10 Dec 2025
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya, Free Downloads, The Hare Krishna Movement
Tags: Chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna Movement, Krishna, Krsna, krsna consciousness, philosophy of the Hare Krishna Movement, Srila Prabhupada, the krsna consciousness handbook
I first ran across this book some twenty years ago, although it was printed in 1970, I was surprised to learn there was a handbook for devotees. I found it to be a treasure house of basic guidelines for developing our Krsna consciousness, as well as presenting the philosophy very simply. Nice little book.
click on link for free pdf download: The Krsna Consciousness Handbook
Introduction
This is the first annual edition of The Krsna Consciousness Handbook. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was founded in 1966 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and is now becoming firmly established, with centers in thirty major cities around the world and world headquarters in Los Angeles,California. The goal of the Society’s members is to attain love of God by following the principles of bhakti-yoga,as ·taught by the Vedic scriptures and the disciplic succession of spiritual masters, and to spread love of God to all people through the process of sankirtana
(public chanting of the holy names of God). Another important goal of the Society is to present authoritative literature on the science of God in English and other major languages.
17 Nov 2025
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Uncategorized
Tags: ac-bhaktivedanta, Chanting Hare Krishna, hansadutta das, Hare Krsna, Hare Rama, India, Krishna, religion, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada
The Holy Name Is All There Is
by Hansadutta das
Although Srila Prabhupada wrote many books, he one day asked me, “So why did I write all these books?” I said, “So we can know the philosophy, learn the philosophy.” He said, “No, the purpose of all these books is to convince you to chant the holy name of Krishna.”
Chanting is exactly like the simple method of inhaling and exhaling. Although it seems like a very simple act, it is nevertheless the essence of the whole thing. Without that inhaling and exhaling, none of the other activities can take place. We also understand that no one simply inhales and exhales, but all the other activities are supportive of the inhaling and exhaling.
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27 Oct 2025
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.
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14 Sep 2025
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Uncategorized
Tags: Back to Godhead Magizine, Chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, India, mantra meditation, meditation, religion, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam, yoga
Chanting the Maha Mantra, or the great “chant for deliverance”, is very easy, and can be preformed anywhere, anytime. Srila Prabhupada has said “from your lips to your ears”, it is that easy. It is the kind of yoga (union), or meditation, one can easily practice anywhere, anytime.
Chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the easiest process of meditation. (from purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 4.8.53)
No other means of spiritual realization is as effective in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy as the chanting of the mahā-mantra: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. (BTG #30 1970)
Chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mantra
(appeared as a separate pamphlet in 1967 and reproduced from the article “On Chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra” published in the 1970 Back to Godhead Magazine number 34)
“This simplest method of meditation is recommended for this age. By practical experience also, one can perceive that by chanting this mahā-mantra, or the Great Chanting for Deliverance, one can feel a transcendental ecstasy coming through from the spiritual stratum.”
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27 May 2025
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Uncategorized
Tags: ac-bhaktivedanta-swami, Chanting Hare Krishna, India, Krishna, religion, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada, The Hare Krishna Movement, vishnujana swami
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magizine
New York City, March 31, 1974
by His Holiness Visnujana Svami.
“One may artificially repress the desires of the senses, although the taste for sensual enjoyment remains; but by ceasing such enjoyments, experiencing a higher taste, one is fixed in consciousness.” (Bhagavad-gita 2.59)
Visnujana Swami: “When one experiences ruci, which, means a taste for Spiritual life, he can rise above the attraction of the illusory energy by the mercy of the Lord. Then he is able to feel vairagya. Vairagya is the strength that protects us, even when we are neophytes in Krishna consciousness, from breaking the Krishna conscious regulative principles and being attracted to the flickering sensual enjoyments of the mundane world. Ruci, and vairagya-the taste for spiritual life and the strength to maintain it-are rarely achieved.
If you had a huge diamond and were carrying it around with you on the street, people might flock to see such a diamond. Ruci and vairagya, however, are much more valuable diamonds. But although you are all walking through the streets with these valuable gifts, unfortunately no one is interested, in following you to take advantage of them. Ruci and vairagya are such wonderful gems, however, that if you give them away to others, these gems will still stay with you.
