ISKCON News: Gita [pg. 1]

When Helping Others Is Compassion and When It Isn’t …

While helping the deprived, we need to consider why they are deprived.

Seek More to Connect Than to Correct

Intelligence is a tool for thinking; it’s like a sword for cutting through confusions. Just

How to Respond When Someone Hurts Us?

When someone speaks harshly or acts cruelly toward us, how we respond depends primarily on their disposition.

How Depressed Desire Leads to Depression

The Gita provides empowering spiritual practices that can enable us to control our desires, not be controlled by them.

Avoiding the Duryodhana Delusion

USDA Loan Benefits New Devotee Farmers in Gita Nagari Area

Gita Nagari is a 350-acre farm, established in 1974 to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s instruction that city temples should be affiliated with farm projects.

Live to Give Campaign to Distribute 2 Million Bhagavad-gitas by World Gita Day

Devotees around the world are aiming to distribute at least two million Bhagavad-gitas during the last quarter of 2020, as part of the Prabhupada marathon and the Live to Give campaign.

The Chariot Driver

A good chariot driver sees things others may not, can prompt the right moves, and be there to encourage and support as the warrior makes difficult fighting decisions.

Conflict-Resolution and the Gita

Mature spiritual understanding is not relinquishing responsibility, but assuming responsibility with wisdom.

The Answer Lies in our Hands

What if there was one simple solution for all your problems? Something so easy that even a child could do it? Something which costs nothing, is available to everyone and ultimately ends all suffering?

Without Attachment

Beneath all apparent differences of race, nationality, sexual orientation or ethnic origin, everything that lives is a spark of that Supreme Being. Are we not, then, all family?

Down to Earth

The spiritual world is not an impersonal place – it’s a place of wonderful exchanges, deep friendships and loving interactions.

Why Couldn’t the Pandavas Resolve their Conflict Peacefully?

Not all conflicts are caused by misunderstandings alone; many are caused by malevolence.

Re-loving the Gita

I am now older and wiser in the practice of Krishna Bhakti and yet it still moves me, still delights, still informs.

Why Helping Others Doesn’t Always Help Others

One of the best ways to inspire people to take responsibility is to equip them with spiritual wisdom.

The Self at War

How do we embrace pain? How do we overcome what we fear most?

Why Lying to Ourselves Is So Dangerous?

Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, put it well, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”

How Does Humility Differ From Low Self-esteem?

For us to persevere through life’s various challenges, we need the fundamental conviction that we can make a difference.

The Invisible Spaces of Life

"Slow down, breathe and peer deeper into the mystery of the everyday."

How the Unexpected Reveals the Unknown

Just as the unexpected revealed Arjuna’s character, and by the Gita’s guidance, took him toward healthy choices, Gita wisdom can guide us wisely when we too encounter the unexpected.

5 Minute Meditations Podcast Presents Practical Gita Philosophy for Public

The podcast boom has accelerated in the first half of 2020, perhaps partly due to the appetite for more streaming content while people stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. ISKCON devotees have also embraced the medium.

Life out of Balance

The current Covid-19 has brought collective pain, fear, and unexpected difficulties. We have to ask – what is out of balance?

The You You Don’t Like - People As Products Of History And The Yogic Remedy

The capitalist definition of God’s will for humanity was to pursue piety within productivity. After all, had recent discoveries not proven that God’s plan was for the pious to become wealthy?

The Bhagavad Gita and the Path to Justice

In the news, some of the talking heads are saying it’s “a few bad apples” and others warn of a more systemic problem. Is it individuals on the police force or the institution itself? Will new laws, like no “chokeholds” etc, mean anything at all?

What the Gita Says About Anger

Should we join the protests? Should we speak out against a government that oppresses black men and women and attacks those wishing to publicly object to such racism? As devotees, should we protest at all? Is meddling in politics the business of Vaishnavas? Yet if we decline, are we not part of the apathy that perpetuates such injustice?

Gita Life Online Course Taught by Sutapa Das, UK

Over 10 thought-provoking and interactive sessions, the Gita Life online course will be taught by Sutapa Das who will provide a chapter-by-chapter summary, giving very relatable themes and life lessons from the Bhagavad-gita.

