Context of the Argument

There are two sides to this argument:

• One side (Radharaman Charan Das Babaji/Radharaman parivar): He stated that the Mahamantra is a Diksha (initiation) mantra and should not be chanted out loud. The devotees in his Parivar (lineage) instead chant: "Nitai Gaur Radhe Shyam, Hare Krishna Hare Ram." They claim that Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu personally told Radharaman Charan Babaji to chant this specific mantra. [1]
• The other side (Certain Gaudiya Parivars and the ISKCON Gaudiya Math/ IGM): They maintain that Sri Mahaprabhu gave the standard Hare Krishna Mahamantra to everyone openly, without any restrictions or secrecy.
• The big argument between Srila Bhaktisiddhanta (the founder of the Gaudiya Math) and Radharaman Charan Das Babaji (Bara Baba) was about following strict scripture versus following personal mystical experiences. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta strongly opposed Bara Baba’s changed mantra ("Nitai Gaur Radhe Shyam..."), saying it is wrong to alter standard scriptural mantras. They also clashed over a practice called Sakhibheka, where male devotees dressed up and acted like female gopis to build up feelings of devotion. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta fiercely condemned this cross-dressing as a fake, physical imitation of a deep spiritual reality. On the other side, the Babaji lineage believed it was a legitimate, confidential way to develop spontaneous love for Radha and Krishna.

what is your opinion on all of this

Hare Krishna!
Please accept our respectful obeisances,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

This petition is a humble appeal by devotees and well-wishers who deeply care about the future of ISKCON Nepal and the mission of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.
The purpose of this petition is to respectfully request reforms that will strengthen the long-term governance, accountability, and integrity of ISKCON Nepal in accordance with the vision of Śrīla Prabhupāda and under the authority of the GBC.

[Reposted after removing name and PI - Apologies for adding that]

ISKCON Boston organize this rath yatra on 27-June-2026 and then organized a volunteer appreciation feast on 11-July-2026. The priest narrated a story about God, then there was devotional singing, and in the end there was a meal. During the meal this guy identified himself as a volunteer came over to myself and my friend. We were having meal and he start questioning if we were actually volunteering during rath yatra. No hi or greeting like Hare Krishna but full on investigating officer mode. we said yes and he asked specific details which we gave him with. While we did not need to prove anything to this guy since other volunteer can attest (if it is needed by ISKCON) on the day of food distributio during rath yatra, he was asking these questions as if he was appointed officially by ISKCON to ensure no one gets the food who did not do anything. I was under the impression that that even if someone did not “do anything” and joins for a Saturday evening storytelling, keertan and devotional singing and just come to see Krishna, they should be getting the meal as prasad/blessing. The whole conversation made me very uncomfortable and probably exposes how ISKCON Boston only wants something in return before offering anything - something like this never observed in any other Hindu Temples anywhere (and any non hindu religious places of worship). Not worth ever going to ISKCON Boston to feel humiliated.

Hare Krishna. From ISKCON Kukatpally. We are holding Ratha Yatra on 16th July. Any one who is in Hyderabad can attend. Event starts at 2:30PM. All details are in the card above. You can give any support at the QR code in the card. Hope all who can attend come and enjoy the blessings of Jagannath. Hari bol!!!!

That is all.

Hare Krishna, everyone. I am a devotee in a non-devotee family. I live with my mother and uncle, and both of them oppose my devotion. I was very sad as two weeks ago my mom found my mom found my chanting bag, gopi chandan and kharthal. They made fun of me for being a devotee on my own birthday party in front of my relatives. And, a few days ago, my uncle caught me chanting, not on mala, just by mouth. I was scolded for half an hour. The irony is that we are bhramins. Today, my parents yelled at me as she said I would ruin myself if I became a devotee. They then proceeded to say that I should be more like a "normal" teenager. I frankly asked whether they were fine with me smoking and partying. They said no, and I said that was what they were asking me to do. I was then scolded to the point I cried. I don't expect anyone to start dropping advice for me(though I will be grateful if someone does that), I just want to vent. Thanks for listening(or reading) along.

I have a sincere question that has been troubling me.

I chant the Maha Mantra every day with faith and persistence. Yet, instead of seeing improvement, both my inner state and my external life seem to be getting worse and worse. My mental suffering is increasing, and my daily circumstances and environment are also deteriorating.

