Author Archives: Dandavats.com

A detailed history of the harmonium!
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A detailed history of the harmonium!
The harmonium was born in Europe – so how did it become synonymous with Indian music?
The Indian harmonium similarly made its way to the United States in the first half of the 20th century, but it was the As…

Patron’s Dinner (Album with photos) Ramai Swami: On the Friday…
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Patron’s Dinner (Album with photos)
Ramai Swami: On the Friday night before the Sydney Opera House event, Pratapana and Jayasri hosted a “patrons” dinner for all the devotees who donated generously to help sponsor the function.
Special guests were HH Mukunda Maharaja, HH Bhakti Caru Maharaja, Syamasundara Prabhu and Malati Prabhu. Everyone enjoyed the delicious prasadam prepared by Naresvara Prabhu and his team.
Find them here: http://goo.gl/ZbcbQs

* Sanctified Cooking * – and the Power therein – Vasanta Dasa:…
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* Sanctified Cooking * – and the Power therein –
Vasanta Dasa: Many cultures today have a tradition for offering prayers while preparing a meal. A transformation takes place when seemingly ordinary ingredients are combined, prepared nicely, and then offered with love. The result is known as “prasadam” (Sanskrit) which means “The Lord’s mercy”.
God is very happy to receive offerings like this. It is said that the consciousness of the cook enters the food while s/he is cooking. References to the benefits of conscious food preparation are found in a variety of scriptures – both Eastern & Western – going back thousands of years.
I ran into a clear example of this at Govinda’s Cafe in west LA this afternoon. This small vegetarian cafe close to Culver City offers specialty dishes on Sunday (all maha Deity prasadam).
Today’s stellar dish: a cauliflower & squash curry in yogurt sauce with cumin, curry leaves, a touch of salt & turmeric. Words fail to even begin describing the aura & flavor of this curry. Let’s just say it was outstanding and mood of the chef was ‘spot on’…his heart was definitely in the right place. This dish seemed like it landed from another planet. Such is the power and benediction of sanctified cooking.
Anyone can do this. This is not rocket science. It is a science, but simple to do. The most important ingredient of all: the desire to do so. Benefits? better health, clearer skin, less burden onto the planet, a nice connection with the Lord … the list is long. Also: this approach to cooking does not COST ANY MORE than what most are spending on meal preparation now. Often your cost is less. The taste? You cannot even imagine the different things you can make and prepare consciously. Literally thousands upon thousands.
Now we return to this simple unassuming bowl of yellow curried vegetables. Dive in …..

Lotus festival 2016 at the Bhakti Center in NYC (Album with…
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Lotus festival 2016 at the Bhakti Center in NYC (Album with photos)
Annual Lotus festival to celebrate Krishna’s appearance day. Sat Aug 20, 2016.
Lots of people came. Beautiful kirtans. Deep talk by Dhanurdhara Swami. Offering of lotus flowers by every guest to Radha Murlidhara.
Gorgeous flower decorations and garlands by Nikunja Lila, Radha Kumari, and a dedicated crew including Lisa Adams, Kate, and others. A most beautiful “kund” or pond built by Narayan Gibbs which held the floating garden of flowers. Great deity decorations and abhishek by Vasudeva and Nimai Sundar prabhus, and other pujaris.
Two short dramas by “Das Anudasa Players”.
Finally, delicious Prasad cooked by Doyal Gauranga and his crew.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/FEHuIV

A Summer Song (6 min video) Indradyumna Swami: For over 2 months…
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A Summer Song (6 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: For over 2 months this summer we chanted and danced throughout the towns and villages of Poland’s Baltic Sea coast. Blissful kirtans resounded in the streets, city parks and along the many beaches crowded with tourists. The highlight of each day was when people spontaneously joined in with us, unable to resist the joy of singing the Lord’s holy names and dancing in ecstasy.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/NKMRX7

50th Anniversary Transcendental Journey, Australia (Album with…
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50th Anniversary Transcendental Journey, Australia (Album with photos)
Aniruddha Dasa: I took my little camera with me to the Opera House last night not knowing if I’d actually use it. I got a front row seat so I thought I’d see what happens. Given the lighting challenges we managed to capture some reasonable shots.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/FKo8tN

ISKCON 50th years anniversary cultural program with the Mayoress…
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ISKCON 50th years anniversary cultural program with the Mayoress of Santiago-Chile (3 min video)
Krishna Sambandha: We would like to share with you a nice video of an ISKCON 50th years anniversary cultural and preaching program at Santiago-Chile City hall with the presence of the Mayoress and officials. There was music by “Krishna Sambandha”; Srila Prabhupada´s books and prasad distribution for all attendees.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/N8hxMU

