Dear Devotees! Here are the next lot of pictures up for sale on eBid. One week only. And thank you for your valuable support.
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A3-001 Lalita Devi instructs Narada Muni to bathe in Kusuma-sarovara  300 euros

A3-018 The fruit produce of New Vraja-dhama  50 euros

A3-089  Vyasa dictates the Bhagavatam to Sri Ganesa   200 euros

A3-104  Krsna and the cowherd boys bathe in Govinda-kunda  150 euros

A3-105  Govardhana-lal riding in His bullock cart 150 euros

A3-115   Krsna entices Radha into Kokilavana with His cuckoo call  250 euros

A3-121  Lord Balarama is the master of  agriculture in Krsna Valley   150 euros

A3-122  Kaliya-Krsna  350 euros

A4-001  Krsna’s sweetness attracts bumblebees  400 euros

A4-003  Srila Prabhupada’s memorial by the Yamuna in Krsna Valley  200 euros

A4-015  Vrndavana is the place of peace  150 euros

A4-068  The naughty butter thief   300 euros

A4-075   Lovely Sri Radha  300 euros

A4-098  The chipmunks of Krsna Valley  75 euros

A4-103  Krsna’s turban and flute lost in the rasa dance 100 euros

A4-119  Radha-Syama’s raja-bhoga offering  75 euros

A4-218  Caitanya Mahaprabhu  150 euros

A5-003  Madhu-kunda–famed for its many lotuses 100 euros

O-A4-001  Sri Gopala  350 euros

O-A4-004  Gopala takes milk to Madhavendra Puri 150 euros

The post Dear Devotees! Here are the next lot of pictures up for sale on eBid. One week only. And thank you for your valuable support. appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

His Grace Sananda Kumar Prabhu leaves his body Just the day…
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His Grace Sananda Kumar Prabhu leaves his body
Just the day before he departed, His Holiness Navayogendra Swami visited him and recently other very senior vaisnavas such as His Holiness Gopal Krishna Maharaja, HH Bhaktiragava Swami, Sarvabhauma prabhu, Her Grace Racitambara prabhu and others visited him.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19048

Krishna Balarama Ratha Yatra and Sri Balarama Purnima The…
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Krishna Balarama Ratha Yatra and Sri Balarama Purnima
The devotees of Queens invite all to come and celebrate our 7th annual Rath Yatra parade. It begins at 12 noon from the corner of Liberty Avenue and 123rd Street, and will continue all the way to our Mandir at 111-14 101 Avenue at 3:00 pm, followed by the festival’s stage show until 7:00 pm. There will be hours of melodious kirtan as well as a delicious vegetarian feast! Plus a full afternoon packed with dances, bhajans, devotional talks and fun for the entire family.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19045

Hare Krishna! ISKCON UK’s First National Convention (next…
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Hare Krishna! ISKCON UK’s First National Convention (next Saturday)
Dear Devotees, Friends and Supporters, in celebration of the glorious 50th Anniversary of ISKCON, we are holding the first ever UK National Convention. This will be a free one day event on Saturday the 22nd August 2015 and the main theme will be glorification of Srila Prabhupada. The venue will be Granby Street ISKCON Leicester. We see this as a great opportunity to bring devotees together in a mood of unity, cooperation, trust and positive communication with each other.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17593

Hare Krishna! Shri N.D Desai (Srinathji Prabhu) Glorifying Srila…
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Hare Krishna! Shri N.D Desai (Srinathji Prabhu) Glorifying Srila Prabhupada’s Journey to USA (5 min video)
Srila Prabhupada came to our house in 1971,in March. He came with young people. All westerners. My parents were both Vaishnavas but I was a Mayavadi. Srila Prabhupada, he pointed out to one of his disciples. This young man was looking bright and Srila Prabhupada said to my father, “This boy wants to become Indian, please help him get an Indian citizenship”. My father was a member of Parliament back then. And then Srila Prabhupada said, “He is a personal associate of Lord Chaitanya, he will learn Bengali and preach to ten thousand of people in Bengali”. Why would he do that I thought? I knew Maharprabhu, how could this young boy be an associate of Mahaprabhu? And then I argued with Srila Prabhupada about that for four years. Until one day I agreed. Now we see that same gentleman who was twenty back then is now in front of us, that gentleman is none other than Jayapataka Swami. He learnt Bengali and has thousands of Bengali Disciples.
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19037

