Monthly Archives: January 2015

Little Pot to Big Pot
→ Seed of Devotion

On our third day of the Radha Krishna Camp in Brazil, I asked the group of 19 teenage girls, “So what quality do you all want to develop as a group today?”

We broke up into two smaller groups to discuss. In the group I was in, one girl mentioned how everyone seems to be in their own little groups. She formed her hands into a circle, “A panelinha,” she said.

“Panelinha?”

“It means ‘clique,'” said the girl who was translating.

“Oh really?” I lifted my brows.

“Yes, it means ‘little pot,'”

I laughed. Then all the girls laughed to see that I got it. Oh yes, I thought to myself, there were many little pots simmering on the stove of this Camp. 

“Let’s be more open,” the first girl explained in Portuguese, and other girls nodded in assent. Ultimately, all of the girls agreed to explore being open today.

The analogy became a running joke – any time there were little groups of girls, some would yell out, “panelinha, panelinha!!” and either break it up or say, “Hey, wanna join my panelinha?”

With each day, the fire became hotter and hotter in this camp. What can one expect when you get 19 girls all living in the same house day after day? We were serving each other prasad every day, getting up early for morning programs, we rode horses, hiked, offered a performance at a senior home, we had a dance party… Let’s just say that many tears were shed – from pain in the body, pain in the heart, from gratitude, and from joy.

The final morning of the camp, we each offered appreciation for one other person. When the meeting concluded, spontaneously everyone moved throughout the room, embracing each other, tears flowing and flowing. From my years of saying goodbye on Bus Tours, I knew that never again would we all be in the same room again.

I didn’t say anything, only looked each girl in the eyes and felt my heart overflow. What an insane adventure.

We had transformed from a bunch of panelinhas to one panelón – little pot to big pot. 

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Srila Prabhupada’s First Visit to New Vrindaban, 1969
→ New Vrindaban

A Swami’s Dream Comes to Life: Prabhupada’s First Visit to New Vrindaban

Written by Madhava Smullen. Archival Research by Chaitanya Mangala.

New Vrindaban, May 20th, 1969 – A small cluster of devotees waited at the entrance to the rural West Virginia property, hearts beating with anticipation. As the Lincoln town car turned the corner, they hit the gravel driveway in obeisance.

Srila Prabhupada stepped out of the car. “Oh, there are many waiting here,” he said, looking around with a smile that lit up his entire face. “Jai Sri Krishna!”

The devotees smiled back. They had been waiting for this moment since they first told Prabhupada in March of the previous year that they were negotiating with landowner Richard Rose.

From then on, Srila Prabhupada had been writing streams of enthusiastic letters to them, outlining his ambitious plans: that the land be called New Vrindaban; that “cow protection should be [its] main business;” that it be “a new place of pilgrimage for you Western devotees” and “an ideal village where the residents will practice plain living and high thinking.”

Even before Hayagriva told Prabhupada that the 99-year-lease had been signed on August 8th, 1968, he went as far as to say, “I may permanently stay there and try to serve you in constructing a New Vrindaban city in West Virginia,” expressing that it would be the ideal place for him to spend the rest of his life translating spiritual literature. And now he was here.

Excitedly, the devotees loaded Prabhupada’s luggage into the old powerwagon they planned to drive him up the dirt road to the farm in. As Srila Prabhupada took his seat, they started it up. The vehicle lurched, coughed out smoke, and promptly died. They tried it again. And again. Each time, it cut out. The devotees, mortified, looked at their guru. This wasn’t how they had hoped his first visit would go.

“Why not walk?” he said, matter-of-factly. It was a subtle way of  pointing out, right from the get-go, that the simple life was superior to that of so-called modern “convenience.” And despite the devotees’ protests that it would be too hard on him, he set off at a smart pace up the ominously named “Aghasura Road,” a twisting, turning two-mile trail riddled with potholes and ruts.

As usual, Prabhupada’s much younger disciples were left huffing and puffing as they struggled to keep up with him. Head held high, he casually discussed the trees, flowers and vines along the way, interested in everything and finding ways to relate it all to Krishna consciousness. In just his first few minutes at New Vrindaban, he was already teaching his disciples his key instruction for the project, the glue that held it all together: loving Krishna.

At last, Prabhupada and the devotees rounded a curve in the road, and could see a clearing on the ridge ahead. There, amidst the lush green of the West Virginia countryside, was a small farmhouse, a barn, and the hand-built one room cabins that devotees resided in.

After washing and appreciating the devotee’s simple lodgings, Prabhupada sat down on a dais set up for him beneath a willow tree’s leafy cascade. Devotees brought him fruit, local tulip honey and fresh milk from New Vrindaban’s first cow, Kaliya. Then they sat before him in a semi-circle on the grass, looking up at him expectantly as he sipped it.

“I haven’t tasted milk like this in fifty years,” he said in wonder.

As Ranadhir Das paraded the milk’s maker, Kaliya, before him, he admired her, commenting that the Vedas calculate a man’s wealth in cows and grains.

Encouraged, the devotees told him that they hoped to get their own hive next year. “Then you will have the land of milk and honey complete,” Prabhupada said. “That is nature’s design, that everything is given complete for a happy life. We don’t require artificial amenities. All we need to realize Krishna is here.”

Prabhupada again made the same point when Lavanga-latika Dasi brought him a silver cup of water, freshly drawn from the well. “Oh, it is very sweet water,” he said. “That is Krishna. That is the way of remembering Krishna. It is so easy here at New Vrindaban.”

He then told the devotees how the morning sun at New Vrindaban could remind them of Krishna’s bodily effulgence; the cow of Krishna’s name Govinda, one who gives pleasure to the cows; and the countryside of His statement in the Gita that He is the sweet fragrance of the earth.

 

For Prabhupada, seeing New Vrindaban come to life was like seeing a dream come true. He had been planning a community like this since long before he had even travelled to the United States from India. While alone in Delhi back in 1956, he had written a series of articles in his Back to Godhead magazine, detailing his vision for a community where people would live a simple life based on the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. And right from the beginning of ISKCON, he often told his disciples he wanted them to start a farm project. And they had done it! Prabhupada looked around at them with a broad grin that was almost childlike in its enthusiasm.

Sometime later, as he continued to chat with the devotees and look around the property, Paramananda Das finally succeeded in getting the powerwagon up the hill. Devananda and Prabhupada’s servant Purushottam carried Prabhupada’s luggage, including a big trunk packed with manuscripts, into his room. They then set the room up to his specifications, with a mattress on the floor and his Radha-Krishna Deities in a small cherrywood room attached to the bedroom.

Prabhupada liked his new room, with its two windows that opened out onto a view of the big willow tree. Quickly, he made himself at home, and settled right into his usual routine.

