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News from Badrinatha (Album with photos) Bhakti Caitanya Swami:…
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News from Badrinatha (Album with photos)
Bhakti Caitanya Swami: We arrived in Badrinatha around midday on the 25th, and moved into our hotels. Badrinatha is famous as previously having been a place of Lord Siva and Parvati, but Lord Visnu, seeing how beautiful it was, is said to have tricked them into letting him have it. He appeared as a small child, apparently abandoned by his mother in this remote place. When Parvati saw Him she immediately felt great compassion, although Siva was suspicious. What was a young child like this doing in a place like this, so totally remote from any civilization? But Parvati was determined to help the child, and took Him to their small dwelling. She and Siva went out again, but when they returned they found the doors and windows locked from the inside.
The child was smiling at them through a window, but when they asked Him to open the door or a window He refused, telling them it was now His house. It was late, and Siva and Parvati had to go somewhere quickly to spend the night, so they move to Kedaranatha, leaving Badrinatha to Lord Visnu.
The first evening we went up to the temple and had some katha behind it while we waited for darsana. The pujaris were very nice, and invited me into the altar area for a while. On the altar here are, from our left, the face of Kuvera, Garuda, Badrinatha, Narada Muni, Uddhava (directly behind Narada) and Nara Narayana, with blackish faces. Unfortunately they don’t allow photography in the temple, so I can’t show you what they look like.
Badrinatha is a Salagrama sila from the Badrinatha area. He is sitting in a padmasana position.
We returned and sang Damodarastakam, and then gathered on the 26th morning for a morning programme in a hall at one of the hotels. At 8am we went to have darsana of Badrinatha again, and the main pujari invited me by the altar. He was a nice man, whose son is an initiated brahmacari in the Kåñëa Balaräma temple in Våndävana.
After that we had a big group photo in front of the temple, and then returned for breakfast. Following that we drove about 3 or 4 kms to a village named Mana, which is meant to be the last village before the border with China.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/7teSyK

Kartik Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama 2017 (Album with photos) “I…
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Kartik Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama 2017 (Album with photos)
“I bow down and offer my respects to they who know that within or without the material world there is nothing as sweet as Lord Gauranga’s forest.“ – Sri Navadvipa Sataka Every day of parikrama seems to be sweeter than the last, and the fourth day of parikrama was no exception. The morning began with an early morning visit to the house of Nandan Acharya, followed by a boat ride across the Ganga to Navadvipa town where we performed harinam through the streets and visited Parama Tala, the temple of Dhameshvara Mahaprabhu, and the bhajan kutir and samadhi of Srila Jagannatha Das Babaji. We then took darshan of Radha kunda and Shyama kunda, and visited Champahati and Ratu pur. All glories to Sri Navadvipa Dham!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/9R1wAc

Etiquette is not just a handshake between two generations but a…
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Etiquette is not just a handshake between two generations but a code that unlocks the treasure of blessing.
Vaishnava etiquette is an ornament of a Vaishnava. It may not be appearing so dazzling like gold and silver ornaments which attracts the common people but it attracts other devotees and the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Epitome of Vaishnava etiquette by Sages of Naimisaranya.
The great sages offered the speaker of the Bhagavatam an elevated seat of respect called the vyasasana, or the seat of Sri Vyasadeva.
They asked questions to the speaker in order to elicit the clear meaning, and not in a challenging spirit.
Sages submitted questions with a great regard for the speaker and the subject matter.
Sages exhibited submissive aural reception towards transcendental subject matter.
They showed earnest desire to hear Bhagavatam.
Sages didn’t fight amongst themselves to choose a representative who would ask questions on behalf of everyone.
Every sage was aware of his position and the purpose of the assembly.
Their each and every words, actions and thoughts were selfless dedicated for the uplifting of the fallen souls of kali Yuga.
They chose the leader by taking care of qualities like that person should be vastly learned and elderly.

Physical vs. subtle
In a lecture H.G. RadhaGopinath was sharing his personal realization. Once he was sitting on an equal level with the Bhagavatam speaker and he could feel that he wasn’t able to grasp the subject matter. Imagine simply a physical act can hamper our understanding what to speak of subtle things.

Gratitude is essential
Also we have heard that water flows from higher potential to lower potential, similarly the transcendental messages flows from higher sources to lower sources through bonafide parampara. By offering respects to the speaker we open our hearts for the transcendental messages to enter. It is said that a grateful heart is like a fIrtile land where humility takes birth.

Position of Guru
Recently, I witnessed many devotees from a popular religious who came with their Guru to our farm. The guru was supposed to give a discourse to all of them in the evening. I gave the tour and showed them everything. After lunch everyone made their individual plans of going to swimming pool, goshala etc. Their Guru was just sitting and waiting for them till evening but no one came for hearing.
I was shocked. As I reflected I realized that due to ignorance of the value of the spiritual leader nobody was interested in their Guru. They were unaware of the connection which a Guru can establish between them and the Supreme Lord.
I felt grateful towards our Acaryas and how we have been blessed to practice their teaching in today’s day and age.The reason is that they practiced it in their lives and through their actions they taught the whole world.