The Power of Intention, Being Present, and Prayer
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Author: 
Karnamrita Das

Wedding ceremony photo Wedding fire ceremony_zpslfjkbhnr.jpg
[The following was a talk I prepared to give, but didn’t, at a recent wedding. It is a summary of what came to me during my early morning chanting and prayer, and was a profound experience. It reminded me about the power of intention, being present, and prayer.] My wife and I have been entrusted to be the hosts or master of ceremonies of this wedding. We are more comfortable being facilitators, as we often are in workshops, rather than “masters.” I also thought that we are like midwifes helping a mother give birth, in this case through the wedding ceremony, with the marriage like the new born baby. We want this infant-marriage to mature and live a long, productive, happy life with deep spiritual practice! Perhaps our priest, is more in that role, or we all share it together.

After meditating on the deeper meaning of our role, I came to the conclusion that my wife and my real function is to “hold the energy of this ceremony,” if you are familiar with this expression. I am a firm believer in the importance of setting intentions for each day, and every endeavor we make, so I would like to suggest to you that we share this intention of holding the energy of the wedding by offering our prayers and blessings. Thus, in addition to being a witness of this joyous celebration, please also make an intention to be a participant, by praying and giving your blessings throughout the ceremony, to help with the best possible outcome.
Power of Prayer photo power of prayer_zpshocrgbpz.jpg
We are actually an intentional community, though a temporary one, of shared purpose, consisting of our combined energy. To do this requires we are all as present as possible, or we could say that we must practice mindfulness, using this as a way to focus our mind on prayer and giving blessings. I like to ask myself at different times: Am I fully present? So I ask you to ask this question to yourself during the ceremony, and if you feel you are not present, to regroup, and pray to be present. You can also try what I going to share next.

read more

Why Do This?
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When you are repeating 16 words the same way everyday for 2 hours, the mind may present a doubt - "Why do this? You could be doing so many other things!"
The mind is a powerful force...make it your friend by using your intelligence to guide it towards the Lord.

“I Did Not Come Empty-Handed”: Srila Prabhupada’s Historic Voyage
Giriraj Swami

Yesterday, AugPrabhupada beside Guru Maharaja photo at Radha-Ramodaraust 13, 2015, marked fifty years since Srila Prabhupada embarked on his momentous, historic voyage from India, Calcutta, to America, Boston and then New York. Although he came by himself, he did not come “empty-handed.” As he explained in his rooms at the Radha-Damodara temple in Vrindavan in Karttika 1972:

“It was in Vrindaban that I first began writing, not for name and fame, but because my Guru Maharaj told me, ‘Spread the gospel of Krishna in the English language.’ Although he gave that instruction in 1935, I hesitated, not knowing how to go about it or how to write. Then, twenty years later, my Guru Maharaj began appearing in my dreams, telling me to give up householder life and go to Vrindaban. After several of these dreams, I knew that the time had come. My children were grown, and I could leave my wife in their care. So, I came here, and eventually, by Krishna’s arrangement, stayed at this most sanctified place, Radha Damodar. It was here that I began writing. I thought, ‘It may be published, or it may not be published—that does not matter. I will write for purification, that’s all.’

“Actually, it was my Guru Maharaj speaking through me. But I was not very expert at writing, as he was. Oh, he was a most erudite man, most refined and expert, a gentleman, a Vaikuntha man. Because I had never written before, there were so many grammatical discrepancies, yet I had to write. The subject matter was so important, so urgent. So I wrote those first three volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the First Canto. All of our philosophy, everything you need to know, is in those first three volumes. By Krishna’s grace, I managed to collect money to get them printed, and I took them with me on the boat to New York. I didn’t go to America empty-handed. I went with the complete philosophy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, written in these rooms, inspired by the Goswamis. That’s what is pushing this Krishna consciousness movement.” (Quoted from Vrindavan Days by Hayagriva Dasa)

Srila Prabhupada’s journey began before he boarded the boat. It began with his writing his books—the complete philosophy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu—and they continue to sustain us, individually and collectively, even now.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Yours in service to Srila Prabhupada,
Giriraj Swami

