Author Archives: H.H. Indradyumna Swami

Our 6 week festival tour in the Mumbai area is finally coming to a conclusion. Yesterday, while doing some errands, I took photos of life in the city, comparing old India with that of the new.

“If anyone thinks of Me, when in sound mind and body, as the very cause and all pervading personality of this universe and as one without birth, then I assure you that I will remember this devotee of Mine when upon his deathbed, lying helplessly like a stone or a log of wood. I will […]

Yesterday I went to a rough part of Mumbai to pick up a puja plate I had repaired in an old junk shop. Several ethnic groups live side by side in a tense neighborhood surrounded by poverty and filth. To my surprise I found Lord Jagannatha and Lord Bala…

The Radha Vrindavan Chandra Temple in Pune, India is situated on 6 acres of land just minutes from the center of the city. They have a congregation of over 2,000 members. 200 brahmacaris live permanently in the temple and construction is going on to ev…

Govardhan Eco Village, situated in the Sahyadri mountains near Mumbai, is a model ISKCON farming community and retreat center. Yesterday my festival team and I took a break from our preaching and visited the community. We were treated to a 4-hour tour …

Before leaving Sridham Mayapura I visited the Bhaktivedanta Academy, one of several schools in our ISKCON community there. It functions as a traditional Vedic gurukula with education for both boys and girls. The day I visited the boy’s school they were receiving one of their teacher’s, Bhaktividya Purna Maharaja, who was returning from a trip […]

Today I visited the Temple Of Vedic Planetarium ( TOVP ) here in Mayapura. Envisioned by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur and now finally manifest by the strong desire of Srila Prabhupada it is gradually taking shape. I was amazed at the progress the manageme…

Last night’s program in Mumbai was our biggest yet. Over 9,000 people sat transfixed for 90 minutes as our actors brought the pastime of Usa and Aniruddha from the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam to life. Srila Prabhupada, we do this all for you. Please give us your blessings!

By popular demand we held two showings of ‘Usha and Aniruddha’ on the 1st day of our program in Mumbai; one in the morning for high school students and the other in the evening for a number of Mumbai’s elite personalities. A total of 1,200 guests. I only had time for a few photos, as […]

The town of Melkote in Karnataka is a celebrated place for Sri Vaisnavas. The illustrious head of the Sri Sampradaya, Srila Ramanujacarya ( 1137 AD – 1077 AD ) resided in Melkote for 12 years. The utsava ( festival ) Deity was once stolen by invaders and taken to Delhi. Ramanujacarya personally went to Delhi […]

The Srikanteswara temple in Nanjangud, Karnataka is dedicated to Lord Siva. The Deity is called Nanjuneswara, which translates as, “The Lord Who Drank Poison.” Lord Siva drank poision to protect the world during the famous pastime of the churning of the milk ocean. Numerous other Deities are worshipped in the complex.The beautiful and ornate temple […]

The temple of Venu Gopala Swami lies on top of a mountain 1,400 meters high in a densely forested area in Karnataka. Agastya muni once resided there and performed severe austerities. Because of his penance Lord Krsna agreed to come and reside there per…

Mysore, in the state of Karnataka, is often referred to as the, “City of Palaces.” Most prominent is the Mysore Palace, built by the royalty of the Wodeyar dynasty in 1897. It attracts over 3 million visitors a year. True to spirit of the dynasty which traces it’s ancestry back to the 14th century, the […]

The town of Belfur, in the southern state of Karnataka in India, is set on the banks of the Yagachi river. It was chosen as the capitol of the Hoysala dynasty which ruled much of South India between the 11th and 14th centuries. The saintly kings of the…

Present day Humpi in Karnataka, India is located in the vast ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire, which flourished in the 13th and 14th centuries. The many stone temples, gardens, palaces and ancient market places are protected as a UNESCO World Heritage …

During our 8-hour drive from Udupi to Hampi we passed through the town of Hari Hara and took darshan of the combined form of Visnu and Siva in the Hariharaesvara Temple. The left side of the deity is Visnu and the right side is Lord Siva. The temple wa…

Yesterday we visited the home where the great saint Madhvacharya appeared. It is not far from Udupi. Madhvacharya was an incarnation of the wind god, Vayu, and previously appeared as both Hanuman and Bhima. He was instrumental is spreading Vaisnavism t…

The city of Udupi is situated in the southwest state of Karnataka in India. It has a population of 165,000 people, but is filled with visiting pilgrims throughout the year. Devotees come specifically to take darsan of the beautiful deity of Krishna [ U…

Even in cold winter, Srimati Radharani’s home in Varsana teems with locals and pilgrims alike visiting the holy places of that sacred abode. A day before leaving Vrindavan we joined them, all the while begging Radharani to bless our upcoming festival programs in Maharashtra. “I emphatically say to you, O brothers, you will obtain your […]

An afternoon walk in downtown Vrindavan with my camera reveals the beauty of the town and it’s people on a cool winter afternoon.