Always revolving around Krishna, Prabhupada’s day would begin in the wee hours as he rose to dictate his books. In his memoir The Hare Krishna Explosion, Hayagriva Das recalls waking up at 2:00am and seeing the light on in his room.

At 4:00am, Prabhupada would attend mangal-arati, watching the Deities intently and striking his trademark steel gong as twenty devotees crammed into the small temple room on the first floor of the farmhouse. He would then perform arati to his own Radha Krishna Deities, and chant his rounds in his room while the devotees did the same downstairs.

After breakfast, Devananda would massage him with mustard seed oil outside in the morning sun. Throughout the day, he would dictate letters, take walks, and hold meetings at his favorite spot beneath a persimmon tree with the devotees gathered around him on the grass.

In the evening, he would lead kirtan in the temple room, encouraging the devotees to dance. Then he’d give a lecture, darshans in his room, and finally rest, before beginning it all again.  

The days passed, lengthening gradually, bees buzzing lazily against blue skies and brilliant green trees, brief showers falling in the afternoons. Meanwhile, Srila Prabhupada built his fledgeling community, guiding the devotees as they sat with him beneath the persimmon tree.

Sometimes his instructions were practical. He told his disciples that he would show them how to build simple mud houses at practically no cost; that they should buy the adjoining property and build a bridge “so that gentlemen will come;” and that they should call their waterfall Keshi Ghat, their hills Govardhana, and their lakes Radha-Kunda and Shyama-Kunda. 

He sketched his own design of a two-wheel cart for workhorses. He talked about protecting cows and bulls as father and mother, and how they could provide all transportation, fuel, and dairy needs. And he laid out plans for establishing the varnashram system and building temples, a guesthouse, and living quarters. He even discussed a gurukula for spiritual education, although there were only three boys in the community so far.

His ambition amazed the devotees, and his strength and vision kept them positive. “Someday you may see that it’s a great asset,” he told them when they complained about the pothole-ridden Aghasura Road. “Someday there may be many cottages by the road, and people will be driving up to see. Don’t be discouraged.”

At other times, Srila Prabhupada’s instructions were more philosophical. He stressed the importance of chanting and reading, citing the six Goswamis of Vrindavana as role models. And he pointed out how the hard work of simple country life was perfect for developing Krishna consciousness.

 “They are hypnotized by Krishna,” he commented once, as he watched the young men work in the fields. “That is samadhi. Samadhi doesn’t mean inactivity. It means being completely absorbed in Krishna. Anyone chanting Hare Krishna is in samadhi. Anyone cooking for Krishna or writing for Krishna or working in the field for Krishna is in samadhi because the consciousness is: ‘I am doing this for the satisfaction of Krishna.”

Most of all, however, Prabhupada stressed how important it was for New Vrindaban residents to communicate and cooperate with each other, always with “Loving Krishna” as the connecting thread.

“You must jointly work,” he said during a conversation with Kirtanananda, Hayagriva, Shyama Dasi and other managers on June 9th. “There may be sometimes disagreement, but you should settle up. Otherwise how you can make progress?”

“Everyone will cooperate,” he added. “Why not? It is Krishna’s. Nobody is actually the in-charge. Krishna is in charge. We are simply assisting Krishna. In that spirit we shall work…. Everyone should think that ‘I am acting to satisfy Krishna.’”

By June 14th, now in his fourth week at New Vrindaban, Prabhupada was looking robust and seemed to be greatly enjoying the rest, fresh air, spring water, cow’s milk and of course the devotees’ association. They, too, were full of bliss in his.

But on June 18th, upon receiving a letter from Mukunda about the progress his disciples were making in London, Prabhupada decided he must fly to England immediately. The New Vrindaban devotees, who had been hoping he would spend the entire summer with them, were crestfallen.

On June 22nd, Prabhupada’s last night in New Vrindaban, all the devotees crowded into his room, eager to catch his last words. Amidst some light talk of his upcoming travels, he confided in them that personally, he would like to stay in New Vrindaban and finish translating Srimad-Bhagavatam.

As the evening wore on, six-year-old Dwarkadish began to nod off, as did his friend, five-year-old Ekendra. Prabhupada, who had developed a playful rapport with the two during his stay, smiled.

“So, you are feeling samadhi, Mr. D. D. D. ?” he asked. “All right. Let him take rest. And you are also feeling samadhi, Mr. Ekendra? You are very good boys. You can also take rest.“

At this, the devotees sensed that it was time to let Prabhupada himself take rest. But they remained in his room for some time more, hoping to soak up every precious moment they could. At last, they all offered obeisances and left his room.

The next morning, Srila Prabhupada left as he had come, striding down Aghasura Road at a brisk pace, his suitcases following him on a horse-drawn cart. As he got into his car and pulled away, the devotees saw him off with chants of “Hare Krishna!” and “Jaya Srila Prabhupada!”

Watching until long after his car had faded into the distance, they thought about how they could make this New Vrindaban community work, if only they followed Prabhupada’s instructions to love Krishna, live simply and work cooperatively together.

“I will also come again,” he had said just two nights before. “I like it so much here, but first I must finish the little work still remaining. I want to go once to London and Germany. Then I’ll entrust the whole preaching work to you. So do not become too anxious. With cooperation, everything will be possible. Krishna will help you.”

Remembering these words, the devotees turned back to continue their service of developing their transcendental farm community, and to begin their eager wait for Srila Prabhupada’s next visit.

Newsletter – MSF of Yoga of co-operation @ Iskcon Silicon Valley…
→ Dandavats.com

Newsletter – MSF of Yoga of co-operation @ Iskcon Silicon Valley
The word, rectify, means, “to put something right.” Devotee: “I asked Prabhupada the other day: ‘Because Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, ‘Forget the past that sleeps, and of the future never dream at all. Live in times that are with thee, and progress thee shall call’; does this mean that it’s possible to forget the past? Srila Prabhupada answered, ‘No, that would not be possible, but we can think like this: ‘I have done so many foolish things,’ and then rectify them. Not that we should remain fools. Then what would be the value of our experience?” “Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/I6RkBj

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Global Retreat Ujjain 2014 Glorification
Bhakti Charu Swami

  During the last week of December 2014 (25th-31st December) ISKCON Ujjain temple organized the Global Spiritual Retreat under the guidance of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Guru Maharaja. About 160 devotees came from different parts of the world including USA, Malaysia, Australia, Netherlands, UK etc to take part in this spiritual festival. Devotees from(…)

