June | 2025 | The Hare Krishna Movement

Disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

25 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Uncategorized Tags: Dissapearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda, Hare Krishna, song of the vaisnave acharays, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, suda bhakta

Today marks the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. We honor it with a half day fast followed by a nice vegetarian feast. We share with you one of my favorite songs composed by Srila Bhaktivinoda.

When, oh when, will that day be mine?
When my offenses ceasing,
taste for the name increasing,
when in my heart will your mercy shine?
When, oh when will that day be mine?

Lower than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree.
When will my mind attain this quality?
Respectful to all, not expecting their honour, then shall I taste the name’s nectar sublime.
When oh when will that day be mine?

Complete lyrics and translation

Jaya Radha Madhava

15 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Uncategorized Tags: Devotional Service, faith, God, Hare Krishna, Jaya Radha Madhava, Radha-Madhava, Srila Bhaktivinoda, srila-prabhupada-purport

click on image to enlarge

Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava
by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-bihārī
gopī-jana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī

jaya–all glories to: rādhā-mādhava–Rādhā and the Lord of sweetness; kuñja-bihārī–He who enjoys loving pastimes in the groves of Vṛndāvana; gopī-jana-vallabha–the lover of the cowherd maidens of Vraja; giri-vara-dhārī–the holder of the great hill named Govardhana;

Krsna is the lover of Radha. He displays many amorous pastimes in the groves of Vrndavana, He is the lover of the cowherd maidens of Vraja, and the holder of the great hill named Govardhana.

yaśodā-nandana braja-jana-rañjana
yāmuna-tīra-vana-cārī

yaśodā-nandana–the beloved son of mother Yaśodā; vraja-jana-rañjana–the delighter of the inhabitants of Vraja; yāmuna-tīra-vana-cārī–who wanders in the forests along the banks of the river Yamunā

He is the beloved son of mother Yasoda, the delighter of the inhabitants of Vraja, and He wanders in the forests along the banks of the River Yamuna!

Purport to Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava

Prabhupada Memories

09 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Uncategorized Tags: ac-bhaktivedanta, Bramananda, Giriraja, Sri Nathaji, Sri Nathji, Srila Prabhupada, Tamal Krishna

“If Prabhupada wants me to drive faster, I will drive faster.”

A story told by Sri Nathji Prabhu

Sri Nathji: The twenty-eighth of September 1977 was a very sad day. At about 4:30 in the morning I got a phone call from Giriraj Swami. Crying, he said, “I want you to bring your big Dodge car.” I had a huge American car with a back seat long enough to lie down in.Giriraj Swami said, “Prabhupada wants to leave his body.” I said, “What?” I had never heard anybody say that someone “wanted to leave his body.”

“What do you mean, ‘Prabhupada wants to leave his body?’ Where does he want to leave his body?”

He said, “He wants to go to Vrindavan, and he’s leaving his body. He’s going away, and we have to take him to the train station.” By that time Prabhupada hadn’t eaten for nearly six months. He was living only on juice and charanamrita, and his body was depleted.

He had hardly any muscles, and his veins were pressing on his bones. It was very painful to see him. Here was the person with whom I had fought and argued.

Here was the person who was such a fine debater that he was like a lion. He could defeat anyone philosophically.

But that morning, when I saw how very thin Prabhupada was, it reminded me of Krishna’s description in the Bhagavad-gita of a person withdrawing himself like a tortoise withdraws himself within his shell.

So in Bombay, on the twenty-eighth of September 1977, Srila Prabhupada decided to leave, and for the first time I cleaned my car.

Radha Krishna Mudra

07 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Radha Krishna, Uncategorized Tags: Brahmananda Prabhu, Krishna Consciousness, Krishna Radha, Radha Krishna, Radha Krishna Mudra, Srila Prabhupada

On this day in 2014 Brahmananda Prabhu posted this picture with explanation: “This pose or mudra of Radha Krishna is Srila Prabhupada’s favorite photo. He kept it as the main worshippable photo on the altar in his rooms at the LA temple. He said the pose was the perfect expression of Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy of Radha Krishna rasa.”