Ratha-yatra during the Carnival of the World festival in…
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Ratha-yatra during the Carnival of the World festival in Reading, UK – 20th Aug ‘16 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Kirtan means sometimes chanting with music, and sometimes speaking. Both of them are kirtan. Kirtayati iti kirtanam. Whenever we glorify the Lord, that is called kirtan. The Srimad-Bhagavatam reading is also kirtan. (Janmashtami, Montreal, August 16, 1968)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/YOhGms

Bhakti Vijnana Goswami: Prayers requested for ailing Krishna…
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Bhakti Vijnana Goswami: Prayers requested for ailing Krishna devotee, Radha Damodara prabhu.
Kirtiraja das: For those of you who followed the Campaign of The Committee to Free Soviet Hare Krishnas many years ago, Radha Damodara prabhu was then known as Sucharu dasa (Sergei Zuev). Much emphasis was given to his case because he was imprisoned in a Soviet labor camp and endured very harsh treatment there.
Radha Damodara prabhu has given almost forty years of his life in serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission in the Soviet Union and Russia as he was one of the original Moscow devotees.
Radha Damodara prabhu is one of the most sober and serious devotees I’ve ever met AND at the same time he has a jolly streak. Whenever I would experience Radha Damodara prabhu making a joke or a funny comment, he would break into a smile and it made me smile.
He is a wonderful devotee and has done so much extremely valuable service for ISKCON in Russia especially in the area of governmental affairs. Radha Damodara prabhu’s service laid the foundation so Krishna Consciousness in the former Soviet Union could be what it is today.
The world, yes the world, owes a debt of gratitude to Radha Damodara prabhu for the service he’s done.
I specifically say the world because Srila Prabhupada said that the inevitable war between the Soviet Union and America could be avoided if we distributed his books in the Soviet Union. Radha Damodara prabhu was instrumental in making that book distribution possible
Please pray to the Lord and Srila Prabhupada for his safe journey home. Radha Damodara prabhu ki jaya!

Balarama Purnima in Moscow, Russia (Album with photos) Srila…
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Balarama Purnima in Moscow, Russia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “For one who wants liberation from the fruitive reactions of material activities, the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, or glorification of the name, fame and pastimes of the Lord, is recommended as the most perfect process of atonement because such chanting eradicates the dirt from one’s heart completely.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.12).
Find them here: https://goo.gl/rhF3dL

New shrine to be unveiled at Hare Krishna temple in Leicester,…
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New shrine to be unveiled at Hare Krishna temple in Leicester, UK.
A community of Hare Krishna monks will be celebrating with civic dignitaries as two new sacred statues arrive at their temple on Sunday.
Last month the monks finally moved into the bank, six years after an accidental gas explosion led to their former base in North Evington burning to the ground.
On Sunday the murtis of Radha and Krishna will be unveiled at the centre to create a new shrine that will be the focal point of worship.
City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, along with two of his assistant mayors, are due to visit the ISKCON centre in Leicester’s former main HSBC branch in Granby Street for the ceremony.
The welcome ceremony will begin at 8am and preparations have been going no all week at the centre.
Spokeswoman Nima Suchak said: “The event is for the shrine to be established at the centre. It’s an important thing for our community as it’s the first time we’ve had a shrine in six years.
“We will be hosting a few VIPs and hundreds of people.
“The shrine will be in a purpose-built room upstairs at the former bank and it’s a lovely space with a fresh feel.
“It feels new but it retains lots of the period features that come with a building of that calibre.
“We’re super excited about Sunday.”
The shrine will be set up just in time for the most important event in the religious calendar – the celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna, which takes place on Thursday.
On that day there will be an estimated 3,000 people passing through the centre between noon and midnight.
Nima said: “While Sunday will be the official ceremony, Thursday is going to be a massive public event and we expect thousands of people throughout the day.
“That will be taking place in the Grand Banking Hall downstairs, which can accommodate hundreds of people at a time.
“It’s going to be a chance for many people from around the country to come and see the changes we’ve made at the centre for the first time.”
Nima said the purchase of the former bank and the recent work that has been going on inside had “fast-forwarded” things for the community, which had been left homeless and living and worshipping in temporary locations after the explosion.
The 1870s bank, which is a grade II-listed building, had been standing empty for about three years when it was bought using a donation from two Leicester members of ISKCON, which stands for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
The group received permission from Leicester City Council to change the use of the building from a bank to a place of worship, with a vegetarian restaurant, creche, offices and accommodation for the group’s monks.
Source: http://goo.gl/e7K1YX

