Krishna Janmastami

Joyous Celebration at Krishna’s Birth

Today we celebrate the birth of Lord Krsna, or Krishna Janmastami, with a full day fast and a feast after his appearance at Midnight tonight. We honor this auspicious day with a post from the Krsna Book.

The joyous vibrations at Krsna’s birth ceremony could be heard in all the pasturing grounds and houses.

KRSNA, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter 5, Meeting of Nanda and Vasudeva

Continue reading

On Chanting the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra

On Chanting the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra

by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, 
Founder and Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the sublime method for reviving our transcendental consciousness. As living spiritual souls, we are all originally Krishna Conscious entities, but due to our association with matter since time immemorial, our consciousness is now adulterated by the material atmosphere. The material atmosphere, in which we are now living, is called maya, or illusion. Maya means “that which is not.” And what is this illusion? The illusion is that we are all trying to be lords of material nature, while actually we are under the grip of her stringent laws. When a servant artificially tries to imitate the all-powerful master, he is said to be in illusion. 

Continue reading

Kṛṣṇa, the Reservoir of Pleasure

Today we share with you Krsna, the Reservoir of Pleasure.  It is a small 16 page publication that was widely distributed.  It is a nice introduction to the Krishna Consciousness philosophy.

Kṛṣṇa, the Reservoir of Pleasure
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Kṛṣṇa—this sound is transcendental. Kṛṣṇa means the highest pleasure. All of us, every living being, seeks pleasure. But we do not know how to seek pleasure perfectly. With a materialistic concept of life, we are frustrated at every step in satisfying our pleasure because we have no information regarding the real level on which to have real pleasure. For the last few weeks we have been learning that we are not this body; we are consciousness. Not exactly consciousness, for consciousness is actually the symptom of our real identity: we are pure soul, now merged within this material body. Modern material science lays no stress on this; therefore the scientists are sometimes misled in their understanding of spirit soul. But spirit soul is a fact, which anyone can understand by the presence of consciousness. Any child can understand that consciousness is the symptom of the spirit soul.

Continue reading

What is Real Initiation ?

What is Real initiation ?
excerpted from: Back to Godhead Magizine

Srila Prabhupada….“Initiation is a formality. First of all you have to decide whether you will abide by the rules and regulations and become Krsna conscious. That is your consideration. You have to decide for yourself whether you are going to take this Krsna consciousness seriously. That is your decision. Initiation is a formality. If you are serious, that is real initiation. If you have understood this Krsna philosophy and if you have decided that you will take Krsna consciousness seriously and preach the philosophy to others, that is your initiation. My touch is simply a formality. It is your determination. That is initiation.”

Back to Godhead Magazine…”The Search for the Divine”. From a conversation with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada on July 5,1972 in New York.

The Happening Album: “Krishna Consciousness”

The Happening Album: “Krishna Consciousness”
by Hansadutta Das on KRSNA Tunes

This is the first Hare Krishna record album, produced in 1966 by Alan Kallman in New York. Satsvarupa das Gosvami has written about it: First Hare Krsna Albums (posted at bottom). Mr. Kallman, a record producer, and his wife came to see Prabhupada at 26 Second Avenue one evening in 1966, and inspired by the joyous kirtan, suggested that Prabhupada and the devotees make a record. Continue reading