Author Archives: H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami

Ramsden Park, Toronto Raised in Lebanon “I was raised in Lebanon” said the 25-year oldish woman when she saw me and only after she told of her religious affiliation with Islam. “There was a lot of anger and hardness, so I got very discouraged.” She…

243 Ave. Rd., Toronto Welcome, Atul Krishna No walking today. Mopping, yes! Meaningful meetings? Most definitely. A Zoom Gita class? Oui. And then came 6 pm. Ananda Gauranga came as the priest and, with Nimai Nitai’s assistance, pulled together wha…

Owen Sound, Ontario The Pretty and the Painful Every trail is unique. Every rock is distinct. Every cloud in the sky is different. Every tree has its own character. And today, I am viewing a waterfall which stands out from any other. The water fro…

Holland Centre, Ontario Foresty Fragrant One of the Gita Zoom calls for this Tuesday night is located in Owen Sound, Ontario, where our host, Sudhama, resides. Some of us decided to be there physically, so we drove up, a two-and-a-half-hour drive n…

Brampton, Ontario Being Reasonable It was Dharma who drove me to Brampton Civic Hospital to see Madhurya Lila, a dear member of a Brampton branch and who’s struggling with cancer. She has a few days remaining and so I chanted by her bedside, convinc…

243 Avenue Road, Toronto Of Subduers I am Time This was our final day for the MANtra Retreat, which was very fulfilling. It was also engaging. It required my presence. While on top of that I invested time in desperately adding the final touches to …

St. Jamestown, Toronto MENTOR at MANTRA At the MANtra retreat today, brilliant presentations were made, for instance, by Partha regarding marriage and the topic “Making an Ally,” referring to relationship development. Yadunatha entertained us with …

St. Jamestown, Toronto MANtra Working Our first session of MANtra MANifested this evening and it went really well. Yogesvara from New York did a marvelous presentation of “The Hero’s Journey.” It is fashioned after Joseph Campbell’s model of how a …

Yorkville, Toronto That’s It   War is an ugly thing, an explosion of emotions. It is a clash of feelings, triggered by a major misunderstanding. The warring of the mind is enough; the subtle but destructive conflict within that everyone goes th…

Oakville, Ontario Walking and a Passing   I am not a happy shopper, but when it comes to going to that drug store that sells the unique ky boots, right there on the main street of Oakville, I have no qualms. The selection for shoes styles is no…

243 Avenue Rd., Toronto Come Around   I was pleasantly surprised to see a group of ladies suddenly appear. I guess I’ve not been around much when a slew of people come, but there they were, about nine of them, somewhat mournful. Something’s hap…

Ramsden Park, Toronto Reflect, Reflect A poem in honour of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:   Reflect Reflect   Reflect, reflect on His Divine Grace Mirror the values he’s put into place Set into practice what he’s le…

Fredericton, New Brunswick Prabhupada Remembered Through Speaking   As a speaker of Krishna Consciousness, I feel fulfilled. At the home of Kadamba Priya a group of students and families came to partake in a Sunday sanga and it was the occasion…

Fredericton, New Brunswick Super Special Day There is an expected rule for covid restrictions and therefore we have limited attendance for our extended festival of Govardhan, here in the province of New Brunswick. Nevertheless, those who came to th…

Trenton/Fredericton Piece of the Great Trail For Tyler and I, Trenton Park, with its trails, was a new discovery. Ravi knew the place but never went onto the trails. There are the dominant coniferous trees but not without the deciduous ones. Ravi …

Stellarton, Nova Scotia  Lots of Gulabjamuns Happy Diwali! Happy Govardhan Puja! Two important days on the Vaishnava calendar are mentioned above. But, for that matter, every day is special. You have to make it that way. Ravi, Daniel, and I w…

Stellarton, Nova Scotia A Story and Trails He was only twelve and at school he got confused. He thought maybe he should be a girl, and so he started doing some “new things,” such as putting nail polish on the fingernails. Some of the kids were maki…

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia   A Dynamite of a Day   An interesting name for a pathway – the “Dynamite Trail.” Well, it does exist. I have the proof as I walked on it this morning. And I had the glory of trekking on the bridge overlooking the Mus…

Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia Charm Boy   He is both menacing and adorable His sweet innocence bars one from saying He’s deplorable For His babyhood charm is written all over His face And whatever He does transforms that very space   That face…

Halifax, Nova Scotia At the Waterfront   A warm wind invited itself into the harbour as we strode along Halifax’s boardwalk. It looked like the city is investing in the beautification of the harbourfront; the place where we have found adequate …

