Monthly Archives: March 2014

Live broadcast today: 2nd annual Bhaktivedanta Swami Lecture
→ Jayadvaita Swami

  Today the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Africa will broadcast the second annual Bhaktivedanta Swami Lecture, to be given at WITS University, Johannesburg, by His Holiness Devamrita Swami. The event will go live at 6:25 pm in Johannesburg. That’s 5:25 in Belgium, 4:25 in London, 12:25 in New York. Other worldwide timings here: http://tinyurl.com/BhaktivedantaSwamiLecture2014 Link to […]

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New Vrindaban’s Transcendental Throwback Thursday – 03/20/14
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental Throwback Thursday – 03/20/14. Each week we highlight an earlier era of ISKCON New Vrindaban. This week’s challenge: Despite a slight blurriness, there are four devotees whose faces are recognizable and two with their backs to the camera. How many can you identify? Extra Credit: What is the special name of the place they […]

Tuesday, March 18th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

Incidents Do Happen

Nick and I left the ashrambefore retiring for the night ‘to get some rounds in’.  By that term we don’t mean we’re playing golf or anything of the sort.  We are referring to having our fingers go a revolution or more on our mediation beads while reciting mantras.  And in the process, we are walking.

A good progressive walk we did in terms of speed, up Bloor Street West to Christie Pitts and back in one hour. 

Nick has been fairly occupied as of late in the care of Tulasi, the sacred plant so commonly honoured in Vaishnava ashrams and temples around the world.  He’s also doing extra kitchen duties, filling in for one of our monks who slipped and fell on the kitchen floor, landing on his right hand and leaving him incapacitated. 
Accidents and incidents do happen, even in a spiritual environment.  Currently, our community in Toronto is quite shaken up about losing a dear member.  Mayapur Chandra was a young man whose body was recently found outside in the snow.  He passed away from hypothermia.  He had a lot of young friends who feel a great loss in the community. 
It was this evening that a grievance counselor by the name of Rajnish from amongst our community took the group of mourners through introspection and prayer.  The support system is well in place, and in an effort to help boost the morale, I had made a special dedication through a 9 Devotions workshop this evening before ‘getting some rounds in’. 
I wish to give a special moment of reflection to honourMayapur Chandra for his kind, sharing ways.
May the Source be with you!
6 KM

Monday, March 17th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Oshawa, Ontario

In Rick’s Class

I arrived early at Durham College’s room where Rick conducts his classes.  I sat down waiting in the room with just a few students who are also early and who had made themselves comfortable along the classroom’s edge.  As the trickling in of students trailed on, there was a continuation of gravitating to the outer seats where they opened up to their individual computer gadget or book.  Book?  Yes!  Surprise!

Rick came in.  It’s always great to see him.  By now, the middle portion of the room filled in.  Rick gave the intro to the students about the guest speaker and mentioning about my pilgrimages across countries.  More so, he wanted me to speak about the Krishna culture.  I was to convey how Krishna devotees theologically see the world through our lens.  Whether we accept or reject other paths to the absolute.  What do we as a group struggle with amongst ourselves, and how do we solution this?  There were other points he wished me to cover.
They were a good group of students, really attentive, and especially so when I began to speak about our challenges in recognition of a divorce rate that should and could be lowered within our community.   I mentioned that we started to give attention to the problem, “Faith and family should run together relatively smooth.”  I explained that secularism and materialism have imposed a major shakeup to the family unit.  In other words, I was taking a strong position for spirituality being a major component within relationships.  “Spirituality is supposed to build up your sensitivity, tolerance, patience, love, and togetherness.”  It has been observed that many people take to the spiritual track to gain stability in their lives and that by partaking in community activities aim to achieve enhanced harmony.  We all need a good support system.
In any event, questions came.  Time spun by very quickly.  I was just about to do a demo on the drum, the mrdanga, and then to chant, but the hour zipped by in a flash and the next guests came in, two young male members of the Mormon Church.  They were absolutely amiable.  We exchanged handshakes and words of goodwill.  Of course, spiritualists should support each other and not see each other as adversaries, even if from a different denomination. 
May the Source be with you!
6 KM

To be or not to be… vegan?
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 01 October 2013, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.1) More and more devotees are becoming vegan because they say milk is not pure; so much cruelty to the cows is involved now. But Srila Prabhupada was not fanatic about this. Srila Prabhupada felt that milk was very important, that we needed it for […]

Gaura Purnima, March 16, ISKCON Silicon Valley, Mountain View, California
Giriraj Swami

Giriraj Swami spoke during the evening part of the celebrations. “Srila Prabhupada, at the age of seventy, and at the order of his guru maharaja, crossed the ocean and sat down under a tree and chanted Hare Krishna. He said that anyone could take Krishna consciousness to anywhere in the world by the same method. […]

Feeding 2500 Vrndavana sadhus in the name of Govinda Swami’s departed mother (Album 71 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Govinda Swami: Today we served the Vrindavan sadhus and acaryas.

Tomorrow we will serve a feast to all of the ISKCON devotees at Krishna Balaram Mandir, as well as sponsor all of the Deities Seva’s and feeding the cows in the Bhaktivedanta Goshalla.

May Gaura Nitai, Krishna Balaram, Radhe Shyam, the vaisnavas, and the cows bestow their grace upon the soul of my mother. Read more ›

Gaura Purnima: Blissful celebrations at Sri Jagannatha Mandir, ISKCON Malaysia Head Quarters (Album 138 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Sri Jagannatha Mandir, ISKCON Malaysia head quarters celebrated the most auspicious appearance day of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
The programme started with Tulasi Puja and Guru Puja followed by Abhishekam of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. His Holiness Bhakti Vrajendranandana Swami Maharaja, President of ISKCON Malaysia, graced the occasion with his presence and talk. HG Simhesvara Prabhu, Regional secretary, also spoke and inspired everyone highlighting the glories of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His blessings to all of us. We were also honored to have the presence of YB Senator Datuk Dr Loga Bala Mohan (HG Loka Bandhu Gauranga Prabhu), the Deputy Minister of Federal Territories and His Excellence the Ambassador of Venezuela. Read more ›