Author Archives: H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami

High Park, Toronto   High in High Park   It’s strange but Toronto has been my home base since 1973 and in all that time I’ve never had, or taken, the opportunity to venture into High Park. It is rated as 4.5/5 and I can testify. When you’re…

Cabbagetown, Toronto   Squash the Term Pumpkin   Our cook, Dwarkanath, made this amazing pumpkin cake. It was baked to perfection; somewhat moist and sweet. Since pumpkin is a fruit I hope no sugar was added, especially that dreadful worst …

Toronto, Ontario   A Walk in the Quiet   I made an official call on behalf of our temple to an agency. It’s not my favourite type of service but nevertheless it must be done. My legal name was in their records but not my email address. I ga…

243 Avenue Road, Toronto   Got Into Cleaning   I got into cleaning again, tackling another corner of the kitchen. In truth, there’s too many items and too much clutter. However, it’s therapy. Cleaning anything in the temple/ashram is like c…

Christie Pits, Toronto   Talking It Up and the Eyes of God   We had a full day of rain, then a full day of snow. Finally, on Tuesday, the sun reigned and dominated the skies.   After a session of cleaning in the kitchen and taking a s…

Yorkville, Toronto   Usually   Usually at this time of year I’m in Varadero, Cuba. I am typically at the beach, under the sun, making visitations to cities like Havana, Matanzas and St. Declaro. We hold kirtansessions, give bhakti lessons, …

The Temple, Toronto   Permanent?   I received my permanent bridge. It was installed in my mouth and it looks great. The word “permanent” may be deceiving. The only power that I understand to be of a lasting fixture is the soul. But, you kno…

Yorkville, Toronto   Zooms   Yogendra, The priest for the event, was all set up with his kund, a sacrificial apparatus for a fire ceremony in his home in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Etienne had his array of musical instruments—harmonium, mrdung…

Yorkville, Toronto   The Month of Damodara   We have been honoring the month of Damodara, Krishna who acts as a child in all frivolity. The following is a rhyming translation by Kalakanta for the song, “Damodarastaka”.   After you stea…

Toronto, Ontario   The Stretch, The Touch   I’ve been wanting to get in a bit more exercise for my upper body. Although walking for me is rather a routine, and it is great for the overall physical self, I have been feeling the need to stren…

Yorkville, Toronto   An Interview   Ambika Di Maria interviewed me last week and came back with a transcription of the talk. Here is a short excerpt:   How did you become known as the “Walking Monk?” Bhaktimarga Swami:First of all, let…

Toronto, Ontario   Covid in the Air, Music in the Kitchen   Rain kept me inside, so I did some pacing on the indoor balcony. Services of the nature of “devotion” also had me indoors, along with administration, eating, bonding with resident …

University of Toronto   Excited   I think it’s just one of the best things the city has done—created a beautiful, slick but cozy dynamic on Bloor Street. The street is known for its expensive shops at the platinum strip, from Sherhbourne to …

Toronto, Ontario   Cooking for God   I took my hand at the culinary craft today, cooking the noon offering. I have this great privilege being on the Monday schedule now. I feel blessed.   It’s been a long time since doing this seva (se…

Christie Pits, Toronto   The Snow Came   Real snow covered rooftops, car tops, tree branches, roads and everything else. It was white, wet and wonderful. However, it left a slush dynamic; somewhat unfavourable for driving and walking. It wa…

Cabbagetown, Toronto   The Origin of MANtra   It was somewhere near Oakland in California Where people drive everything from a Harley to a Porsche Anuttama and I were ambling on our humble feet As traffic whizzed by like a roaring missile f…

Ramsden Park, Toronto   It Makes A Difference   The first day of the MANtraRetreat was a smashing success. Anuttama is just the best host. Tomorrow will be most exciting—a good speaker from the UK, Bhuta Bhavana, who raises the topic of emp…

Mississauga, Ontario   Barry Brown   The following poem is in honour of my dear friend, Baladev, AKA Barry Brown. We traveled as monks in a small party through the United States, experiencing what most people haven’t gone through.   Ba…

Yorkville, Toronto   He Gave Us   It is reflection day. Still relatively unknown to the public is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Although, behind the scenes, he contributed largely to adjusting the world.   He ga…

Toronto, Ontario   Meeting the Snow   After a day of chanting, discussion, calls, a class, a nap, a reading and some eating (broccoli stalks), I went out to meet the snow. It was a powdery type, drifting and blowing.   I was not the on…

