October | 2025 | The Hare Krishna Movement

His Unparalleled Achievement

27 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada's Accomplishments, Uncategorized Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chanting Hare Krishna, every town and village, Founder Acharya, Hare Krishna, His Unparalled Achievment, India, Iskcon, Paratrikananda Das, prabhupada, religion, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada, The Hare Krishna Movement

His Unparalleled Achievement

by Paratrikananda Das

A Summary of Srila Prabhupada’s Miraculous Accomplishments from 1965 to 1977

In reading many of the profiles of Srila Prabhupada, I’m saddened that a number of his important projects, programs and achievements are never mentioned. In the following summary I’ve tried to compile a more comprehensive list of his credits. Although this list is also incomplete, I hope it presents a fuller picture of Srila Prabhupada’s greatness.

In 1965, at seventy years of age, he ventured outside India for the first time to fulfill the order of his spiritual master. During his voyage at sea, he suffered two severe heart attacks. He reached the shores of America with virtually no money to his name.

He founded the International Society for Krsna Consciousness with a small group of disciples, after a year of struggling alone in New York City. This marked the only time in history that a Krsna devotee successfully trained non-Indians in the strict disciplines of Vaisnavism. Amazingly, this was achieved during the blossoming of America’s hedonistic counterculture movement.

He sent his followers, chanting the names of God, into the streets of cities and towns everywhere and Hare Krsna became famous in every corner of the earth.

Disappearance Day of Srila Prabhupada

25 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Uncategorized Tags: ac-bhaktivedanta, disappearance day of Srila Prabhupada, faith, God, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada

Dear Srila Prabhupada

Please accept my humble obeisances, and kindly forgive my offences.

I offer my most humble and heartfelt obeisance’s on this most auspicious day of your disappearance. As Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur has reminded us:

He reasons ill who says that Vaiṣṇavas die,
When thou art living still in sound!
The Vaiṣṇavas die to live, and living try
To spread the holy name around.

For me there is no difference between your appearance day and your disappearance day, for you are very much alive, in the hearts of you disciples. You live on, in your words and instructions.

Recently we visited Buttler PA, where you first preached the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and we witnessed your humble introduction to America.

Thank you for coming to this world to save us in spite of the tremendous difficulties and obstacles which you had to face alone, depending solely on the mercy of the Supreme Lord Krishna and your eternal spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

Thank you for coming to America, and bringing with you so many matchless gifts. Not only did you bring the message of Krishna and Lord Caitanya, but you brought with you music and art, Vedic medicine, the science of cooking vegetarian food, and the keys to a healthy and productive life, in the service of God. I may never have learned who is God, had you not appeared on our shores.

Although I am an unworthy disciple, full of faults, I approach you with the greatest appreciation, and utmost respect, for you are the greatest spiritual ambassador to spread Krishna Consciousness all over the world.

I don’t have the words to properly glorify you, so instead, in closing, I want to quote from you, in your closing address to your Spiritual master Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, given in homage in 1936:

Personally, I have no hope for any direct service for the coming crores of births of the sojourn of my life, but I am confident that some day or other I shall be delivered from this mire of delusion in which I am at present so deeply sunk. Therefore let me with all my earnestness pray at the lotus feet of my divine master to allow me to suffer the lot for which I am destined due to my past misdoings, but to let me have this power of recollection: that I am nothing but a tiny servant of the Almighty Absolute Godhead, realized through the unflinching mercy of my divine master. Let me therefore bow down at his lotus feet with all the humility at my command. -Abhay Charan Das 1936

Begging to remain in your service

Vyasasan das

Dissapearance Day of His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

25 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Uncategorized Tags: disappearance day of Srila Prabhupada, guru, guru and disciple, Hare Krishna, India, philosophy, religion, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada

So today we honor the Disappearance Day of our Srila Prabhupada. We honor this day with a half day fast and remembrances.

He reasons ill who says that Vaiṣṇavas die,
When thou art living still in sound!
The Vaiṣṇavas die to live, and living try
To spread the holy name around.