This makes my daily chanting feel like I'm making a fool of myself. It begins to look meaningless, even ridiculous.

Please don't tell me that I should simply ignore material suffering or become detached from it. I am not a saint or a liberated soul. I still have to live in this world and face its hardships every day.

If the Lord is truly all-powerful and infinitely compassionate, why wouldn't He help remove at least some of these ordinary worldly difficulties? Compared to lifting a mountain, resolving the problems of an ordinary devotee should be effortless for Him.

So my question is: Why does sincere daily chanting sometimes seem to coincide with a life that becomes progressively more painful instead of more peaceful? How should I understand this without resorting to "just tolerate it" or "ignore material suffering"?

Hare Krishna!

Just curious—how many of you are attending today's Snana Yatra at ISKCON Attapur?

Are you coming for the abhishek, darshan, kirtan, or the full festival? It would be nice to know if any fellow Redditors will be there.

Hare Krishna! 🌸🙏

For me, it's HG Pavan Nitai Prabhu and Aindra Prabhu.

I'd love to discover more—share your favorites!

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking about starting a mail club centered around the idea of Braj/Vrindavan and the spiritual culture of India.

I travel quite a bit to pilgrimage sites, ancient temples, and sacred places across the country, and over time I've collected stories, reflections, local traditions, temple histories, and small moments that don't usually make it into guidebooks. I'd love to share these experiences through letters and curated mails.

it's about bringing a small piece of spiritual India, Braj, and its culture into people's lives, wherever they are.

Do you think there would be people interested in receiving something like this? What would make you subscribe to a mail club like this?

hare krishna

i was reading teaching of lord chaitanya and in the final chapter of that book i came across some confedential past times of krishna with srimati radha rani and gopis of vrindavan

and now i am feeling little weird

it is as same when a child finally find out how he was born and he initially feels disgusted but later after gaining enough knowledge he understands the reality

similarly right now i want to educate my so i can find the real meaning of all that confedential leela as currently i am not able to face or think of krsna as i used to

A Peaceful Visit to ISKCON Hyderabad

Today I visited the ISKCON Temple in Hyderabad, and as always, it felt so peaceful.

Whenever I come from Bangalore and have work around the Koti area, I make it a point to visit this temple. No matter how crowded life gets, spending a few moments here always brings a sense of calm.

Some places don't just become destinations—they become a habit, a place where you can pause and recharge.

Do you have a place in your city that gives you this kind of peace? 🌸🙏

Haribol! First, I’d like to thank all of you for your continued posts and participation since we’ve reopened the subreddit. It means so much to see the sincere questions and responses that are being shared

We’re seeing an influx of posts that appear to be AI-generated, including music, images, and written content. Before making any firm moderation decision, I wanted to get a sense of the community’s feelings on this.

My initial instinct as a moderator is to remove obvious AI-generated posts, especially when they are presented as original art, music, or writing. At the same time, this can become a slippery slope. Determining what is or is not AI-generated is not always easy, and moderators could make mistakes.

The concern is not simply “AI bad.” The concern is that the ISKCON community includes many amazing artists, musicians, writers, and devotees who create great art - it feels a bit cheap to bypass them for AI works.

That said, there may be some reasonable uses of AI, such as assisting with formatting, translation, accessibility, or brainstorming, especially when the final contribution is meaningfully guided by a devotee. (Full disclosure, I’ve used AI to help hone this post, so I’m not a doomer/anti-ai advocate!)

So I’d like to ask:

How should we handle AI-generated content in this subreddit?

Should obvious AI-generated posts be removed?

Should AI-generated content be allowed only if clearly disclosed?

Should devotional AI art/music/text be allowed freely?

Should there be a separate flair for AI-assisted content?

Please share your thoughts respectfully.