ISKCON Auckland, New Zealand: Harinama (Album with photos)…
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ISKCON Auckland, New Zealand: Harinama (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat: even a little devotional service can save one from the greatest danger. Devotional service, which begins with chanting of the holy name of the Lord, is so powerful that even if one falls down, he can be saved from all calamities if he somehow or other chants the holy name of the Lord. This is the extraordinary power of the Lord’s holy name. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.1.63 Purport).
Find them here: https://goo.gl/V5LrjT

An unsung hero! Vijaya Das: On my way to Denver I went to see my…
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An unsung hero!
Vijaya Das: On my way to Denver I went to see my old friend Ganapati Swami at the Grand Canyon. He’s an unsung hero in our society, and also my siksa-guru for book distribution. He’s been distributing books for the past 45 years. Not many devotees know about him because he stays mostly in the USA, going from college to college year after year for decades, often by himself. He’s a diksa-guru but has stopped initiating; his interest is in reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and in distributing them, which he does very well.
Maharaja has a little competition at his distribution spot in the Grand Canyon — a Christian named Mel. Mel is 88 years old. Maharaja told me, “If I’m still distributing at 88, I’ll be doing real good.” Mel is very friendly with the devotees.
Mel is getting purified just by being around such a great soul as Ganapati Maharaj, what to speak of being friends with him. Mel shows us that if he can distribute books into his late 80s, so can we.
While distributing books at the Welcome Center at the Grand Canyon, two devotees who’d stopped there on their way back to the Chicago temple after attending the LA Ratha-yatra were pleasantly surprised to see Maharaja and myself distributing books.
What’s amazing about these devotees is that they’d both emigrated from the formerUSSR to the USA to enjoy life. They found out that even in the USA there is suffering, so they went on a search for something higher. They didn’t know each other before coming to Krishna, but they both went on the internet to see if they could find some guidance. Many of you may remember a recent post of mine about a devotee in Russia who may be making more devotees than anyone else – Audarya Dham Prabhu. When I asked these devotees how they joined, they both said, “Audarya Dham Prabhu.” I was shocked. Even in the USA he’s making Russian devotees!
They wanted to hike down into the canyon and asked if I’d like to join them. I’d never gone before, so I distributed a few more books and then went with them. It was a beautiful trek. We descended two miles and then returned, exhausted.
Your servant, Vijaya das,

How Krishna Makes His Entrance. When contemplating the idea of…
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How Krishna Makes His Entrance.
When contemplating the idea of the appearance of God Himself, those of us steeped in the contemporary culture of hype might naturally expect a grandiose production, reminiscent of the best that Hollywood has to offer, calculated to inspire awe and fear.
Considering Krishna’s extremely high-profile position—the omnipotent, omnipresent, ultimate source of all energies—His appearance in this world is remarkably low-key. He doesn’t draw attention to himself. He has nothing to prove. His “publicist”—yogamaya, His energy for engaging in transcendental pastimes—arranged His entrance to be subtle, classy, and mysterious. Here’s how the moment of His appearance on earth is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/quYGAa

Janmashtami: Krishna’s “birthday”?
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Janmashtami: Krishna’s “birthday”?
For convenience and to suggest a celebration, we sometimes say that Janmashtami is Krishna’s birthday, since anyone we know of on Earth, either past or present, is apparently “born&#8221…

SBS.COM.AU: One of the world’s newest religions Hare…
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SBS.COM.AU: One of the world’s newest religions Hare Krishna is celebrating its golden jubilee (1 min video)
Sbs.com journalist: The Hare Krishna movement attracts a wide range of followers in Australia – with many converting from traditional Hinduism.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/C4Jb0M

Lord Balarama Jayanti Festival in Mayapur, 18th August, 2016…
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Lord Balarama Jayanti Festival in Mayapur, 18th August, 2016 (Album with photos)
I worship Him who has a shining pure crown, with bangles, with moving curles of hair on His cheeks, with His lotus face decorated with earings, etc, wearing rich blue clothes and carrying His huge plough and club.”
Find them here: https://goo.gl/oIVfM8

TOVP’s Garuda (Album with photos) Sadbhuja Das: The TOVP…
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TOVP’s Garuda (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: The TOVP Art Team has completed the Sculptor of Garuda. It will go in Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Dome.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/gZsNyh