Cooperation
In the book The Journey Home, HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj mentions an incident of his early days in India. Once, he attended a summit of Yogis and gurus where in the end they all fought together for who will get hold of mike and speak. An opposite or rather ideal behaviour is exhibited by sages of Naimisaranya.
In modern day preaching when we all come together and eagerly hear Kṛṣṇa Katha, that will inspire any people to accept and follow the process. The way existing devotees follow the Vaishnva etiquettes that impacts the future. Etiquette is not just a handshake between two generations but a code that unlocks the treasure of blessing. Let’s stay blessed.

Agnideva Prabhu’s health update. An update of Agnideva’s…
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Agnideva Prabhu’s health update.
An update of Agnideva’s Prabhu’s condition: The following report is not a pleasant one to read. Please keep your donations coming. We have yet to reach our goal of $100,000.
In order to address the issue of Agnideva Prabhu’s cardiac problems, it was necessary to get him breathing on his own without the ventilator. Sedation was reduced slightly to test his neurological reflexes – a prerequisite to removing the respiratory equipment. As a result of the sedation being reduced, he was able to move his eyes from side to side, wiggle his fingers and toes and stick his tongue out. However, he could not move his limbs. This made removing the ventilator too dangerous. The doctors suspect that his autoimmune system has been affected, most likely by a disease called Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a neurological disease caused by bacterial or viral infection. There is no cure. People usually recover but it takes 6 months or more. Again, we humbly request devotees, friends and well-wishers to contribute to his treatment. Thank you!
Your servant,
Indradyumna Swami
Help spread the word!

An Asrama On The Yamuna’s Shore (Album with photos)…
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An Asrama On The Yamuna’s Shore (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Deep in the forest not far from Vrindavan is a hermitage of sages on the banks of the river Yamuna. There the sages perform penance and austerities for spiritual advancement. The place was formally known as the asrama of Shaubari Muni, a great mystic yogi. Our parikrama party spent most of the day there in our usual activity of hearing Krsna katha and chanting the holy names.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/F5JKZY

Flexibility with Audience, Loyalty to Tradition. Acharya is one…
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Flexibility with Audience, Loyalty to Tradition.
Acharya is one who follows the instructions of Lord. Sentimental speculation or imaginative ecstasy is the resulting symptom of deviating from the bonafide succession. An Acharya is known on the merit of loyalty to the line of descending transcendental knowledge. Such a personality is the rightful preacher of Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is explained in the purports of Srila Prabhupada which he had also exhibited in his life.
There are three factors broadly considered for adjustments of the religious principles:
Time
“kalo ‘smi – Time I am” – says Lord Krishna. Time sets the motion of this creation and it happens by the will of the Lord. It also awards reactions to the living beings for their activities. Such a factor is not to be dismissed as irrelevant to the instructions of the Lord. Various methods of perfection have been prescribed in the Vedas according to various time spans of the universe. In this age of Kali, the chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare is the way of attaining perfection of life.
Place

A hundred rupees becomes a simple paper outside India which regains its significance back at its home country. Place affects the consciousness of living beings and also matter which occupies it. This subtle material element can never be an impediment for devotional service but cannot be neglected for the practice of spiritual consciousness. Atmosphere always affects the consciousness of those present.
Circumstance

Situations arise which are beyond the control of living beings. As nothing happens without the sanction of the Lord and everything takes place by the will of the Lord, the circumstances which come in front of the living beings are by higher arrangement.

Srila Prabhupada’s purports have described the devotional process for the present time, place and circumstance. He has given the perfection of life by his example as he had followed the Acharyas’ examples. One must be an authority of preaching devotional service to expertly adjust things according to time, place and circumstance. One can perform one’s duty by physical work, by mind and words and such things can be utilized according to time, place and circumstance. Srila Prabhupada has given the essence of the purports of the Acharyas in his purports. As such, one who reads his purports shall get the message of the Acharyas. His purports are special in the sense that they have been specially made for the modern audience. His purports are like the milk which sustains an infant beginner and also nourishes the child throughout its life. The previous Acharyas have given valuable commentaries that may sometimes seem contradictory without understanding the mood of the commentator. Under proper guidance, one can study the commentaries of previous Acharyas after thoroughly understanding Srila Prabhupada’s purports.

Conviction in the words of Srila Prabhupada with firm faith is the path to understand the subject matter of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Unless one is fixed in this consciousness, there is no possibility of realizing the subject matter. Devotees with realizations, by mercy of Srila Prabhupada, can present Srimad-Bhagavatam in an interesting manner for the understanding of the audience. Hence, regular study of Srila Prabhupada’s books is very important for the benefit of the devotees and people in general. The most effectual process of gaining such conviction is by associating with devotees who have surrendered their lives for living the instructions of Srila Prabhupada. Such association is the only necessity for the world’s human society, for all living beings.

