“The neophyte Vaishnava devotees’ ringing the bell even once during worship of the Deity of the Supreme Lord is a million times more valuable, spiritually and otherwise, than the charitable fruitive workers building many hospitals, feeding thousands of the poor, or building homes, or even the empirical philosophers’ Vedic studies, meditation, austerities, and penances.” –…

When planning my lessons for my year 7 and 8 Design and Technology class I had the idea to try making our own soap from scratch. After searching for methods for a while on the internet I thought it best to try to find someone locally who has been successful at soap making and see…

kumārī vara-dāyī ca vareṇyo mīna-ketanaḥ naro nārāyaṇo dhīro rādhā-patir udāra-dhīḥ He is soft and gentle (kumārī), the giver of boons (vara-dāyī), the best (vareṇya), handsome like Kāmadeva (mīna-ketana), the Lord whose form is like that of a human being (nara), the resting place of all living entities (nārāyaṇa), saintly (dhīra), the master of Rādhā (rādhā-pati),…

— Explanation of the Maha-mantra by Srila Jiva Gosvami. 1. By His uncommon beauty, Sri Krsna Candra takes away the mind of everyone. However, when Sri Radha expands Her own cleverness, She also captures Sriv Krsna’s mind. Therefore She is called “Hara” 2. By His loveliness and by the sweet sound of His flute, Sri…

“Regarding your business and spiritual practices, I give you special permission as follows: You find out of 24 hours at least one hour conveniently for chanting Hare Krishna with great attention, either by the deities or any place, without being disturbed by anyone else. Now the other 23 hours what ever you do always try…

Here’s an interesting phenomenon …. (watch video here) Why when it comes to finances or employment people generally require so much security and accountability but when it comes to spiritual matters anything will serve the need? ——– Apr. 13 – Dozens of believers lined up at a house in a poor Colombian neighborhood on Wednesday…

“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.” – Henry David Thoreau

From Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Piyusa-varsini commentary on Sri Upedeshamrta. Prajalpa which spoils bhakti is categorized by Bhaktivinoda Thakura into the following 8 categories: (1) Useless talks (not about Lord Hari) (2) Arguments (godless quarrels like nyaya & vaisesika not based on the Vedas) (3) Gossip (talking about other people to establish one’s reputation) (4) Debates (desire…

By Indo Asian News Service Kendrapada (Orissa), July 27 (IANS) Seven devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) from the Czech Republic were asked to pay a fine for entering a 300-year temple here that does not allow foreigners and non-Hindus. On Wednesday, the ISKCON devotees were singing bhajans inside the sanctum sanctorum…

sahasrākṣa-purī-bhettā mahā-mārici-nāśanaḥ śivaḥ śivatamo bhettā balārāti-prāpūjakaḥ He is the Lord who broke the city of thousand-eyed Indra (sahasrākṣa-purī-bhettā), the killer of the great Marici (mahā-mārici-nāśana(, auspicious (śiva), most auspicious (śivatama), the great destroyer (bhettā), and worshiped by powerful enemies (balārāti-prāpūjaka). – Sri Gopala-sahasra-nama – Text 11

BIG day tomorrow, boys? Then do the opposite of Mick Jagger and tell her: let’s not spend the night together. A man’s brainpower, scientists say, can be damaged by sharing a bed. When they spend the night with a partner, their sleep patterns are disturbed, whether they make love or not. This leads to poorer…

In the Brihad-Vishnu-Sahasranam-Stotra in the Uttara-khanda of the Padma Purana (72.335) we find the following words that were spoken by Lord Shiva to his wife, Durga Devi: rama rameti rameti rame rame manorame sahasra-namabhis tulyam rama-nama varanane “O Varanana, I chant the holy name of Rama, Rama, Rama and thus enjoy this beautiful sound. This…

by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada 1.Those who don’t perform Hari-bhajana are ignorant and murderers of their own souls. 2.The acceptance of Sri Harinama and direct realization of Bhagavan are one and the same. 3.We are not the doers of good or bad deeds, nor are we scholars or illiterate – carrying the shoes of…

(Thanks to Aniruddha Prabhu for posting these.) Six rules offered by Sanatana Goswami for those who wish to reform their chanting. From The Gayatri Book by Sacinandana Swami. manaḥ-saṁskāraṇaṁ śaucaṁ maunaṁ mantrātha-cintanam avyagratvam anirveda japa-sampatti-hetavah In order to perfect one’s japa, one needs to cultivate the following qualities. 1. manaḥ-saṁskāraṇaṁ – the ability to control…