r/ISKCON

I have genuine questions for this community and hope someone can engage honestly.

First are you actually Astik? Because the Vedas Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda are the actual shruti. Goloka Vrindavan as a destination, manjari bhava as a practice, the specific theology around Radha Krishna none of this appears in the Vedas, Mahabharata, or Ramayana. Your supreme texts are Bhagavat Purana and Bhagavad Gita. You use the word 'Vedic' as an aesthetic label while actually departing significantly from Vedic tradition. So are you Vedic or are you a post-medieval devotional sect presenting itself as ancient?

Second your highest goal is eternal service in Goloka. But if Krishna is omnipotent and complete, why does he need my service? What does my eternal servitude add to an already perfect being? Is the highest human destiny just permanent slavery to someone who doesn't actually need you?

Hare Krishna I'm a girl. 22 yrs old.

I want to know if there's any girl out there who worships krishna as lover or husband

If yes can we be friends or be in contact ?

If u don't want to reveal yourself in comments just DM me straight then

Only girls tho. No guys

• Also only girls who practice devotion in any way chanting bhajan hearing katha or is trying to do all that

Came across this term a lot of time, and on every different slokha it means different. Never really understand this term.

Hare Krishna dear devotees,

I’ve been reflecting deeply on increased japa and would genuinely appreciate hearing from devotees who have experience with chanting 64 rounds or periods extended immersion in chanting.

I’m especially curious about:

Chanting 64 rounds daily:
If you’ve maintained this either temporarily or long-term, did you notice a substantial increase in purification, steadiness, taste for bhakti, detachment, or remembrance of Krishna?

Extended chanting on Ekadashi:
For devotees who chant all day or aim for very high numbers on Ekadashi, did the extended absorption noticeably affect your consciousness or spiritual life afterward?

Full-day immersion in the Holy Name:
Has anyone spent an entire uninterrupted day primarily focused on japa? I’d love to hear whether your experience of the maha-mantra changed after many hours of hearing and chanting. Did the quality of your attention or absorption deepen as the day went on?
I’m mainly asking out of curiosity and sincere interest in others’ realizations. I’ve only chanted 64 rounds once myself, so I’m interested in hearing from devotees who have explored this more deeply or consistently.

[Disclaimer]
I understand Srila Prabhupada repeatedly emphasized active devotional service and preaching, and did not encourage becoming a solitary bhajanandi at the expense of one’s prescribed duties. I’m not asking from a mood of escapism or neglect of service, but rather to better understand whether devotees found that deeper immersion in the Holy Name significantly strengthened their bhakti and purification.

Dandavat pranams.

Rules:

Be logical and respectful.

No stories only refrences may be.

My first point:

Does God exists?

WARNING THIS MAY LOOK FOOLISH AND DUMB FROM THIRD POV OR YOUR POV BUT I'M JUST VENTING BCUZ I'M NOT ABLE TO TELL THIS TO REAL PEOPLE FACE TO FACE.

So I have a problem which might look foolish from third pov. I used to watch krishna cartoons when I was little the pogo one, and during that time Radharani wasn't shown as that important of a character. I started liking Krishna and I had a really specific dream too which made me more attracted towards him (won't say it) and I still remember that dream.

Fast forward now, before I never really paid attention to radharani but now after not joining but visiting iskcon temple Gaudiya Vaishnav basically and following rules from 2022 smthn I still find it hard to accept.

Not saying anything offencong I like kirtans and stuff but I cannot just listen to those pastimes like it hurts like crazy like real. Like those you read in books 'gut dropping to stomach feeling smthn like that.

I made a BIG BIG mistake foolishness that I tried to read Ujjawala Neelamani 2nd chapter in which is I think based on Radharani and I was K/Oed like totally couldn't read any further.

My uncomfortableness didn't started from there it was always with me bcuz I only looked towards Krishna, but it did give a massive fuel to that.

Till now during my journals and dream journals I've written words like vo radharani wala reason ke karan mai roi ya mood off hogya etc. but now I wanted to publicly accept thinking atleast maybe smthn will happen if I publicly accept these feelings

I've had MULTIPLE dreams of him which I will not prefer to say or share but still I'm not able to trust that he loves me .

I always have this in mind ki you have to serve them both whatever position you're in, I want to marry him other than that I donot have any particular interest in getting married I have decided not to... I think I will be toxic in relationship Like my insecurity and possessiveness will be toxic which is reflecting this side bcuz I like him

These feelings AMPLIFIED after I wrote a letter to him in puri jagannath temple saying I want to be your lover

Sometimes I think maybe this a test to see if I'll stay, bcuz I keep having thoughts and crying and saying I'll marry someone else you love her most anyways

I have even got many indications through posts and stuff and one of which was picture of half radhakrishna like ardhnarishwar you know like both are same just make and female form.

But my mind is not able to accept it or even if it does only for a day or two after that I'm back to reset emotions.

For now Iskcon is best option for me because they donot talk abt leelas in detail especially involving radharani maybe iskcon was made for people like me.

I tried listening to Other sampradayas thinking I'll get used to it but I feel naseuous and end up crying

I think the main goal here is to back to golok and serve them as a couple... How The freakity frackity I will serve them and see them together if I'm not even able to hear abt them being together???

