Each year, on the auspicious day of Ganga-Sagar Mela, I remember my pilgrimage to this holy place in West Bengal, India. I was fortunate to visit many such places over the sacred land of Bharata Varsha during the pilgrimage tours organized by HH Jayapataka Swami....
This time of the year is so special for Vaishnavas because of the many festivals that celebrate Lord Krishna in His different manifestations and pastimes. In the month of Damodar (October-November), we celebrate Bahulashtami, Diwali, Govardhana puja, and Gopashtami. For devotees of ISKCON, there is...
As I have mentioned in my previous posts, Govardhana puja is one of the favorite Vaishnava festivals in our home. My children have always enjoyed making a huge Govardhana hill out of sand and earth. On one occasion, I made a needle-felted Govardhana hill that...
When we celebrate Janmashtami with little kids, we can go into playing with puppets, dressing like Krishna, Balarama, and cowherd boys, making a play scene with puppets, or a kid's altar, and reading a story. There are unlimited ways for little kids to engage them...
When children are young, I do not prefer to analyze spiritual stories and philosophy with them. Young children learn the best through hands-on activities, storytelling, and play. Their intellect is not yet developed to analyze complex subjects. As my children transition from lower grades to...
It's the beginning of the month of Kartik, a sweet time to spend with children doing special services for the Lord, like making and offering ghee lamps and singing the Damodarashtaka song. Children like this time of the year when we all sit together with...
For the auspicious day of the appearance of Lord Nrisimhadeva, I want to share with you a simplified version of Prahlad - Nrisimhadev story, suitable for tiny children. There are no details about killing Hiranyakashipu and attempts to kill Prahlada mentioned. It focuses on Prahlada's...
One of my favorite stories for children from Caitanya-Lila is the story of little Nimai and the dog. I find it relevant for young children because it is very near to their experience of loving pets. At the same time, it reveals the fundamental truth...
Tomorrow we celebrate the appearance day of Lord Nityananda, who is among the topmost important divine personalities in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of bhakti-yoga. Lord Nityananda is an incarnation of Lord Balarama, a divine brother of Lord Krishna, and has all transcendental qualities of Lord...
Tomorrow is the Vasanth Panchami festival. Although it is not celebrated widely in ISKCON temples in the west, our ten-year stay in India, Mayapur, has brought me into the habit of celebrating this festival in one way or another. In India, this day is considered...