Monthly Archives: April 2014

Travel Journal#10.6: Vrindavan, Bagru, Raya, Kolkata
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 10, No. 6
By Krishna-kripa das
(March 2014, part two)
Vrindavan, Bagru, Raya, Kolkata
(Sent from Mayapur, India, on April 11, 2014)
Where I Went and What I Did
I decided to spend Gaura Purnima, the appearance day of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the divine incarnation who promoted the congregational chanting of the holy name as the best process for self-realization, in Vrindavan, as it is the holy place of Krishna’s childhood pastimes and is considered by Lord Caitanya to be identical with Krishna Himself. On that day I did harinama in front of Krishna-Balaram temple to avoid being splashed with the dyes of Holi, with my friend, Ananta Nitai Prabhu, who I have chanted with in the UK and Ireland, and with five other devotees, who were attracted by the chanting. Abhirama Prabhu, who participates in and does organizational work for Rama Raya Prabhu’s New York City harinama in Union Square invited me to go on harinama in Bagru, Rajasthan, the day after Gaura Purnima. The procession, with Gaura Nitai Deities, pulled on a camel driven cart, attracted many locals to join and follow along. The rest of my days in Vrindavan, I did harinama with Ananta Nitai in front of the Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi, often being joined by Jagannatha Misra Prabhu, who I did harinama with in Mayapur and in Poland. Once Ananta Nitai chanted with me to the celebrated Radha-Damodar temple, and another time, Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu and I did harinama on a rickshaw to a Mahadeva temple and then walking to the Radha Govinda temple. The last full day of my visit, Caitanya-candrodaya and Ananta Nitai Prabhus, who I had done harinamas with in Dublin and Belfast, decided to go to do a harinama parikrama of Govardhan Hill, which took us almost six hours. One day I went to the Food for Life Hospital on the outskirts of Vrndavana and had my teeth cleaned for $9 and a chipped tooth repaired for $5, a better deal than I could find in the West! After leaving Vrindavan, I did a few harinamas on the train and on the platforms of the longer stops as I returned to Bengal. I spent the rest of March in Kolkata at the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre at the request of Hari Sauri Prabhu, organizing nine boxes of Sadaputa Prabhu’s research materials so future devotee scientists could take advantage of them. One day I visited a Vaishnava Ayurvedic doctor, who said I did not have a hernia, or prostate or heart issues, but just weak digestion and low energy, which he gave me medicine for.

I share wonderful notes from lectures and books by Srila Prabhupada, excerpts from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s journal, and notes on lectures by and conversations with many swamis and Prabhupada disciples in Vrindavan, namely Sivarama Swami, Prahladananda Swami, Danavir Goswami, Bhakti Vijnana Swami, Bhakti Brhad Bhagavatamrita Swami, and Pancagauda and Abhiram Prabhus.

Thanks to Jagannatha Misra Prabhu for his kind donation and his arranging and paying for a place for me to stay in Vrindavan. Thanks to Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu for taking us to Govardhan Hill to do a harinama parikrama,buying me many meals, a wool cadar and a bag to carry my harmonium and my clothes, and taking me to the dentist. Thanks to Abhirama Prabhu for inviting us to participate in his Rajasthani harinama adventure.

Itinerary
April 11–12 – Mayapur
April 13 – Kolkata
April 15–16 – Mumbai
April 17–24 – Dublin, Govindadvipa, Belfast
April 25 – London
April 26 – King’s Day, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
April 27–30: The Netherlands
May 1–2: Manchester, England
May 3–5: North UK Retreat
May 6–9: Newcastle
May 10–11: Birmingham 24-hour kirtana
May 12–13: Newcastle
May 17: Sheffield Ratha-yatra
rest of May–July (first two-thirds) – The North of England, London Ratha-yatra, Stonehenge Solstice Festival
July (last third)–August (first two-thirds) – Baltic Summer Festival, Polish Woodstock, Czech Woodstock
August (last third)–September (first half) – The North of England
September (rest) – New York
Gaura Purnima in Vrindavan

Arriving in the Krishna-Balarama temple on Gaura Purnima day, I was happy to see my friend, Pancagauda Prabhu, chanting with the twenty-four hour kirtana party.