Blissful ceremonies in Auckland, New Zealand for Sri…
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Blissful ceremonies in Auckland, New Zealand for Sri Baladeva!(Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: When one is free from offenses in chanting Hare Krishna, he develops the ecstatic bodily features called pulakasru. Pulaka means “symptoms of happiness,” and asru means “tears in the eyes.” The symptoms of happiness and tears in the eyes must appear in a person who has chanted the holy name offenselessly. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.15.25 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Ezfwf4

A Transcendental Tour (44 min video) A video by Siddhanta…
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A Transcendental Tour (44 min video)
A video by Siddhanta Prabhu from a recent tour of Srila Prabhupada’s favorite morning walk locations in Los Angeles.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/eKi3Fr

Celebrating Independence Day 71th of Indonesia (Album with…
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Celebrating Independence Day 71th of Indonesia (Album with photos)
The devotees did Hari Nam, book and prasadam distribution along Sindhu beach and Sanur beach.
Srila Prabhupada ki jay….!!!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/tjbxYh

Beauty of Nitai Sri Caitanya Mangala Madhya Khanda Chapter 4…
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Beauty of Nitai
Sri Caitanya Mangala Madhya Khanda
Chapter 4 “The Beauty of Nitai”
Lord Gauranga met Nityananda Raya in the home of Nandanacarya. Nityananda’s beautiful golden-colored body had a slightly reddish hue. Glistening ornaments adorned His enchanting form. Bright yellow cloth carressed His hips. A yelloe turban the color of a golden campaka flower, decorated His head. As He walked, His anklebells chimed sweetly “Jhuni, Jhuni, Jhuni”.
His eyes were wide and long like a deer. He removed the shyness of young girls with His brilliant, lightning-like smile. His roaring like a lion, louder than monsoon clouds, sumdued the mad elephants of Kaliyuga. Lord Nityananda walked with the gait of a maddened elephant. His peaceful lotus face was beautiful to behold when He cried tears of love. Absorbed in deep love of Krishna, His body would shiver, perspire, and erupt all over with ecstatic symptoms.
Holding a golden stick in His hand, He smashed the pride of Kali. Golden necklaces hung on His chest. Marvelous gem-inlaid earrings dangled on His cheeks. His hands were reddish like a night-blooming lotus. Attractive bangles intensified the beauty of His strong, golden arms. In ecstasy, Nityananda Prabhu, almost falling on the ground, uttered “Where is My Kanai Gopala [Krsna]?”
Adopting the sentiment of a cowherd boy, Nityananda cried, laughed, and begged Revati for some honey. At one moment, He jumped like a frog. The next moment He acted dumb and speechless, or said something unintelligible. Who can understand the Lord’s transcendental mellows? The sweet aroma of Nityananda’s body stole the housewives from their, and crushed to dust the pride of chaste girls.
Sri Nitaichandra Ki Jaya!!!! All glories to Sri Avadhuta Raya the son of Rohini Devi, who is non-different of Lord Gaurahari.

Why did Balaramji favor Duryodhana? Chaitanya Charan das
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Why did Balaramji favor Duryodhana?
Chaitanya Charan das: It is because Krishna enjoys rasa in different ways with different people. So just like Krishna is God, but Mother Yasoda sometimes chastises Krishna, she ties Krishna, threatens him. Why does…

