Hare Krishna Temple

The Online Hare Krishna Temple

Krishna consciousness, practiced at home

Since 2001 this site has helped aspiring devotees who don't live near a temple. Learn to chant Hare Krishna, set up an altar, offer your food, and follow the daily program exactly as His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gave it.

Open the Bhakta Handbook Start with the introduction

Dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, whose books are the guide for everything here.

Srila Prabhupada seated outdoors, smiling, with a flower garland
Srila Prabhupada

The Bhakta Handbook

Are you new to Krishna consciousness? Would you like to know what life is like in Krishna's temples, or how to worship Krishna in your own home? Read the chapters in order and you'll be well on your way to making your life Krishna conscious.

Part I Life in the temple, life at home

The daily program, the standards, and the practices every new devotee learns first.

  1. 1Morning Schedule and Prayers
  2. 2Evening Schedule and Prayers
  3. 3Temple Standards at Home
  4. 4Kitchen Standards
  5. 5Cleanliness
  6. 6Putting On Tilak
  7. 7Chanting Hare Krishna
  8. 8The Four Regulative Principles

Part II Srila Prabhupada, Krishna, and the parampara

Who we worship, who taught us, and the line through which the teaching comes.

  1. 9Srila Prabhupada
  2. 10Lord Krishna
  3. 11Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
  4. 12The Gaudiya Sampradaya
  5. 13The Spiritual Master

Part III The philosophy

What the Vedas teach about the soul, karma, the universe, and the paths that lead astray.

  1. 14The Vedas
  2. 16Karma
  3. 17Reincarnation
  4. 18Yoga
  5. 19The Four Yugas
  6. 20Creation
  7. 21Mayavada Philosophy
  8. 22Evolution and Science

Part IV The life of a devotee

The qualities, the processes, and the mission of one who has taken up bhakti.

  1. 23Qualities of a Devotee
  2. 24The Nine Processes of Bhakti
  3. 25The Nine Stages of Bhakti
  4. 26Six Favorable and Unfavorable Principles
  5. 15Preaching and Book Distribution
  6. 27Krishna and Jesus Christ

Practice at home

The essentials for a devotional household, in the order most people take them up.

A Philosophy for EveryoneA short introduction to Krishna consciousnessQuestions New Devotees AskStraight answers from Srila Prabhupada's teachingsHow to Chant JapaBeads, rounds, and the daily vowOn Chanting Hare KrishnaSrila Prabhupada explains the maha-mantraSetting Up Your AltarHow to worship Krishna in your homeHow to Offer AratiA simple morning and evening worshipPreparing and Offering FoodHow to offer vegetarian food to KrishnaEating SpirituallyPrasadam, the karma-free dietSimple Prasadam RecipesKichari, halava, and a basic sabjiThe Four Regulative PrinciplesMoral principles to live byVaisnava EtiquetteGreetings, obeisances, and the temple roomEkadasi and the CalendarFasting days and the festivals of the yearWhat to Read FirstA reading order for Srila Prabhupada's booksPractical EngagementDoing everything for KrishnaTulasi PujaWorshiping the sacred Tulasi plantHow to Wear a SariStep by step, with picturesGlossaryThe Sanskrit words you will meet

The morning program

Follow the temple's daily program in your own home, from Mangala Arati to breakfast prasadam. Each prayer has the verse, the translation, and the word-for-word meaning. See the full schedule.

  1. Sri Sri Gurvastakam
  2. Srila Prabhupada Pranati
  3. Panca-tattva Maha Mantra
  4. Hare Krishna Maha Mantra
  5. Prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva
  6. Sri Tulasi Puja
  7. Vaisnava Pranama
  8. Ten Offenses in Chanting
  9. Sri Siksastakam
  10. Greeting the Deities
  11. Guru Puja
  12. Prasada Sevaya

Conversations and essays

Srila Prabhupada in dialogue with Christian clergy and seekers, on Jesus, killing, and love of God.

Who we are

This site is an offering by householder devotees who follow Srila Prabhupada as their spiritual master through his books and recorded instructions. It is free, has no advertising, and is maintained by the Sanatana Dharma Association.

Bhagavad-gita 9.2

raja-vidya raja-guhyam
pavitram idam uttamam
pratyaksavagamam dharmyam
su-sukham kartum avyayam

raja-vidya--the king of education; raja-guhyam--the king of confidential knowledge; pavitram--the purest; idam--this; uttamam--transcendental; pratyaksa--directly experienced; avagamam--understood; dharmyam--the principle of religion; su-sukham--very happy; kartum--to execute; avyayam--everlasting.

This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.

Read the purport on prabhupadabooks.com