Because it was Holi many colorful characters were chanting in the kirtana.

Some youthful Hare Krishnas seemed absorbed in the spirit of Holi, and I asked if I could take their picture. They let me take a photo but did not let me get away without throwing at least a little dye on me!

I heard my friend Ananta Nitai Prabhu, who inspired me to do three twelve-hour harinamas in Dublin, was in Vrindavan and doing harinama every day, but I did not know his phone or place of residence, nor could I find anyone who did. I had given up the chance to do harinama in Rohini, Delhi, with hundreds of people on Gaura Purnima to come to Vrindavan and chant with my friend, but I could not understand how I could find him, so I decided to pray to Radharani expressing my plight. Within the hour, I ran into him.


Senior devotees convinced us it would be folly to chant in the streets on Holi, so we chanted in front of the Krishna-Balaram temple. 


A few devotees joined us including Mahabhavi Prabhu from Scandinavia, who had chanted with me in Rishikesh, and who played the one-headed drum.


One older Indian man was happy to dance with us.


Many people watched.
Harinama in Rajasthan

On Gaura Purnima in Vrindavan, I met Abhirama Prabhu, who knew from the New York City harinama. He invited me to a harinama he was organizing about an hour outside Jaipur the next day. I invited my friend, Ananta Nitai Prabhu to come as well, and since he is interested in harinama and adventure, he agreed.

When we started it was still Holi, and many people in the streets were colored with dyes.

Serious people had spray guns to shoot the dye with.

We took a break at a small restaurant owned by Vaishnavas to have a lassi, and we did a little kirtana for them.
We got to Bagru a little after 3:00 p.m. At Bagru, the son of one thakura (landholder) who saw a previous harinama was attracted and offered the use of his father’s fort and farmhouse for devotional events. 


First we stopped at the fort. 

We saw a little Radha-Krishna temple they have there.

Then we went to the farmhouse and eagerly took some very tasty prasadam after our five-hour trip.

I had been in harinamas with carts bearing deities which were pulled by people, oxen, horses, and also with motorized carts as well. 


This, however, was the first time I experienced a camel driven cart. Actually we had two camel driven carts.


One was for the Gaura-Nitai deities.

The other was for the sound system. Since the sound system cart also transported the harmonium and harmonium player, to free up space the devotees hung the speakers on the sides of the body of the camel, underneath its decorated cover. 


Abhirama Prabhu, our leader, is behind the sound system cart in this picture.

The organizers made turbans for the devotees to wear. 

Here Ananta Nitai Prabhu wears his.

We began at the fort. 

We may have had about twenty people in the start of our harinama.



Toward the end, about two hours later, we had about one hundred since many people of all ages from the village followed the procession.

Once I counted ten groups of people watching our party from the buildings we passed.


People would throw flowers from the buildings.


People would clap along.

Devotees distributed prasada[spiritual food] from the back of the deities’ cart.
I noticed an amusing sight I do not recall seeing much before.


We passed three different barber shops, in which all the barbers left their customers partially shaved in their chairs as the barbers themselves watched the chanting party from the doors of their shops, and in at least one case, took the prasadam being distributed.


In a jolly mood, Abhirama Prabhu stood up on one of the carts.
It was a wonderful experience to see so many people in the town appreciate the harinama.


After the harinama we did some more kirtana at the fort for the few people who followed us that far.

The next day people invited us to chant at a very small temple nearby.

There I saw even dogs could not escape the effects of Holi!
Harinama in Raya
The Vrindavan devotees organized a harinama program in a small city northwest of Mathura called Raya.

As we waited in the bus to the program in front of Citrakuta temple, just a block from Krishna-Balaram, one bold monkey leaped up, and holding the frame of the bus window, took the glasses off a devotee lady. People tried unsuccessful to barter with the monkey food in exchange for the glasses, but he took the food in one hand and the glasses in the other.
In Raya, there is a temple of Radharani, where we saw the deity, and took some pakoras before the harinama. Another singing group was there at the temple, but we chanted around the town. 


