ISKCON NewsThe News Agency of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

First there was the Festival of Colors, which draws tens of thousands every year to chant Hare Krishna, dance, and throw colors. Now the Utah Krishna community has launched a new popular event to introduce newcomers to spirituality: the yoga rave.

A brand new outreach project is spreading Krishna consciousness around Germany with joy, color and enthusiasm that’s simply infectious. All six core members of Der Fahrende Tempel—or The Traveling Temple—are celibate monks called brahmacharis.

A spiritual ‘bachelor pad’ in Camden in the center of London is keeping university students steady and inspired in Krishna consciousness.

Lord Jagannath of Puri has perhaps courted more controversies than any other deity in India. The gigantic 12th century edifice has been the scene of several conflicts and debates, the latest being the right of non-Hindus to enter the temple.

There are rare instances where anger is spiritually appropriate, provoked by injustices against the Lord and His devotees. Most anger, however, is a negative emotion manifested from frustrated attempts to enjoy sensually in the material world.

During the holiday season, the cold and lack of sufficient sunlight are enough to weaken the body's natural defenses against cold and flu. Luckily, experts say that consuming specific types of foods might increase our resistance to colds and seasonal pathogens.

18 senior religious leaders from all over Europe met on May 30th to discuss the EU’s yearly theme of “citizenship” hosted by the EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, President Van Rompuy and Vice Presiden Laszlo Surjan, and organized by the Bureau of European Policy Advisors (BEPA) headed by Katharina von Schnurbein.

For three years in a row, the Hare Krishna devotees from around London have been participating in the St. Patricks Day parade. Although it may not necessarily be a Vaishnava festival, it is a great opportunity to share the Holy Name with the thousands of people who participate or watch the parade.

Srila Prabhupada's Palace of Gold, his samadhi in the West (in West Virginia, USA), attracts thousands of visitors each year. The Palace was recently elected by CNN travel as one of the eight religious wonders to see in U.S.

The Vaishnava-Christian Dialogue, an annual interfaith event held in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. draws twenty participants for two days of discussion, shared vegetarian meals, and an experience of each other’s worship and prayer. For 2013, two papers were presented on “The Name of God.”

Pakoras are popular spiced, batter-dipped, deep-fried, vegetables that make perfect snacks or hors d'oeuvres. Ghee is the preferred medium for frying pakoras, although you can use nut or vegetable oil.

The tradition of frying things in batter is popular throughout the culinary world. In Italy, there’s the delicious Neapolitan fritters known as pasta cresciuta, comprising of things like sun-dried tomato halves, zucchini flowers, and sage leaves dipped in a yeasted batter and fried in olive oil. The Japanese dip all sorts of things, including zucchini, eggplant and carrot into a light thin batter and serve the tempura with dipping sauce.

In India, pakoras (pronounced pak-OR-as) are almost a national passion. Cooked on bustling street corners, in snack houses, and at home, the fritters are always served piping hot, usually with an accompanying sauce or chutney. The vegetables can be cut into rounds, sticks, fan shapes, or slices. The varieties are endless.

GEN describes itself as a constantly expanding group of intentional communities and eco-villages, that bridges all cultures and aims to create a global pool of wisdom for sustainable living.

Summer 1973, 8am, in Washington, DC. A young fellow Eddie—better known all over the world as Aindra Dasa—joins the harinam party and from that day on, he never stopped chanting Hare Krishna.

The ISKCON Mayapur community has recently announced their new project: the construction of a small but very important temple for Srimati Shimantini Devi, a prominent female devotee of the Lord.

Sak (pronounced 'shak') is a very special vegetable dish. Literally the name can simply mean 'spinach'. But in India, and especially in Bengal, where there are many dozens of varieties of green leafy vegetables, Sak is far from ordinary. It has a special place in temple kitchens and the home cooking repertoires of devotees of Krishna and his most recent incarnation, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakur, esteemed 19th century Vaisnava saint and profuse author, writes in a song glorifying the relishing of food offered to Krishna before partaking (prasada):

heno sak-asvadane, krsna-prema aise mane, sei preme koro asvadana jada-buddhi pari-hari', prasada bhojana kori', 'hari hari' bolo sarva-jan

"O brothers! One day at Santipura, in Sri Advaita's house, Lord Caitanya and Nityananda were seated at prasada. When Lord Caitanya tasted the green vegetables, He said, 'My devotees, this sak is so delicious! Lord Krsna has definitely tasted it. At the taste of such sak as this, love of Krsna arises in the heart. In such love of God you should take this prasada. Giving up all materialistic conceptions and taking the Lord's prasada, all of you just chant 'Hari! Hari!'"

Furthermore, Chaitanya Bhagavata, a much loved and respected Medieval devotional text composed in classical literary Bengali states:

"Mother Saci knows that Lord Caitanya is greatly satisfied with sak, therefore she cooked twenty different varieties. The vegetable known as sak is more fortunate that any other preparation, for the Lord eats it again and again. Slightly smiling the Lord takes His meal, speaking, the glories of sak to everyone.

The Lord says "this sak is called Acyuta, by eating the sak attraction for Krsna develops (at the time of eating, Lord Caitanya would call different kinds of sak different names of Krishna) by eating patala, bastuka and kala sak, one gains the association of the vaisnava's life after life. If one eats salinca or helanca sak, he remain free from disease and gets devotion to Krishna". (CB Antya 4.279, 293, 295, 298)

Yes I know this is rather elevated material, and I won't hazard to write much about it. Anyway, I received a letter recently which inspired me to share it with you, and the following recipe. It's based on a recipe by Yamuna Devi from her award-winning and wonderful cookbook 'Lord Krishna's Cuisine'.

A group of six young brahmacharis, or celibate monks, living at ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Manor near London have had great success in attractively repackaging Krishna consciousness for the “Apple generation.”

A new book out this month promises to help readers deepen their spirituality and their relationships by being compassionate to both themselves and others. In Revealing The Heart: The Practice of Compassion, author Sukhavaha Dasi shares the story of her own personal struggles and transformation.

Do ghosts exist? Yes would be the answer of many people across history and geography. Nearly universal in human experience are reports of people seeing, hearing or perceiving in some other way disembodied, ghostly beings that seem to act in mysterious and frightening ways.

The desire for respect and recognition runs deep. They say that at the age of 20 we are extremely worried about what people think of us, by the time we reach 40 we don't really care anymore, and eventually when we reach 60 we realise nobody was thinking about us anyway!

Krishna Valley, ISKCON Hungary’s 660-acre sustainable farm, celebrated twenty years on May 15th, with a special program and the official opening of its new reception building.