Monthly Archives: October 2013

Janani Radha Mataji passes away.
→ Mayapur.com

Janani Radha mataji, known among the Mayapur community as ‘Gopaler Ma’, left her body on 8th October , after battling with cancer for eight months. She is a long term resident of Sri Mayapur dhama and for around 26 years, she has been engaged in the seva of offering Tulasi arti for matajis section. Any […]

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TIPS ON WRITING
→ NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das

Lajos Egri, author of The Art of Dramatic Writing, tells us “A novel, play, or any type of writing,  really is a crisis from beginning to end growing to its necessary conclusion.”  So the problems are piling up for the hero or protagonist.  How do they pile up and where are they coming from? That’s up to you, the writer. 

The Vedas explain our problems fall into three categories:  adhiatmik, adhidaivik, and adhibautik. The first are problems which stem from the body or the mind – stories that deal with physical handicaps or emotional or mental difficulties. The second are problems from natural occurrences – hurricanes, tsunamis,  tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes (the 90’s especially offered up a slew of such films). The last category are problems caused by other living beings, most likely, but not limited to, human beings. You need to have a clear understanding of what type of problems threaten the protagonist.

Earlier I mentioned that the writer needs to clearly know what the protagonist wants. And the things standing in  the way of what he /she wants helps build the tension or drama. But identifying the problem first comes at the story from another angle. Maybe your character doesn’t  want anything. Maybe they don’t have a problem. Maybe he/she is just enjoying the day. Maybe he’s a retired cop who just wants to be left alone. Maybe he/she is on a cruise ship enjoying a well earned vacation. Then disaster strikes. Have an idea what problems the protagonist is going to come up against. Maybe you’ll even find more once you delve into the writing of your story.

Usually the problems of the protagonist should get more difficult  and mount up as the story goes on. Have fun. This is a chance for the writer to indulge in sadistic tendencies. Bring on the problems! Have your character crawl in the dirt. The writer can be merciful or unrelenting. Of course, when a writer gets really sadistic, that’s called a horror story.    

I like Egri’s words  “. . . growing to its necessary conclusion.” That means the ending can’t erratically emerge out of nowhere. The writer is bound by the story he/she is telling and the ending is formed in the context of that story.

To see more TIPS ON WRITING go to 

www.Mahabharata-Project.com

ISKCON New Talavan ( USA ) Farm Community (133 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

The New Talavan farm community was begun as a project in June of 1974. At first it was just a few devotees from the New Orleans temple who came out and slowly began planting gardens. They worked as time permitted and then returned to the New Orleans temple at night, a round trip of about 130 miles. Soon some devotees began staying on the farm full time. Read more ›

06.18 – Be not self-conscious; be conscious of the self
→ The Spiritual Scientist

The word ‘self-conscious’ refers to an excessive awareness of one’s appearance and actions. For example, when we give our first public speech, we may be self-conscious, that is, too worried about how we look and how we speak. Self-consciousness can be crippling. It can divert our mental energy away from concentrating on doing our actions […]

The topmost beauty
→ KKS Blog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 13 September 2013, Durban, South Africa, Radhastami Lecture) The beauty of Srimati Radharani is the topmost beauty but it is not ordinary beauty or merely external beauty. That beauty is a reflection of her love for Krsna. In the Caitanya Caritamrta, there is a section of verses which describe how Srimati Radharani […]

Faith Develops in the Association of Devotees, October 5, Plano, Texas
Giriraj Swami

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 9.3 at a home program in Dallas. “The faithless cannot accomplish this process of devotional service; that is the purport of this verse. Faith is created by association with devotees. Unfortunate people, even after hearing all the evidence of Vedic literature from great personalities, still have no faith […]

Take up anxiety – but for Krishna not for oneself
→ The Spiritual Scientist

The pure devotee does not endeavor for anything which is against the principles of devotional service. For example, constructing a big building requires great energy, and a devotee does not take to such business if it does not benefit him by advancing his devotional service. He may construct a temple for the Lord, and for […]

Full Consciousness: HH Bhakti Vrajendranandana Swami
→ Dandavats.com

HH Bhakti Vrajendranandana Swami, ISKCON Malaysia President, has attained full consciousness. Semi-solid food is being recommended by doctors as Maharaja’s appetite is gradually improving. His liver is functioning better than before. Speech clearer, physical strength picking up. In fact, Maharaja is so eager to speak that he is calling devotee on phone Read more ›

Sewa Day in the Manor (act of kindness without expectation of reward) (29 photos)
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Sewa is a universal concept, which involves performing an act of kindness without expectation of reward. It is performed selflessly and without ulterior motive.

