Author Archives: H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami

243 Avenue Rd., Toronto My Cute Little Phone   Can’t seem to live without that phone. Even though I am incapacitated, or at least physically impaired, with my new knee trying to get comfortable in a foreign leg, which is right now restricting m…

Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto Two Colours   Nanda was kind to drive me to Mount Sinai for the knee replacement. The reason for this surgery is quite obvious. To get around we need our knees. But as we were driving to the location in the fine ea…

University Ave., Toronto Bhakti This Bhakti Bath   My day was split in half. The first half involved thoughts about my knees, especially the left one. Yes, a competent mechanic (surgeon really) is going to replace it. My lefty along with a part…

North York/Brampton   Day 2   I began today publicly, with a Zoom class to Mauritius on the topic of “Gossip — Me and My Big Mouth.” People find it an interesting conversation piece. The practice of gossip is subtle but very toxic. As point…

South, East and North, Toronto   The 49th   This year’s 49th annual Ratha festival, like 2020, was a modified version; all because of Covid. We are still not allowed to have major gatherings where participants can be close and, besides that…

The Beaches, Toronto   Turned Red   Recently a couple and their mother moved to Toronto, settling in the east and in Pickering. Anuttama and Sveta purchased a house there and are now settled in the area and ready for service. Anuttama’s spe…

University Ave., Toronto   Touching On Gossip   To be more accurate I spent three and a half hours at Mount Sinai hospital, located on University Ave. That was done to meet various medical and social workers to prepare me for the coming lef…

Christie Pits, Toronto   Some Bad News   It’s a bit of bad news coming from South Africa. As I understand it, some action, based in racism, is going on; a lot of looting and more. Sad really. At our Durban temple most of the residents there…

Woodbine Beach, Toronto It’s All About the Service   From the Introduction of Bhagavad-Gita:   We can easily see that every living being is constantly engaged in rendering service to another living being. A living being serves other living…

Shanty Bay, Ontario   Water and Me   I really wish I could do this every day. I’m talking about taking a dip in the natural freshwater that the Creator has provided; an actual swim. It is so good for me as a refresher, and the bodily joints…

Bracebridge, Ontario   Moving About   The soccer game between Italy and England occupied many earthlings today, which doesn’t exclude our own devotees in the community. That may account for the lower-than-expected attendance at our temple a…

Hyde Park and Trinity bells, Toronto   Parks, the Sun and People   This was the first non-rainy day in some time and the weather forecast indicated that clouds and showers will rain for the coming days. What’s happening?   Regardless, …

Alexander Muir Park, Toronto   The World We Want   I’ve walked by the above-mentioned park (actually it’s more like a sunken garden) several times off Yonge St. I never ventured inside. There are flowerbeds, trees of all kinds (northern bre…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Essence is Love & Kindness   We are receiving much rain, but as long as it ceases for a time for me to stroll, then it’s okay. Stroll I did, through the park and up Yonge St. I realized one thing about myself and…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   I Shall Act   I want to thank Paramahamsa, from Guelph, who came to do some physio work on me today. I’m also grateful to Jhorom, who came as a special guest when I hosted him in the sitting quarters of our guru, Pra…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Busy in Bhakti   We have gone back, steadily, to our older program of stairway kirtan. Neighbours who pass by love it. As long as we don’t perform with symbols, drum, harmonium “in-their-face,” so to speak. Gentle, …

Yorkville, Toronto   Let’s Get Good at Planning   “Perhaps you’re one of the few centres that’s really taking care of older Vaishnava men,” remarked an observer, a friend, the other day. Mind you, we do have younger men as residents in addi…

Montreal, Quebec The Knot is Tied   While the US is celebrating its birthday, on this beautiful day and weekend in remote Canada — actually Montreal — the Krishna community and I are seeing to a marriage. Samuel and Nandini Radha, tied the knot…

Montreal, Quebec   A Kind of Freedom   Karuna Sindhu is a safe driver behind the wheel and so I was his passenger, safely seated as we moved along eastward bound. It was momentous because this morning marked my first time beyond the Ontario…

Yorkville, Ontario   Looking at People   All went fairly smooth, for the day, with indoor services involving services to our resident monks, classes and meetings on the phone as periodical sun rays shafted through windows, broken up by inte…

