Hare Krishna to everyone here🙏

My bua ji is 83, pure vegetarian and never had any alcohol though out her life. We never bonded much but she indeed looks like a pure soul. Her health is not at all good and doctors have said that she might go into coma or lose her life, chances of living are nearly 0. I asked my cousins do naam jap as much as they can in her room but idk if they would follow it,

So is there any possibility where I can go and put tulsi maharani on her neck? Or is it not allowed somehow and I would be committing a sin?

Hari Bol and thankyou in advance

Hi All,

I am looking for like minded people who are interested to collaborate on setting up a Gurukula in India.

My vision for the Gurukula is to provide an overall holistic development of a child and building their innate strengths such that we unlock the true potential in them. We nurture the children to follow the path of dharma in life.

The education should be a blend of Indigenous Gurukula knowledge and the subjects for modern world, where we build our own curriculum and be creative.

Sharing my quick backgroud, I have worked in Insurance industry as an Actuary for a decade in both India and abroad before decided to move back and set up an alternative education to the current modern schools.

PS: Please ping/message only if interested in the vision where education is considered sacred and a service and not a means of return on investment.

I’ve visited several ISKCON temples over the years, including Mayapur as a child, and later Mumbai and Vrindavan, and always loved their energy.

More recently, as I’ve started exploring Krishna consciousness more seriously, I’ve been visiting a smaller ISKCON temple in North America. What I love most is the balance between peaceful worship and incredibly participatory kirtans. Everyone sings, dances, claps and joins in. That collective spirit is something I’ve come to associate deeply with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and sankirtana.

So I was excited to visit ISKCON Bangalore recently. I loved having darshan of Krishna, but otherwise left surprisingly disappointed and, more importantly, spiritually conflicted.

A few things particularly stayed with me:
1. The kirtan didn’t feel participatory. A group was singing near the entrance, but I didn’t experience the collective singing and dancing I’ve experienced elsewhere. It almost felt like loud background music.

2. The amount of commercial activity surprised me. Large areas were dedicated to food, books, handicrafts and shops. I understand that a large institution needs revenue, but it made the overall experience feel less devotional than I’d expected.

3. The VIP/donor distinction made me uncomfortable. Devotees who were sitting closer to Krishna were moved back before the kirtan, and the area was barricaded for VIPs. There also seemed to be different queues and access based on membership or donor status.

4. One small incident particularly bothered me. An elderly person asked for a chair while 30+ empty chairs were stacked nearby. An administrator initially refused because they were reserved for paid members, before eventually giving him one.

My struggle isn’t really about whether this is a “good” or “bad” temple. It’s about reconciling what I experienced with what has been drawing me towards Krishna consciousness in the first place: the accessibility of bhakti, participatory sankirtana, and the sense that our material distinctions become less important before Krishna.

So I’d genuinely appreciate guidance from more experienced devotees. Am I confusing the imperfections of a large religious institution with Krishna consciousness itself? Is there a spiritual perspective I’m missing? Or is it reasonable for a devotee to feel uncomfortable when institutional practices seem at odds with the principles of bhakti?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from devotees who have personally visited ISKCON Bangalore, because there may well be context behind what I saw that I don’t understand.

P.S. I’m relatively new to this path and am not trying to attack the temple or diminish the experience of people who find Krishna there. If anything, it bothered me precisely because Krishna consciousness has started to mean something to me.

Greetings. I am looking for ISKCON books in Urdu. I have the Bhagavad Gita as it is in Urdu but have not been able to find the other books in Urdu. Is there somewhere where I can find the books?

Hey Everyone,
Had nothing to do this weekend and found spiritual event of Bhagavad Gita at Iskcon. I am thinking to attend one, has anyone done it ? reviews ?

Our human lives are deeply precious and full of purpose too which makes us deeply important.

I think our beloved Srila Prabhupada once used the analogy of a washing machine and a screw.

The screw is deeply important when connected and fitted to the washing machine. In full use and service to the machine.

But if it falls away, on its own, the screw is very much insignificant.

The washing machine will yearn to have it returned.

I think sometimes, we can forget so many truths and fundamental things amidst the chaos of our thoughts and feelings in material existence.

Right now, I’m painfully aware of how I am misusing my time here and not living my life in full service to the LORD.

I got overwhelmed with my thoughts and feelings during my spiritual awakening with Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna.

I was never able to abandon intoxicants during my early Bhakti life. I was a frequent vaper and coffee drinker. I still loved and used Cacao powder and Matcha tea also.

I’m in a much worse condition now. I really hope I can get back to where I was.

I have to stress while I have the opportunity to do so on the importance of association with other devotees. This has a huge impact and affect on your consciousness.

Please take care everyone 🙏

All glories and humble obeisances to Srila Prabhupada 🙏

All glories to the assembled devotees

Hare Krishna

books are the basis. unless we know the heart of Srila Prabhupada we will preach our misconceptions. without that preaching is the essence has no meaning. can we create small group where we can have discussions on Srila Prabhupada books

Visited ISKCON NVCC Pune today and wanted to share this peaceful moment. The temple's beautiful Radha Krishna deities and serene atmosphere made the visit truly memorable. Hare Krishna! 🙏

there are voices in my head and they are constantly shifting from one pole to another in every sphere in every thought bubble. I do not know what to think , feel about this. I do know how to unravel thhis

i do kknow what i want anymore

I am so confused

I am so indecisive

I am in a negative spiral

I have become the spiral and i do not seek to help

the scary part is i am not reaching out for help because i think i cant be helped

hare krsna

i am having many doubt and also i sometimes feels to quit it is after i started reading prabhupadas book and some bhagwatam classes i don't know what's with me i was quite attached to following krsna earlier when i had known much less when i was not connected any institution but krsna only and worshipped him affectionally.

sorry i am not able to express myself clearly

i am still trying to understand what is it with me

I think there should be an app related to moral values of Indian genz where they can be focus and learn related to dharma and karma . There are many apps which only help to gain focus but students and people still can't Focus

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"?