The Rich Spiritual Atmosphere (Album with photos) Indradyumna…
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The Rich Spiritual Atmosphere (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Ter Kadamba is the sacred place where Krsna’s father, Nanda Maharaja, had a gosala of 900,000 cows. It is also where Srila Rupa Goswami wrote Upadesamrta – The Nectar Of Instruction. Our parikrama party spent a number of hours at Ter Kadamba hearing about Krsna’s pastimes, chanting the holy names, dancing in great happiness and basking in the rich spiritual atmosphere.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/joij8o

Srila Prabhupada’s Procession to Goswami Temples…

Srila Prabhupada’s Procession to Goswami Temples 23/10/2017 (Album with photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: Every year on the day before Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day, we take Srila Prabhupada on Sankirtan Procession to the Saptadevalaya, Seven Goswami Mandirs. Join us thru the pics of Vittalrukmini Das!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/STkxfG

Indradyumna Swami: Disappearance Day Offering – 2017 . Dear…
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Indradyumna Swami: Disappearance Day Offering – 2017 .
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you!
As always, this is a day of mixed emotions for me. On the one hand, there is the pain of separation. Although you departed from our material vision 40 years ago, it seems to me as if it was only yesterday. In material relationships, the grief one feels when a loved one leaves this world is often mitigated with the passing of time. But in transcendental relationships, the pain in one’s heart only increases with each day. The famous author George Eliot, wrote:
“Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love.”
But as well as being a day of sadness, this day is also one of celebration because we know that you are with your beloved Lord, far from the miseries of this world of birth and death.
Or, are you? Knowing your deep compassion and love for the fallen conditioned souls I sometimes wonder. In 1975 in Paris, my godbrother Adi Shekar dasa asked you in an innocent way, “Srila Prabhupada, where will you go after you die?”
You closed your eyes for a moment and then replied softly, “I plan to go to the hellish planets to continue preaching the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
You spoke with such unparalleled conviction that for me you became the personification of the following verse:
narayaea-parau sarve
na kutaccana bibhyati
svargapavarga-narakenv
api tulyartha-darcinau
“Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.”
[ SB. 6.17.28 ]
Srila Prabhupada, if Krsna fulfilled your desire to preach to the fallen souls of the hellish worlds, then please know that I am ready to join you at any time. My greatest and only pleasure in life is assisting you in your preaching mission in this world.
Sometimes people ask me, “Swami, where do you live? Where is your home?”
I always reply, “My home is wherever I am preaching on any given day, for home is where the heart is, and my heart is one with my master’s desire to spread the holy names far and wide.”
Srila Prabhupada, I am in the twilight of my life and thus my desire to rejoin you may come at any time. I am peaceful with this prospect and will leave this world with no regrets. Nevertheless, there remains a concern within my heart, and that is for the welfare of the younger generations of devotees that will be left behind to carry on your mission.
I have seen many a sincere soul in the ranks of the men and women who have taken shelter of your lotus feet either by birth or good fortune. Please bless them with your mercy so that they can continue to carry the torch of knowledge that illuminated the path of pure devotional service for my generation. Please give them a taste for the chanting of the holy names, the taste that carried many of my godbrothers and godsisters safely over the ocean of material existence to that place from which one never returns. Please grant them a sense of compassion for all the conditioned souls suffering in the ocean of material existence. May you grant them the wisdom to avoid the errors of my generation and the courage to face the fierce opposition that will most certainly come with the advancement of this age of Kali. And please give them the sense of loyalty to your movement which was the hallmark of many of the great souls of my generation, both those who were prominent within the movement and those who quietly dedicated their lives to Krsna consciousness.
I offer my respects to all of them and to all vaisnavas who are by nature the true well-wishers of all humanity.
sakala vaisnava-pade mora namaskara
ithe kichu aparadha nahuka amara
hoiyachen hoiben prabhur jato bhakta vrnda
vandana kori’ sabara charanaravinda
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of all vaisnavas, praying I will not commit offences in my attempts to please them. To all vaisnavas who have ever been, and to all vaisnavas who will ever be, I offer my obeisances to their lotus feet”
[The poet Devakinandana dasa].
All glories to you Srila Prabhupada, my eternal well wisher!
Your servant in heaven or hell,
Indradyumna Swami

Bogota Go Puja & Govardhana Puja (Album with photos)…
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Bogota Go Puja & Govardhana Puja (Album with photos)
Dharmatma Das ACBSP: What a Day! Sweet morning program, found and worshiped local cows, Pizza lunch and Govardhana Puja program along with Indrani Dasi’s first initiation. Warm and friendly Columbian style atmosphere, old and young dancing and chanting ecstatically and delicious Prasadam to top it off…
Find them here: https://goo.gl/qUrpAG