Travel Journal#10.24: New York City, Albany, Puerto Rico, Gainesville
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 10, No. 24
By Krishna-kripa das
(December 2014, part two)
New York City, Albany, Puerto Rico, Gainesville
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on January 13, 2015)
Where I Went and What I Did
I spent my last few days with the New York City Harinam party in mid December, chanting six hours a day at different subway stations. On December 21, I visited my family for one day in Albany and distributed prasadam at the monthly potluck of the Friends Meeting (Quakers) I attended in my youth. Then I flew from Albany to Puerto Rico via Orlando, where I met my Vaishnava youth friend, Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu, who assisted me in doing harinamas before and after the first ever Ratha-yatra in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, on December 27. The day after the Ratha-yatra we attended a twelve-hour kirtana at our temple in Gurabo, high in the hills overlooking San Juan. I returned to Gainesville on the last day of the year to spend the last two hours of the year chanting with my friends in the streets of that city to give the New Years Eve partiers a spiritually auspicious New Year.
I share an excerpt from a letter Srila Prabhupada wrote to Tamal Krishna Goswami. I have some notes on Tamal Krishna Goswami’s memoirs which we were reading in the Harinam Ashram in New York City. I have notes on a class by Radhanath Swami at the Bhakti Center in New York City, and notes on a class by Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu at the Harinam Ashram On Christmas Eve, Arisudana Prabhu, temple president of the ISKCON temple in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, invited the visiting Prabhupada disciples, to tell pastimes of Srila Prabhupada. Thus I have notes on the pastimes that Laksmimani, Akuti, and Sankha Prabhus told. I also have notes from classes by Adikarta Prabhu, who has been distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books since the 1970s. In additional, I have notes on a class by Malati Devi the day before Ratha-yatra on the wonderful story of how Lord Jagannath and His Ratha-yatra came to San Francisco in 1967. There are words of appreciation by Puerto Rico GBC Virabahu Prabhu for devotees who helped make the first ever Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico happen. I also share my recollections of all the new adventures I had in 2014.
I would like to profusely thank Namamrita Prabhu, a pilot for Airtran, who donated two extra complimentary tickets he had left at the end of the year so that Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu and I could go to Puerto Rico to advertise and attend the first ever Ratha-yatra there. Because round trip tickets are over $500 during the peak Christmas season, we would not have been able to go otherwise. Thanks to Hladini for the maha-prasadam and incense she brought back from India for the New York City Harinam party and the tilaka for me. Thanks to Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu for additional photos of Puerto Rico. Thanks to Caitanya Jivan, Jaya Sita, and Bhakti Shakti Prabhus for their wonderful hospitality at their yoga center, Yoga Cultura Puerto Rico, in Rio Piedras.
New York City Harinam

I spent my final five days on the New York City Harinam from December 16 to 20, 2014.
Two days a week we chanted in the largest subway station in New York City, 42 Street –Times Square.
Ananta Prabhu lead a lively kirtana, getting a couple of the ladies dancing, and a few people watching (http://youtu.be/j-psFv4rbdg):
Bhagavatananda Prabhu, who spent about a month with us, distributed invitations, pamphlets, and books.
We also chant at the 14thStreet –Union Square subway station two days a week.
Here Natabara Gauranga Prabhu sang a sweet kirtana, and one kid who regularly stops when he sees us, had a great time playing the shakers and dancing (http://youtu.be/wjNSTIKrXzU):
Later Ananta Prabhu lead some lively harinama there beneath Union Square, and people played shakers and moved with the music (http://youtu.be/_3orXDQenMc):

We get the best response at Roosevelt Avenue –Jackson Heights, where we chant one or two days a week.

Here Ananta Prabhu led a fired up kirtana that got a bunch of devotee ladies dancing, including an young Indian lady, who was passing by (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xJnHu4WdqqXMdMMCTj4BDRE):
On some Fridays we chant in the Delancey Street subway station by the uptown F train.
Here Rama Raya Prabhu, the truly fearless leader of the party, leads an enthusiastic kirtana getting a bunch of devotees dancing and causing wonder among the passersby (http://youtu.be/jsC0Zgd7tTM):
I have great respect for devotees for the New York City Harinam party for their dedication to chant six hours every day in New York City. It was a great benediction to live with and work with people with such faith and dedication to the holy name. It is nice to see they have their own place in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, just about 35 minutes from Union Square by subway. I hope Krishna continues to send serious people to join their party. I look forward to chanting with them for a couple days in April on my way back to Ireland, the gateway to the UK and Europe for me, and to rejoin them for three months in the autumn.
My Visit to Albany
My mother told me the day I chose to visit home before Christmas was the day they have a potluck lunch at the Quaker Meeting I attended in my youth, so I got up early so I could make a carrot coconut rice dish for it before mangala-arati as I had a 7:00 a.m. bus to Albany.I also had some coconut burfiI made the previous day and some doughnuts that my friend Kana, who works at the Doughnut Plant, had obtained for me. Thus the Quakers got a lot of prasadam. One lady at the Meeting named Crystal remembered that rice dish from my previous visit and wanted the recipe. Another named Barbara, who I met both in Albany and New York City, where she goes once a month for training as an interfaith minister, interviewed me about why I became a Hare Krishna devotee. 

At the meetinghouse there was a poster with a quote about spiritual outreach by Quaker founder George Fox that seems to have significance beyond that particular tradition.

For dinner, we made spinach and paneer with dal and capatis. My mother, my sister, Karen, my niece, Fern, my sister’s boyfriend, Victor, and I also cooperated together in the cooking, and everything came out nice. I offered it all to a picture of Panca-tattva in Mayapur I got back in April.

Fern took a picture of the rest of us, including her dog, Farlo.

I looked in the meditation room at the Albany Airport as I awaited my flight to Orlando, on the way to Puerto Rico. I saw a book shelf and thought, “They should have Bhagavad-gita As It Is.” When I looked closer, I noticed they did.

They had meditation cushions and a natural scene to facilitate prayer and meditation, and I chanted on my beads there for awhile.
Harinamas in San Juan Before the Ratha-yatra Festival
The very night we got to San Juan, Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu and I did harinama from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Rio Piedras, near Jaya Sita dd’s yoga center. We did not meet many people, but almost everyone we met was willing to take an invitation to Ratha-yatra.
On harinamain the Rio Piedras area the next day, one man asked me if I was in New York. He had returned from there on Thursday and thought he remembered seeing me. He probably did.

Bhaktin Paula took us to Old San Juan the first time we went there on harinama. We met an Indian family on vacation who joined us for some time, helping to distribute invitations.
The next day we went to Old San Juan via public transportation, and we found that we could play our instruments and chant on the train and bus without being restricted which is not true everywhere, even in other parts of America.
The third day full day was Christmas Day. Adikarta Prabhu wanted to distribute books. Dhameshvar wanted to rehearse the play. Mother Akuti did not want to go out with so few people on harinama. Thus at 4:00 p.m., realizing there was no one to come out with me, I decided to go out by myself for three hours, playing the harmonium, chanting Hare Krishna, and distributing invitations to the Ratha-yatra. I would chant one mantra and then distribute invitations to nearby people, and then chant another mantra and do the same.