10,800 People Attend 'Gita Made Easy' 18-Day Online Course

“Gita Made Easy”, an 18-day online course designed and facilitated by Amarendra Gaura Das and Sukirti Madhavi Dasi from ISKCON Chennai started off as a course aimed at an audience of 300, ended up with 10,800 people signing up.

How To Hold Others Accountable Without Becoming Judgmental

Though we need to make judgments when holding people accountable, we needn’t become judgmental.

We All Have The Opportunity To Save Lives

During a pandemic, the medical care providers are the frontline warriors. Actually, we all have the opportunity to save lives. How? By understanding what life is and what saving it means.

Needs, Loss, and Krishna

The evolution from seeing Krishna as the supplier of our needs to seeing him as our greatest need usually takes many lifetimes.

Gita Coach Invests in Devotees to Help Them Succeed

Starting at London’s Radha Krishna Temple, and now based in Croatia, Akrura has coached more than one thousand devotees over the past twenty years.

Gita Mela Draws Thousands of Tourists to Mayapur

A winter festival that is held in December-January in Mayapur focuses on providing guests an insight into the importance of the Bhagavad Gita.

Gita Jayanti - The Topmost Knowledge Divulged

5244 years ago, on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna delivered the most confidential and topmost knowledge to Arjuna, a warrior prince, and to humanity at large, in order to help all devotees understand the purpose of life.

What Makes Us Resilient, or Weak?

What makes some people resilient and some people weak? It’s primarily because of the way they look at things, especially when they go wrong.

Winning the War Against Temptation

Those who relapse aren’t always witless or will-less, they are often weapon-less.

The Essence of Commitment Is Recommitment

Why do we deviate? Because our mind is restless. We become committed when we learn to maintain focus in spite of our mind, not because our mind maintains focus.

Complaining Is No One’s Birthright

Some people are chronic complainers who justify their negativity, irritability and disagreeability self-righteously, “Can’t you see how many things have gone wrong in my life? What else do you expect from me?”

Find Your Own Story

The world is like a mega-theater where multiple stories are being enacted. Herein, we can enact a grand story, provided we understand ourselves.

Sivarama Swami Presents Bhagavad-gita As It Is at Hungary's Largest Bookstore Chain

The book has been available in translation for many years in Hungary, but could only be obtained through book distributing devotees. However, 2019 has been announced to be the year of Bhagavad Gita in Hungary, therefore the organizers thought it was timely to make the Gita available through bookshops.

Mind Your Mind Before Minding Anyone Else’s Mind

When someone’s misbehavior irritates us, we may tell them off: “Why are you letting your mind take you for a ride?”

To See Our Own Stupidity Is Infuriating and Invigorating

Speech by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at ISKCON Delhi

Full speech by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at ISKCON Delhi on February 26, 2019, at the occassion of unveiling the largest Bhagavad-gita in the world.

New School Textbook Teaches Success in Life Through Bhagavad-gita

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.

Indian Prime Minister Modi Unveils 800 Kg Gita at Delhi Temple

Dubbed “The Astounding Bhagavad-gita,” the book measures 2.80 x 2.00 meters (9 x 6.5 ft) and is billed by its creators at the Mediterranean branch of the BBT as “the largest principal sacred text ever printed.”

Krishna Doesn’t Promise a Stormless Sea – He Provides an Unsinkable Ship

When we practice bhakti, we often expect to become freed from problems. And if that expectation is not met, we become disheartened.

Spiritual Seekers Dive into Gita and Bhakti on Picturesque Tenerife

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.

Paramahamster: King of Knowledge

Our "Paramahamster" comic strip follows an enthusiastic devotee as he navigates a 9 - 5 work day in the corporate world. Please check back weekly for new episodes!

Love Is The Limiter of Freedom – And Its Fulfiller Too

We long to be free. And we long for love. Yet love and freedom don’t seem to go together.

We Can’t Nourish Our Souls Amidst People Who Are Out To Sell Theirs

The word “soul” sometimes refers non-literally to the things that matter the most to us. Such a non-literal usage features in the phrase “to sell one’s soul.”

