ISKCON NewsThe News Agency of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Stories that had the most impact on the whole of ISKCON as a society, those that demonstrated ISKCON’s impact on the outside world, as well as stories that were the most popular among our readers in 2012.

Indradyumna Swami glorifies the deeds of Ananta Shanti Das, who defying the oppressive Soviet regime spread the seeds of Krishna-consciousness all over Russia.

Wouldn’t it be grand if married couples everywhere could have enduring, satisfying relationships, based on spiritual principles? Wouldn’t it be marvelous if all children could grow up in a healthy two-parent home? Such was the goal of most of the attendees of the 12th Annual SmartMarriages conference from July 2-6, 2008 in San Francisco, California.

Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Goswami, one of the foremost Gaudiya Vaishnava teachers of the 20th century, has been given a traditional Samadhi burial in the holy city of Jagannath Puri.

Puri Maharaja, who left this world at Vishakhapatnam, Andra Pradesh on March 3, was transported to Puri later that evening in a refrigated van driven by devotees from the Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mission, which he founded in 1966.

Modern society seems convinced that social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter keep them connected and thriving socially with their friends and peers. But a new book called Alone Together by professor Sherry Turkle says otherwise, purporting that social networks are more like mutual isolation networks that detach people from meaningful interactions with one another and make them less human.

A trendy New York purveyor of gourmet doughnuts clues us in on his most important ingredient: devotion to Krishna.

US president elect Barack Obama has praised the charitable work of Akshaya Patra, considered the world's largest non-governmental organisation (NGO) working for the upliftment of the underprivileged, describing it as a model not only for India but for other nations as well.

In the months leading up to Osama bin Laden’s death, a survey of Muslim publics around the world found little support for the al Qaeda leader. Among the six predominantly Muslim nations recently surveyed, bin Laden received his highest level of support among Muslims in the Palestinian territories.

On February, 12th and 13th ISKCON Russia celebrated its 40th anniversary. It was in the summer of 1971, when ISKCON founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) visited Moscow, and started to teach and spread the science of Krishna-consciousness in the former Soviet Union.

"Of all faiths, this seems like one of the most joyous. And with the world being the way it is today, who doesn't need a little more joy in their lives?"

The average "modern" home is filled with toxic pollution. In 2006, according to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, 150 of the chemicals in cleaning products have been linked to allergic reactions, birth trauma and defects, cancer, as well as mental health disturbances.

This winter, Indradyumna Swami's 21-date Krishna Fest tour visited cities across Gujarat, drawing between 2,000 and 8,000 people each night with its thrilling three-hour show.

TIRUPATI: Karnataka tourism minister and Bellary mine baron Gali Janardhan Reddy will probably be better known for something else: with an offering of a diamond-studded crown worth US$8.8 million crore, he became the biggest donor to Lord Venkateswara at Tirupati since the Vijayanagara kings 400 years ago.

20 years ago the first Communications Conference was held in Europe. The anniversary of that first meeting has just been celebrated in Budapest, Hungary, early in May 2013.

Vaisnava culture emphasises renunciation therefore ISKCON has many people who have accepted a role as a sannyasa, or traveling monk. However, in the past many aspirants have had difficulty maintaining their vows which created controversy and scandal. ISKCON responded to the issue by developing a system by which we can better ensure the maturity and qualification of candidates.

ISKCON News approached Prahladananda Swami, GBC minister of sannyasa, to help clarify the system by which an ISKCON member can take sannyasa.

An iPhone application released this February called Relaxing Sounds of Nature features ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada chanting the Hare Krishna mantra as one of its relaxing background sounds options. The software developers, Red Hammer, have also included the Hare Krishna mantra in several of their other apps, including aids for meditation, and even one called “Quick Sleep” for helping people to doze off.

Over this holiday season, ISKCON temples participating in the Motel Gita project placed 16,000 copies of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is in motel and hotel rooms across the US.

Onlookers and devotees thronged the shrine in the bustling centre of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of India's southern Kerala state, as officials said treasure worth more than $20 billion had been found -- more than India's education budget.

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami, who suffered two brain hemorrhages on October 23, is still in a stable yet critical condition at Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai.

"Improvement is slow, and we can only play a waiting game at this point", reported fellow GBC member Bhakti Purusottama Swami.

An almost complete human skull fossil that could date back 100,000 years was unearthed in Henan last month, Chinese archaeologists announced Tuesday.