Etobicoke/Scarborough   West End, East End   Nothing major but I was feeling a bit woozy from the vaccine I received yesterday, nevertheless I wanted to keep busy. In that regard priestly duties were put to motion. It started with a visitat…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Through the Tranquility   I’ve known Devananda for many years. He grew up in London, Canada, area. I know little about his Jewish descent, but he adopted to eastern ways like I did. Pursuing life in India; living lik…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Congratulations   Our maintenance guy, who hails from Croatia, placed his phone close to my face and with a beaming face said, “Look Maharaja, at the message that just came to me.”   So, I read the message that …

Niagara Falls, Ontario   An Affirmation of K. Consciousness   Last night, when I walked in the Cabbagetown area of Toronto, an Asian woman standing in front of her residence, a high-rise building, noticed me and instantly asked her question…

High Park, Toronto   Groove in the Green   High Park is actually a beautiful space, but like most natural settings they have their drawbacks. This park is appealing, but there is a slight problem with the gypsy moth caterpillars. I’ve never…

Greektown, Toronto   In Greek Hood   A kind devotee by the name of Radha-Gopinath dropped me off to the home of a master wood carver to discuss with him a carving, out of basswood, of an eight-foot Radha and Krishna. The end product will be…

Avondale, North York   On Yonge   It takes a mere 20 minutes to get to Avondale Park from the ashram where I live in Old Toronto or downtown Toronto. You are wise to go north on Yonge St., which I’ve done on foot, to arrive north of the bus…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Excusing Myself   Where I sat was quite the juncture; where pathways from three directions come together. All over, benches were taken so when I was on a Zoom call, under a tree, people I knew (neighbours) came to me…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Future Good Admins   It is quite the achievement, first of all, that there is a leadership college that trains men and women to be just that – leaders in a spiritual organization. I was invited to the GBC College Gra…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Signs and Duties   I was pleased to accept the offer to deliver a class to our Scarborough group on this third Sunday of July. The topic was gossip and when to keep my mouth shut. That should be fun. Mundane mutterin…

Bracebridge, Ontario   Father and Summer   So, it’s the first day of summer but I was reminded of one other aspect of today. It’s Father’s Day. I spent the night with a family in Bracebridge. They have a gorgeous shrine in their front room….

Huntsville, Ontario Nature is a Knock Out Nature is a knock-out. That is easy to see in the more northern regions. I mean to say there is this gorgeousness about Mother Nature from whatever angle you look, but everyone has their preferences, geogra…

Yorkville, Toronto   Merci Beaucoup!   It’s a long day for sun endurance. Yes, we are approaching summer solstice. I enjoyed the bench and stretched my neck back to just catch some rain drops the size of tiny ants. The nostrils couldn’t hel…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Chris, Then Keith   It’s not always that easy to find someone in the park who comes over to talk to me about personalities from “The Mahabharat”. Chris was lying on the grass and on his side reading a book borrowed f…

243 Avenue Rd, Toronto   The Change and the Changeless   Last year my brother, Jerry, popped by to drop off vintage photographs of our biological family. They came in two cardboard boxes with one of them labelled “Brownies,” which my sisters…

St. Lawrence Market, Toronto Seeing a Friend Right next to St. Lawrence Market is 110 Esplanade, a building where an aging friend of mine lives. He is a member of ACTRA and is a retired actor. He recently came from the hospital due to a lung infect…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   On My Way   On my way to the park on Roxborough and neighbours were setting out their weekly garbage for the pickup tomorrow morning. While two routine individuals gave a smile, the second person, whom I’ve never see…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Mindfulness   A message about mindfulness:   “This very moment is the best moment which was borne of the past and which will shape the future, therefore this very moment deserves our full attention.” -Bhaktimarg…

High Park, Toronto   Getting High on Chanting   Some restrictions becoming relaxed on Covid discipline has made it more possible for a flow of freedom in places like High Park. From noon until 4 pm, a small group of us bhakti yoga followers…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Turned 32   Dwarkanatha turned 32 today. He gets to cut the cake and has the first bite. It’s now a tradition that someone (in today’s case it was me) takes that piece in hand and almost forcefully presses it to the …