The Disappearance Day of Srila Narottama Das Thakur
Today is the disappearance day of a great saint, Srila Narottama Das Thakur!
Appearing as the son of a king, Shri Narottama Dasa Thakura (Shri Thakura Mahasaya) showed all the bodily symptoms of a mahapurusha (an exalted divine person). He had long arms, a deep navel, golden-complexion, beautiful eyes shaped like the lotus petals. In school, he was a sruti dhara (able to memorize whatever he hears) Although he quickly mastered Sanskrit and the Vedas, he hankered to serve Krishna. He was a lifelong brahmachari. He took diksha from Shri Lokanatha Goswami and siksha in Gaudiya philosophy from Shri Jiva Goswami.
A poem for these troubling times by HH Bhaktimarga Swami
The glories of Pasankusa Ekadasi which occurs during the waxing moon in the month of September/October is described in Brahmavaivartha Purana in the conversation between Lord Krishna and Maharaj Yudhisthira.
Every moment I make a choice: How will I respond to this moment, to this circumstance? Can I choose to contemplate: what is the highest good for myself and all concerned in this situation? Do I choose despair, fear, judgment, or my own attempts to manipulate or control, instead of deep listening and leaning in to grace?
Ekadasi is the 11th day of the lunar phase of the Moon. Indira Ekadasi is celebrated in the Krishna Paksha (waning Moon phase) in the month of Ashwin (September–October). Since this Ekadasi falls on the Pitru Paksha (15 days in the month of Ashwin dedicated to ancestors), it is also known as ‘Ekadasi Shraddh.’ This is widely celebrated in Northern India to pay rituals to ancestors.
Recently, the Hon Premier of Victoria Australia announced that the State Government was going to recommend a prohibition of the Swastika symbol in Victoria, based on recommendations from the Victorian Parliament’s Legal and Social Issues Committee Report on the effectiveness of the state’s anti-vilification laws, as anti-Semitic and racial tension and abuse is raising its ugly head by some far-right neo-Nazi groups.
Devotees from across Europe joined in the 2021 summer Czech Padayatra festival for a two-week-long walk across 110 kilometers from Susice to Pisek in the southwestern region of the Czech Republic.
Seed banks are located across the globe and are instrumental for collecting, saving, and exchanging indigenous seed varieties that would otherwise be lost, as well as empowering locals and villages in rural areas of the world to be less dependent on multi-national corporations seed stocks.
Radhastami is the day we celebrate the appearance of Srimati Radharani, Lord Krishna's eternal consort. Radharani’s appearance occurred on the eighth day of the bright moon in the month of Bhadra. Although generally not full on that day, the moon appeared full to celebrate Radharani’s appearance in this world, because of this Radhashtami is celebrated on the eighth day of the bright fortnight (shukla paksha ashtami) in the month of Bhadra (August/September).
Urban Devi Sanga explores meditations on Srimati Radharani, the original sacred feminine. To watch this sanga please click here. During this sanga, Rukmini Devi references a special recipe said to a favorite of Sri Radhika, she shares it with us below:
I pray to Srila Prabhupada who is Abhaya, fearless in preaching Krishna Consciousness to help me become fixed and fearless in my own path of Krishna Consciousness
We here at ISKCON News, wish you a very healthy and happy Janmashtami. May the Lord shower you with His blessings.
A poem to Srila Prabhupada on his 125th birthday
I felt today would be a good day to talk about how I came to worship a deity of Lord Jagannatha, which is a question I get asked a lot. Lord Jagannatha translates to "Lord of the Universe", who is a form of Krishna. I will say it is a fun story, that I will tell in reverse chronology.
One of the most famous characters of the Mahabharata is Arjuna, the best friend, and devotee to Lord Krishna.
Raksha Bandhan is on August 21st, which is also the full moon day, known as Raakhi Purnima.
Draupadi, the famous wife of all five Pandava brothers, is such an important personality in the Mahabharata.
A tasty drink tastes even more when you are finishing it. It is the last drop that gives the feeling of being relished, enjoyed, along with the trace of sadness of it being over too soon. The urge to taste and enjoy is the game we get entangled in. Similar was the situation I got stuck in, after tasting the last drop of lassi, a drink relished in India during summers. Suddenly what flashed in my mind were numerous paintings of baby Sri Krishna attempting to take out makkhan (butter) from an earthen pot.
The primary reason for a failure in world peace is a lack of knowledge of the formula for peace. As Mahatma Gandhi famously said, "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed".
One day I will no longer fear the dark. I won’t have that moment of shock that feels like cold air rushing into my lungs. I won’t feel the pressure like fighting for breath under water. I won’t jerk my hands out before me in fear. My body won’t shake and tremble, breaking down in anxiety.
Environmental concerns about our planet have been growing and the bee community has been discovered to hold a major role in maintaining a balance in our ecosystem. Needless to say, the bee community is important to the survival of the human race.
The most sought-after experience that human society is striving to achieve, is still an underestimated and untapped experience beyond the reach of the majority. Many believe they have reached that state of happiness, but have they?
