ISKCON Niagara

01/18/2026

01/18/2026

Maya is very strong because maya is Krishna's energy, but maya is Krishna's external energy, whereas association with Krishna's devotees is Krishna's internal energy. That is why association with devotees is stronger than maya. If one remains in the association of devotees, then maya will not be able to do anything.

HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja, Durban - 24 Jan 2017

01/17/2026

Srila Prabhupada says that if you dress the deity in beautiful garments, then you will lose the desire to dress yourself in beautiful garments. In other words, by engaging in the service of the senses of the Lord, our senses will become so satisfied transcendentally that we will not want to indulge our senses materially.

HH Giriraj Swami Maharaj
Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.52-53: The Mercy of the Arca-avatara, May 10, 2016, Dallas

01/16/2026

Still, although the human form is temporary, you can achieve the highest perfection of life while in this human form. What is that perfection? To understand the all-pervading Supreme Lord. For other life forms this is not possible. By the gradual evolutionary process we come to this human form, so it is a rare opportunity. By nature's law, a human body is ultimately given to you so that you can promote yourself in spiritual life and go back home, back to Godhead.

His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, Discourse: Transcendental Teachings Of Prahlāda Mahārāja, Śrimad Bhāgavatam

01/15/2026

Hare Krishna devotees! 🙏

ISKCON Niagara invites you to our Sunday Feast program on January 18 at 5:00 p.m. The speaker for this week is HG ABHIRAM DIVYA DAS.

Please refer to the poster for more details. We look forward to welcoming you! Hare Krishna!

01/15/2026

The supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā as cintāmaṇi-dhāma, a place where all desires are fulfilled. The supreme abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa, known as Goloka Vṛndāvana, is full of palaces made of touchstone. There are also trees, called “desire trees,” that supply any type of eatable upon demand, and there are cows, known as surabhi cows, which supply a limitless supply of milk. In this abode, the Lord is served by hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune (Lakṣmīs), and He is called Govinda, the primal Lord and the cause of all causes.

Bhagavad-gītā 8.21

01/14/2026

January 14 - Sat-tila Ekadashi

Vanalika, a devout brahmani, soberly followed a strict vow of celibacy and engaged in worshipping the Lord. Although she gave charity to poor brahmanas and unmarried girls, she never offered food grains and thus the Demigods became wrathful against her. To test her devotion, Lord Krishna visited her in the guise of a mendicant. When asked for charity, Vanalika, not recognizing the divine visitor, gave him a lump of clay instead of food.

After her death, Vanalika found herself in a divine abode but lacked wealth and food grains. Krishna advised her to learn about Sat-tila Ekadasi from the Demigods' wives. Following their guidance, Vanalika observed Sat-tila Ekadasi, offering sesame seeds, which transformed her fortune, granting her beauty, wealth, and spiritual merit.

Significance

The story underscores the importance of complete devotion and charity, especially the offering of food grains and sesame seeds on Sat-tila Ekadasi, to attain divine blessings and overcome spiritual and material shortcomings.

The story emphasizes the necessity of complete devotion, the act of giving, particularly the offering of food grains and sesame seeds, which is pivotal for overcoming spiritual and material deficiencies. By gifting sesame seeds on this day one can live in the heavenly planets for many years.

The tale serves as a reminder that divine grace is accessible to those who sincerely follow religious practices and show generosity towards others, cautioning against observing such practices with greed or lust, to ensure the purification of sins and attainment of prosperity.

01/13/2026

A pure devotee does not pray for liberation or for cessation of the cycle of birth and death because he does not consider that important. The most important thing for a devotee is getting a chance to hear about the pastimes and glories of the Lord. The devotees who engage in the service of the Lord in this world will have the same opportunity in the spiritual world also. Thus for a devotee, everything is in the spiritual world, for as long as he can hear about the pastimes of the Lord, or wherever he can chant, the Lord is personally present (yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada). When the pure devotees assemble to chant, hear and talk about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the place where they assemble becomes Vaikuṇṭha. For the devotee there is no need to pray to the Lord for transferal to the Vaikuṇṭha world. A pure devotee can create Vaikuṇṭha or Vṛndāvana anywhere simply by chanting the glories of the Lord without offense.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.30.33

01/12/2026

One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is always satisfied, forgiving and self-controlled, and who is engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence dedicated to Me — such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 23.106-107

01/11/2026

The seed of bhakti – even if drying up from years of neglect – will flourish again in the association of those who really cherish the fortune of seva, Hari-Katha and Hari-Kirtan.

HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj

01/06/2026

The special qualification of the pure devotee is that he is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa without deviation and without considering the time or place. There should be no impediments. He should be able to carry out his service anywhere and at any time. Some say that the devotee should remain in holy places like Vṛndāvana or some holy town where the Lord lived, but a pure devotee can live anywhere and create the atmosphere of Vṛndāvana by his devotional service. It was Śrī Advaita who told Lord Caitanya, “Wherever You are, O Lord – there is Vṛndāvana.”

Bhagavad-gītā 8.14