Thriving Devotee Population in Siberia Embraces Japa Retreats
Chanting japa is one of the activities most central to Krishna consciousness. So every year for the past seven years, devotees from Kemerovo in Siberia, Russia, have put on a special Japa Retreat for both local Vaishnavas and those from surrounding areas.
Kamlesh Krishna Das will be serving within the Magistrate Court, which handles 95% of all legal cases in the UK. He was officially appointed and sworn in on Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is on April 1st, and will be based primarily in Hertfordshire.
Since 2016, the ISKCON Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture has been organizing farm conferences all over the world, to share best practices, create networks, and inspire new projects. Now the fruits are starting to show, with more exciting plans on the way.
In his grand vision for New Vrindaban, Srila Prabhupada regularly described cow protection and local agriculture as the “main business” for its residents.
Twenty-six such leaders attended the most recent presentation of the GBC-recommended course, offered from March 5th to 8th in the Chaitanya Bhavan building in Mayapur, West Bengal, India.
The New York Times Style Magazine’s first digital cover story, published on February 14th, features Hare Krishna devotees from ISKCON’s Radha-Krishna Temple chanting on the streets of London.
Cow protection has been going on at Australia's thousand-acre farm in some form since its establishment in 1977.
A new textbook for schools in the Telegu language, entitled “Bhagavad-gita for Complete Success in Life,” has been written by an ISKCON devotee and published by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the organization that manages the famous Venkateswara temple.
A devotee-owned company, Ra Vino Industries, based in Mumbai has created a line of personal and home care products with Ayurvedic properties, using the panchagavyas – milk, ghee, curd, dung and urine – of indigenous cows.
Fifteen people from the North London and Cambridge area participated, many of whom were already interested in yoga and wanted to learn about Bhakti too.
Established by the late ISKCON guru Bhakti Tirtha Swami, IFAST (Institute for Applied Spiritual Technology) operates on the idea that it’s not enough to simply give people spiritual knowledge – we must teach them how to apply it.
It is an odd development of the modern world that being excessively anxious about our children is considered a virtue. We consider ourselves good parents if we make life easy for them, reward them for the smallest achievement, and are anxious for their safety and well being at all times.
In the year 1992, the last of the four Asta-sakhis, or principle associates of Srimati Radharani, appeared in Mayapur and took their places on the altar of ISKCON Mayapur.
Professional BMX freestyle rider Joris Coulomb always chased adventure. He didn’t realize that one day it would take him to a place of deep meaning where all his questions about life would be answered.
The five powerful practices in The Living Name, a new book by Sacinandana Swami, can enliven the chanting of the Holy Name and turn it into a dynamic and transformative experience.
Sacinandana Swami once joked: “The scriptures predict that as Kali Yuga progresses, devotees will play musical instruments so loud that people will not be able to hear the maha-mantra anymore.” That might make you crack a smile, but the background isn’t so funny.
At this time of the year, Sarajevo is full of tourists and many are from the Middle East. These tourists love street harinams and stop to chant with devotees and take photos.
It is stated in the Nectar of Devotion that by following the regulative principles of Caturmasya, one can quickly be raised to the platform of devotional service.
What makes this achievement even more unique is that Divya’s Kitchen is the only vegetarian/vegan restaurant on the list.
The catchily-named new restaurant “OmNom,” set to open in Islington, London in January 2019, aims to promote conscious eating, kirtan as meditation, and authentic bhakti-yoga.
Excitement is ramping up for “MAN-tra,” ISKCON’s first ever Men’s Retreat, to be held in New Vrindaban and headlined by Bhaktimarga Swami, Gaura Vani, and comedian Yadunath Das. The event is subtitled “Being a KC Guy in the 21st Century,” and is gathering hype as the place to be this fall.
A new temple dedicated to Ganga Devi has recently been constructed by ISKCON Mayapur's Ganga Mata Seva Committee, where a Deity of Ganga Devi is worshipped along with Deities of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai. This temple is only the beginning, for the committee has plans to construct a larger and more opulent temple for the worship of Mother Ganga.
Over the past few years, the ISKCON Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture (IMCPA) has been bringing ISKCON farms together for biannual continental conferences. Now, the Ministry is beginning strategic planning meetings every other year, to foster team building.
Founded by Srila Prabhupada in 1974, Gita Nagari is an optimal setting to practice his vision of simple living, high thinking. It has 350 lush green acres, a vegetable garden, 80 protected cows, and its own dairy, all centered around the temple of Sri-Sri Radha Damodar.