Acintya-bhedabheda-tattva: One and Different Simultaneously

06 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Uncategorized Tags: achintya-bhedabheda-tattve, God, Krishna, krishnas-creation, Krsna, one-and-different, philosophy, religion, sparks-of-spiritual-energy, spirituality

click on image to enlarge

Here is another word for your vaisnava vocabulary, acintya-bhedabheda-tattva. I was always facinated by this word because its meaning is inconceivable; simultaneous oneness and difference. Srila Prabhupada uses the example of the sun and the sunshine. The sunshine is not different from the sun as it is the engery of the sun, but when the sunshine is shinning in your room you cannot say the sun is in you room. Hence, one and different simultaneously. So similarly, God and His creation are one and different simultaneously One and Different.

Another example Srila Prabhupada uses is a drop of water from the ocean, has the same qualities as the ocean, in quality but not in quanitity. As living entities or as parts of God’s energy, we’re also equal in quality with God, but there’s a vast difference in quantity.

Achintya-bhedabheda-tattva refers to the inconceivable and simultaneous oneness and difference of the Supreme Person and His energies. This is one of the key points of theistic philosophy taught by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. As parts of God’s energy, we’re also equal in quality with God, but there’s a vast difference in quantity. We’re each infinitesimal sparks of spiritual energy, and the Supreme Person, Krishna, is the infinite, supreme source of all energies.

Achintya-bhedabheda-tattva describes the relationship between the Supreme Lord and His energies, including individual souls, as both one with and different from Him simultaneously. This principle is beyond human comprehension, hence the “inconceivable” aspect.

From a lecture at a Christian Monastery – Melbourne April 06, 1972

The Twenty-Six Qualities of a Devotee

03 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Qualities of a Devotee, Uncategorized, Vaisnava Tags: 26 qualities, 26 qualities of a devotee, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, devotee, devotee qualities, Krishna, Krsna, Srila Prabhupada

Sometimes I ask myself, “are you making any spiritual advancement? Are you becoming free from lust anger and greed? And are you developing the qualities of a devotee?”. So, from time to time I like to look up the “qualities of a devotee”, and do a reality check.

Srila Prabhupada exhibits all the super excellent qualities of a devotee. He is the Acarya (one who teaches by example) and is exemplary in showing us how to develop the qualities of a devotee, in order to benefit all living beings and to serve Krsna.

The qualities of a devotee, twenty-six in number, are listed below:

1.) Kind to everyone, 2.) Does not quarrel with anyone, 3.) Fixed in the Absolute Truth, 4.) Equal to everyone, 5.) Faultless, 6.) Charitable, 7.) Mild, 8.) Clean, 9.) Simple, without material possession, 10.) Benevolent, 11.) Peaceful, 12.) Completely attached to Krsna, 13.) Has no material hankering, 14.) Meek, 15.) Steady, 16.) Self-controlled, 17.) Does not eat more than required, 18.) Sane, 19.) Respectful, 20.) Humble, 21.) Grave, 22.) Compassionate, 23.) Friendly, 24.) Poetic, 25.) Silent, 26.) Expert

Ten Incarnations of Krishna

01 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Uncategorized, yugas Tags: A. C. Bhaktivdanta Swami Prabhupada, Balarama, Bhagavad-gita, buddha, incarnation of Krsna, Kalki, Krishna, Kurma, Matsu, Nrisimha, Parasurama, Rama, Vamana, Varaha

From upper left-hand corner: Lord Nrsimhadeva, the man-lion incarnation; Lord Vamana, the dwarf-brahmana incarnation; Lord Parasurama, the warrior incarnation; Lord Ramacandra; Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama; Lord Buddha; Lord Kalki, who destroys all demons at the end of the millennium; Lord Matsya, the fish incarnation; Lord Kurma, the tortoise incarnation; and Lord Varaha, the boar incarnation.

This morning my attention was drawn to the forth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita “As It Is” entitled Transcendental Knowledge. I just opened the book at random and this was the verse I saw…

Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself. (Bg. 4.7)

In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium. (Bg. 4.8)

Lord Krsna appears in every millennium, in various incarnations, to annihilate the demons, protect the devotees and reestablish the principles of religion.