Monthly Archives: October 2013

Harinama in The Central Park of Culture and Recreation Gorky in Moscow, Russia (90 photos)
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Harinama is the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord as shown to us by Srila Prabhupada. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced the sankirtan movement 500 years ago and it is the spiritual process recommended in the Vedas for the age of Kali, the age we now find ourselves in. From the beginning of the Krishna consciousness movement in the West, Srila Prabhupada directed the devotees to chant congregationally in the temple as well as in the parks and streets of the towns and cities Read more ›

Rama-lila by B.G. Sharma (34 paintings)
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O King, the pastimes of Lord Ramacandra were wonderful, like those of a baby elephant. In the assembly where mother Sita was to choose her husband, in the midst of the heroes of this world, He broke the bow belonging to Lord Siva. This bow was so heavy that it was carried by three hundred men, but Lord Ramacandra bent and strung it and broke it in the middle, just as a baby elephant breaks a stick of sugarcane. Thus the Lord achieved the hand of mother Sita, who was equally as endowed with transcendental qualities of form, beauty, behavior, age and nature. Read more ›

Saturday, October 12th, 2013
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Warmer Than A Fireplace

Vancouver, British Columbia

There is something warmer than a fireplace which has a block of hardwood crackling in a dancing fire.  That warmth I’m referring to is a group of people who are tightly knit together in spirit.  This has little or nothing to do with people holding hands and hugging and feeling each other’s body heat. It is not warm temperature, rather warm temperament that we are looking at.  In fact, cool heads often times have attached to them warm hearts.

In the conference room of Loon Lake’s retreat centre our group of like minds glanced through mammoth windows to admire the body of water as placid as you could imagine.  Your spruce, pine and cedar trees are also to be adored, if not explored.  But not now!  Exploration can come later, at break time.  First, we chanted before a make shift shrine of Gaura Nitai deities and a picture of our guru, Srila Prabhupada.

I then read a passage from the book, “Blazing Sadhus”.  The contents of the passage saw a bit of the laughter warmth; more than was already there.

Brahmananda (an early student of his) was consulting a lawyer to help renew the Swami’s expired visa.  He explained to Swamiji that one way to solve the problem was to go to Canada, stay for some months, re-enter the USA and reapply.

“That is too much botheration,” Swamiji said.

Brahmananda then said, “Well, the only other way is to marry to an American citizen.”

Sitting with us was a pleasant mannish woman who, along with a lady friend, who had been attending classes regularly for weeks.

She said, “Well, I can marry you if it will help.”

“No, no.” Swamiji laughed.  “I am sannyasi, I cannot marry.  But thank you.  That is nice service attitude.”

This reading started and stoked up our sessions of discussion. We went for review of past business, discussed our publication sales and succession planning – principally.  It was apparent that some of our leaders are too exclusive with their members; that inclusiveness is lacking.  In other words, it’s important to demonstrate personalism at all times; to emphasize ‘togetherness’, the team spirit.  Connect well with your community.

I was obliged to attend “Enchant” at the Unity Yoga Studio off of Commercial Drive in Vancouver.  Here the attendees are warmly receiving  the maha mantra and then returning it.  We all got to dancing and I must admit the body heat was rising.

It’s the company you keep that makes all the difference in your life.

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Friday, October 11th, 2013
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A Few Of Us

Loon Lake, British Columbia

A few of us leaders of Krishna Consciousness converged at Loon Lake located near Maple Ridge.  It’s the venue for our AGM – Annual General Meeting for Canada.  The place is pristine, near a mountain’s summit.  Lodges, cabins, are made from the local logs.  It’s totally rustic; a perfect setting for thought, review, inspiration and planning.  Actually the place is a research centre for UBC, University of British Columbia.

Anubhava from Montreal and I, while waiting for others to turn up, got adventurous and helped ourselves to the short journey across the lake by way of a rope ferry.  Then we explored a trail around the lake.  We were disappointed to find no loons in the water.  Wildlife seemed in slumber to the exception of a few chipmunks and bird.  Cedars and pines are tall and erect.  Anubhava and I were dwarfs as we trekked amidst ferns and other humble plants.  A maintenance person informed us that snow comes in such quantities that boards are leaned against cabin windows otherwise the snow bursts through, breaking glass.

No bugs makes it pleasant.  As always, the biggest pest is the mind.  This thought, of the mind’s dictation, was expressed by myself in the documentary, “The Longest Road” released 10 years ago by the National Film Board.  The film was a re-enactment of my first walk of ’96.  I was recorded saying that while doing the long sojourn you may end up feeling very fatigued yet no pest is more pronounced than the mind.  That’s why the chanting.  That’s why you keep the best company with good support.  That’s why you immerse yourself in the promising stories of “The Ramayan”, “The Mahabharat” and other Puranic tales of righteousness.

Also when in a terrific natural setting as Anubhava and I find ourselves in, it just makes for the best environment to believe in such Divine presence.  We just felt really blessed.

I should also not fail to mention one of the accelerators in spiritual life – the prasad in the form of a hot soup, and butter on bread with roasted sesame.  The sun went down.  The fireplace was lit. What more can  you want?