One man was selling small toy drums, and he played in perfect time to my music with great delight.

After chanting in Old San Juan for a couple hours, I chanted in the bus station as I waited for the bus home. I offered everyone an invitation. One man asked me to sing a song for him. I chanted one tune for him for a while, and he gave me a dollar.
I found a bus that went all the way to Rio Piedras, the region of San Juan I was staying in, but when we got to the final stop, I could not understand where I was in relation to where I was going. I explained to the bus driver that I knew where the church and the train station were but not the bus station, and after everyone got off the bus, the bus driver kindly drove me within walking distance of the church and explained how to get there, and thus I was able to get home.
First Ever Puerto Rico Ratha-yatra

One of the most visible and popular festivals celebrated by Hare Krishna devotees, Ratha-yatra, came for the first time to Puerto Rico, on December 27, 2014. 

In this festival, the Krishna deity known as Lord Jagannath, rides through the streets of the city on a cart, accompanied by His brother, Baladev, and sister, Subhadra. Devotees pull the cart with ropes, chanting the name of the Lord with musical instruments and dancing in procession. The venue was Paseo de la Princesa in Old San Juan. The weather was ideal, sunny and warm.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, when considering how to spread Krishna consciousness to the Western countries thought that the worship of Lord Jagannath, because of His nature as patita-pavana, the uplifter of those fallen away from spiritual Vedic culture, would be appropriate to introduce. When Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada brought this Hare Krishna movement to the West, Jagannath was in fact the first deity to appear. The day before the Puerto Rico Ratha-yatra, Malati Devi, disciple of Srila Prabhupada, gave a wonderful class telling about the appearance of Lord Jagannath and His Ratha-yatra festival in the Hare Krishna movement in San Francisco in 1967.
Malati told us that in March 1967, she was shopping at Cost Plus Imports in San Francisco, and was attracted by some carved wooden figures that were made in India. After all, Swamiji was from India and Hare Krishna was from India, so that was only natural. She spontaneously popped a blackish one in her bag. Later when Shyamasundara and Mukunda showed the figure to Srila Prabhupada, he surprised them by greeting the figure with joined palms in obeisance. He inquired about the origins of the figure, and Malati explained. He asked if there were more, and she said there was a white one and a yellow one. Srila Prabhupada asked that she get them. He explained about Lord Jagannath, who was a form of Krishna, Lord Baladev, His brother, and Lady Subhadra, His sister, and expressed his desire that a devotee carve a larger replicas of them for worship.
Malati explained, “Shyamasundar liked wood and worked with wood, but he had not carved anything before. Still when Srila Prabhupada wanted someone to carve a large Jagannath from wood, he immediately agreed to do it. We were able to do things beyond our normal scope by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada. Because Prabhupada told us the story about how the original Jagannath was carved from a log from the ocean, we decided to find a log from the ocean to carve Lord Jagannath. There was a salvage company that sold things found in the San Francisco Bay, so we went there. We told the guy in charge what we wanted, and he said to look around for it, and so we did. We found a large log, and were ready to go, but the guy in charge was no longer around, so we just left with it.
“Prabhupada said he would remain in San Francisco until Shyamasundar finished carving Jagannath. So Shyamasundar decided he would carve very slowly so Srila Prabhupada would stay with us longer.”
“When Srila Prabhupada unexpectedly came by our apartment to inspect the carving work, on the head of Subhadra was a pack of cigarettes. Shyamasundar said with genuine feeling, ‘I am sorry about the cigarettes.’ Srila Prabhupada said, ‘Yes, smoking is so hard to give up, but don’t let such a small thing as a stick of tobacco stand between you and your relationship with Krishna.’ With a flick of his walking stick he knocked the cigarette pack off the head of Subhadra. Then he gave Shyamasundar a practical strategy – to smoke one less cigarette each day until he was finished, and so he did.
“Their painting was the dress of the first Jagannath deities. Now we have elaborate deity ceremonies last three or five days, but ours was very simple. It must have pleased Lord Jagannath because He immediately reciprocated with us. Janaki was crying in the kirtana, and I asked her what was wrong. She said, ‘He is here. He is really here.’
“Srila Prabhupada explained that now the Lord Jagannatha had come they should observe the Ratha-yatra festival. The Skanda Purana gives a fixed date for Ratha-yatra, the second day of the bright fortnight in the month of Ashada [June-July], and the first one in 1967 in San Francisco was done on that day.”
Malati shared some of Srila Prabhupada instructions about the festival:
“Srila Prabhupada wanted profuse prasadam distribution. He said, ‘The cart is not different from Lord Jagannath. By decorating the cart, we are decorating our heart.’ He also explained, ‘Just looking at the cart is auspicious or touching the rope, touching at the cart.’
“Seeing Srila Prabhupada’s happiness hearing the report of our Ratha-yatra, we were overjoyed and became convinced about the festival’s great importance.”
Malati advised the devotees participating in Puerto Rico, “During the Ratha-yatra, interact with the public, smile at them, wave at them, and inspire them to take part.”
Paseo de la Princesa was a good place for the festival because it is part of a tourist section of Old San Juan and tourists both from Puerto Rico and abroad stroll through that area of the town.

The authorities gave us a less crowded time to pull Lord Jagannath on His chariot, but Bhadra Prabhu made up for it by doing a harinama, astreet procession of congregational chanting of the Holy Names, through a larger area later, at a busier time. Fortunately we had just enough invitations still left to invite people to partake of the spiritual food and the stage show.

On both processionsseveral onlookers were enchanted by the singing and dancing of the devotees, and began dancing themselves with great enthusiasm and it was beautiful to see. 

Many copies of the Spanish version of “On Chanting Hare Krishna” were distributed. We had a book table at our festival site that was practically always busy throughout the day.

For the stage show we had music, bharat-natyam dances, and a short play. Bhadra Prabhu invited devotees from Alachua who perform at the Florida Ratha-yatras to come for that event. Bali and Dhanya lead kirtana, along with some of the local Puerto Rican devotees. Students from Bhakti Kalalayam Dance Academy came, along with their director, Anapayini dasi, and they did bharat-natyam dances that depict pastimes of Krishna. For over an hour there was a final kirtana that was very lively which Bhadra Prabhu and others led. Several people danced in the crowd, and passersby were attracted to stop and watch.