As usual, some people were happy to dance with us.

A person from our group went ahead and gave local vendors flower pedals to throw at the harinama party which they did with great delight.

People watched from the upper floors of buildings.


Devotees distributed sponsored books.
I got to play my harmonium and sing for twenty minutes toward the end which I was happy about. There was prasadam for us in Raya, but our party leaders chose to return to Vrindavan, where B. B. Govinda Swami had sponsored a feast in honor of his mother who had left her body in the beginning of March.

He even served out the feast as well.
Harinamas in Vrindavan
I never really was able to get a regular harinama program together during my previous visits to Vrindavan, so I would chant in the twenty-four hour kirtana, but this time I had at least two harinamasto choose from. 

I could go out with a party of twenty or so Russian-speaking devotees, some I knew from the Polish tour, a lively group as you can see from these pictures.


Or I could go out with my friend, Ananta Nitai Prabhu from the UK, who had inspired me to do three 12-hour harinamasin Dublin and who had come to Newcastle to chant with me last August. I decided to chant with my friend, because I like him, it is good to maintain friendships, and he has helped me so much in Ireland, and because I would make more of a difference to a smaller party.
Although traveling over five hours from Bagru, Rajasthan, and arriving after 6 p.m. Ananta Nitai Prabhu and I still wanted to to do harinama in Vrindavan. We chanted for an hour just inside of the Krishna-Balarama gate, and people really reciprocated with us. Some people listened, some clapped, some chanted, some danced, some took photos, some took videos, some gave us maha-prasadam (sanctified food), and some gave us money. I saw it as Krishna being kind upon us for us taking the trouble to go out despite our being tired.
We chanted in the streets to the Radha-Damodar temple one day. Although we were delayed and got lost, we arrived just in time to see the 12:30 p.m. arati [worship ceremony] for the deities.
Another time, Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu and I chanted in a rickshaw as went to visit a temple of Mahadeva, Lord Shiva, who is worshiped as the protector of the dhama [spiritual place]. There a pujari (priest), seeing my harmonium, asked us to sing for the deity. On the way back we stopped at the abandoned Radha Govinda temple which was formerly seven stories high but had the top four stories demolished by a Muslim emperor. We chanted in the large main floor on the ground floor, and the acoustics were great. I could not help but think it would be a great venue for a 12-hour kirtana. That way it could still serve the Lord’s mission, even in its present condition.
Ananta Nitai Prabhu chanted every evening in front of Prabhupada’s Samadhi, and I joined him every day but one.


Once I was accompanying Ananta Nitai Prabhu on the harmonium, and a young boy came by, and I taught him to play the same tune, which he did very well. An American brahmacari danced.


Jagannatha Misra Prabhu, who I had done harinama with in Mayapur and Poland, came out several days.


He was good at inducing people to dance.



One day Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu also joined us.

Sometimes devotees would come and encourage people to dance.


Young men would dance.


Ladies would dance.


Children would dance.


Even old ladies would dance.



A very enthusiastic group of youths both loudly sang the mantra and danced exuberantly with the devotees. 


I wanted to ask where they came from but I was leading and playing the harmonium, so I could not.

All in all, lots of people increased their devotional service by encountering our little harinama party in Vrindavan.
Harinama Parikrama of Govardhan Hill
I like to go Radha Kund during each visit to Vrindavan because it is such a sacred place, but I did not have the determination plan a trip there. 


Fortunately Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu came up with the idea of doing a harinama parikrama around Govardhan Hill, which begins and ends with Radha Kund so I got my wish fulfilled. The entire path around the Hill is said to be about 15 miles (24 km), and it took us almost six hours. 


I was happy that Ananta Nitai Prabhu was also interested to come so there were three of us. We had chanted together before in both Belfast and Dublin.

Some people go around the entire hill bowing down by laying their entire body on the ground, and getting up and placing their feet where there head was and bowing down again, thus going one body length each time they bow down. 