Halifax, Nova Scotia Fun All Around   The day started with a walk and it was Daniel, Nihil, and Ryan that explored Savyasacin’s neighbourhood along with him as the host – and me. The area is mostly of rock, lakes, and trees as well as new devel…

Halifax, Nova Scotia First Day by the Atlantic   I was brought to Maya’s Court. Yes indeed. A kind couple, Mangalananda and Ratri, scooped me up from Swoop Airlines at Halifax Airport and from there to be driven to Maya’s Court, the actual name…

St. Jamestown/High Park, Toronto Both Crowds Are Good Many connections I made, just before the disconnections of tomorrow when I will soar in the air, via Swoop Airlines. Making that domestic flight will bring me to the city of Halifax. So, tying u…

St. Jamestown/High Park, Toronto Both Crowds Are Good Many connections I made, just before the disconnections of tomorrow when I will soar in the air, via Swoop Airlines. Making that domestic flight will bring me to the city of Halifax. So, tying u…

Mississauga/Hamilton MANtra and Visits   Great women of bhakti (devotion), tell your men about the upcoming retreat; for men and by men. In particular, we encourage Krishna Conscious guys to connect via the fourth Annual MANtra retreat, which w…

Mississauga/Hamilton MANtra and Visits   Great women of bhakti (devotion), tell your men about the upcoming retreat; for men and by men. In particular, we encourage Krishna Conscious guys to connect via the fourth Annual MANtra retreat, which w…

Yorkville, Toronto About Bhakti   Contrary to popular belief…   Strength lies in humility Whereas weakness does in pride Our base, set in simplicity Puts complexities to the side   Pleasures ignite from stimulus But that is so short-l…

Yorkville, Toronto Sharing Thoughts   Wet days are upon us; both day and night are accepting. My indecision this day was dispelled by a sudden inner voice that said, “Just do it!” So, I meandered through streets receiving a light spray from ab…

Etobicoke/Hamilton Getting About   The grass is still green and the pumpkins orange at Hamilton’s Gage Park. This was our designated destination for a fall kirtan. In dedication to Bangladesh victims of rioting madness our small group (for star…

Old City Hall, Toronto Statements Must Be Made During the protest chanting session, which was well attended by over 500 people, I enacted what I told our organization group I would do. I committed to being a watchdog and an orchestrator of sorts. T…

Yorkville, Toronto Show Support   I am picking up my pace, since knee surgery on July 20, so I’m doing quite well three months later, though my distances are short. I’m happy to pull off 3 kilometres per day and could do more. I get busy, frank…

Ramsden Park, Toronto Fanaticism is a Tragedy   “Let us trust God and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs,”…

Yorkville, Toronto Violence is Ignorance   In the wake of a darkness regarding oppression of minorities in Bangladesh, I was compelled to write the following:   VIOLENCE IS NOT GOLDEN   Violence is not golden But action with intellige…

Ramsden Park, Toronto Samples   Temperatures, weather-wise, are very much moderate today to the point that it drew a crowd of people and their pets. The dog park is very popular and on the street level a shop that caters to all dog needs recent…

Toronto, Ontario Points to Consider on Bangladesh Attacks   With the recent tragedy in Bangladesh, members of ISKCON are action-planning for events of peaceful protest. Here are some points: 1) Devotees and temple communities should offer spec…

Milton, Ontario Pleasant Swami We have a pleasant swami visiting us in the Toronto and surrounding area. His name is Bhakti Prabhava Swami and he’s from Europe, speaks Flemish, French, English, etc. He actually came physically and not virtually; our…

Niagara Falls, Ontario Connecting In dedication to those great souls who’ve suffered under the duress of violent attacks in Bangladesh, we held a kirtanat High Park at our usual location. A young man by the name of Partha was killed in the process …

243 Ave. Rd., Toronto Good and Bad News Madhavacharya was born in 1293, near Udupi, in South India. Today is his birthday. He was an influential teacher of his time and accepted as his teacher, the great Vyasadev. He became a monk in his teens and b…

Yorkville, Toronto The Opulence of Remembering   After my evening walk I made my way to the ashram and Prabhupada’s quarters and there was Krishna Chandra “at your service.” Often he will give that needed massage from foot to knee. At such time…

Yorkville, Toronto Whistling is Okay?   When I made my way back to the temple/ashram last night on Hazleton, a young fellow in front of me was whistling away like crazy. It was a happy tone, like the ones you here guys do on an outside job in a…