The play was a rendition of the ISKCON classic about the fool who polishes the bird cage without tending to the bird inside till it reeks of death.
After the festival, Virabahu Prabhu, the Governing Board Commissioner for Puerto Rico, thanked everyone who took part in a very heartfelt way that was impressive to me:
“It is a very sweet moment to glorify devotees. We pray to the Lord to bless everyone who took part in making this Ratha-yatra festival happen. We want to thank everyone. Nothing is small if it is offered to the Lord.
“I am moved that you [visiting devotees] who have great love for the holy name, Lord Jagannath, and these festivals, were inspired to come here. You have made this festival.
“If you ever had any doubts about miracles, now you can believe.
“Everyone has made a sacrifice. Thank you making such a nice sacrifice.”
Virabahu Prabhu told the story of how the festival came to Puerto Rico:
“The story started with Caitanya Jivan being brought in by Jaya Sita. Jaya Sita, although she met the devotees elsewhere, is from Puerto Rico. Prabhupada wanted the locals to do the preaching. We have to thank them for many more things than just Ratha-yatra. They encouraged a bhaktinto donate enough to pay the entire mortgage for the temple property on Janmastami in 2011. And before, that Caitanya Jivan donated a restaurant. I was very grateful and thanked him and asked, ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’
Caitanya Jivan said, ‘Yes. I just want there to be Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico.’”
Bhadra Prabhu, spoke up, “You mentioned to my wife a couple of years ago to do something with Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico. I thought of December because it is cold in the north. There are many tourists, especially between Christmas and New Years. Thus I came in February to meet with the devotees and discuss it. When I was in Alachua, Jaya Sita would communicate with me three, four, or five times a day about Ratha-yatra organization. Arisudana Prabhu, temple president of our ISKCON temple in Puerto Rico, encouraged me saying, ‘I am glad you are doing Ratha-yatra. If you did not do it I would not be happy.’ We did 1,500 plates of prasadam.”
Some devotees were doubtful that it was practical to do Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico in 2014, but Bhadra Prabhu pointed out that whenever they encountered an obstacle, that Krishna had always shown a way to overcome it and so they should be optimistic. Emanuel, one of the devotees who believed it possible, had a dream of Srila Prabhupada walking down Paseo de la Princesa, expectantly surveying the site and smiling.

I was impressed to see how Jaya Sita, who I had known for her competence as a cellist and yoga instructor, in Gainesville, Philadelphia, and Mexico, and her faith in her guru, Hridayananda Goswami, had really developed into a festival organizer. Krishna describes a yogi to be one who is always equipoised in the face of all dualities, and she really seemed to be in that spirit, dealing with all the issues arising the day of the festival and those leading up to it. Caitanya Jivan Prabhu played a humble role behind the scenes, with plenty of energy, always ready to do whatever was needed to make it happen. Bhadra Prabhu, who is the leader of a team of devotees who do eight Ratha-yatras in Florida, contributed his great experience and a lot of time, and he engaged many devotees in doing the needful to make it happen. One devotee left his family in Alachua for several weeks to work on the Ratha-yatra cart.

It was beautiful that different senior devotees came there to help to make it a successful festival, Virabahu Prabhu, Adikarta Prabhu, Sankha Prabhu, Malati Devi, Laksmimani Devi, and Akuti Devi. Sankha Prabhu missed the Ratha-yatra because he was cooking the whole time. It was a worthy sacrifice as none of the preparations, rice, chickpeas, sabji, or halava,ran out during the over five hours prasadam was served.
I was involved with doing harinama and distributing invitations before the festival. One morning Adikarta Prabhu, Dhamesvar Das, Leo, and I did harinamain the Rio Piedras area of San Juan for almost two hours. I was impressed that at least 95% of the people took Ratha-yatra invitations, far beyond what I experience anywhere, except with Indradyumna Swami’s festivals in Poland. Later we went to Old San Juan and found although the Puerto Ricans continued taking many invitations, the mainland American tourists were very reluctant. Only those from India were very interested. When we returnedthe next day via public transportation, Mother Akuti was impressed with the positive attitude of the people on both the train and the bus, who would tap to our music or even try to follow the words. The day before the Ratha-yatra, as Keshava Prabhu, Abhayananda Prabhu and I were taking the bus to Old San Juan, the city bus driver asked us to sing, and we sang the whole rest of the way! In most places, bus drivers are among the people who tell you to stop singing, but in Puerto Rico the people are so friendly, the bus drivers invite you to sing! When our harinama party encountered Adikarta Prabhu distributing books, he stopped and joined our kirtana party. Being invited by proprietors or customers, we chanted in a jewelry shop, a clothes shop, and a bar, and we also chanted with a street musician. You can see in this video our party chanting on the bus, in the shops, and with the street musician (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xJbi8eRhvMhb54CZGvTJaFk):
All the devotees on the party were so enthusiastic to invite people to the festival, we would stop playing our instruments or singing to hand out the invitations to anyone who looked a little interested. Adikarta would even pass out the invitations when he was leading the chanting, and other devotees had to take over for him temporarily. I was so happy to see everyone’s enthusiasm to invite people to the Ratha-yatra!
Virabahu Prabhu advised the devotees about the Ratha-yatra deities: “You can consider the new Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra deities to be installed by the enthusiastic kirtana and participation in yesterday’s Ratha-yatra festival. Srila Prabhupada wrote in his Srimad-Bhagavatam6.3.25 purport, ‘Recently, when we established a large Krishna-Balarama temple in Vrindavan, we were obliged to have Vedic ceremonies enacted by brahmanasbecause the inhabitants of Vrindavan, especially the smarta-brahmanas,would not accept Europeans and Americans as bona fide brahmanas.Thus we had to engage brahmanasto perform costly yajñas.In spite of these yajñas,the members of our Society performed sankirtanaloudly with mridangas,and I considered the sankirtanamore important than the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies.’The next time a householder says that his deities are not installed, I will say, ‘Did you chant Hare Krishna before them?’”
The day after Ratha-yatra devotees had a twelve-hour kirtana in their temple in Puerto Rico, in a town called Gurabo, about 40 minutes outside San Juan on a mountain over looking the city and the ocean. Different devotees led for a half-hour or an hour. In particular, Dhanya’s kirtana was so lively it got everyone up dancing at one point. If you have Facebook, you can see it in this video at the link below:
Although many of us were wiped out from the Ratha-yatra, it was a good idea to do the sustained kirtana. It is always good to give people the chance to experience the higher taste the comes from being absorbed in the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Lord Caitanya has said it is the nectar for which we are always anxious. Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami says, “The Absolute Truth is Sri Krishna, and loving devotion to Sri Krishna exhibited in pure love is achieved through congregational chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all bliss.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.96)
I was happy to go to the first ever Puerto Rico Ratha-yatra. I think Srila Prabhupada, who induced his father to do Ratha-yatra in their neighborhood, as a five-year-old child, feels some special joy to see the festival of his beloved Lord Jagannath come to another city. I went to the first Ratha-yatra in Brno, Czech Republic, in 2007, in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2009, in Fredrikstad, Norway, in 2011, in Passau, Germany, in 2012, and in Sheffield, England, in 2014, and I feel fortunate that by my friend Jaya Sita’s invitation and my friend Namamrita’s complimentary air tickets, my friend Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu and I could advertise and attend the first ever Puerto Rican Ratha-yatra.
This year I got to go early and do harinama and distribute invitations to the Ratha-yatras in Sheffield, London, Manchester, Dublin, Philadelphia, and Puerto Rico. Just the single day I spent promoting Dublin or the two days I spent in Philadelphia I felt was too short, so I went on six harinamas in five days in Puerto Rico. My realization is that the devotees put so much time and energy to organize festival programs to benefit the people in general, it is good if we become enthusiastic to promote them. On Indradyumna Swami’s Festival of India tour in Poland, for each festival site, he has three harinamas with fifty or sixty devotees, and each time in three hours, his eight distributors pass out seven thousand invitations, and nightly several thousand people attend his festivals. Such a commitment to advertising Ratha-yatras in ISKCON would really boost our popularization of Lord Krishna and His message of divine love.
Bhadra Prabhu hopes to make Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico between Christmas and New Years a yearly event. For information on this coming year’s Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico and those in North and Central Florida, check out his web site: www.festivalofchariots.org.
Harinamas in San Juan After the Ratha-yatra Festival
After the whole Ratha-yatra festival, we helped clean up for half an hour, and then did harinama to the taxi stand.