[Nārada Bhakti Sūtra – Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura]

Srila Prabhupada is still present through his words and instructions. We would like to share with you the following speech was delivered in 1936 Bombay by the pure devotee who three decades later will become the world-renowned spiritual master of The Hare Krishna Movement. Abhay Charan das who latter becomes His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada glorifies his own spiritual master Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Goswami Maharaja with this Appearance day (Vyasa-puja) homage. Thus we learn the time-honored meaning of spiritual master, disciple and their relationship.

Devastating Rainfall in Vrndavana

22 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Uncategorized Tags: ac-bhaktivedanta-swami, God, govardan-hill, govardan-puja, India, Indra, Krishna, Krsna, Krsna Book, prabhupada purports, religion, spirituality

Today we celebrate Govardhana-puga, when Krishna exhibited His transcendental pastime of lifting Govardhana Hill to protect the inhabitants of Vrndavan.

…The sacrifice known as Govardhana Pūjā is observed in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Lord Caitanya has recommended that since Kṛṣṇa is worshipable, so His land, Vṛndāvana and Govardhana Hill, are also worshipable. To confirm this statement, Lord Kṛṣṇa said that Govardhana Pūjā is as good as worship of Him. From that day, the Govardhana Pūjā has been still going on and is known as Annakūṭa. In all the temples of Vṛndāvana or outside of Vṛndāvana, huge quantities of food are prepared in this ceremony and are very sumptuously distributed to the general population. Sometimes the food is thrown to the crowds, and they enjoy collecting it off the ground. From these instances, we can understand that prasādam offered to Kṛṣṇa never becomes polluted or contaminated, even if it is thrown on the ground. The people, therefore, collect it and eat with great satisfaction. (from Kṛṣṇa, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, chapter 24)

On this auspicious day, we like to read from KRSNA Book, and I have included the entire 25th chapter emtitled, “Devastating Rainfall in Vrndavana”.

Krishna Balarama

21 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Uncategorized Tags: ac-bhaktivedanta, bhakti, Krishna Balarama, Krsna Book, Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, love, mother-yosoda, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada, yogis

When we were in India for the 50th Anniversary of the Krishna Balarama Mandir, I saw this beautiful painting of Krishna, Balarama and Mother Yasoda. I know it is not the best image…as the glass was reflecting the sunlight…but there was something about this painting that captured my imagination and just pulled me into the pastime.

“O Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for liberation, nor eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon. My only prayer is that Your childhood pastimes may constantly appear in my mind. O Lord, I do not even want to know Your feature of Paramatma. I simply wish that Your childhood pastimes may ever be enacted in my heart.” (verse 4 from the Sri Damodarastaka)

Radha Damodara

17 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Uncategorized Tags: India, Kartika, Krishna, month of Damodara, Radha-Damodara, rdtsp, religion, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada, The Hare Krishna Movement, travel, traveling sankirtan, vishnujana swami

click on image to enlarge

This month of Kartika or the month of Damodara, has always been very dear. It is probably because Radha Damodara were the first worshipable Radha Krishna deities I had the good fortune to serve. When I joined the Hare Krishna movement, I was assigned to the Radha Damodara Traveling Sankirtan Party (RDTSP). I traveled with the bus party for the first year of my devotional career, and when the bus party broke up, I was re-assigned to the Gita Nagari farm, where I was engaged for some time as a carpenter building the new temple for the Radha Damodara deities who reside there. I guess we always remember our first love. -V

Worship of Sri Sri Radha-Damodara

Radharani is especially keen to hear Krishna’s pastimes, but She is particularly attracted to the Damodara pastime. Charmed by Damodara’s mood of surrender in agreeing to be bound by Mother Yasoda’s love, Sri Radha longs to have that same exchange with Krishna. She desires to express such intense love for Krishna that He will also agree to be bound by Her love. Appreciating this mood of Mother Yasoda to enhance Her own feelings for Krishna, She resolves to experience this same reciprocation of love.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.20 Purport) Radha-Damodara thus refers to Radharani’s mood of intense attraction for this pastime between Damodara and Mother Yasoda.

