Author Archives: H.H. Ramai Swami

Every year the New Varshana devotees organize a Rathayatra parade that goes down Queen Street in Auckland. This has been going on for decades and a beautiful big Jagannatha chariot is pulled through the city. In the last year, a … Continue reading →

Sri Saranga Murari Thakura used to reside at Modadrumadwipa Mamgachi, where his Deities of Sri Sri Radha-Gopinath are still present. There is also a Bakul tree there which is perhaps existing since the time of Saranga Thakura. There is a … Continue reading →

Kaliya Krishna Das was known throughout the three worlds. One can attain Gaurachandra through remembrance of him. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 3.5.740) In Vraja, Kala Krishna Das was Krishna’s cowherd friend named Lavanga. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 132).   Lavanga Sakha is one of the twelve … Continue reading →

Shri Narahari Sarkar Thakura was born at Shri Khanda. Shri Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami describes that the residents of Shri Khanda formed a branch of the desire tree of love of God. “Shri Khan davasi (the residents of Shri Khanda) Mukunda … Continue reading →

I was invited to visit the Sri Sri Radha Madhava temple in Manila. It is still in the old temple building I visited years ago but the temple will move to a new property in about 3 months. I was … Continue reading →

I had the opportunity to visit the Vraja Eco Village about one and a half hours outside of Manila. This project had been developed under the inspiration of his Holiness Giridhari Maharaja and his team of dedicated and talented devotees. … Continue reading →

All the unmarried gopīs in Vṛndāvana used to daily worship goddess Kātyāyanī early in the morning after taking a bath in the river Yamunā. Kātyāyanī is another name for goddess Durgā.  The goddess is worshiped by preparing a doll made … Continue reading →

pura vrindavane cetau sthitau bhringara-bhangurau shri-kashishvara-govindau tau jatau prabhu-sevakau    Shrila Kashishvara Pandit (also Brahmachari or Goswami) was Krishna’s servant Bhringara and Govinda was Bhangura. They became Mahaprabhu’s servants in Gaura-lila. Some Kashishvara was the sakhi Sasirekha. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 137) Kashishvara … Continue reading →

The last 5 days of the month of Karttika are traditionally known as the Bhishma Panchaka or the Vishnu Panchaka. Grandfather Bhisma fasted for these five days, preparing to give up his life. In the Hari Bhakti Vilasa, it is … Continue reading →

The last 5 days of the month of Karttika are traditionally known as the Bhishma Panchaka or the Vishnu Panchaka. Grandfather Bhisma fasted for these five days, preparing to give up his life. In the Hari Bhakti Vilasa, it is … Continue reading →

Sri Gadadhara Goswami is a united form of Chandrakanti gopi (an expansion of Radharani’s effulgence) and Purnanada (an expansion of Lord Balarama’s dear girlfriend). Thus, Gadadhara Dasa was an associate of both Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Krishna … Continue reading →

It is stated in the Kārttika-māhātmya section of the Padma Purāṇa: śuklāṣṭamī kārttike tu smṛtā gopāṣṭamī budhaiḥ tad-dinād vāsudevo ‘bhūd gopaḥ pūrvaṁ tu vatsapaḥ “The eighth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārttika is known by … Continue reading →

The disappearance day of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) allows us to meditate on his pastimes and his teachings. Srila Prabhupada had this to say about the disappearance of … Continue reading →

The three brothers, Sri Vasudeva Ghosa, Sri Madhava Ghosa and Sri Govinda Ghosa were very expert singers. Sri Nityananda Prabhu Himself would dance as they sang. [C.B. Antya 5.259] According to some, their maternal uncle’s house was in the village … Continue reading →

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, advised the cowherd men to stop the Indra-yajna and begin the Govardhana-puja in order to chastise Indra, who was very much puffed up at being the supreme controller of the heavenly planets. The honest … Continue reading →

The word Diwali (or Deepavali) literally means “row of lights”. At dusk rows of deepas, small earthenware lamps filled with oil, decorate houses inside and out and are dotted along the parapets of temples. Devotees also set them adrift on … Continue reading →

Sri Viracandra or Virabhadra Prabhu appeared on the ninth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Kartik. Krsna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami has given this description of Him in the C.c. Adi 11.8-12: “After Nityananda Prabhu, the greatest branch … Continue reading →

On the eighth day of the waning phase of the Damodara month, the appearance of Radha Kunda is celebrated by the residents. Bathing in Radha Kunda is especially beneficial on this day. By this, one gains the favour of Radha, … Continue reading →

Srila Narottama Thakura was constantly absorbed in singing the glories of Shri Gauranga and Nityananda. Day after day many atheists, agnostics, offenders, Shiva worshippers, followers of Durga, dry logicians, mental speculators and karmis were purified by the touch of his holy … Continue reading →