God Is The Supreme Controller, But Not The Sole Controller

Some people say, “Everything that happens is God’s will.” They may think that such a statement conveys their unquestioning faith, but does it really? Or does it raise disturbing questions that detract from God’s goodness?

Purification Puts the Mind in the Silent Mode

Just as our phone disturbs us externally, our mind disturb us internally.

ISKCON Leaders Call On The Prime Minister of India

Gopal Krishna Goswami updated the Prime Minister with the various programs and activities being carried out by ISKCON – in India and internationally. He invited the Prime Minister to unveil the world’s largest Bhagavad Gita which was designed and printed in Italy by a dedicated team of devotees led by Madhu Sevita Das.

What We See Depends On What We Want To See

When we function in the world, our desires direct our vision, consciously or subconsciously.

“The Rap of God” Brings the Gita to a Contemporary Audience

Prabhupada disciple and Gainesville Krishna House leader Kalakantha Das may not be your typical rapper. He is, after all, in his words “a sixty-four-year-old white guy.” But his new book “Bhagavad-gita: The Rap of God” is already getting rave reviews from contemporary audiences.

Losing Sensual Pleasure – Losing Spiritual Pleasure

We don’t like to lose things. If a choice entails some loss, we recoil from it. Such recoiling can make us miss out on choices that involve initial losses but lead to eventual gains.

Courage to Dream – Courage to Hand our Dream over to Krishna

Achievers often talk about the courage needed to dream big and to work untiringly for actualizing the dream.

Dead End: Losing Our Way to Find Our Way

Life sometimes brings us to a dead end. In the face of overwhelming obstacles, everything seems lost. We feel as if we have lost our way completely, not knowing where to go or what to do.

Humility Transforms a Protest Against God Into a Prayer to God

When we face perplexities or adversities, we may protest, “Why is this happening to me?” And if we accept God as the supreme controller, we may protest against him, “Why are you letting this happen?”

Timeless Possessions

Last week, a friend requested some ancient insights on stress management. Gita to-the-rescue again.

From Possessions that Dispossess to the Possession that Delivers

The Bhagavad-gita (16.13-15) outlines how the possessive mentality can make people ungodly, even demonic.

Gita Nagari Lifestyle Project Invites Devotees To Experience Village Life

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.

Inability to Stand Others’ Weaknesses Is Our Weakness

When we are good at something, we can easily spot others’ weaknesses in that area. For example, if we are good at language, our attention automatically zooms to others’ grammatical shortcomings.

700 Students Receive Bhagavad-gita in Surat

The program organized by Ramlila Das, a youth outreach coordinator in Surat, included skits, prayers, kirtana and a lecture by Bhakiprem Swami.

Being Merciful to Others

We like to think of ourselves as innocent people who are misunderstood but Krishna, in the Bhagavad-gita, has another judgment.

Our Journey Needs to Begin Where We Are, Not Where We Ought to Be

During our life-journey, we sometimes take wrong turns. We make mistakes, indulge in immoral pleasures or get caught in harmful habits. These take us away from our life’s purposes and principles.

ISKCON Bloomington, USA, Offers 10-week Gita Course for Children

BMI-Bhaktivriksha in Bloomington, Illinois, USA conducted its first 10-week course of Bhagavad Gita As It Is for children from ages 9-16. The initiative was met with great enthusiasm, and all the twenty-eight children who participated in the program graduated and received their certificates during a ceremony on Saturday December 16^th.

One Drink Is One Too Many

When recovering alcoholics have stayed sober for some time, they may feel tempted: “Let me take just one drink – what harm can it do?”

ISKCON Nashik, India, Holds Its First Gita Contest For Teachers

After successful organization of the Bhagavad Gita contest for school children in 2014-15, wherein more than 3,000 students participated, Shikshashtakam Das (Chief, ISKCON Nashik, Maharastra, India), immediately had a thought to do it for the teachers next time.

The Reality of the Spiritual World

The spiritual world exists not just at a different location but at a different level of reality.

Gita Courses at the Bhaktivedanta Academy, Mayapur

The Bhaktivedanta Gita Academy started in 1994 under the direction and guidance of Bhakti Purusottama Swami, and is located north of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. It provides various courses on our Vedic literature, such as the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and Srimad Bhagavatam.