I saw a parent and a son doing this.



I also saw husband and a wife.


There were also many individuals doing it.
Some people were chanting on their japa or meditation beads as they walked around Govardhan.


Others were very happy to join in and sing along with us, and a few danced.

Unfortunately I was too busy singing and playing the instruments because we only had three people in our party to take many pictures of this.

Even after chanting for almost six hours at Govardhan, Ananta Nitai Prabhu was so enthusiastic he chanted another two hours in front of Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi and I chanted an hour there with him. Chanting so much harinama in one day was not unusual for us because we had down three twelve-hour harinamas in Dublin in the past. It was just extra special to be chanting in the holy land of Vrindavan, where the residents and pilgrims are happy to hear and make others hear the holy names.
Reflections on My Visit to Vrindavan
Ideally, if we are progressive on the spiritual path, each visit to a holy place should be better than the last. I hope that was true of this visit to Vrindavan. When I arrived in Mathura on the morning of Gaura Purnima on an overcrowded train that I fortunately had a reserved seat on, I thought of how Vrindavan is always harder for me than Mayapur. Great souls like Hare Krishna founder Srila Prabhupada and the famed ISKCON kirtana leader, Aindra Prabhu, consider Vrndavana to be home, but I always felt more at home in Mayapur, and Vrindavan always felt extra austere. In Vrindavan, the temperatures were more extreme, I got my shoes stolen (even though they had holes in them), it was more like a bustling city, and I was less insulated from the challenges of living in India. Anticipating the first challenge, the initial haggling with a rickshaw driver for a decent price to Vrindavan, as I stood on the train platform at Mathura Junction, I decided to pray to Radharani, the Queen of Vrindavan, “please make it easy for me this time!” And so She did.
One day during Srila Prabhupada’s guru puja ceremony, as I was bowing down after offering flower petals to him, I said in my mind, “Thank you for bringing me to your home in Vrindavan.” As I arose, I continued thinking, “Please show me how it is my home too.” Then one brahmacari, who was distributing, as prasadam, the extra garlands Srila Prabhupada received, put one of Srila Prabhupada’s garlands around my neck. Later in the morning someone gave me a garland from Radharani. That day we decided to do harinama to the Radha-Damodar temple, where Srila Prabhupada lived before coming to America. With the samadhis (tombs) of some of our greatest saints like Rupa, Sanatana, and Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswamis, it is considered one of the most sacred places in Vrindavan. During our harinama procession to Radha-Damodar, we met a Prabhupada disciple who was returning from that very temple in a rickshaw. As he passed he removed a beautiful garland of roses from his neck, and gave it to me, saying, “This is Radharani’s garland.”
While at Radha Damodar, at the rooms where Srila Prabhupada lived before coming to America, which are worshiped and maintained by ISKCON devotees, we were able to get prasadam from both Srila Prabhupada’s breakfast and his lunch, something that does not happen every visit.
I see all these experiences as different ways Radharani and Her confidential devotee, Srila Prabhupada, tried to make me feel at home in Vrindavan this time.
Rupa Goswami’s samadhiis at the Radha-Damodar temple, and since our whole line of spiritual teachers comes from that intimate associate of Lord Caitanya and Srimati Radharani and because I heard that Srila Prabhupada asked for his blessings to advance his mission, I decided to pray to him. I chanted 108 times the mantra from the Bhagavad-gita which glorifies him:
sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam
sthapitam yena bhu-tale
svayam rupah kada mahyam
dadati sva-padantikam
“When will Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?”
And then I prayed to him for three things, (1) to chant purely the holy name of Krishna, (2) to attain Krishna-prema (love for God), and (3) to be able to inspire others to take up the path of Krishna bhakti. I also put a small donation in the donation box at his samadhi.
At our Radha-Balaram temple, I would spend the end of each kirtana dancing in the courtyard before Radha-Shyamasundar, thinking that to serve Radha and Krishna by singing and dancing for them in Vrindavan was perfection.
On the last day, I thanked Srimati Radharani for making my visit to Vrindavan easier this time.
I think of Vrindavan now as a place where people like to be reminded of Radha and Krishna and a place where they like to remind others of Radha and Krishna.
And as I waited for my train in Mathura, I felt a little sad I was leaving that holy land.
Chanting Enroute from Mathura to Howrah
There is only one train from Mathura Junction that goes to Howrah, the Toofan Express. The train, which has a negative reputation, is express in name only, as it stops about 80 places and takes 32 hours. Amazing enough, it arrived 3 minutes early in Mathura, but by the time it reached Howrah, it was over 10 hours late!
I was to exhausted to chant at Agra Cantt, a twenty-minute stop just over an hour from Mathura, but I felt bad about it and decided to chant at all the the other stops 10 minutes or longer. Before the next long stop, in Kanpur, a couple young men inquired about what I was doing on my laptop for four or five hours. I explained I was working on my blog, a travel journal, and because I was a computer science major, it was not unnatural for me to spend so long on the computer. I lost most of my business cards when I lost my bag, so I had one of them take a picture of my business card with my email and my blog address so he could look at it. They said they were also travelers. They were from Lucknow, but were just coming back from visiting Puskar, which I recently learned is a popular place for Westerners to visit, those not so interested in gross sense gratification as those who go to Goa. One young man was a professor of finance and the other had his own business. There was nearly half an hour left till Kanpur, and I got out my harmonium and began chanting. The two guys had gone to the door of the carriage as they thought Kanpur was one stop sooner, but when I began singing the young finance professor came back. He sat next to me and sang along with me as I sang Hare Krishna to the three-part evening melody, since it was just after sundown. He did surprising well grasping the tune. After a little while, he encouraged his friend to join us, since there was still time before reaching Kanpur and it would add to the adventure of their trip. 