Hare Krishna! TOVP e-Newsletter: July – September 2015 The North…
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Hare Krishna! TOVP e-Newsletter: July – September 2015
The North American 108 Day TOVP Tour with Lord Nityananda’s Padukas and Nrsinghadeva’s Sitari, accompanied by Jananivas prabhu, Radha Jivana prabhu, Vraja Vilas prabhu and Sunanda prabhu came to an end on July 5th. Click the links included to read the Daily Diary and see the results, temple by temple. ALL USA, GRAND TOTAL: 13,623,871 – Canada, GRAND TOTAL 2,684,410
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19028

Monday, August 10th, 2015
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Monday, August 10th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

Fresh Rain / Clear Mind

There had been a fresh rain that cleared the air and made what's green greener. It was evening. It was quiet. A chubby raccoon clutched onto the base of a tree. I got close. He began to climb, holding onto the bark with his human-like hands moving up to hoist the 'chub' of his body. His feet were also grasped onto the bark. I meant fear for him, otherwise he wouldn't go anywhere.

My only fear is traffic when I am walking about. Even responsible motorists are to be feared because of their speed.

I had graced my torso with my Terry Fox t-shirt. He's an inspiration. He would be 57 by now, with his birthday just having passed by in July. People will remember him for his heroic run on one real leg, the other artificial. People remember him as a youth - a mature one.

There's been much travel for me this summer. I can now express with some sigh of relief that I will remain in one place for a few days. It's a matter of getting caught up on things or obligations which are tough to fulfill while in motion.

The Chariot Fests of the northern hemisphere are slowly winding down, except for a few. Miamiinforms me that they are anticipating one for November. The space of time before us makes way for other-to-come events like the Balaram Fest and Janmasthami, Krishna's Birth. There is some relief-time but no lax-time. Festivals keep perculating on the calendar for a bhakti yogi. Bhakti yogis stay alive on the basis of festivities meant for the soul. Just some breaks in between help a bit. Clear the way! Clear the mind!

 
May the Source be with you!

6 km

 

Sunday, August 9th, 2015
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Sunday, August 9th, 2015
Vancouver, British Columbia

Get Started

It can't get much smoother, operation-wise, when it came to the stage. I became the MC once again at the Chariot Fest at Stanley Park. Artists, whether they be singers, musicians, dancers, or actors, came punctually. It could not have been better.

The procession portion of the event has its usual glitches with sound volume or lack of it which happens when the vocalist gets beyond the range of the speaker situated on the chariot in motion. There is always the accidental jabbing of elbows or incidental people stepping on your shoes. All that stuff can be forgiven. The procession itself is an act of service and of joy.

In fact, when you think about it, service in a devotional context is usually destined to derive joy. You approve every action in a detached mode and are neutrally disposed. Devotional action (bhakti) is incomparable to mundane functioning.

If we make reference to the Bhagavad-gita in the sections on "action", we will appreciate the superiority of devotional actions over all other endeavours.

Chapter 12 is particularly clear for establishing devotion and those actions which are affiliated to the pure path. This segment of the Gita offers concessions for those who stagger on the path of purity. It presents options and offers hope to those who find the bar is too high to reach and therefore such candidates can begin the process on a comfortable level.

This is the compassion of God. There are different gradations of people based on varying realizations so you will find that not all folks will jump into the pool of selflessness. At the same time it's good to get something in motion.

 
May the Source be with you!

8 km

 

Saturday, August 8th, 2015
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Saturday, August 8th, 2015
Vancouver, British Columbia

 Yogendra Came

Yogendra came up with his family from Calgary as weekend pilgrims. On our early morning walk he told me of the Native Studies he'll be taking next month. I brought to his attention the lyrics of a song by Buffy Sainte-Marie, a native of the Cree Nation from Saskatchewan. I mentioned to Yogendra that I was listening to this kind of music just before enlisting myself as a monk. The name of the song is "My Country 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying." It's remarkable to listen to.

"Now that your big eyes have finally opened
Now that you're wondering how must they feel
Meaning them that you've chased across America's movie screens
Now that you're wondering "how can it be real?"
That the ones you've called colourful, noble and proud
In your school propaganda
They starve in their splendour?
You've asked for my comment I simply will render

My country 'tis of thy people you're dying.

Now that the longhouses breed superstition
You force us to send our toddlers away
To your schools where they're taught to despise their traditions.
Forbid them their languages, then further say
That American history really began
When Columbus set sail out of Europe, then stress
That the nation of leeches that conquered this land
Are the biggest and bravest and boldest and best.
And yet where in your history books is the tale
Of the genocide basic to this country's birth,
Of the preachers who lied, how the Bill of Rights failed,
How a nation of patriots returned to their earth?
And where will it tell of the Liberty Bell
As it rang with a thud on a tinsel of mud
And of brave Uncle Sam in Alaskathis year?

