Krishna.com would like to wish you all a happy Karttika season–a special month during which the spiritual benefit of any devotional service one performs is magnified exponentially. We hope you will make Krishna.com part of your world this month, as you celebrate this transcendental “sale.” (see our article on Karttika for more information).
For your listening and viewing pleasure (and maybe even edification) we have put together a new batch of new offerings to inspire you in your own spiritual practice. Dive in! At Krishna.com, it really is “all good”–especially during Karttika, when, for a limited time only, you can enjoy all the increased benefits of websurfing for Krishna you could possibly desire right here under one URL.
Your servants,
The Krishna.com Team
Karttika–also known as the month of Damodar–a unique time when it’s possible for anyone (even “unserious” persons) to gain many times the spiritual benefit derived from serving Krishna than at any other time of year. What makes this month so special?
Chaturmasya is the four-month period, consisting of the rainy and autumn seasons in India, during which Vaishnavas perform austerities to invoke the mercy of the Lord. The last month of Chaturmasya is known as Karttika, and is the holiest month of the year for Vaishnavas. This year, Karttika starts on October 14 and it is during this auspicious month that Diwali – the Hindu New Year, is celebrated. The day after Diwali is referred to as Annakuta, or Govardhana Puja (October 29), and is a large festival that is celebrated by all Vaishnavas. Visit our Diwali & Govardhana Puja page to learn all about, and how to celebrate, these two wonderful occassions.
Thanks to the efforts of the BBT’s Brahma Muhurta dasa, we’re now able to present his film documenting the efforts of BBT artists Dhriti dasi and Ramdasa Abhirama dasa as they share their realizations and consummate craft for painting Krishna’s pastimes in the unique learning environment of holy Vrindavan. “This course,” says Dhriti dasi, “is for those who would like to enter into the world of being able to depict Krishna’s pastimes–having them in their minds, and wanting to express that.”
Krishna.com is pleased to present a new article of Listen called the Krishna Balarama Mandir 24-Hour Kirtan. The 24 Hour Kirtan group has successfully completed its 22nd year of non-stop Kirtan under the continuous guidance of Aindra Prabhu. This new section is a collection of many of Aindra Prabhu’s live kirtan recordings and is in a playlist format, similar to our Srila Prabhupada Lectures. We invite you to come listen and let these spiritually uplifting kirtans transport you to Sri Vrindavan Dham. Look for more kirtans to be added in the future as well.
In this episode, Srila Gaurakishor dasa Babaji Maharaja gives some very clear and decisive instructions to an an aspiring resident of Navadwip. In the process, Babaji Maharaja questions a young man’s motives, and challenges us all to answer for ourselves, “What does it mean to live in the holy dhama? Can one live there and also work to maintain his family? Is it a good idea to attempt to follow the examples of eternally liberated devotees of the Lord without referring to His living representatives?”
What are we afraid of in our spiritual lives? Are we afraid of truly being ourselves? Are we afraid of failure, or even more of what “success” might mean? HH Sacinandana Maharaja tells us two stories–one his grandfather told him in his childhood, and another, describing a modern-day adventure in the cave of Muchukunda. Ultimately, we all have to discover: what lies at the bottom of our hearts? Maharaja points out that we cannot expect to fully experience our true self without being willing to face the “unknown,” dark, forgotten places in our consciousness that only fearless bhakti can illuminate.
As characteristic of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s teachings, in this essay no room is left for compromise of any kind. In no uncertain terms, the Lion Guru describes the necessary ingredients of a life based on progressive cultivation of Krishna consciousness, especially through hearing and chanting. What are the qualifications of purity in regards to hearing and chanting? Is any kind of chanting, done by anyone for any reason, equally beneficial? Is it possible to chant the glories of the Lord and still maintain an affinity for the illusory attractions of the temporal world? Read on and decide for yourself.
Children of all ages will certainly enjoy this delightful narration from Sthita-dhi-muni’s book of the early life of Prabhupada. The multi talented Vani dasi visited Krishna.com’s studios on the occasion of the 2008 Vyasa-puja Festival, to commemorate the appearance anniversary of the founder of the worldwide Hare Krishna movement. It is well-known that Srila Prabhupada left the world dozens of volumes of brilliantly translated masterpieces of bhakti literature, initiated over five thousand disciples, and supervised the opening of more than a hundred Krishna temples. This charmingly delivered, well-written biography on Krishna TV emphasizes some of the earliest details of the life of Srila Prabhupada before he began his monumental mission.
Mayapur Academy is a joint educational initiative of the Mayapur Deity Department and ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry. Their goal is to train brahmanas that are capable of fulfilling the needs of ISKCON communities. The Mayapur Academy offers an outstanding range of innovative courses for devotees interested in developing their skills and ability as pujaris and brahmanas.The Mayapur Academy is located at ISKCON Mayapur, situated on the beautiful banks of the Ganges River, in Sridhama Mayapur, West Bengal.
Krishna.com is proud to be associated with Friends of the BBT, a new organization established to help devotees of Krishna throughout the world become more directly involved in the work of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.