I want to focus on him now atleast but I'm not able to do that as well. I'm going crazy sometimes my insecurity grows lot saying he'll get bored with me reject me then I cry abt that . At this point my mind just like crying fr.

I even thought as far as I will marry him anyways forcefully bla bla like a crazy toxic girl.

I sometimes think my mental health is not good. I listen to music a lot like A LOT to calm down my thoughts bcuz my mind doesn't shut up

Anyways I wanted to vent

Hare Krishna prabhus and matajis 🙏

I’m in my mid-20s and was living in a large ashram in the UK as a brahmachari for almost two years (on and off) doing Bhaktisastri etc. I left last summer to start building a career, but now I live about 3 hours away from the nearest temple.

Lately I’ve been struggling. Without regular association, I feel like I’m slipping into being a bit of a “bhajan-anandi” — just doing my rounds on my own, but not really engaged in much service or deeper cultivation of bhakti. I have uninstalled Gaura-Nitai Deities at home and I do some worship here and there, but I honestly wish I was more steady and regulated. I really miss devotee association, and I feel like my spiritual progress is a bit blocked because of the lack of sanga.

I’m wondering if anyone knows of any online sangas, Zoom groups, study groups, japa groups, or regular virtual meetups? I’d really love to reconnect and stay inspired.

Thank you so much 🙏

Haribol

Hare Krishna everyone.

I don't really know how to start this. I'm 18, from Meerut, and honestly my life feels very empty right now. Home is difficult, I don't have real friends, and there was someone I cared about deeply but that didn't work out either. I'm not looking for sympathy I just want to be honest.

A few weeks ago I randomly came across a kirtan video at like 2am when I couldn't sleep. I don't know why but I started crying. I'm not even an emotional person normally. Something about it just hit me in a place I didn't know was empty.

Since then I've been reading Gita, watching videos, coming to this community and just observing quietly. The philosophy makes a kind of sense that nothing else has made to me before. Like maybe this loneliness isn't just loneliness. Maybe it's something deeper the soul searching for something it actually belongs to.

But I'm also scared. I don't want to run away from life I want to actually face it. Is Krishna consciousness running away or is it something else? I genuinely don't know.

I'm just a lost kid looking for an honest conversation. Not lectures please. Just someone who actually understands what this feels like from inside.

Hare Krishna 🙏

hare krishna dandwat pranams agtsp

im a 17 year old devotee from mumbai, the only devotee in my entire extended family. my family is mostly not religious, except days like lakshmi pooja etc. ive suffered with depression , mental health issues, severe diagnosed anxiety when i was 15 and 16. iskcon and krishna really genuinely helped with my mental health, if it werent for iskcon, i wouldnt be here today, so to "pay back" to the unforgettable and the biggest favour, ive been wanting to become a full time brahmachari in the future. ive been regularly, secretly attending mangala aartis every other day, ive been using my counter to complete at least 14 rounds japa everyday.

coming to the main topic, ive been abused physically, mentally and emotionally just because i told my family i go to the temple. ive been taunted at family dinners, im forced to make vegetarian food for myself because my family wont let me eat vegetarian while they eat non vegetarian food. my personal altar with my deities is locked away in a cupboard in my room out of fear that someone might see it.

this is really becoming very unbearable for me, i cant do this anymore. i have a few contacts from the temple, but i dont want to text them looking like im begging for sympathy. i am planning to escape to mayapur or vrindavan (mostly mayapur), but im still a minor so im very indecisive on what to do and where to go. please help me. any suggestions, contacts, recommendations are welcome.

hare krsna

This is something that’s been on my mind lately. There’s been a noticeable uptick in news about senior devotees leaving their bodies or dealing with serious end of life health issues. For most of ISKCON’s history, the guru-disciple relationship has felt just one step removed from Srila Prabhupada, which made that connection to him feel very real and accessible. We could point to their direct interactions with him, read their letters on Vedabase, and hear their names throughout his books and lectures. It made Prabhupada feel very present in our own spiritual lives.

As these great souls leave their bodies, it can feel like we’re losing part of that bridge between us and Prabhupada. At the same time, in many ways we actually have more access to him than his first generation disciples ever did. We have his letters, recorded lectures, videos, and of course his books.

The real question is whether that will feel like enough for new devotees trying to connect across multiple generations, or if something deeper is needed to keep that connection alive.

The other thing I’ve been wondering about is how ISKCON is handling the transition in leadership as these senior devotees leave. What does that succession actually look like in practice? My numbers might be a bit rough, but it seems like out of 100+ initiating gurus, only a small percentage are what you could call “second generation” gurus, meaning disciples of Prabhupada’s disciples.

That raises a natural question. Are we actively developing that next layer of leadership, or are we still heavily relying on the first generation to carry that role? How will it shape the way newer devotees experience the guru-disciple relationship?

So I’m curious how others are thinking about this. As ISKCON moves further from Prabhupada’s physical presence and the first generation continues to step back, what helps you feel connected to the parampara? And what do you think is needed to keep that connection strong for the next generation of devotees?