Author Archives: H.H. Ramai Swami

The Iskcon Leadership Sanga is held in Mayapur every two years and is arranged by a sub-committee of the GBC called the Strategic Planning Team. This year about eight hundred devotees from around the world attended. The sanga went for … Continue reading →

Thousands of devotees from around the world celebrated the opening of the pujari room floor at the Temple of Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur. This area of the temple, which will be used for making jewellery, clothes and other paraphernalia for … Continue reading →

The organisation development committee is a sub-committee of the GBC, which made a presentation on the first day of the GBC meeting in Mayapur. There are around twenty members of this committee and they are very active through the year … Continue reading →

When Lord Krishna appeared in Navadvipa as Lord Chaitanya, Balarama appeared with Him as Lord Nityananda. He took birth in Ekachakra, a small village in present-day West Bengal in the year 1474.  His father, Hadai Ojha and mother Padmavati, were … Continue reading →

The management at New Varshana had the Holi celebration a little earlier than the actual date. This year it fit in very nicely with the long weekend and Auckland day on the Monday. There were an estimated eight to ten … Continue reading →

For the last few years, devotees at New Varshana have organised an open day for the general public to come and sample sumptuous prasadam from stalls around the temple grounds. Krsnacandra prabhu told me that there were around 16 stalls … Continue reading →

When I arrived in Auckland the devotees had already lined up a few home programs and the first was at the home of Suryacandra Krsna and family, who are wonderful devotees originally from India. It is a beautiful double story … Continue reading →

After Christchurch, I visited our ISKCON temple in Newlands, Wellington. This is small temple and to the side is a house that’s used for an ashrama. The devotees have a plan to build a much larger temple because the land is … Continue reading →

It’s always nice visiting our temple in Christchurch. It’s been around 3 years since it opened after the devastating earthquake destroyed the previous one. The deities of Sri Nitai Gauracandra are beautiful as ever and the devotees enthusiastic. I went … Continue reading →

Sri Gopal Bhatta Goswami, one of the six Goswamis of Vrindavan, was born in 1503 on the 13th day of the dark moon in the month of Pausha. Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami lived for 75 years and left this world … Continue reading →

During the morning puja, or worship, the Deity or a salagrama is bathed in pure ghee. Srila Prabhupada once explained the festival this way: “Krishna was just a toy in the hands of the Gopis, so one day the Gopis … Continue reading →

Jagadisha Pandit is considered to be simultaneously both Nityananda-shakha and Chaitanya-shakha, a branch both of Chaitanya as well as Nityananda in the desire tree of devotion. He was born in the town of Gauhati in modern Assam. His father’s name … Continue reading →

Most devotees who visit Melbourne temple know about the program near the temple at an apartment complex just where the tram goes around the corner. It’s been going on for decades and headed up by Nityananda Priya. Those who attend … Continue reading →

Perth Temple has organised Harinama on Friday evenings for decades. Usually the kirtan starts at Northbridge, near our restaurant, and then goes over the walk bridge and through the train terminal to the city. Perth has expanded over the years … Continue reading →

The land at Bahar, Bali, was the first property that was bought in Indonesia. The BBT, Australia, gave a grant to purchase it nearly 40 years ago. At that time, there was a small tin shed erected to have programs … Continue reading →

The devotees in Bali always enjoy kirtan, whether at the temple, on harinama, or at home programs. The TP of Jagannatha Gauranga temple invited me to a program at his new shop in Sanur. The atmosphere was surcharged with chanting … Continue reading →

Our Radha Govinda temple is in the hills outside of Jakarta at an area called Puncak. It’s very beautiful but getting there can take a long time depending on the traffic conditions. I regularly visit and it’s always a pleasure … Continue reading →

Pasar Baru is an area in central Jakarta, Indonesia. We have had a centre there for some years but recently the devotees moved to another building in the same area. It is a shop front type building with four floors … Continue reading →

His Holiness Bhakti Svarupa Damodara Maharaja was born in 1937 at Toubul Village, Manipur. His parents were vaisnavas and named him, Damodara. His father passed away from Typhoid at a young age and Damodara was brought up with the help … Continue reading →

A couple of days after the 20th anniversary of the installation of Sri Radha Rasesvara, I attended the 10th anniversary of the installation of Sri Radha Kunja Bihari, in Klungkung. This is a little smaller temple but the deities and … Continue reading →

HH Haladhar Swami and I were guests at the twentieth anniversary of the installation of Sri Radha Rasesvara, Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra and Sri Gaura Nitai at the temple in Bali. When I first came here there were no temples … Continue reading →

