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ISKCON Connection Newsletter, Issue 28, September 22, 2019
 
Prabhupada Nectar
When the work has to be done, do it first, then chant. But you must fulfill at least 16 rounds daily

Letter to Kirtiraja -- Bombay 2 January, 1972

I thank you very much for taking so seriously to helping me fulfill the order of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to distribute Krishna consciousness literature to the whole world masses. What strength our Movement has now got is due in large part to the enthusiasm we have had to distribute our literatures profusely throughout the world. I have got very, very encouraging reports how my books are being distributed vigorously in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Our New York Temple has got the most devotees so rightfully, they should also lead our Society in book distribution. You have got a very important duty to see that all the branches are kept with a full stock of all my books. And I know that we are getting many mail-orders daily, so you must see that these orders are all filled promptly. If we take the public's money, and then delay too long in filling the orders, this will give us a bad reputation. So be very conscientious and hard-working and Krishna will give you the ability to do everything nicely. There is no difference between chanting Hare Krishna or Sankirtana and doing one's assigned work in Krishna Consciousness. Sometimes we have to do so much managerial or office work, but Lord Caitanya promises us that because in the Kali yuga this is required for carrying on our preaching mission. He gives assurance that we will not become entangled by such work. When the work has to be done, do it first, then chant. But you must fulfill at least 16 rounds daily. So if necessary sleep less but you have to finish your minimum number of rounds.

Regarding Mr. Kallman, the matter is very simple. If he says he will do whatever I ask, then let him give us the rights. Then only shall I understand that he has got some feelings for me. We cannot pay him any money.

The difference between competition and Maya. Here, competition is for sense gratification. How much I can enjoy, my sense, and the other person sees how much he can enjoy his senses. In the spiritual world the competition is how to satisfy Krishna. There the center is one. If you draw innumerable circles they will not overlap. But here the circles will overlap. Even a small circle can overlap a large circle. This is because in the material world there are many centers, whereas in the spiritual world there is only one center. In the spiritual world whether the circles are big or small they will never overlap. In the spiritual world similarly, whatever or whoever is rendering the service, there is never competition of maliciousness.

 

 

 

 

ISKCON News

Courtesy of iskconnews.org

Mercy in Motion: New Video Offers Glimpse Into Life on All India Padayatra
Mercy in Motion: New Video Offers Glimpse Into Life on All India Padayatra

Four young devotees from different parts of India recently joined the first-ever experiential learning course organized by the All India Padayatra, offering participants an immersive introduction to one of ISKCON’s longest-running preaching initiatives. For more than four decades, the traveling Padayatra has carried Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundara from village to village across India, bringing harinama sankirtana, […]

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FFL Hungary Opens New Chapter in Food Relief Services
FFL Hungary Opens New Chapter in Food Relief Services

Bhakta Vatsala Dasa and guests mark the facility’s inauguration. For nearly 40 years, Food for Life Hungary has transformed Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instruction that no one should go hungry near a Krishna temple into one of the country’s most recognizable humanitarian initiatives. What began as a small volunteer effort distributing meals from borrowed facilities has grown […]

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Latest Health Update on Jayapataka Swami (June 25, 2026)
Latest Health Update on Jayapataka Swami (June 25, 2026)

Jayapataka Swami with children at the Panihati Festival held at ISKCON Atlanta on June 7, 2026 For daily updates, please visit Jayapataka’s Facebook page, which will post the latest news from his health team.  June 25th Health Update Since yesterday, Guru Mahārāja’s vital signs were stable, but his breathing was weak and occasionally gasping. During […]

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A Dream Realized: New ISKCON Center and Restaurant Opens in Québec City
A Dream Realized: New ISKCON Center and Restaurant Opens in Québec City

Guests join kirtan during ISKCON Québec’s opening celebrations. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has established a new permanent center in Québec City, following a series of openings in May 2026, including ISKCON Québec, Govinda’s vegetarian restaurant, and a Bhakti Centre for newcomers. The milestone comes as ISKCON marks its 60th anniversary year, extending […]

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Krishnain: Connecting Devotee Professionals Across the U.S.
Krishnain: Connecting Devotee Professionals Across the U.S.

Krishnain is a free, verified professional networking platform built exclusively for ISKCON devotees in the United States. Designed to help devotees find jobs, internships, referrals, and mentorship, it brings the community’s collective professional strength onto a single trusted platform, connecting devotees across temples and cities in ways that were previously not possible. The platform was […]

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ISKCON Minister Meets with 50 Catholic Leaders in Pune, India
ISKCON Minister Meets with 50 Catholic Leaders in Pune, India

Sri Krishna Chaitanya Swami, who leads ISKCON’s Kirtan and Padayatra Ministries, recently met with approximately 50 Roman Catholic priests, nuns, and ministry leaders from Ishvani Kendra in Pune, India for a warm and meaningful interfaith dialogue. Ishvani Kendra is a Catholic center for mission studies, communications, and leadership training in Pune, India. Established by the […]Today, June 21st, the Summer Solstice in the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, the world is celebrating the 12th annual International Day of Yoga.  Some groups have alleged that the promotion of yoga is an attempt to covertly impose a Hindu practice on India, thereby threatening the country’s secular fabric. This allegation originates from an inability to […]

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World Yoga Day: Beyond Political and Physical Posturing
World Yoga Day: Beyond Political and Physical Posturing