One lady wanted to have her picture taken with us.

Finding too few taxis, we took a bus, and Adikarta Prabhu led kirtanaon the bus, all the way to the train station. And then we chanted on the train all the way to Rio Piedras.
I had a feeling it would be difficult to get devotees to chant with me in Gainesville over the winter break, as well as to find populated places to chant, so I stayed in Puerto Rico until my ticket expired on December 31. I was glad I did because we got six devotees to chant together on harinama on December 29 in Rio Piedras and on December 30 in Old San Juan.

Krishna Keshava, Abhayananda, Atavi Krishna, Dhameshvar, and Sita Wolf chanted with me for about three hours in a busy shopping area on the streets of Rio Piedras near where Jaya Sita has her yoga center. 
 

One boy danced to our music.

 

Sita, though not famous among the Hare Krishna kids as a kirtana leader, had a pleasing and loud voice and sang well.

Many people were happy to see us, like this street vendor. 

 

One man, speaking to passers by his shop with a microphone, let us sing Hare Krishna into his microphone for as long as we wanted to, something that does not happen very often at all. Krishna Keshava started off.

Then Sita chanted into the mic.

The devotees chanted and danced in a circle in the middle of the street, where people were sitting on benches.

Bhakti Shakti dd, wearing green, who cooks for Jaya Sita’s yoga center, joined us in the kirtana. She is well known as a experienced vegetarian cook in Santa Domingo, where she got to cook for visiting guests like Bill Clinton and the Prince of Spain. We were all satisfied with her cooking, especially the pizza on the final day.

One woman played her tambourine with us.
Several people gave us donations although we had no donation box.

We even chanted in an indoor market with many vendors and many stalls, but no one complained.

One woman played her tambourine with us.

In that market Krishna Keshava bought coconuts to drink for everyone in our party, and we continued chanting as we drank the coconuts. 

After the others had left, as Dhameshvar, Sita, and I chanted back to the yoga center, Billy, on the left of the above picture, came up and asked me, “Are you from Gainesville?” Turns out Billy grew up in Gainesville but now summers in NYC and winters in PR. He also said he saw me in Union Square in the fall! He eats at the Bhakti Cafe and attends kirtanas at the Bhakti Center, and wondered if we had prasadam and kirtana in Puerto Rico! I gave him the details. Thanks to Sita for the picture.   

The final day we returned to Old San Juan.

This time we went to another tourist attraction, El Morro Fort (officially Castillo de San Felipe del Morro). Thanks to Jaya Sita for the picture.
The Trip Home to Gainesville
As we were flying standby, we decided to try for the early morning flight, which had four or five free seats the last time I checked. Turns out there when we arrived there were only two free seats and we were number seven and eight on the waiting list. Thus we did not make that flight and had to wait almost seven and a half hours for the next flight. As it was Ekadasi and I just wanted to chant extra japa of Hare Krishna on my beads and Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu just had to do some studying, because we could do both in the airport, we just stayed at the gate until the next flight. While waiting we also booked a Megabus for the evening from Orlando to Gainesville as we missed the Greyhound we previously booked.
When we got to Orlando, we still had to wait four and a half hours for the Megabus, but because the Orlando Airport has free wireless internet, we spent most of the time there.
New Years Eve Harinama in Gainesville
We arrived just before 10 p.m. in Gainesville, just in time for me to go on the New Years Eve Harinama which we had scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Krishna Keshava Prabhu kindly brought prasadam for me because all I had was tomato juice and peanuts on the airplane, and I was starving.
I was so happy we had thirteen devotees altogether. Some years I could only convince two or three people to come out on harinama on New Years Eve. This year I told Krishna Keshava Prabhu to organize it as I was out of town, and I asked Mother Mukhya, the temple president of Alachua, to advertise it, so we were much more successful.
Often passersby are too shy to participate in singing or dancing with us but on days like New Years Eve, and also Halloween, there is such a mood of celebration, many more people interact with the party, and knowingly or unknowingly get the benefit of serving the Lord by participating in His sankirtana movement, the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
You can see passersby in the video below were attracted to celebrate with the Hare Krishna devotees in Gainesville (http://youtu.be/5nv4mghcbdU):
Recalling New Adventures in 2014
Every year has some special new adventures for me, and I like to recall them at year’s end. The day after Gaura Purnima in 2014, I did harinama with Abhiram Prabhu in Bagru, Rajasthan, with the deities and sound system riding on camel driven carts. I did harinama all the way around Govardhan Hill for the first time with two friends from Ireland. I went to the first ever Ratha-yatra in Sheffield, England, and San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2014. In fact, I did harinama in Puerto Rico for the first time as well. I went to our Scottish temple, Karuna Bhavan, and did harinama in Glasgow, the city nearby, both for the first time, and also attended a kirtana program in Findhorn in the north of Scotland. Our harinama at the Green Festival in Newcastle, attracted participation by devotees from Scarborough and Leeds, and one of my Newcastle friends joined in our harinama in York. We also did harinama in a new city, Chester, England, for the first time, and also did an evening program there as well. These were so good we did both a second time this year too. It is nice to see the devotees in The North of England cooperating together to do more harinama. I was denied entry into the UK on August 25, the first time any country had denied me entry. I went couchsurfing in Lille, France, for the first time and ended up staying one night with a young Indian man, who had attended our temple in Hyderabad and who had gone to our Janmastami festival at Radhadesh the previous week, and a young lady from France, who had danced in our Mantra Yoga tent at the Polish Woodstock festival. I chanted in the Brussels Central Station for the first time. In Brooklyn we chanted in the Atlantic Avenue – Barclay’s Center subway station for the first time. In San Juan, a bus driver told our harinama party to sing on the bus for the first time. 

