Richard Dawkins is not pleased with God:The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all of fiction. Jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic-cleanser; a misogynistic homophobic racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal....
Srila Sanatana Goswami evokes remembrance of these pastimes by summarizing Sukadeva's narration in simple verses, a meditation he punctuates with 108 acts of respectfully bowing down. His verses give us a taste of Krishna's Vrindavan pastimes, one after another, thus immersing us in the nectar of the Bhagavatam.
They're the "Joshua Generation," the youthful Evangelicals who hope to "shape the culture and take back the nation." Whether these kids terrify or delight you has everything to do with your political and religious views but, one way or the other, they are people that you should probably start getting to know. God's Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America by Hanna Rosin offers an intriguing introduction.
What images do you see when you think of hardcore punk music? Wild teenagers in ripped leather and mohawks, screaming out violent lyrics to aggressive music? Would it surprise you to learn some punk musicians are devoutly religious, are opposed to abortion and abstain from drugs, alcohol and premarital sex? For members of the movement known as Hare Krishna Straight Edge, this blend of conservative ideals and radical music is completely comfortable.
New Book "Sonic Spirituality" is a compilation of articles published in Back to Godhead Magazine, Integral Yoga Magazine, and a host of other New Age and Yoga journals.
"Bhagavad-Gita At a Glance: A companion guide for Preachers, Teachers, Students" is the latest literary effort by Narayani Devi Dasi.
ISKCON guru Mukunda Goswami’s long-awaited memoir of the early days of the Hare Krishna Movement in New York, San Francisco, and London—entitled Miracle on Second Avenue—was ceremonially “offered” to the Deities of Sri-Sri Pancha-Tattva at ISKCON’s headquarters in Mayapur, West Bengal on February 23rd.
Mukunda Goswami on Miracle on Second Avenue
Civilizations endure because, from time to time, they are able to repair the deterioration that age and complacency bring to them. In a religious context such repair is often called a revival; in a cultural context it is called a renaissance.
Mukunda Goswami: Miracle on Second Avenue
Mukunda Goswami talks about why he thinks it was a miracle that ISKCON was born, what he personally witnessed and played an active role in, on New York City's 2nd Avenue in the late 1960's.
His book has been highly praised by senior ISKCON devotees as well as scholars of Hinduism from all over the world, and it is available at amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Second-Avenue-Francisco-1966-1969/dp/0981727344
Mukunda Goswami's Miracle on Second Avenue has won a prestigious book award in the United States. Each year the National Indie Excellence Book Awards are given out in many categories to the best books by independent publishing houses.
On the occasion of Srila Prabhupada's Vyasapuja all five volumes of "A Transcendental Diary - Travels With His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada" by Hari-sauri Das are now available as ebooks in both Kindle and PDF formats.
In 2014, ISKCON's worldwide book distribution increased 10% over 2013, with almost nine million books distributed, the best year since 1996. It is in India is where the biggest amount of books has been distributed, 5,355,465 of the 8,913,251total books handed out in 2014.
The influence of the media cannot be underestimated in democracies and even in non-democratic regions. Whether we are killed or kissed, the media dominion will have its impact on our lives.
While it may be turning up a little late, the BBT Africa’s recently released 2014 report shows encouraging growth in outreach – especially for a branch of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust established just five years ago to better deliver Prabhupada’s books to the African Continent. “The continent has recorded amongst its best book distribution scores ever in 2014,” says managing trustee Govardhana Das.
The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust is set to publish some of his books in two languages – Catalan and Quechua – for the first time ever.
In his upcoming new book “Our Family Business: The Great Art of Distributing Srila Prabhupada’s Books” – out February 24th -- veteran distributor Vaisesika Das shares the history, key principles and techniques of book distribution, drawing from a lifetime of experience. Vaisesika, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, is known for strategizing innovative ways to distribute his spiritual master’s books on spiritual knowledge.
You might not have heard of Jaya Chaitanya Das, the thirty-year-old who’s been the number one book distributor in the U.S. for the past two years. Even if he sold 85,000 of Prabhupada’s books this year alone. That’s because until recently, the young man was living at home with his parents in Orange County, California.
Vaisesika Das' super-successful book about the art of transcendental book distribution, Our Family Business, is now available as an e-book in all flavors, for all devices. In this very readable book, Vaisesika Dasa discusses ISKCON-devotees we should join the “family business” of distributing transcendental knowledge through the written word, as well as how book distribution benefits distributors, the devotional community, and all those who receive one of Srila Prabhupada’s books.
A new book from the Russian branch of the BBT tells the amazing history of ISKCON in the USSR during the Soviet era, detailing the struggles and successes of some of our movement’s most dedicated and often unsung heroes. “The Krishna Consciousness Movement in the USSR: A Historical Outline From 1971-89” is out on May 15th in the Russian language. Not yet available in English, it is the first comprehensive account of these 18 years of history.
“Five Years, Eleven Months,” a memoir by senior Srila Prabhupada disciple Visakha Dasi, has been named a finalist in the spirituality category at the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (NGIBA). The book has been praised for its refreshing honesty and introspection.
Recently, the BBT trustees became aware that Jitarati Das, through his company Pristine International, printed sets of Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam in New Delhi without consulting with or being authorized or licensed by the BBT. This is a serious legal matter, and his printing also has ramifications for the worldwide distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books.
“The Life and Teachings of Sri Chaitanya: The Golden Avatara of Divine Love,” by Satyaraja Das, is out this October. It will be published by Lexington Books, a prestigious worldwide academic publisher, which will position it to reach tens of thousands that might otherwise not read a book about Lord Chaitanya.
Christmas 2017. Toronto, Canada was colder than the North Pole, dropping to -22C for the first time in recorded history. Schools closed. People stayed home from work. Outdoor New Year’s Eve celebrations were canceled. The roads were treacherous. But none of this stopped ISKCON Toronto devotees from venturing out to deliver Srila Prabhupada’s books during the six-week Prabhupada marathon, from November 19th to December 31s
In Cuba, street distribution of Prabhupada’s books is forbidden, and devotees have been searching for legal ways to present them there for many years. This year, at last, saw a breakthrough opportunity: the Havana International Book Fair.
Vaisesika launched the plan for a One World Team with a message that at first may seem counter-intuitive: “Be dissatisfied.” He ecouraged devotees to shoot for “a higher goal than you think you can attain.”
The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust is filled with extraordinary devotees continuing Srila Prabhupada’s legacy and bringing us the works of the acaryas. Translator Mukunda Datta Das is now working on the Sat-Sandarbhas and Bhakti-Rasamrita Sindhu.
