“We should be very attentive and not let our attention waver when we’re chanting the holy names. And as Prabhupada states in the purport, it’s a very heavy statement, “If one’s mind is distracted from worship, a mere show of worship will not be of any benefit.” In other words – putting it in language you may understand – if your mind is thinking of something else what is the benefit of that? You should be focused on the holy names while you’re chanting the holy names to avoid the offenses.”
Bir Krsna Goswami
Lecture SB 5.8.14
New Goloka January 1, 2013
Sacinandana Swami has been a monk in the bhakti tradition for 42 years. He is known for his significant contribution to the practice of contemplation and meditation for modern practitioners of bhakti. Sacinandana Swami has published seven books and released two CDs, and offers an array of retreats, seminars, and workshops 
Dussehra celebrates Lord Rama’s victory over the demon king Ravana and the triumph of good over evil. The epic Ramayana tells the mythical story of the Lord Rama who wins the lovely Sita for his wife, only to have her carried off by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. 
Indradyumna Swami: In Vedic culture sannyasis [ monks in the renounced order ] did not conduct weddings. But our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, did in order to encourage his young disciples and help pioneer his fledgling Krsna consciousness movement in the early days 
…Rama and Ravana struggled in a duel with arrows and powerful weapon mantras. For hours they exchanged blows and thousands of arrows flew through the air. Ravana’s powers of illusion made him appear undefeatable, and just as he was coming toward Rama for a final confrontation, Rama shot his mystical arrow straight through Ravana’s heart. The King of Demons fell to the earth and died with the dawn. 
Deena Bandhu Das: Last night on Vijaya Dashami, Sri Radharamanji went for a victory ride on His silver elephant. Relish this rare darshan and a surprise darshan at the end of the album! 
Krishna’s holy names are endowed with all of His potencies and this sound vibration can reawaken a person to his spiritual identity and existence. We have forgotten our real identity as spiritual beings, part and parcel of Krishna, and this forgetfulness is the root cause of all our suffering. When a person is asleep, he forgets who he really is and in his dreaming he assumes one illusory identity after another, in each existence suffering unnecessarily 