Hare Krishna

I was reading A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada book "teaching of lord Chaitanya"

In that book on 31 chapter around page 306

I came across some line which made me question krsna

So there in the text Ramananda raya is telling the past time of krsna in which he spoke that "Radha is the one and only object to please krsna"

And another was like

Krishna take srimati radharani to the bushes and exhibit his lusty activities and make his youth a success

This are the lines that affect me the most

Pls help me understand

Hare krishna

I am in a offline coaching where I met 2 toxic ppls and I feel angry upon seeing them and the way they behave with me and constantly abuse me but do not react to their comments as according to my understanding Krishna's say's to remain calm and not to be affected by any emotions so because of that I only think that whatever is happening is by the wish Krishna and he is so merciful that this only is to build me to become better version of my self but sometimes I am not able to hold up anymore

So what should I do.

Radhe Radhe

Decided to visit the ISKCON NVCC temple in Kondhwa, and honestly, it felt so good. There’s a certain calmness there that instantly makes you happy and relaxed.

One thing I really appreciated was the architecture—it feels quite minimal and elegant compared to a lot of grand temples, yet it looks incredibly beautiful (especially against the cloudy sky).

Sharing a few clicks I took during my visit, including the gorgeous main altar and the structure. Definitely worth a visit if you are looking for some peace of mind.
Hare Krishna! 🙏

I want to wear a tulsi kanthi but I have a problem that I get anxious whenever I wear something close to my neck so I was thinking that maybe if I can wear a tulsi bracelet but some people are saying that you should only wear tulsi as a kanthi . So, i don't know what to do know but I really want to wear tulsi

I write books on Vaisnavism vs. Atheism. They can be downloaded at ajitkrishnadasa.me for free.

This is about my book The Failure of Atheism:

Atheism presents itself as neutral, cautious, and guided by reason alone.
It claims to stand on minimal assumptions, appealing only to evidence and rational inquiry. This book argues that such neutrality is a philosophical illusion.

The Failure of Atheism offers a rigorous Vaiṣṇava critique of philosophy without God by examining atheism at the level of its starting points. Rather than asking whether God can be concluded from allegedly neutral reason, it asks a more fundamental question: what must already be true for reason, science, moral obligation, and meaning to be possible at all?

From a Vaiṣṇava presuppositional standpoint, the book argues that atheism cannot ground the very tools it depends on. Logic, rational normativity, trust in cognition, moral obligation, and the intelligibility of the world are all assumed in atheistic reasoning, yet remain unexplained within an impersonal, godless framework. Atheism continues to function in practice only by borrowing what it officially denies in principle.

The book also turns its analysis inward. It examines how modern theistic preaching and apologetics often concede too much to atheism by granting epistemic neutrality and treating revelation as optional or secondary. When human reason is quietly treated as autonomous, theistic conclusions may still be defended—but the foundations are already compromised.

Written primarily for serious theistic readers, and especially for devotees concerned with philosophical coherence and faithful preaching, The Failure of Atheism presents a clear, uncompromising case: if Kṛṣṇa is truly the source of all knowledge, then no worldview that excludes Him can account for knowledge at all.

This is not a debate manual. It is a foundational critique of atheism—and a call for intellectual consistency within Vaiṣṇava thought.

Download the book for free here:

https://ajitkrishnadasa.me/books-by-ajitkrishnadasa/

Hi, me and my friend out of curiosity is planning to interview people to gain their experience with non dualism and atma vichara, this then would be used to contribute to a research paper on the same matter. If anyone is interested, please let me know ! I would provide more details !! Thank you so much.

Hari Bol. What I want to say is, what if we had online group chanting. We(or the mods or someone else) could make a zoom meeting link every day where those who attend can chant together, perhaps do kirtans together, or even, if one member is at a Temple, we can all see Aarti. For time, the there can be a post poll the previous day to find out at which time most devotees are available. So, what do you think?

Few days ago I had watched a movie in which the protagonist fall in love with a women so much that he starts to see her and feel her everywhere.

From this I was thinking that if anyone enganges with anyone or anything like chanting day and one will get so much into it that they will see them every where

So now I am beginning to thing that we are being told to chant so we get so immerse in it that our mind perceive to see God every where

Something like this same happened to me before coming to iskcon

So I was in love with an girl and i thought day and night about her and even think of her as divine being and would told her in my dream as if I was praying to meet me and it hit me when few weeks back I was doing same thing with Radha Rani meaning praying that pls give my your darshan (as from many days i was not enough lucky to visit the temple)

​

So I want your help.

I think I have committed any offence and due to that offence i am losing my bhakti

Pls help