His friend, Rahul R. Mishra, director of Supreme Infradevelopers Pvt. Ltd., came, and took the above picture of us singing, and then also sang along. When we got to Kanpur, I gave them some maha-prasada from Radha-Madhava and told them to them to keep in touch. Perhaps we could meet again sometime. The young finance professor bought me a bottle of water before I left, and I chanted at the Kanpur platform for the 15 minutes or so we stopped there.

I thought I would not be able to chant at Mughal Sarai Junction, as we were scheduled to stop there from 1:05 to 1:20 a.m., but it turned out we were six hours late at that point so I was able to chant at that platform too.
I missed chanting at Danapur for ten minutes because the train mysteriously made up 20 minutes, but I was able to chant at Patna Junction for at least ten minutes. One guy who liked the chanting there on the platform sat in the same compartment with me. As he boarded the train he continued singing the melody, although I had stopped. After fifteen minutes or so, the people in my compartment asked me to play the harmonium, and so I chanted for them for fifteen minutes, distributed maha-prasada, and asked if anyone spoke Bangla (Bengali) since I had a couple Bengali books. One man did. He asked if the books were for sale. Through a interpreter, I said, “There is no fixed price. I do not need any money, but it is good to give a donation.” He took a book and gave ten rupees, and I gave him and his friend maha-prasada and thanked him for the donation. I would have done better if I had Hindi books, but because my trains were going to and from Bengal, I had got two copies in each language. One the way to Rishikesh, I had distributed the two Hindi books so I just had the Bengali ones left.
On the bus from Howrah, as I approached the place where the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre, I saw a sign on a church “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.” (Psalm 23)
I smiled. I had a sense that Krishna was taking care of me and making the journey easier. I found the bus to the Research Center also passes by the Kolkata temple and only cost 7 rupees, and my 32:30-hour train journey that had become 43:05 hours, due to delays, was behind me.
The Bhaktivedanta Research Centre
When my friend, Sthita-dhi Muni Prabhu shipped Sadaputa Prabhu’s research materials to Hari Sauri Prabhu for the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre in Kolkata, I never dreamed I would ever see them again, but I was wrong. Hari Sauri Prabhu saw me in Mayapur and asked if I could help go through the stuff. I allocated two days to do it, but I did not realize it was nine big boxes. 