Today, June 21st, the Summer Solstice in the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, the world is celebrating the 12th annual International Day of Yoga.  Some groups have alleged that the promotion of yoga is an attempt to covertly impose a Hindu practice on India, thereby threatening the country’s secular fabric. This allegation originates from an inability to […]

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New Tongaat Kitchen Expands Food for Life Outreach
New Tongaat Kitchen Expands Food for Life Outreach

The Hare Krishna community in Tongaat recently marked the opening of a dedicated Food for Life kitchen at the Vishwarup Temple community complex, creating a new base for a service initiative that has provided meals and community outreach across the region for more than two decades. The opening ceremony, attended by Bhakti Chaitanya Swami, represents […]

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Congregational Development Ministry (CDM)

Courtesy of iskconcongregation.com

Join the S.E.V.A. Movemehnt
Join the S.E.V.A. Movement

One missio --. four powerful ways to serve Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Extend the Reach. Share the Mission.

Your voice carries weight. When you share CDM’s offerings, you help strengthen the roots of Mahāprabhu’s movement. Every message, every mention, helps more devotees connect to meaningful resources.

  • Share CDM posts, videos, and links via social media & WhatsApp;
  • Introduce CDM programs to your local community or temple;
  • Forward Gita Course, Bhakti Kids, or donation pages to others;
  • Be a messenger—carry Mahāprabhu’s mercy outward;

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Volunteer Seva Opportunities with CDM
Volunteer Seva Opportunities with CDM

By offering your time and skills in any of the areas below, you’ll be helping to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s vision of a strong, vibrant, and spiritually connected global congregation.

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Support ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry
Support ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry

Your generous contributions enable us to continue our mission of spreading spiritual knowledge and supporting our communities worldwide. Please choose the donation method that best suits your preferences:

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Dandavats

Courtesy of dandavats.com

Departure of HH Dhirasanta dasa Goswami
Departure of HH Dhirasanta dasa Goswami

Dear Devotees, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. We offer our sincere condolences and prayers to the disciples and well-wishers of HH Dhirasanta dasa Goswami upon Maharaj’s departure from this world. Our prayers are particularly with his beloved son, Govinda Kishore Das. Maharaj began his spiritual journey in his youth, hearing...

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HH Dhirasanta Dasa Goswami has left this world
HH Dhirasanta Dasa Goswami has left this world

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Dear devotees, followers, and friends, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. With the deepest reverence, spiritual gravity, and sorrow, we inform you that today our beloved Spiritual Master, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, His Holiness Dhirasanta Dasa Goswami has left his physical body and entered the eternal pastimes of...

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It All Starts With Giving Attention
It All Starts With Giving Attention

By Sacinandana Swami

The degree to which you are able to turn to Krsna while chanting reveals the depth of your relationship with Him and how healthy you are spiritually. If you are unhealthy, you simply cannot turn to Krsna. Your mind will dislike the idea of chanting. It will be very rebellious and everything but Krsna will appear in your mind at that time. Every relationship starts with giving attention, and your relationship with Krsna is no exception. Therefore, you must learn how to chant with attention. It is said in the scriptures that inattention to Krsna is the root cause of all other offences an...

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The mystery of Radha, the female energy of God
The mystery of Radha, the female energy of God

By Radhanath Swami

The mystery of Radha, the female energy of God, had both fascinated and eluded me. After all I had experienced, after all I had read, after all the sadhus I had met, nothing had prepared me for the hidden truth of yoga’s greatest mystery: the mystery of bhakti, or devotion. And now I was learning that the keeper of this mystery was Radha. For the first time it began to dawn on me that these saints of Vrindavan had penetrated into the deepest, most confidential aspect of the spiritual journey.

...

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Hope is There for Everyone

By Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)

When we look around, it may seem that some souls are so materially entangled and attracted that they will never give up their attachments or material way of life. But Jiva Goswami explains in his Paramatma Sandarbha that everyone will eventually reach the stage of becoming free from material existence. At first, I did not understand how he could say this, but when I did, I was very encouraged. Hope is there for everyone’s eventual release from material entanglement. And this is how he explains it.

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Is it better to choose a guru born in a brahmana family?
Is it better to choose a guru born in a brahmana family?

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But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura gave reference of various scriptures and proved that one should be considered a brahmana not by birth but by qualities. He quoted verse from Srimad Bhagavatam wherein sage Narada tells Yudhisthir that even if one is born in the family of a sudra but acts like a brahmana he should be accepted as a brahmana and if one is born in the family of a brahmana but acts like a sudra then he should be considered a sudra.

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“Walk through fire”

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Increase the quality of your chanting. Increase the quantity of your chanting. Read more Srimad Bhagavatam. Read Caitanya Caritamrita. Read prayers. Acaryas have written so many prayers. Read prayers of acaryas. Pray to Krishna. Krishna will hear you, when you read the prayers of acaryas - He hears you. When you speak in your own words: “Krishna, help. Krishna, save me”, Krishna will hear you.

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The King who had four wives…

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The Highest Compassion
The Highest Compassion

By Niranjana Swami

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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.

29 June, 2026 (Monday)
Snana Yatra
Sri Mukunda Datta -- Disappearance
Sri Sridhara Pandita -- Disappearance

1 July, 2026 (Wednesday)
Sri Syamananda Prabhu -- Disappearance

5 July, 2026 (Sunday)
Sri Vakresvara Pandita -- Appearance

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

Email: office@iskconconnection.org

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