotees has grown into one of Botswana’s most anticipated spiritual gatherings, this year attracting over a thousand guests from across the country and neighboring South Africa.

Read More

Statement from ISKCON Communications North America: Gunfire Damages Utah Krishna Temple
Statement from ISKCON Communications North America: Gunfire Damages Utah Krishna Temple

In the early morning hours of June 27 and 28th, approximately 20 to 30 bullets were fired at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah. Bullet holes were found in the windows, temple hall walls, and intricately hand-carved arches. Twenty shell casings were recovered near the site. Earlier, on June 18th, smoke was seen rising from the radio station on temple grounds—later determined to be from a separate gunfire incident. Surveillance footage has captured a pickup truck near the premises, but no suspect has yet been identified.

Read More

Devotees Bring Barsana Eye Camp to Life Through Theatre
Devotees Bring Barsana Eye Camp to Life Through Theatre

A recent theatrical production titled The Promise, performed at ISKCON Chowpatty, has brought renewed focus to the Barsana Medical Camp and Hospital Project—an initiative dedicated to providing free medical services in Vrindavan. Presented as part of the temple’s annual festival, the drama highlighted the spirit of selfless service that defines the project, portraying the sincere dedication of both the volunteers and the local Vrajavasis.

Read More

Rathayatra in Leicester, UK Honors Those Lost in Air India Crash
Rathayatra in Leicester, UK Honors Those Lost in Air India Crash

Leicester’s city center fell silent for one minute during the Rathayatra – Festival of Chariots on Sunday, 22nd June 2025, as a mark of respect for the lives lost in the plane crash, which has particularly affected Leicester, having lost 10 members of its community.

Read More

 

 

 

 

 

Dandavats

Courtesy of dandavats.com

Create Sacred Space
Create Sacred Space

By Kamala-sundari Dasi

How do we upgrade our home to a sacred space or temple? A temple is a place of worship, centred around spiritual activity. When I speak to resident devotees at the Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple about their lives there, the common thread is that they are grateful to live in the Supreme Lord’s house, and that His presence is always felt. When we visit temples, we do not enter with our shoes on as they are unclean. We trod everywhere in them, touching all types of dirt. Removing our shoes immediately elevates our mind, making us recognise that we are now entering a sp...

Read More

Nature Deadly and Nature Divine: The Bhagavata Purana’s Lessons on Human Relationships to the Environment
Nature Deadly and Nature Divine: The Bhagavata Purana’s Lessons on Human Relationships to the Environment

By Krishna Ksetra Swami

In recent decades we witness increasing public awareness about the profoundly damaging effects of accellerating human production, consumption, and mobility on ecosystems of the world; and this awareness is accompanied by a deepening sense of urgency that “something” must be done to stop the current trends of environmental destruction. Environmental activism is now a mainstream activity for all sorts of individuals and groups, not least persons and organizations whose motivations may be termed “religious.” Religious traditions are being seen as potential reso...

Read More

Encounter with conflicting roles
Encounter with conflicting roles

By Radheshyam Dasa

What should a Sadhaka do while encountering Conflicting roles? Sati faced a tug of war between her desires to go to father’s house V/S Fear of disobeying Lord Siva her husband. Her desire got better off and that impelled her to go ahead, making a bold decision. Srila Prabhupada clearly draws a conclusion that in husband-wife relationship, it is better for wife to co-operate with the husband in a bitter situation than to quit the scene and take shelter of parents seeking a sweet relationship with them. If one considers this matter seriously, one can see that any par...

Read More

Living Heroes
Living Heroes

By Rukmini Devi Dasi

“Shoot him,” said the man with the crowbar. Kshudhi felt the cold metal against his skull and chanted Hare Krishna like never before. His nimble nineteenyear old body was tucked under the bed. The other four men with guns hesitated. They attacked the house knowing that a Johannesburg vegetable merchant had kept cash there, but were they ready to kill for it? Less than two years before, Kshudhi had purchased a copy of Teachings of Lord Chaitanya from a book store in Los Angeles. The book introduced him to bhakti, the means of approaching God selflessly. One day, he sa...

Read More

God Proposes, Man Accepts
God Proposes, Man Accepts

By Chaitanya Charan Das

“Man proposes, God disposes” has been the cause of immense frustration for humanity since time immemorial. The best plans are often foiled forever in a single moment by factors beyond human control. Misery can be said to be the condition in which we are unable to get what we want and / or are forced to accept that which we don’t want. A thoughtful person can perceive that misery is an unavoidable, inescapable companion during the sojourn through this world (Bhagavad Gita 8.15). Everyone is put repeatedly in the unenviable position of watching helplessly all of ...

Read More

Are We Bound or Free?
Are We Bound or Free?

By Vishakha Devi Dasi

Simply by hearing about Krishna and His devotees, we will lose our longtime desire to control and enjoy this world, and as we gradually reduce our desire to dominate, we will proportionately enjoy spiritual happiness. A Vedic mantra says that as we associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we proportionately relish our eternal blissful life. So, eternal blissful life can be ours if we desire and pray for it. “When will Nityananda bestow His causeless mercy upon me so that my desire for material enjoyment will become very insignificant? When will that time...