May the Source be with you!

9 KM

Thursday, October 10th, 2013
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We Were in Many Places

Burnaby, British Columbia

Squirrels.  There’s hardly a time in the year when you won’t find them scurrying about.  And now, with the fall clearly in its full blown manifestation, they are preparing for the coming cold.  They are going nuts – gathering them.  But by the creek near our ashram in Burnaby there appears little sing of life unless you consider the greenest of algae to be that.  The occasional bubble surfacing indicates the sign of life below.  “Have heart,” I think.  I was probably submerged in that same murkiness sometime in the past, perhaps in the same creek, under the same algae.  I was in another form of life before and I could have easily been there causing bubbles.

I had walking companion Pancha by tree and shrub nurseries as we admired the diversity of them.  Here too, I can so perceptively see myself as a bush of sorts in the past.  There I could have been rendering service by dint of my natural aesthetics giving beauty to someone’s classy front lawn.

We also noticed a mushroom, golden in colour.  Likely I was that in a previous existence.  From a mushroom to a squirrel, I’ve been there, done that. Each successive life that we adorn the soul with according to the evolutionary system is slightly more evolved in sensitivity and sophistication than the previous life.

By the laws of karma we travel through a series of lives. Then as a human we reach reason and enter the realm of responsibility.  If we foul up after great opportunities in the human form we come to the ebbtide of our journey going in reverse through experiential lives.  Fortunately opportunities for gaining human existence will avail themselves.  Eventually we hope to end samsara, the cycle of birth and death and make a linear ascension to a place of the soul’s freedom, moksa.

When trekking and seeing various life forms it’s hard to avoid the connection we have with each others as we share the same habits of eating, sleeping, playing, defending and mating.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Recordings from Cape Town, September 2013
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Kadamba Kanana Swami visited Cape Town during the last leg of his tour to South Africa. Recordings from all the programs are presented below. To download an audio file, right-click on the title and save target as.       Lectures KKS_22 September_Cape Town_SA_25th Anniversary_Lecture KKS_September_Cape Town_SA_BYS_ Lecture KKS_September_Cape Town_SA_BG 9.9 KKS_September_Cape Town_SA_Lecture_SB 8.20.12 KKS_September_Cape […]

The latest development from the building of the magnificent Temple of Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur (6 photos)
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Bhumi Devi Dasi: Recent pictures capture the progress of construction on two important parts of the new temple. They showcase the headway being made in the South West corner. The staircase tower is moving forward as the shuttering of form work is being done. The next layer is concrete with the following layer will being the blue tiles. The planetarium wing is also making great strides in it’s momentum Read more ›

Gauranga Travels
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We would like to wish you in advance for a very happy, blissful Kartik month. We, at Gauranga Travels take delight to welcome all the pilgrims to Sri Mayapur dhama during the holy month of Kartika. This year, a special event – Navadvipa Mandala parikrama is being organized to take full advantage of staying in […]

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Harinama in Lima and kirtan at the Botanical Gardens in Chapultepec Park in Mexico for “CityEnerYOGAte!” (video and 60 pics)
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Vaiyasaki Das & the Kirtan Explosion Band: Last Sunday we were part of a massive yoga class and kirtan concert at the Botanical Gardens in Chapultepec Park in Mexico City. We did the kirtan and Jai Hari Singh taught Kundalini Yoga to over 800 attendees. Dharma is spreading around the world and many eager souls are ready for it! We are trying to do our small part Read more ›

Srila Prabhupada Visits New Vrindaban – June 25th, 1976
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  Srila Prabhupada Visits New Vrindaban – June 25th, 1976. Excerpt from Hari Sauri’s Trancendental Diary. No morning walk today. It seems that mornings are the worst for His Divine Grace’s health. Nevertheless, he attended the program in the temple and gave class. * * * At eleven thirty Ganendra prabhu came and massaged Prabhupada’s […]

Change 4,528
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According to what I hear, the second edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is has five thousand changes. Here’s one that came up in a Gita class a few nights ago: 17.28 (first edition) asraddhaya hutam dattam tapas taptam krtam ca yat asad ity ucyate partha na ca tat pretya no iha asraddhaya — without faith; […]

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Change 4,528
→ Jayadvaita Swami

According to what I hear, the second edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is has five thousand changes. Here’s one that came up in a Gita class a few nights ago:

17.28 (first edition)

asraddhaya hutam dattam
tapas taptam krtam ca yat
asad ity ucyate partha
na ca tat pretya no iha

asraddhaya — without faith; hutam — performed; dattam — given; tapah — penance; taptam — executed; krtam — performed; ca — also; yat — that which; asat — falls; iti — thus; ucyate — is said to be; partha — O son of Prtha; na — never; ca — also; tat — that; pretya — after death; no — nor; iha — in this life.

But sacrifices, austerities and charities performed without faith in the Supreme are nonpermanent, O son of Partha, regardless of whatever rites are performed. They are called asat and are useless both in this life and the next.

 Asat, of course, means “impermanent,” “temporary,” or false. The second edition has it right.

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