I regularly visit Indonesia, as I am one of the GBCs for the area, and it is always nice to have the darshana of Their Lordships in the various temples. I am fortunate to have the association of many devotees … Continue reading →

Srila Kaviraja Goswami writes (Chaitanya Charitamrta-lila Adi 11:37.) that Kaliya Krishna Dasa Thakura was one of the principle devotees of Nityananda Prabhu. He knew nothing other than the lotus feet of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. According to Srila Kavi Karnapura’s Gaura-Ganodesha-Dipika … Continue reading →

Nimbakacharya was the principal teacher—acharya—in the Kumara sampradaya, one of the four main lines of Vaisnava teachers and disciples. He appeared in South India, in Mungera-patana. His Vedanta-sutra commentary—Parijata-saurabha-bhasya—establishes the doctrine that the Absolute Truth includes both oneness and variety (known as Dwaitadwaita-vada). He preached Krsna Consciousness … 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 →

namo gaura-kisoraya sakshad-vairagya-murtayevipralambha-rasambhode padambujaya te namah “I offer my respectful obeisances unto Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja (the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati), who is renunciation personified. He is always merged in a feeling of separation and intense love … Continue reading →

The devotees in Sydney regularly go out on Harinamas all over the city and suburbs. These are organised by the North Sydney temple, western suburbs devotees and Govindas Asrama in Darlinghurst. I was invited by my godbrother, Pratapana, to go … Continue reading →

Srila Prabhupada was born Abhay Charan De on September 1st 1896 in Calcutta, India. His father was Gour Mohan De, a cloth merchant, and his mother was Rajani. His parents in accordance with Bengali tradition, employed an astrologer to calculate … Continue reading →

In Iskcon, we celebrate Diwali, which commemorates the return of Lord Rama, with his wife Sita and brother Laksmana from Ayodhya, after a 14 year exile. He had just battled and killed the demon Ravana. It is believed that the people of Ayodhya lit … Continue reading →

Govardhana Puja is celebrated in the month of Kartika (October – November) to commemorate the pastime of Lord Sri Krishna lifting the Govardhana Hill to protect the residents of Vrindavana from the wrath of Indra. When the Supreme Lord Sri … Continue reading →

The expansion of Sankarshan who sleeps on the ocean of milk, Kshirodakashayi Vishnu, has become Viracandra, who is not different from Chaitanya himself. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 67)  Yadunandanas wife Lakshmi was extremely chaste and devoted to her husband. Two daughters were born to … Continue reading →

Every year the GBC and other leaders meet in Mayapur and in October at another location in India or sometimes overseas. This year the meeting was held at ISKCON Tirupati. Generally, at the midterm, the focus is on strategic planning … Continue reading →

Devotee leaders from around the world were invited by Revati Raman Prabhu, the TP of our Tirupati temple, to attend the mid-term GBC meeting. The temple was opened about a decade ago and the deities of Sri Sri Radha Govinda … Continue reading →

It was about five years ago that I last visited our temple in Chennai, India and it was certainly wonderful to be back. Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha Krsna, Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra and Gaura Nitai looked as beautiful as ever. … Continue reading →

Madhvacharya was a great religious reformer and an orthodox commentator on the Brahma Sutras and the ten Upanishads. He was born in 1199 A.D. at Velali, a few miles from Udipi in the district of South Kanara in South India. … Continue reading →

About one and half years ago, Deva Gaura Hari, whom I have known for many years, worked hard to set up a restaurant at the mall in Murwillumbah. He named it, “Lucid.” Since then, many people have come in to … Continue reading →

Every year, the city of Toowoomba, which is about 100 kilometres west of Brisbane, celebrates the “Flower Festival” at the beginning of Spring. One of the special attractions is the parade that goes through the streets and ends at a … Continue reading →

As Prahlada Maharaja appeared in a family of demons and Hanuman appeared as a monkey, Shri Haridasa Thakura appeared amongst the lower caste. Haridasa had a handsome form with all aristocratic features. Highly intellectual, he won all debates in Sanskrit … Continue reading →

Bhaktivinoda Thakur (2 September 1838 – 23 June 1914), born Kedarnath Datta, was a leading philosopher and spiritual reformer of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, who almost single-handedly effected its resurgence in India in the late 19th and early 20th century and was … Continue reading →

Mahabali, the grandson of Prahlada and son of Virochana, was a renowned leader of the asuras. He had the strength of a hundred lions, but he was also as gentle as a lamb. Like his grandfather, Prahlada, he was devoted … Continue reading →