Read More

Suitable arrangements for marriages
Suitable arrangements for marriages

By Candramauli Swami

In this age of Kali married life will be accepted on the consideration of sex only; when the boy and girl are pleased in sex, they get married, and when there is deficiency in sex, they separate. Srila Prabhupada spends most of his purport describing the accordance of marriage as a basis for practicing spiritual life and how that combination is a feature of the success of ones Krishna consciousness. Herein it is mentioned how character should be matched up and if i...

Read More

The Comfortable Hole
The Comfortable Hole

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...

Read More

The Sweetness of Bhakti
The Sweetness of Bhakti

By Subhag Swami

We should be eager, very eager. As Srila Prabhupada beautifully wrote in a poem, ‘When will that day come when I will be rolling on the ground with Krsna and playing with Him? When will that day come when I am very eager to join with Madhu Mangala and steal sweets from Krsna? I will run onto the pastures with the cows and calves with Sridama, Sudama and Vasudama playing with Krsna and defeating Him in sports. They will then tell Krsna to carry us on His back but Krsna will be reluctant. Sridama...

Read More

When just being disgusted is not enough…
When just being disgusted is not enough…

By Kripamoya Das

“Jnana-yoga is recommended for those who are disgusted with material life. Those who are not disgusted with material life, having many desires yet to fulfil, should seek perfection through the path of karma-yoga.” “If somehow or other by good fortune one develops faith in hearing and chanting My glories, such a person, being neither very disgusted with nor attached to material life, should achieve perfection through the path of loving devotion to Me.”

...

Read More

Reaching Our Fullest Potential with Krishna Consciousness
Reaching Our Fullest Potential with Krishna Consciousness

By Sri Nandanandana dasa

These days fewer people are interested in taking up anything that they cannot immediately apply to their lives. The common question is: “What is this going to do for me?” Or “What am I going to get out of this?” So if we cannot relate the purpose of Vedic culture or its spirituality to people today, especially to the youth, then it is not likely they will take an interest. Yet, everyone is interested in gaining more out of life, or reaching their higher...

Read More

 

 

 

 

 

Stimulation for Ecstatic Love Part 134
Stimulation for Ecstatic Love Part 134


HH Indradyumna Swami

Disguises Part 2 The Henna Painter

Watch Now

 

 

 

 

TOVP News

Courtesy of tovp.org

Revealing The Heart of ISKCON
Revealing The Heart of ISKCON

I regard this article as a supplement to my book, Śrīla Prabhupāda: Founder-Ācārya of ISKCON. It expands upon discussions relating the importance of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, especially in light of the philosophical and spiritual significance of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s parent temple, Śrī Caitanya Maṭha, in Māyāpur.

Read More

Mayapur Archives
Mayapur Archives

Mayapur Archives is a Playlist of videos of Srila Prabhupada in Sridham Mayapur, and other inspiring historic events at ISKCON's World Headquarters, on the TOVP YouTube Channel.

Watch Now

The TOVP Foundation Now Accepts Cryptocurrency Donations
The TOVP Foundation Now Accepts Cryptocurrency Donations

The TOVP Fundraising Department is pleased to announce our newest innovation to accept cryptocurrency donations towards our numerous Seva Opportunity campaigns through our U.S.A. based office, TOVP Foundation, Inc.

Read More

TOVP & Vedic Science Channel Present
TOVP & Vedic Science Channel Present

A lecture by Dr. Richard L. Thompson (Sadaputa Dasa)

Mind and Brain Q&A

San Diego State University
San Diego, California
April 5, 1990

In this provocative seminar given at San Diego State University, Sadaputa Dasa (Richard L. Thompson) begins by showing his “Mind and Brain” video, then tackles the controversial questions that follow. Since a mechanical description of how the 100 billion neurons in the human brain interact to produce the mind would be inconceivably complex, Thompson invokes Occam’s Razor to suggest a dualistic approach to the mind/brain problem. OBE’s lend their support to the idea of a separately constituted living entity which interacts with the brain in a non-mechanistic manner.

Listen Now

 

 

 

 

Srila Prabhupada: 
founderacharya.com, vanipedia.org

The official ISKCON website: iskcon.org,

Find your nearest temple: centres.iskcon.org

ISKCON leadership: gbc.iskcon.org

Education such ar Bhakti-shastri, Bhaktivaibhava etc: Mayapur Institute, Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education, Bhaktivedanta College Europe

News: news.iskcon.org, dandavats.com,

BBT books: bbt.org, krishna.com, vanisource.org, vedabase.com, bbtmedia.com

World Sankirtan Newsletter: wsnl.net/wsnhome.htm

Temple of Vedic Planetarium: tovp.org

Deity Worship and courses: deityworship.com, Mayapur Academy 

Inspiration & Sadhana: 
mayapur.tv, iskcondesiretree.com

Vaishnava Calendars: 
ISKCON GBC Vaishnava Calendar Comitee, GCAL (Gaurabda Calendar, a program for calculation of the calendar for vaisnavas, according Gaudiya-Vaisnava tradition.)

These dates and timings are for Sri Mayapur Dhama. Find timings for your location at the Vaishnava Calendar links.

15 July, 2025 (Tuesday)
Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami -- Disappearance

18 July, 2025 (Friday)
Srila Lokanatha Gosvami -- Disappearance

19 July, 2025 (Saturday)
The incorporation of ISKCON in New York

Address: ISKCON GBC Office
P.O. Sri Mayapur, Nadia, WB 741313, India

Email: office@iskconconnection.org

 Facebook  X / Twitter  Web  Linkedin  Instagram  Youtube