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23 May 2025
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chanting Hare Krishna, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, Prasadam, Uncategorized
Tags: Chanting Hare Krishna, chanting-dancing-and-feasting, dancing-in-kirtan, eating-krisna-prasadam, India, religion, spirituality
I was thinking how Srila Prabhupada always referred to the the process of Krishna Consciousness as Joyful. He mentioned this joyful process in his letters, we share some of them with you.
Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
CENTER: 1975 So. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90034
DATE: July 15, 1969
My Dear Jadurany,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your recent letter, and I have noted the contents. Regarding Festivals in Boston, you may hold as many as possible. If you can hold such festivals daily, that is also nice. Our movement is for ananda, simply bliss, and the method of pushing this movement is chanting, dancing, feasting and philosophizing. So in our almanac there are many festivals in every month. I am enclosing some festivals which were already held in Los Angeles, and if you perform them, I will give you a long list of others. But don’t embarrass yourself at present with greater plans than you can handle. The more you get devotees the more you will be able to perform nice festivals.
I am glad that Boston is improving in so many ways. So far as painting is concerned, you can begin now. I have already advised you this in a note enclosed with Tape #14 of Krishna. So read the Krishna tape transcriptions and draw pictures as many as possible. Each picture should be very much attractive, colorful and nice so that people will appreciate these paintings also. Our standard size will be like TLC, and you can make the pictures accordingly. According to my idea the pictures should be proportionate to 81/2 x 11. The style of the book will be like TLC so far as paper, print and binding are concerned.
Please convey my blessings to Satsvarupa and the others. I hope this will meet you all in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
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15 May 2025
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Chanting Hare Krishna, Mantra Meditation, Uncategorized, Yoga
Tags: Chanting Hare Krishna, mantra, mantra meditation, meditation, mindfulness, religion, spirituality, yoga
This morning while I was chanting my japa (chanting silently the Hare Krishna mantra) I was thinking of how Google defined mantra meditation. So many people today have heard the words yoga and meditation, but what do they think it means? Some think yoga is just a good form of exercise, and meditation is just a way of shutting out the noise, and thinking of nothing. So I did a Google search:
Mantra meditation involves repeating a sacred sound, word, or phrase to focus the mind and promote relaxation. This technique helps to quiet the mind and allow for deeper states of meditation. The repeated mantra acts as a point of focus, helping to direct the mind and reduce mental chatter.
Mantra meditation is a technique that involves using mantras to relax the mind and help it focus.
Not bad definitions really, but for me, actually Yoga means “Union with God”, and Meditation means “Meditation on God”. So the ultimate goal of Yoga is bhakti-yoga, and the highest form of Mantra-meditation is to focus on God (Krishna).
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25 Mar 2025
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chanting Hare Krishna, George Harrison, humble, Krsna Consciousness, Sriman George Harrison, Uncategorized
Tags: Chanting Hare Krishna, faith, George Harrison, God, Hare Krishna, humility, India, Krishna, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada
George Harrison:
“I liked Prabhupada’s humbleness. I always liked his humility and his simplicity. The servant of the servant of the servant is really what it is, you know. None of us are God—just His servants. He just made me feel so comfortable. I always felt very relaxed with him, and I felt more like a friend. I felt that he was a good friend. Even though he was at the time seventy-nine years old, working practically all through the night, day after day, with very little sleep, he still didn’t come through to me as though he was a very highly educated intellectual being, because he had a sort of childlike simplicity. Which is great, fantastic. Even though he was the greatest Sanskrit scholar and a saint, I appreciated the fact that he never made me feel uncomfortable. In fact, he always went out of his way to make me feel comfortable. I always thought of him as sort of a lovely friend, really, and now he’s still a lovely friend.
“That was the thing about Prabhupada, you see. He didn’t just talk about loving Krishna and getting out of this place, but he was the perfect example. He talked about always chanting, and he was always chanting. I think that that in itself was perhaps the most encouraging thing for me. It was enough to make me try harder, to be just a little bit better. He was a perfect example of everything he preached.