Bada Haridas and myself arrived back to winter in Vrindavan. It’s very cold and foggy in the mornings, but by the afternoon it warms up. Immediately after settling in we embarked on a 3-hour parikrama around the holy dhama. Along the way we met many of our old Vrajavasi friends.

“O Gurudeva! What mantra have you given me? What powers does it possess? As I chant this mantra, I feel that it is turning me into a madman.” [ Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, Adi-llia.7.81 ]

Last night, accompanied by a police escort, we took a small Ratha Yatra cart on harinam through old Hong Kong, distributing the gift of the holy names to everyone. Being Christmas Eve the people were in good spirits and many smiled, waved and even danc…

Here in Hong Kong we will spend Christmas Eve chanting the holy names of the Lord in the old part of the city from 9pm until midnight. Traditionally, hundreds of thousands of Chinese people take to the streets to celebrate at that time. Though the city…

For the past several months Hong Kong has been disrupted with massive street protests challenging some key government policies. Regularly tens of thousands of people have come out venting their anger and frustration by blocking important streets and av…

In solidarity with the people of Sydney, who were slowly coming to terms with the recent hostage siege downtown at Martin Place, we took our harinam party to the streets to give them solace and relief from the grief they were feeling. Our sign, “United in Prayer For Those We’ve Lost,” was greatly appreciated by […]

“My dear Lord. O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But your servant Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my […]

Varsana is where Srimate Radharani lived in Her youth. It is dear to all Vrajavasis. A number of them are fortunate to take birth and live their lives in that sacred abode. On my way out of Vrindavan to Australia this morning, I stopped by Varsana to roll in the dust, visit King Vrsabhanu’s palace, […]

After setting up our 2015 festival tour in Maharashtra, I am back in beloved Vrindavan for a few days before proceeding to Australia. This morning I woke up to the cooing of peacocks, the mooing of cows, temple bells and sadhus chanting. I quickly show…

“Here our Lord herded the calves, and here He played the flute. I pray that I may pass my days shedding tears as I speak these words on the Yamuna’s shore.” [Sri Raghupati Upadhyaya, from Rupa Goswami’s Padyavali ].

Pandharpur,in Maharashtra, is one of the most prominent pilgrimage sites in India. Although many ISKCON devotees may be unaware of Pandharpur, historically the town is of great significance to Gaudiya Vaisnavism. Lord Caitanya visited Pandharpur for a …

“In my horoscope there was written there, ‘After seventieth year this man will go outside India and establish so many temples.’ I could not understand. ‘What is this, that I have to go outside India? That is not…’ And Guru Maharaja foretold. He told my Godbrothers, Sridhara Maharaja and other that, ‘He’ll do the needful […]

“Please accept my blessings. I am just in receipt of your letter forwarded from New York. Please be happy in separation. I am separated from my Guru Maharaja since 1936 but I am always with him so long I work according to his direction. So we should all work together for satisfying Lord Krishna and […]

While traveling through Maharashtra, India, to organize our festival tour here early next year, I have taken the opportunity to visit a number of holy places in this western part of the country. There are many sacred rivers, ancient temples and saintly…

Yesterday, upon my return to India, I had the good fortune to visit a somewhat unknown, but historically significant, place of worship for followers of Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON. Tucked away in a small corner of Chandni Chowk, the oldest and busiest …

“By serving you constantly, one is freed from all material desires and becomes completely pacified. When will I become your permanent, eternal servant and always feel joy to have such a fitting master?” Yamunacarya, Stotraratna, text 43

This evening I am returning to India to attend to some urgent business connected to our upcoming 6-week festival tour there beginning in January. On the way I stopped by our ISKCON temple in Denpasar to get blessings from the deities for a safe journey…

On our way to Australia and then Hong Kong, Bada Haridas and myself have stopped off in Bali, Indonesia for a short break. But we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go on harinam with the local devotees and yesterday joined them for a massive 3-hour kirtan along one of the beautiful beaches than adorn […]

This morning I went to Radha Kunda to offer my respects and say goodbye, for now, to Sri Vrindavan Dhama. It was a wonderful and most memorable Kartika being in the association of 350 blissful devotees visiting so many holy places in this sacred dhama. It’s going to be difficult to leave tomorrow. I will […]

The day after our last Kartika parikrama we all assembled at the Radha Gokulananda temple to share our memories and realizations. There was laughter, joy, amazement… and a touch of sadness as well. Sadness with the realization that a month spent in each other’s loving association, hearing the pastimes of the Lord, chanting His glories […]