Even by eliminating harinamaand the evening program from my life and reducing reading, it still took seven days to do. I meditated on it as being service to the Vaishnavas, a highly recommended devotional activity, although not as immediately enjoyable to me as what I sacrificed, doing harinama in Mayapur.


It was odd seeing articles I had copied at libraries ten or twenty years before, with my handwriting documenting where they were obtained and how. There were also notes to Sadaputa Prabhu in my handwriting beginning with “Dear Prabhu,” and signed “kkd.” There was a file of articles I copied on multiple witness apparition cases, more evidence consistent with the Vedic world view, with its 400,000 human like species, including varieties of ghosts. There was an eight-inch stack of articles on biological transmutation, a phenomena where plants and animals produce chemical elements they do not ingest, effectively doing fusion reactions at low temperatures, combining sodium and oxygen to produce potassium, and the like. This phenomena occurs in the Vedic literature where the yogis combine bell metal and mercury to produce gold. Most physicists generally consider biological transmutation impossible but some have studied it. Srila Prabhupada would say that matter does not produce life, but life produces matter, and so it does, in ways only the most revolutionary scientists are discovering.


Acyuta Prabhu, the librarian at the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre library, who I worked with in organizing Sadaputa Prabhu’s materials, contributed to the library a large collection of books related to India which he had personally acquired over the years. Now he is happily situated doing as devotional service something he always loved, dealing with books. I thank him for the pictures of me at work.

I went to the morning program in Gita Bhavan, which shares the building with the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre. 


Gita Bhavan is a small ashram of enthusiastic young men most having jobs and some studying, but all hoping to become full time residents of the Kolkata temple after their training is complete. Once Ananda Vardhana Prabhu from the Kolkata temple asked me to speak the morning class at Gita Bhavan. The topic was Indra and demigods being defeated because they had failed to respect their spiritual master, Brhaspati, while their demoniac enemies were victorious because they pleased their guru, Sukracarya. In the course of the discussion I emphasized how much Krishna is pleased simply by the endeavor to satisfy one’s guru, and I glorified Srila Prabhupada for satisfying his guru by his attempts to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, which were a grand success. The devotees asked me about my guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, and I spoke of his exemplary dedication to chanting japa, his affection for Srila Prabhupada, and his using his natural talent of writing in the Lord’s service in a big way, writing well over a hundred books.

Ayurveda and Bhagavad-gita

Hari Sauri Prabhu recommended one Vaishnava Ayurvedic doctor to me, Dr. Pradyumna, and I spent part of one of my days in Kolkata visiting him. As I glanced at the prescription Dr. Pradyumna gave me, the name of his clinic, Prasida, caught my attention.

No more anxiety
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 15 March 2014, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 2.7.47) Vaikuntha, the spiritual world, is an abode that is free from anxiety. But as soon as you turn away from Krsna, there is anxiety. Anxiety begins immediately because you don’t know what is going to happen, you have no idea. Anything can happen, at any moment. […]

Rama-navami Evening, April 8, Houston
Giriraj Swami

It is stated that in Satya-yuga demons and devotees lived on different planets; in Treta-yuga demons and devotees lived on the same planet but in different families—like Dasarstha and Janaka on the one hand and Ravana on the other; in Dvarapa-yuga devotees and demons appeared in the same family—like the Kauravas and the Pandavas; and […]

A laborer cannot claim ownership of a thing just because he manufactured it
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Take, for example, our dwelling, which is made of earth, wood, stone, iron, cement and so many other material things. If we think in terms of Sri Isopanisad, we must know that we cannot produce any of these building materials ourselves. We can simply bring them together and transform them into different shapes by our […]

Have you visited WpRecipes today?