As a concept, Sewa in embedded in Indian traditions, and is actively promoted by different cultures and faiths – as the core belief is the same – to sacrifice your time and resources for the benefit of others without wanting anything in return. Read more ›

Vivaha-yajna, marriage ceremony in Russia (245 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

There are many purificatory processes for advancing a human being to spiritual life. The marriage ceremony, for example, is considered to be one of these sacrifices. It is called vivaha-yajna. . . . The Lord says here that any sacrifice that is meant for human welfare should never be given up. Vivaha-yajna, the marriage ceremony, is meant to regulate the human mind so that it may become peaceful for spiritual advancement. (Bg. 18.5, purport) Read more ›

Motherly Love
→ Tattva - See inside out

It’s easy to take mothers for granted. In an attempt to estimate the monetary value of ‘motherly love’, some researchers spent a week following around one such mother. She took the kids to school, so they calculated how much a taxi driver would cost. She cooked the breakfast, lunch and dinner so they approximated the wage bill of a cook. The mother also played the role of a cleaner, psychologist, accountant and nurse to name but a few. They calculated the overtime the mother put in, and how she would often go on for years without any time off (every family holiday she was fully on-call). After crunching the numbers, they discovered that to employ such a mother would set you back in the region of £150,000 a year!

That, however, doesn’t tell you the full story; the quality of the job is what really stands out. The service of a mother is incredibly selfless and unceasing. They don’t stipulate any expectation in return for their services, and are delighted when offered the opportunity to go beyond the call of duty. What to speak of receiving benefits, even when children act in irrational and ungrateful ways, the mother happily continues to serve. Their service unfailingly continues day after day, and even when the child becomes a grown adult the outpouring of motherly love doesn’t subside.

Ancient scriptures explain how our actions towards God and all living beings should be completely devoid of selfish intent. By offering our lives in service, unmotivated and uninterrupted, we experience profound satisfaction and fulfillment which otherwise remains elusive. While this may be hard to conceptualise, the living example of magnanimous mothers gives us an insight into what selflessness really is. Swami Prabhupada explained how the love between mother and child is the purest form of love found in this world. How wonderful if we could take some moments to remember this, foster a mood of gratitude, and share that selfless spirit with the entire world.

Disclaimer: I am sure many fathers also fit the above descriptions 🙂

The month of Damodara
→ Mayapur.com

On behalf of the ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry, I would like to share with you the new video we made about the Kartika Month and the Importance of the Damodara Program. It was filmed here in Mayapur and we have some members of our youth participating in the video. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knTzt3_ZVY4 We hope […]

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Vyasa-puja in South Africa, via Skype, October 5, Dallas
Giriraj Swami

“We have no idea what we are dealing with. We are dealing with pure nectar. We have to drink that nectar. Sometimes even by force. Because of the disease of jaundice — ignorance — nectar tastes like poison in the beginning. But really appreciate the facility you have and take advantage of it. Somehow use every moment […]

Sunday, October 6th, 2013
→ The Walking Monk

Be Smart

Brampton, Ontario

Saturday night overlapped into Sunday morning if you were present at Nuit Blanche held at Queens Park in Toronto.  Nuit Blanche is an all night outdoor setting of eye popping sensation grabbing hands on art displays.

Our group of chanters found our chosen spot on the grass where we plopped ourselves on to carpets for our own version of art through sound.  Once we kick started with Dhira leading the chant, people out there started to get on fire so to speak.  It’s like the magic at New Years Eve.  People are in a party mood, a little tipsy from a substance, out to impress; above all, trying to reflect the nature of the soul seeking happiness.

The dancing began under the moonlight which was over the clouds that were threatening to burst.  The fun went on.  The crowds eventually thinned out and our group moved on, except for me, who decided to walk it back to the ashram, mainly to bring 15 year old Aravind, one of our drummers, to his hotel.  The rains came.  Once again, I’m grateful to have had the Irish trekking experience, a water experience.  It made me resilient to downpours.  My arrival time at the ashram was 4 AM, the time to normally get up for sadhana, spiritual work out.  I went to sleep.

It was a long birthday.

Up I got and in time for a ride to Brampton and a talk to the community there from a verse out of the Gita, 3.20:

“Just for the sake of educating the people in general, you should perform your work.”

I find that supremely interesting.  What Krishna appears to be saying is that merely by doing your dharma, duty, you inspire others.  It’s all quite subtle, simply doing as we’re obliged sets the right tone for others.

I gave a second talk in Toronto and spoke about the varying energies or emissions of the Divine.   People like to hear about the internal energies and how they are full of life.  The external energies, although giving a buzz initially, always end in a sad scenario.  So take your pick on the choice of influence and hopefully you will be smart.

5 KM

No ordinary beauty
→ KKS Blog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 13 September 2013, Durban, South Africa, Radhastami) In Vrndavan, in one of the forests which is known as Kamyavana, there is place called Mohini-kund. Once in this place, a particular pastime took place. Srimati Radharani mentioned that she had heard many Bhagavatam lectures speaking about the super-excellent beauty of Mohini-murti, that particular […]