Why Was Balaram Affectionate to Duryodhan? Madhavananda Das: A…
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Why Was Balaram Affectionate to Duryodhan?
Madhavananda Das: A slightly fresh edit of an article I wrote a few years ago.
If we contemplate on the pastimes of Krishna’s beloved elder brother, a relevant question arises:
Why did Balaram give so much favor to the demoniac Duryodhan?
Duryodhan was not a devotee of Krishna. From his childhood he hated Krishna’s pure devotees the Pandavas and tried in various ways to kill them. When Yudhisthir asked Krishna to go to Hastinapur to deliver a peace message on behalf of the Pandavas, Duryodhan grossly disrespected Krishna, and even tried to capture him.
In spite of all these offenses to both Krishna and his pure devotees, Duryodhan is famous as a great disciple of Balaram. Consider:
* Balaram stayed for several years in Mithila just to give association to Duryodhan and train him in the art of fighting with a club. (Bhāg. 10.57.26)
* Balaram wanted to give his sister Subhadra in marriage to Duryodhan. (Bhāg. 10.86.2-3)
* Duryodhan considered Balaram the supreme Lord. He addressed him as Bhagavan. (Garga Saṁhitā 8.9.1; 8.10.1)
* It was Duryodhan who asked the sage Pradvipak Muni to inform him about Balaram’s rāsa dance in Vraja, as well as various prayers and procedures for worshiping Baladev, and Balaram’s 1,000 names. (Garga-saṁhitā canto 8 chapters 9-13)
* One of Balaram’s names is “Duryodhana-guru”, the guru of Duryodhan. (Garga-saṁhitā 1.10.42)
* Balaram went to Kuruksetra to stop the fighting between Bhimasena and Duryodhan. When he saw that it was Krishna’s will that they fight, he left as he had so much affection for both Bhima and Duryodhan that it was too painful for him to see them fight. (Bhāg. 10.79.23-30)
* When Bhima killed Duryodhan, Balaram was furious and left.
How do we reconcile the fact that Duryodhan was very dear to Balaram?
There may be many answers to this question, but we can conclude that although Duryodhan looked like he was very close, ultimately his attitude was not pleasing to Balaram.
There are many lessons that we can see from this: First, it’s not always easy to see who is really close to the guru. By the aparā-vicāra, the apparent consideration, it appeared that both Banasura and Ravan pleased Mahadeva Shiva and got his mercy. But our ācāryas have described that they only got sakapaṭa kṛpā, mercy with cheating. They got some wealth, fame and position. They didn’t get the niṣkapaṭa kṛpā, mercy without cheating, or kṛṣṇa-prema. In the same way, although it apparently looked like Duryodhan was close to Lord Balaram, internally he was far away from the Lord.
Secondly, although Duryodhan had some faith in Balaram, he didn’t have faith in Krishna or the Pandavas. In the same way, sometimes a disciple may be full of enthusiasm for his or her guru, but may neglect or offend other Vaiṣṇavas. Or, like Duryodhan, some disciples may express devotion for their guru, but they may not be interested in worshiping Krishna or chanting kṛṣṇa-nāma. Although it may appear that such devotees are very close to their guru, and they may even get some big position, they do not get the same quality of mercy that a surrendered disciple receives.
To explore a third lesson from the relationship between Balaram and Duryodhan, we have to understand Duryodhan’s identity. The Garga-saṁhitā (1.5.30) describes him as an aṁśa or partial expansion of Kali — duryodhanaḥ kaler aṁśo. Although externally he looked like a big follower of his guru, in actuality Duryodhan was a servant and follower of Kali, not his guru Lord Balaram. He had his own separate agenda from the Lord, an agenda that ultimately caused pain and death for millions of persons.
Regarding such duplicity Thakur Bhaktivinode states in his Bāul Saṅgīta (song 6):
eo to’ eka kalir celā māthā neḍā kapni parā, tilak nāke, galāy mālā
“Here is a disciple of Kali-yuga: He has a shaved head, wears kaupins, marks his forehead with tilak, and keeps tulasī beads around his neck.”
In a 1995 lecture in Bhubaneswar, Gour Govinda Maharaja warned the devotees that to really have the association of guru one must give up ulterior motives and false displays of devotion, and must genuinely surrender:
“We are only pretending that we have done ātma-nivedana, that we have surrendered. But we have not really surrendered. We have only been pretending, pretending, pretending for so many years. And also for so many years to come in the future, as long as we continue to act artificially we cannot approach guru, sādhu or Vaiṣṇava. We cannot get their mercy at all and therefore we cannot see their real form. We will be cheated. We will get all external things.”
— Śrī-guru vaiṣṇava kṛpā prārthī, Madhavananda Das

“Lord Balarama – The Destroyer of Anarthas”…
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“Lord Balarama – The Destroyer of Anarthas” (Video)
“Lord Balarama’s Pastimes”
Srila Prabhupada: First birth is from your parents, but real birth, real life, begins when one accepts a bona fide spiritual master and rend…

Lord Balarama’s Appearance Day A Talk by Giriraj Swami. “To…
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Lord Balarama’s Appearance Day A Talk by Giriraj Swami.
“To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.” (Bg 4.8) He manifests Himself to protect the devotees, annihilate the demons, and reestablish the principles of religion. In every sphere of activity in the material world there is deterioration; everything in the material world declines. A new house, for example, is very nice, but it gradually deteriorates, and eventually, when it is too old, it has to be rebuilt. In the same way, our performance of spiritual duties deteriorates, whether we are individuals, families, communities, or a society. The Lord comes in order to establish religious principles (dharma) and practice, but over time religious practice declines, and so He manifests Himself again and again. We all know how prone we are to allow our practice to deteriorate. Thus, on auspicious occasions like today, Lord Balarama’s appearance day, we can pray to the Lord to manifest Himself and help us to become reestablished in our religious principles and practice.
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/hSDaej