Year: 2025

Opinion

The Meaning of Prabhupada’s Empowerment in ISKCON

by Mukunda Goswami

An important insight is that empowerment isn’t limited to renunciates. When a brahmana named Kurma wanted to leave his family life, Lord Chaitanya advised him to stay home and chant the holy name. This teaching affirms that householders, often underestimated, are fully capable of spreading Krishna consciousness.

Memories

Aindra’s Meeting Srila Prabhupada and Sankirtana

by Kalachandji das

In July of ’76, the Rādhā-Dāmodara Party converged on Washington, D.C., for the 200th anniversary of American independence. Śrīla Prabhupāda was there, and though Aindra had been His Divine Grace’s initiated disciple for three years, he had never seen his guru mahārāja in person.

Founder Acharya

Interview with Urmila Devi Dasi: Part 1 Varna and Career-Specific Education

Interviewer: Devotees want to work and live in a devotee community and have financial stability. And these two things seem not very compatible. And that’s what causes the problem.

Urmila D.D.: That’s the problem because we haven’t trained devotees that you can go out into the world as a devotee and that your work can still be devotional service. We discouraged the devotees from doing that.
We’re okay if people who are already financially stable and successful in their careers become devotees and then stay in their careers and have influence in their careers somehow. We didn’t use to be—in the early days of ISKCON, we would tell them to drop everything and move into the asrama. I’d say, the last maybe 10–20 years, we’ve been fine to preach sthane sthitah. You can stay in your place and be a devotee.

Founder Acharya

Fidelity to Founder-Acharya as the Core Principle for Debate Culture

While devotional spirituality is rooted in humility and surrender, the tradition of Gaudiya Vaisnavism as taught by Srila Prabhupada is not silent about the value of argument. In fact, reasoned debate has a meaningful role, particularly when used to protect and promote the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (gaura-vani), and to defend the minds and hearts of practicioners from philosophies such as sunyavada (voidism) and impersonal advaita speculations. In this context, argument becomes an act of fidelity—using the power of reason not only to refute what is false but to remain aligned with the mood and mission of Srila Prabhupada.

However, when argument is misused—driven by ego, position, politics, or manipulation—it damages the mission of gaura-vani-pracara…

Poetry and Writing

Vision of Eternity

You met with colossal success, making the holy name a household word, while thousands waited on your every instruction, ready to surrender their life to please you. You never saw it as your ability, purity or power, but saw everything as a manifestation of Krishna’s divine grace and mystic potency. Thus your glory expanded.

I don’t have such vision, and can’t imagine that I ever will. Nevertheless, by meditating on you, I hope I’ll get a glimpse of what you see. I often stop and consider, “what would Prabhupada do?” I’ll keep that mantra central to my life, as I navigate the chaos of the world and try to do my little bit to share your wisdom with the world. Thanks for displaying the vision of eternity. Thanks for making my life a purposeful, exciting, transcendental adventure. I can never repay you.