The last verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam!
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Dear Maharaj/Prabhus, Please accept my humble obeisances, All glories to Srila Prabhupada. What is the last verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam ??? Here it is: “I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Hari, the congregational chanting of whose names destroy all sinful reactions,and the offering of obeisances unto whom relieves all material suffering.” […]

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014
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Owen Sound, Ontario
Who’s The Artist?
In the midst of this morning’s meanderings I stumbled upon Tom Thompson’s Art Gallery.  Who is Tom Thompson?  A noted Canadian impressionist landscape artist he was.  His body was found mysteriously in the wilderness while on a canoeing trip. A result of foul play?  It’s not really known.  He’s loved and remembered for defining the natural esthetics of the north.  I admit, it’s nice work indeed. 
I’ve been an art lover for years, including the art of nature. The artist behind the elemental combinations of the out of doors should not be denied.  “Who’s behind the placement of patterns of life?” we might ask.  “Does it have to be a person?”  If we settle for intelligent design, as some people use the term, then we admit to personal implication.  Where there’s intelligence there is a brain.  Brain refers to a person.  Where there’s design, we should come to terms with a designer. 
Being that it is Ramnaumi today, a small group of us at the quiet place of Owen Sound, reflected on the classic Vedic personalities known as Ram, Sita and Lakshman, who spent a long and interesting 14 years in the jungles.  A good part of that phase was the travel by foot from the north of India to the south at Rameshvaram.  Shastra, ancient texts like “The Ramayan”, tells of how the three wanderers enjoyed the features, smells, sights and sounds of the wilderness.  Their apparent exile or banishment was actually a blessing. 
Our trip back to the big city, Toronto, allowed our eyes to see a transition.  Behind us was not only the green spirit of the docks at Georgian Bay, but also rolling hills, farms and forests, all now to be replaced by highways, high rises and high expectations of tantalizing pursuits.  Frankly, there’s nothing more boredomsome than peering at square warehouses and the monotonous looking apartment buildings of a modern day city.  You have to ask, “Who’s the author of such pathetic creations?”  Not the Great Spirit, that’s for sure. 
May the Source be with you!
6 KM

Grand Rama Navami Festival at Sri Jaganntha Mandir Kuala Lumpur (Album 114 photos)
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Sri Rama Navami was celebrated in grand manner at Sri Jaganntha Mandir Kuala Lumpur with tumultuous kirtan , 600 devotees and guests partaking in milk abisheka for Sri sri Sita Rama Laksman Hanuman . We are grateful by the presence of HH Bhanu Swami Maharaja and guest of honour the Deputy Minister of Federal Territories YB Senator Datuk Dr.J. Loga Bala Mohan (HG Loka Bandhu Gauranga Prabhu). Read more ›

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Prabhupada: Yes, by sankirtana. By hearing, hearing, hearing — this is a medicinal process — the heart will be cleansed and they will take up the knowledge. Now the heart is unclean, so he cannot take up. So this is the medicine. Kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. Harer nama harer… [Cc. Adi 17.21]. Chant Hare Krsna mantra wherever possible, and whoever will hear, he will gradually become cleansed. Ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. And then bhava-maha-davagni… Then his material pangs will be over. This is the only medicine. Therefore chant Hare Krsna. Some way or other, let them have the chance of hearing, and then it will act as medicine. Even he does not will, you chant, you let him hear by force, and he will be cured.

Morning Walk — April 7, 1975, Mayapur Read more ›

Program in Istanbul – March 27, 2014 (Album 91 photos)
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Last night we had a wonderful program in Istanbul. Even though the local devotees are not able to go out on harinamas or propagate too visibly in the public here in Turkey, they have found other means through the internet to advertise their programs. Of the thirty-five people who attended our program last night, thirteen of them came for the first time. A few had attended only one or two programs before. Read more ›

Niranjana Swami: “Loyalty to the Parampara”
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The man then further challenged Prabhupada. He said, “But Swamiji, but what are you doing? All you are doing is just quoting somebody else. Why don’t you speak for yourself? And then Prabhupada got very strong with him and he said, “No. This is our system. We stand solidly on the strength of the words spoken by Krsna in our disciplic succesion. This is my duty. This is my qualification. I do not deviate. We stand on this position firmly. That is our qualification. To repeat what Krsna says.” Read more ›