When We Distribute What We Have, We Appreciate What We Have

Spiritual knowledge given in the Bhagavad-gita is like a life-saving medicine.

God Who Respects Human Intelligence and Individuality

In the Gita, Krishna is not sitting on a high moral cloud passing judgment on humanity, but is accepting the role of an assistant of humanity. He is persuading humanity to choose a prudent moral course by outlining logically and philosophically the choices available to us, and their inbuilt and inevitable consequences.

Timeless Possessions

Whether its shoes, gadgets, clothes or cars, most things I buy seem to break down, play up or fall apart, costing me a small fortune in the process! One acquisition, however, that has stood the test of time, is the wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita.

Tamil Nadu Devotees Hold 50 “Gita Yajnas” for 50th

“In this program, our aim is to distribute 5,000 copies of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and to have recipients take an oath during a fire ceremony to read at least one page daily.”

ISKCON Nairobi Holds its First Gita-contest

The Gita Champions League (GCL) is a competition based on the teachings of the ancient book of knowledge, the Bhagavad Gita. This contest was a fun, inspiring and motivating way to help everyone to absorb themselves in the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, enrich and refocus their life in the right manner. GCL was a written test primarily targeting students from Class 5 to 8.

Belong - A New E-book by Chaitanya Charan

A new e-book by Chaitanya Charan das Belong addresses our heart’s longing to belong to something bigger than ourselves – a longing that is nourished and fulfilled by the Bhagavad-gita’s transformational message of spiritual love. While presenting that message in accessible 300-word nuggets, Belong shines the light of the Gita on many themes important for our inner growth.

Work to Live – Avoid Work That Eats You Alive

Work is essential for survival, as the Gita acknowledges. When work becomes the sole definer of our self-identity and self-worth, it degenerates to an indulgence, even an addictive indulgence.

Yogi Blues: The Bhagavad Gita & The Yoga of Despair

Popular wisdom, from doctors and moms alike, is that yoga and happiness go hand in hand. But are "real" yogis immune to despair? Is despondency somehow antithetical to yoga?

Muslim Student Wins First Prize in Gita Contest in Kohalpur, India

ISKCON have been conducting Gita Talent Search (GTS) exam every year in different cities. This year, a Muslim student from Radhabai Shinde English Medium School, Mehboob Kalawant bagged the first prize. According to his parents, during the period he was preparing for this exam and studying the Gita, he stayed away from non-vegetarian food.

Let Emotion Inform, But Not Form Our Decision

Our emotions are a big part of who we are, but they are not all of us. We are bigger than our present emotions, most of which relate with our external material shell, not our spiritual core.

Winning Life's Battles

All of us are like Arjuna in so many ways. We stand on the battlefield of life faced with all kinds of challenges which often seem overwhelming. Sometimes we too don’t know which way to turn but the message of the Gita is also there for us.

Beware of the Mind’s "Divide and Rule" Strategy

A standard war strategy for defeating a strong enemy is divide and rule. The Bhagavad-gita (06.06) states that the mind can often act as our enemy. Acting inimically, it targets us with this strategy when we practice bhakti-yoga.

Hridayananda das Goswami Publishes A Comprehensive Guide to Bhagavad-gita

For over 45 years, Hridayananda das Goswami has shared the wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita with ISKCON communities and at prestigious universities around the world. His new publication A Comprehensive Guide to Bhagavad-gita is the fruit and culmination of a long, distinguished career of studying, teaching, and living the text.

Krishna Can Bring Good Out Of Everything - Even Our Mistakes

Sometimes when we commit mistakes, we may become embarrassed, irritated or enraged with ourselves. If we become excessively disturbed, that often becomes a second mistake.

Muslim Girl in Mumbai Wins Gita Contest

"My parents too supported my idea of participating in the contest," said Maryam, who received the prize from ISKCON on March 15.

Choose Words That Make the Heart Soar, Not Sore

The human heart is very sensitive to words. Few things can dishearten an inspired heart as much as callous or critical words. And conversely, few things can enliven a depressed heart as much as comforting or compassionate words.

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