I went to the Brooklyn Doughnut Plant for the first time to get prasadam doughnuts for my relatives. I flew out of the Islip MacArthur airport for the first time in order to get to Jacksonville in time to chant at the campus. I took the Chinese bus from Jacksonville, Florida, to New York City for the first time, to save Krishna’s money, and lived to tell about it. I got a Smartphone for the first time from my friend Dorian, and it is great having all Prabhupada’s main books in the palm of your hand. I made coconut burfi with saffron, cardamom, and rose water for the first time. I have a computer with the Linux operating system for the first time, thanks to Jiva Goswami Prabhu, and it is a pleasant change from Windows.

To see the photos I took but did not include in this journal, click on the link below:
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
from a letter to Tamal Krishna Goswami written in Bombay on November 21, 1974:
“Yes, train up the brahmanasvery carefully. Many Indians and foreigners criticize us how we can create brahmanas.They are under the impression that brahmanasare born like horses and asses are born. According to Bhagavad-gita brahmanasare according to gunaand karma. So the training of brahmanasshould be so nice that people will be forced to accept them as brahmanasby guna, quality, and karma, action.”
Tamal Krishna Goswami:
Srila Prabhupada told us that if we give up sense gratification and dedicate our life to serving Lord Caitanya, He will take us back to Godhead at the end of our life.
Book distribution is the most powerful service to make spiritual advancement because it forces one to take full shelter of guru and Krishna.
Radhanath Swami:
Kunti says that aspiring for wealth, parentage, beauty, and education blocks our spiritual progress, but if these assets are engaged in service to God, they become blessings.
In the Bible it is said it is easier for a rich man to get into heaven that to put a camel through the eye of a needle. If the rich man uses his assets in God’s service, then God who is full of inconceivable power will help him put the camel through the eye of the needle, and then the impossible becomes possible.
Advice to businessmen: Earn with integrity; spend with compassion.
I was with Srila Prabhupada in Vrindavan and just about six people were in his room. Someone asked him, “Are you guru of the whole world?”
Srila Prabhupada replied, with tears in his eyes, “No, I am servant of everyone.”
Hearing that, I thought within myself, “He is guru of the whole world!”
Compassion gives ecstasy to the soul. Sense gratification cannot.
Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu:
You get lots of realization from book distribution, even if you do not do so well at it. You notice that you do not do so well, and so you pray to Krishna, and then someone asks, “Do you have any Bhagavad-gitas?”
Even from the mundane point of view, if people see you do not really want to be there, they will not get int

Monday, January 5th, 2015
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Toronto, Ontario

Moderate

It was a biting cold that Nick and I took as the challenge on an evening high speed trek.  That’s fine, because you then come to appreciate warmth.  Whatever is the condition, it is there to remind you of some words of wisdom.  Verse 2.14 of the Bhagavad Gita convinces us of the dualistic reality and how to be persevering the world’s two faces. 

It will only be a matter of two days before I’ll be near equatorial territory, Guyana to be precise.  I’ll then be seeing the other wild side of nature.  At that time, I will be dreaming of cold when I sweat to pieces in Guyana.  Verse 2.14 will once again spring up.  It informs us that we should tolerate and moderate.  Toleration appears to be more of a psychological acceptance of things.  The verse 2.14 suggests that dualities arise from sense perception. 

Now, if you were to visit a place like Hawaii, where I’ve been, you encounter the almost perfect moderate weather.  Physically, you can enjoy, but still, the storm within exists and the climatic changes of the mind persist.  The moodiness of the mind is universal.  Every living being gets intense over issues, and they require some tempering.

They say if you temper steel first by heating and then by cooling, it improves the hardness and elasticity of the metal.  Moving through life and accepting its extremes is key to being neutralized in some way in becoming moderate.

I laugh when I think of being invited, along with my support guy, Dave, on my first cross Canada trek, to “A brandin’”.  A cowgirl/woman asked if we wanted to go to a brandin’ at a local ranch in Alberta.  You, know, it’s when you mark the side of cattle with heat.  We declined and indicated that we were too cool for that. 

May the Source be with you!

7 KM

Sunday, January 4th, 2015
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Montreal, Quebec

The Noise of Winter

I set out at 3 AM.  Overnight snowplows had scraped the streets addressing the surprised flurries.  Even at this hour,  you hear the occasional home snow shovel scratching a concrete surface.  Someone, somewhere is moving the white fluff in order to make a walking passageway. 

I’m doing alright and contributing to music with a crunch crunch sound of my boots gripping the snow.  Snow doesn’t make sound, but it invites.  Somehow, snow is a silencer and a softener of sorts.  I can appreciate being in its presence. 

I came indoors after some time to partake in sadhana.  Hours later I met with Khosro Shemiranie, editor in chief of Journal Hafteh, geared to the Iranian/Afghan community.  Khosro and I sat in ISKCON’s library room with the window to our backs.  Khosro asked questions pertinent to spirituality, mainly honing in on the concept of fear. 

I offered to say that fear is dealing with the unknown and living with the uncertainty of being harmed.  It is a component of life.

He also asked me about my major walks, and how fear played into these treks.  I told him that initially I carried the fear of whether I’d be accepted or not.  Would a public that’s mostly secular embrace the notion of a monk who hails from a tradition not yet well known.  Khosro wanted to know if I had overcome that fear, and I said, “Yes, people seem to accept the principle of pilgrimage and the good workout that goes along with it.”  I explained that as long as you bear self confidence, believing in your own spirit as distinct from the body, people will end up admiring who you are and what you are doing. 

As we spoke with that window to our backs, I was actually angled in such a way as to catch a glimpse of the outdoors.  I could see that snow had turned into crystallized ice on the trees.  Suddenly, a branch of a tree snapped off, and it came crashing down with all the crystals.  It came with an incredible noise, the noise of a wintery day. 

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Saturday, January 3rd, 2015
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Montreal, Quebec

Did Not!

Today The Walking Monk did not walk, he trained. 

