Author Archives: H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami

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 …

Mount Sinai, Toronto   Anticipating New Knees   A gorgeous morning and I’m on my way to get a check up on my knees at the orthopedics department. I will be making a big decision about my knees. After meeting with Mount Sinai Hospital consul…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Music in Our Lives   At the tail end of the day, I found myself comfortably seated at a bench, one block from Ramsden. For public use, this supremely varnished wood-bench is set just at the corner of the Paul Hahn pi…

Rosedale, Toronto   Give Me the Goods   Delivering classes based on the Bhagavat philosophy entails speaking on behalf of the previous acharyas or teachers. They have provided those of us who teach with stories, analogies and Sanskrit/Benga…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Music, Man and a Monk   It is clearly sandal weather. Only the evening is enticing for the outdoors so I hibernated inside most of the day engaged in chanting, delivering classes, reading, poetry writing, eating (and…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Talks on the Grass   I had a great picnic with Parama, Rukmini and their young 19-month-old darling who was totally mesmerized by people, the dogs and the trees. It’s not that she hasn’t been to a park before. This o…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Guru Trust and Retreat   What a treat it was on a Zoom call with 45 colleagues who are influential bhakti yoga instructors from different parts of the globe. It was a planned, three-hour seminar for gurus in the diks…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   A Newness   Major demolition went on in our men’s ashram, which needed love and attention. Yes, it was time to pull out the parquet floor boards, toss out old furniture, including beds, and start out with a fresh loo…

Mount Sinai hospital   Rain and Food   Don’t worry, I just went for an appointment for x-rays on the knees; an assessment. Gabriel was kind enough to take me there. My short walk back, halfway, was a mere 1 km through drizzle. God knows we …

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Lunch   A devotee from Brampton, Nanda Maharaj, drove all the way to our downtown ashram to deliver me prasadam, blessed food prepared by his wife, Ananda Mayi. There was packaged wraps and cooked asparagus. Deliciou…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Meeting Is Essential   It’s been a while since I met cousin Corry and our young Muslim friend, Victor, so we decided to meet again, as we used to before the dawn of winter and the Covid lockdown. A third person also …

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Chain Reaction   I put out a little slideshow on Instagram today with actor Godruma Gaura portraying verses 6.62-63 from the Gita in a sweet comedic way. Comments from viewers were:   “Great expressions.” “Such …

Ramsden Park, Toronto   So Happy   I was so happy to receive another submission from a godsister in Los Angeles. She had given her story of the early days in the movement in Canada, to add to the compilation of our upcoming book Krishna in …

Room at 243, Toronto   A Marriage   Gopal had his wedding today. Finally. Like most younger chaps his age, when they hit thirty I’ll question them, if not their dad. “Well, is anything happening in terms of settling down?” It is never a har…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Snow, Aging and the Flute   Believe it or not but despite the gorgeous weather of the last few days, snow came upon us. I was leading the chant at noon in the temple room, which I do every day at what’s called the raj…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   The Last Straw/The Last Verse   It happens frequently enough — poor Wi-Fi reception. Every Thursday I conduct a class hosted by a sweet couple in Florida. Practically every week, over the course of my call, which is a…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   BhaktiArts Hub S.O.S.   It was our fourth time together. You may have heard of Vande Arts, an arts initiative driven to create a camaraderie among bhaktiartists. Well, you might say that this next reincarnation of th…

Room at 243, Toronto   The Day of the Lion   Today is all about the lion avatar known as Narasimha. I was happily busy with delivering five classes on the subject today. This fearsome-bodied, lovable creature is a hero for many – a Divine p…

Arnstein, Toronto   Escape   I managed to keep a proper social distance from moose, bear and cougar while in the north country for the day. My companion, Jivan Mukta, and I escaped from the big city for a three-hour venture to a marvelous 2…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Interfaith   It was another one of those interfaith sessions I participated in with attendees from Chicago, Atlanta and Toronto. Mostly Christians were present. Basically, it was a Korean-based organization, Christia…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Big Cat   Coming up on Tuesday the 25th, we will be celebrating the appearance of the Lion Avatar. Here is my poem to honour him.   Big Cat   He was ferocious Yet not atrocious Bearing a gaping mouth Stre…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Bench Pride   “You must be the guy my wife met the other day. Charming!” Said the middle-aged man who stopped while passing by.   “I could have been. I’m not sure,” I expressed with some surprise.   “Do you…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   That stuff In the Air   I was trying to make a point by abruptly striking just one branch of a spruce tree. Suddenly, hidden in that limb of the tree, with all its sub-branches and twigs, came a cloud of golden polle…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Three Levels   An elderly woman came to where I was sitting. It looked like she had something to say, however, I started the conversation.   “How are you today?” I asked out of curiosity.   “Well, I’m a bit…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Freeing the Squirrels   When I returned from the park, after a short walk, and came close to the driveway I heard a noise coming from the dumpster. It was a scratchy and squeal-ish kind of noise. I figured that maybe…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   Prayer   One of my God sisters is going in for surgery and there is a natural compulsion to pray. All success Paurnamasi.   A poem about prayer.   What Is It With Prayer?   Is it not the most divine f…