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20 Feb 2025
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chanting Hare Krishna, Haridasa Thakura, Maha-mantra, Mantra Meditation, Uncategorized, Vyasasan das
Tags: bhakti yoga, Chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Haridasa Thakur, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, mantra meditation, Namacharya
For many of us we struggle to chant our prescribed 16 rounds of japa daily. I know for me it is a daily struggle, if I wake up to late, if I am traveling, if I am sick, or have a headache, or just feeling lazy and unmotivated. But I try.
This morning my japa was pretty good, I felt inspired, and I was knocking of the rounds rather effortlessly, and I was thinking about Haridas Thakur who daily chanted 300,000 names or about 175 rounds. I can’t even imagine. But I felt inspired by thinking about him, and wanted to do a post about him. -V
“Haridāsa Ṭhākura is known as nāmācārya because it is he who preached the glories of chanting hari-nāma, the holy name of God.”
“Haridas Thakur chanted 3 lakhs of names each day, that means 16 names in the mantra, 108×16 or 1,728 names in each round of mala, dividing 300,000 by 1,728 comes to roundabout 175 rounds on beads daily. And for us it is even difficult to chant 16 rounds! That is why Haridas Thakur is namacharya. We find in Chaitanya Charitamrta information that both Lord Chaitanya and Haridas Thakur were constantly absorbed in chanting the Hare Krishna mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 2, 1972)
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05 Jan 2025
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in chanting, Chanting Hare Krishna, Free Downloads, Mantra Meditation
Tags: Chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, India, Krishna, Krsna, spirituality, sri-namamrta, Srila Prabhupada, the-nectar-of-the-holy-name, travel
This morning I was looking through my bookshelf and I saw a book I didn’t recognize. But when I opened it, I saw my name was written on the first page. I must have purchased it on one of our trips. I had completely forgotten about it, and it was still brand new. I love a new book, so I was overjoyed to discover what was inside. Thousands of quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s many books on the Nectar of the Holy Name. So today I am posting just a few of them that jumped out at me, but I am also including the entire book as a free PDF at bottom of post.
‘kanhara smarana jiva karibe anuksana?’
‘krsna−nama−guna−lila−pradhana smarana’
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked, “What should all living entities constantly remember?”
Ramananda Raya replied, “The chief object of remembrance is always the holy name of the
Lord, His qualities and pastimes.”
(Sri Caitanya−caritamrta Madhya−lila 8.252)
krte yad dhyayato visnum
tretayam yajato makhaih
dvapare paricaryayam
kalau tad dhari−kirtanat
[Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Pariksit]:
“Whatever result was obtained in Satya−yuga by meditating on Visnu, in Treta−yuga by
performing sacrifices and in Dvapara−yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet can also be
obtained in Kali−yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha−mantra.”
(Srimad−Bhagavatam 12.3.52)
The Holy Name Is the Universal and Supreme Religion for this Age
harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
(Sri Caitanya−caritamrta Adi 17.21)
“In this age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative for
spiritual progress than the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.”
krsna−varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra−parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana−prayair
yajanti hi su−medhasah
“The pious results derived from chanting the thousand holy names of Visnu three times can
be attained by only one repetition of the holy name of Krsna.”
( Sri Caitanya−caritamrta Madhya−lila 9.33)
trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih
“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself
lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all
sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one
can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”
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11 Dec 2024
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Uncategorized
Tags: 16 rounds, Bhagavad-gita, Chanting Hare Krishna, four-regulative-princiaples, India, Krishna, Krsna, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada, Vyasasan das
Do The Best You Can
by; Vyasasan das
I remember on the morning of my initiation, 48+ years ago, my mind was completely disturbed. Srila Prabhupada was in New York for the big 1976 Rathayathra Festival, and I was there with the Radha Damodara Traveling Sankirtan Party. I had been traveling with the RDTSKP for the last year doing festivals and book distribution, and today right after the morning program I was about to get my first initiation. Like I said, my mind was disturbed. I was in total anxiety, never felt such terrible anxiety and doubt before. I wasn’t sure I could go through with it, wasn’t sure I could make such a serious promise. “I promise to chant 16 rounds and follow all 4 regulative principles.” I mean, I’m pretty sure I can follow some of the regulative principles, and chant some of my rounds every day, but 4 regs. and 16 rounds every day for the rest of my days, I don’t know?
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