I boarded Via Rail at Union Station in Toronto for the trip to Montreal.  It was a pleasant ride.  Western trains generally are a leisure way to travel.  The scenery was alright between the two cities.  It just becomes a bit tiring seeing the colour of winter brown.  That gradually changes as you go northeast.  The ground becomes covered, like icing sugar, with sprinkled snow.  White becomes more prominent by the time Montreal is reached. 

Next to me on the train, I met a young male passenger who’s on an adventure in life.  He’s on his way to join the armed forces.  “Why?” I asked him.  His answer was honest and innocent, “I come from a poor family.  Joining the forces as opposed to furthering my education right now will help me financially.  Also, I thought it’s a good thing to defend the country when in need.”

I thought it to be a commendable remark.  I was happy for him.  I couldn’t see this fellow getting deeply into drugs, drink, and girls.  At best, he’d be a moderate in habits of such sorts, I speculated.  Anyways, I wished him well as we detrained. 

My analysis of this day is me feeling real good about conducting another of those seminars on kirtan standards, where some young people showed up and kept engaged in the interactiveness that took place.  When you consider that there are lots of options out there on a Saturday night, they vied for doing something very positive.

May the Source be with you!

0 KM

Friday, January 2nd, 2015
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Toronto, Ontario

Marriage and Makeover

One of our ashram residents asked a question, “Why are we putting so much energy into this wedding?”  When I heard this query, I did not take it as a challenge, but as innocent curiosity coming from someone who leads the simple devotional life with a group of other monastic people.  Shekar and Christina were getting married, and our main kirtan hall was going through a kind of makeover.  My response to the question was, “Marriage is an important day in a person’s life.  It’s a major commitment, and the couple needs blessings.”

I thought more about what I had said and wanted to add something.

We live in an era of lack of commitment.  We quit on people and projects so easily.  It’s a lack of determination – not a good trait.  In marriage, you demonstrate maturity through vows and keeping them.  You learn to communicate and learn the game of give and take.  When there’s kids involved (which is natural between a couple), show them that you have some conviction by being committed.  Try to avoid defraying the fabric of a family.  And people don’t always get along, even when you make a new arrangement.  Show some tolerance and patience.  Of course, there are cases of abuse.  Granted, you may need to break off.  But the word abuse is very casually used.  Break off can be a last resort.  This opens up a new door of discussion.  People have become non-congenial.  Much is to be said about the selfish world in which we live, and about an educational system which does not build character and avoids spiritual based values.

Yes, a makeover on us would be good.

The wedding, by the way, went well.  I wish the couple all the best.  I had to leave early to attend a funeral for Mark Mulair, also known as Muralidhar.  He died from cancer.  His new existence means a makeover of sorts. 

May the Source be with you!

10 KM

Thursday, January 1st, 2015
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Brampton/Toronto

Here’s What They Said

So here’s what some actors and viewers had to say about our new theatrical production held at the annual Prabhupada Festival – the production called “Blue Mystic”:

Actor Kanaad (From Toronto) – I learned so much about the pastimes of Krishna.  Being on the stage like that helped me to gain more personal confidence. 

Viewer, Stephen (From London, Ontario) – It was like CBC Tapestry radio show, very cultural… I also noticed from the audience that they could not set their eyes away from the stage.

Actor, Natalia (From Montreal) – Oh my God, I had to question how we could pull it all together in just a week.  It was exciting playing multiple roles from the pious Devaki to the compelling goddess, Durga. 

Viewer, Dakshin (From Miami) – I liked it very  much, very visual.  A great way to give training to the youth, future leaders. 

Me – It was most rewarding working with the crew I had, rather, the crew that was sent my way by divine arrangement.

The drama, “Blue Mystic” was a way to bring in the new year.   In this more tweaked version from the pilot production of last summer, I hope to take it to my 2015 destinations worldwide. 

Happy New Year, and congratulations to the three new initiates from Brampton.  Rajneesh has received the name Nanda Maharaja Das, Alka is now Ananda Mayi, and Raj is now Rasaraj.

May the Source be with you!

0 KM

Wednesday, December 31st, 2014
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Toronto, Ontario

People, Drums, New Year’s

People in this city ride the transit rail all the time.  The subway, which it is referred to, is that regular commuter that transports people to work, school, etc., to and fro.  On this evening the ride has a different intent for mostly younger folks.  Their destination is the City Hall, as it is ours, for the final countdown to mark the end of a year, and opening up what will historically be the one and only January 1st of 2015. 

A group of us, monks and lay Krishna members numbering 60 strong, helped to fill one of the cars on the subway line.  As soon as we stepped in from the subway platform sitting and standing passengers noticed our entry as we corralled in fully equipped with drums and anticipated faces. 

“What are they going to do?” milled through the minds of the curious. 

Here’s what we did.  The train doors closed.  The subway car moved south on the Yonge Street line, and after the first stop, the major Yonge and Bloor juncture, we waited for those doors to close once again.  Two massive tom-toms with mallets and one additional djembe were poised and now rolling with sticks and hands to stir up the kind of excitement that ushers in a new beginning. 

A core group of us sang, “Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy New Year!”  Response came.  We delivered a few more bars of that, then we switched to “Hare Krishna…”  That resounding vibe occupied the space of the people and stayed with the public for the whole ride and there ever after to the location of Old City Hall, that impressive building on Queen Street.  Thousands were drawn in to the song and dance.  The energy provoked by mantra and drum was nothing short of ecstasy. 

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Srila Rupa Goswami on Raganuga Sadhana Bhakti
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Rāgānugā Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.270 virājantīm abhivyaktāṁ vraja-vāsī janādiṣu rāgātmikām anusṛtā yā sā rāgānugocyate Rāgānugā means to cultivate the unique affections (rāga-atmikā) that manifest most powerfully among the devotees, especially those who are residents of Vraja. Rāgātmikā 271 rāgānugā-vivekārtham ādau rāgātmikocyate To define rāgānugā, first I will define Rāgātmika (the unique affections). 272 iṣṭe svārasikī … Continue reading Srila Rupa Goswami on Raganuga Sadhana Bhakti

New Vrindaban devotee Gopisa’s India Journal: “When you eat this you will never take birth again”.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

This is the 4th and last in a series of entries from Gopisa das on his recent trip to India. DAY 7 Dearest family, Today was a very special day. We went to Srimati Radharani’s temple for mangal aroti. I was pushed to the middle quite close and had a wonderful view of Sriji. Sacinandana […]

Bhaktivedanta Hospital Annual Day, January 11, Mumbai
Giriraj Swami

Radhanatha Swami, Bhakti Rasamrita Swami and Giriraj Swami spoke at the hospital. “Spiritual care became the basis of everything — genuine compassion for the souls of everyone who came. When a doctor has that compassion for a persons soul, without discriminating their external features, then that doctor will be most empowered to heal the body the mind […]