Brampton / Yorkville   A Nice Find   Going to the dentist is never the most thrilling of outings but it’s a necessity for devotional upkeep. The very safe and efficiently-run clinic I go to always has me excited. I wish we could run our ash…

243 Ave. Rd., Toronto   Not Inclined   I was not inclined to do any walking outside today for lack of favourable weather. Branches were flying. Winds were high. Pedestrians were low. I took to indoor walking via the inner balcony of our bui…

Casa Loma, Toronto   Lights   For those who do not know, today is Diwali, the festival of lights. The commemoration has much to do with Rama’s triumph. There is a video circulating out there where Prince Charles is offering his best wishes …

Toronto, Ontario   Krsnanandini   Some of my dear friends hail from Cleveland. One outstanding person was American born; a monk of amiable character. His name was Bhakti Tirtha Swami. Another person from the same town was a saintly lady, Kr…

Yorkville, Toronto   Moosey Lights   I was walking and taking photos of a moose family, no the actual animals, which are the largest of the deer family, but effigies of the clan made entirely of white lights. I was in the middle of snapping …

Casa Loma, Toronto   No Wasting Time   Christopher, Nick and I took a memorial walk to honour those who sacrificed their lives, their youth and their dreams in the wars of the more recent past. When a walk is in dedication to someone I feel…

Queen’s Park, Toronto   Those Who Gave and Those Who Gave Up   On this eve of Remembrance Day we give homage to those who sacrificed their lives in defence of innocent citizens. I saw that pedestrians passing by the park bench where I relax…

Rosedale, Toronto   Doing A Loop   My cousin, Corry, her hubby, Eric, and our young Muslim friend, Victor, came together to talk spiritual. And it wasn’t a conversation devoid of opinions about the American election. Political opinions ofte…

Yorkville, Toronto   Full   Ramsden Park was full of life and teaming with energy. It was as Sunday should be, spent as down-time.  The basket-ball court was the most congested with so many participants, all young men, bouncing the bal…

Toronto, Ontario   Lift   Much like yesterday, while I walked and turned corners, making my way in diverse directions, I came upon these two cyclists repeatedly.  Both they and I had the same thing in mind—don’t venture in a straight li…

The Annex, Toronto   Friday Evening   We spent six hours at the Brickworks, not the Brick, the Brickworks.  It is a little piece of heaven on earth and we chose it as a location to film another scene from our drama, “Rolling the Dice.”…

Toronto, Ontario   Through the Arched Window   Through the arched window I see a couple crossing The road of intensity No pleasant walk night here   Through that lofty window Men are thinning the tree I don’t know why I wish I did thou…

Christie Pits, Toronto   All Are Moving   The weather was favourable for moving through. Temperatures were the best. The sunshine darted out from the west. Breezes were like a yogi’s exhalation—easy and consistent. I was inclined to go east…

University of Toronto   Sitting, Meeting, Walking   From the 10th canto of the book, Bhagavatam, I lead this morning’s discussion on how Shiva’s benediction to a follower, Vrka, had somewhat backfired on him. The good thing is that Shiva so…

Toronto, Ontario   Pray that Elections Go Well   I’ve been doing stretching exercises before resting. It’s helping the legs and the other body parts. I would like to encourage all readers to do their bodies a favour. Exercise. Because we ar…

Toronto, Ontario   From Wet Mop to Snow   Today I was not going to move my legs in the usual fashion as a walker. Deliberating on the situation, I noticed one of our floors in the building required some TLC, and that was Govinda’s floor. Th…

Brampton, Ontario   Moving and Clearing   Back at the temple ashram, downtown Toronto, movers came over to empty out the excess paraphernalia thus freeing up the building from potential danger, such as the fire hazard it had created. A kind…

St. Jamestown, Toronto   Easy Day   It was an easy stroll to Ajamil and Radha’s place. If you don’t know Ajamil, the Bengali singer, then there he is, I’ve introduced him. He’s a soulful singer, has his own style of voice and gets people da…

Toronto, Ontario   Good Men   Three years ago, when I was completing my US walk, I had a companion with me, one of my devotional buddies—Anuttama Das, from DC. He took time out from his busy schedule to stick around with me for a good four …

York, Toronto   Away From the Machine   I went for another shiatsu session with my yogi friend, Devananda, a.k.a. Marc Handelman, and it was a job well done. From there I had a great opportunity to walk back to the ashram via the Cedarvale r…