The first full moon of the autumn season marks the celebration of Krishna’s dancing with the gopis. On this day the Deities of Vrindavan are nicely decorated in white and Krishna-lila dramas are enacted. Because the moon is very auspicious, the … Continue reading →

Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was born in a Nadiya family of physicians at the village of Jhamatpur, within the district of Barddhaman, near Naihati. His father was Sri Bhagiratha, and his mother was Sri Sunanda. He had a younger brother … Continue reading →

Shri Madhvacharya appeared in 1238 A.D. near Udupi, Karnataka in South India. He was considered an incarnation of Vayu (wind god). He had an unusually strong physique and extraordinary intellectual power. Once a fierce Bengali tiger attacked Madhvacharya’s sannyasa disciple, … Continue reading →

Also known as Dussehra, Vijaya Dashami is the celebration of Rama’s victory over the demon Ravana. The story of Rama’s killing of Ravana is found in the Ramayana. Vijaya means victory and dashami means tenth and so Vijaya Dashami is the victory on the 10th … Continue reading →

King Yudhiṣṭhira was known as ajāta-śatru, or a person who had no enemy. Therefore, when all the men, demigods, kings, sages and saints saw the successful termination of the Rājasūya-yajña performed by King Yudhiṣṭhira, they were very happy. Śukadeva Gosvāmī … Continue reading →

Lord Kapila was very much satisfied by His mother’s questions because the answers stimulate one’s desire for liberation from the conditional life of material existence. Such questions are called apavarga-vardhanam. Those who have actual spiritual interest are called sat, or … Continue reading →

Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in America marked the beginning of a transformative journey that would lead to the establishment of ISKCON and the spread of Krishna consciousness worldwide. His journey aboard the Jaladuta was marked by significant challenges, including sea sickness … Continue reading →

prauṣṭhapadyāṁ paurṇamāsyāṁ hema-siṁha-samanvitam dadāti yo bhāgavataṁ sa yāti paramāṁ gatim SB 12.13.13 “If on the full moon day of the month of Bhādra one places Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the … Continue reading →

On September 2nd, 1838 on a Sunday in the ancient village of Biranagara (Ulagrama) located in the district of Nadia, Thakura Bhaktivinoda took his birth in the family of Raja Krishnananda Datta, who was a great devotee of Lord Nityananda. … Continue reading →

Lord Vamanadeva appeared in this world from the womb of Aditi, the mother of the demigods. He appeared at midday on the shravan-dvadasi, the 12th day of the lunar month of Shravan when the moon was waxing. The Supreme Lord … Continue reading →

devi krishna-mayi prokta radhika para-devata sarva-lakshmi-mayi sarva kantih sammohini para “The transcendental goddess Srimati Radharani is the direct counterpart of Lord Sri Krishna. She is the central figure for all the goddesses of fortune. She possesses all the attractiveness to … Continue reading →

I had never been to the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Kanhaiya temple in Penang, Malaysia, but I was in for an ecstatic and wonderful experience. The temple itself is quite big and at the back there is a function centre … Continue reading →

I visited ISKCON Malaysia’s New Godruma Dhama Farm, located in the surroundings of Lanchang, Pahang, about two hours from Kuala Lumpur. This beautiful property is rooted in the principle of simple living and high thinking. Under the guidance of Simheswara … Continue reading →

I haven’t visited Kuala Lampur temple for many years. It has certainly changed since the last time because the old temple was completely pulled down and a new temple is now up in its place. I was inspired to see … Continue reading →

Last year we observed Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasapuja at our Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha temple in Baha, Bali. This year all the devotees went to Sri Sri Radha Rasesvara temple and the celebration was in the bottom floor of the new … Continue reading →

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Sri Krishna Janmastami commemorates the earthly appearance of Lord Krishna, who is described in the holy scriptures as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna appeared on the 8th day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada (August or … Continue reading →

Leaders from around Indonesia gathered for the ISKCON annual general meeting that was held at our beautiful temple in the Bahar area of Denpasar. Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha, Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra and Gaura Nitai are the presiding deities. … Continue reading →

Shri Mukunda Dasa, Shri Madhava Dasa and Shri Narahari Sarakara Thakura were three brothers who lived in Shri Khanda. Shri Mukunda Dasa Thakura’s son was Shri Raghunandan Thakura. Mukunda Dasa Thakura was the doctor in the court of the muslim … Continue reading →

I haven’t visited our Radha Govinda temple in Puncak, Indonesia for a while so it was great to take darshan of Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha Govinda, Gaura Nitai and Lord Nrsimha Deva. Puncak is nestled is the hills outside … Continue reading →