Neither Lord Brahma, nor Lord Siva, nor even the goddess of fortune, who is always the better half of the Supreme Lord, can obtain from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the deliverer from this material world, such mercy as recieved by mother Yasoda. (Srimad Bhagavan 10.9.20)

Makhan-chor The Butter Thief

16 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Uncategorized Tags: ac-bhaktivedanta, Damodara, health, Kartika, Krishna, Krsna, Krsna Book, makhan-chor, nutrition, srila-prabhupadaq

Makhan-chor The Butter Thief

All the gopī friends of Yaśodā and Rohiṇī enjoyed the naughty childish activities of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Vṛndāvana. In order to enjoy further transcendental bliss, they all assembled and went to mother Yaśodā to lodge complaints against the restless boys. When Kṛṣṇa was sitting before mother Yaśodā, all the elderly gopīs began to lodge complaints against Him so that Kṛṣṇa could hear. They said, “Dear Yaśodā, why don’t you restrict your naughty Kṛṣṇa? He comes to our houses along with Balarāma every morning and evening, and before the milking of the cows They let loose the calves, and the calves drink all the milk of the cows. So when we go to milk the cows, we find no milk, and we have to return with empty pots. If we warn Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma about doing this, They simply smile charmingly. We cannot do anything. Also, your Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma find great pleasure in stealing our stock of yogurt and butter from wherever we keep it. When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are caught stealing the yogurt and butter, They say, ’Why do you charge Us with stealing? Do you think that butter and yogurt are in scarcity in Our house?’ Sometimes They steal butter, yogurt and milk and distribute them to the monkeys. When the monkeys are well fed and do not take any more, then your boys chide, ’This milk and butter and yogurt are useless–even the monkeys won’t take it.’ And They break the pots and throw them hither and thither. If we keep our stock of yogurt, butter and milk in a solitary dark place, your Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma find it in the darkness by the glaring effulgence of the ornaments and jewels on Their bodies. If by chance They cannot find the hidden butter and yogurt, They go to our little babies and pinch their bodies so that they cry, and then They go away. If we keep our stock of butter and yogurt high on the ceiling, hanging on a swing, although it is beyond Their reach, They arrange to reach it by piling all kinds of wooden crates over the grinding machine. And if They cannot reach, They make a hole in the pot. We think therefore that you better take all the jeweled ornaments from the bodies of your children.”

Damodara Lila

14 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Damodara, Kartika, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, Krsna, Krsna Book, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Uncategorized Tags: ac-bhaktivedanta, Kartika, Krishna, Krsna Book, Lord Damodara, month of Damodar, mother yashoda, songs of the vaisnava acharyas, the month of kartika

We are now in the month of Damodara (Kartika). In honor and in celebration of the month of Damodara, we will be focusing our attention on the pastimes of Krishna in Vrndavan. Especially Krishna’s childhood pastimes. The following is the first verse from the Damodarastkam prayer which is sung morning and evening, and it is customary to offer a candle or gee lamp as well to a picture of Lord Krsna and Mother Yasoda.

“To the supreme controller who possesses an eternal form of blissful knowledge, whose glistening earrings swing to and fro, who manifested Himself in Gokula, who stole the butter that the gopis kept hanging from the rafters of their storerooms and who then quickly jumped up and ran in retreat in fear of Mother Yasoda, but was ultimately caught-to that Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances.“ (Sri Damodarastakam verse 1)

The Month of Kartika

07 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Uncategorized Tags: Damodara, God, hinduism, Kartika, Krishna, month of Damodara, month of Kartika, religion, songs of the vaisnava acharyas, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada

Last night was the full moon (purnima), the harvest moon, which marks the month of Kartika, or as I like to say, the month of Damodara. As always during this month, we sing the Damodara prayers (Sri Damodararastaka) daily and light a candle to offer. It is also a good time to read from the KRSNA Book and just delight in the childhood pastimes of Lord Krishna.

Included below are the lyrics and translations from the original “Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas” song book.