My country 'tis of thy people you're dying

Hear how the bargain was made for the West:
With her shivering children in zero degrees,
Blankets for your land, so the treaties attest,
Oh well, blankets for land is a bargain indeed,
And the blankets were those Uncle Sam had collected
From smallpox-diseased dying soldiers that day.
And the tribes were wiped out and the history books censored,
A hundred years of your statesmen have felt it's better this way.
And yet a few of the conquered have somehow survived,
Their blood runs the redder though genes have paled.
From the Grand Canyon's caverns to craven sad hills
The wounded, the losers, the robbed sing their tale.
From Los Angeles Countyto upstate New York
The white nation fattens while others grow lean;
Oh the tricked and evicted they know what I mean.

My country 'tis of thy people you're dying.

The past it just crumbled, the future just threatens;
Our life blood shut up in your chemical tanks.
And now here you come, bill of sale in your hands
And surprise in your eyes that we're lacking in thanks
For the blessings of civilization you've brought us,
The lessons you've taught us, the ruin you've wrought us
Oh see what our trust in America's brought us.

My country 'tis of thy people you're dying.

Now that the pride of the sires receives charity,
Now that we're harmless and safe behind laws,
Now that my life's to be known as your heritage,
Now that even the graves have been robbed,
Now that our own chosen way is a novelty
Hands on our hearts we salute you your victory,
Choke on your blue white and scarlet hypocrisy
Pitying the blindness that you've never seen
That the eagles of war whose wings lent you glory
They were never no more than carrion crows,
Pushed the wrens from their nest, stole their eggs, changed their story;
The mockingbird sings it, it's all that he knows.
"Ah what can I do?" say a powerless few
With a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye
Can't you see that their poverty's profiting you.

My country 'tis of thy people you're dying."

This stuff written and sung by Ms Ste-Marie should be thought about.

 
May the Source be with you!

5 km

 

Friday, August 7th, 2015
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Friday, August 7th, 2015
Burnaby, British Columbia

Finish It Up

Here's an excerpt which I read at 5 a.m. at "ISKCON of Western Canada" to a group of eager bhaktas, devotees. It's taken from the book "The Perfection of Yoga" by our guru, Srila Prabhupada.

"By virtue of the divine consciousness of his previous life, he automatically becomes attracted to the yogic principles - even without seeking them." (Bg. 6.44). In the material world we have experience that we do not carry our assests from one life to another. I may have millions of dollars in the bank, but as soon as my body is finished it is also finished. At death, the bank balance does not go with me; it remains in the bank to be enjoyed by somebody else. This is not the case with spiritual culture. Even if one enacts a very small amount on the spiritual platform, he takes that with him to his next life, and he picks up again from that point.

When one picks up this knowledge that was interrupted, he should know that he should now finish the balance and complete the yogic process. One should not take the chance of finishing up the process in another birth but should resolve to finish it in this life. We should be determined in this way. "Somehow or other in my last life I did not finish my spiritual cultivation. Now Krishna has given me another opportunity, so let me finish it up in this life."
 
This is a message, bold and beautiful. It's precious!

 
May the Source be with you!

6 km

 

 

 

Thursday, August 6th, 2015
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Thursday, August 6th, 2015
Burnaby, British Columbia

The Kid In You

It was a real pleasant surprise when someone pointed out to Toshan and I the tucked away, hidden trail to the river. I've been coming to this suburb of Vancouver for years for regular visits. On each visit I avoid the Fraser Riveron my walks because there is just too many big highways, roadways, and industrial parks obstructing the way before you get to the riverside.

Toshan is my good friend who accompanied me during the discovery of this walkway. When we were both in our younger years we had travelled as brahmacari monks throughout Ontario, much like the Mormons when they are on their two year mission. We went through a host of adventures together, including getting stuck in a fire on the third floor of a hotel! You can say we go way back. I stayed on in the celibate role and took sannyasa. He has been married twice since those early days and has also established himself in a career with the national forces. (I say this because sometimes people wonder what happens to those who play the monk's role for a while).

There isn't a name to the trail that we could see. (Lack of signage I guess). Clearly there is one lane and in some stretches a paved way. It's like the best kept secret. It follows a creek for a distance and is also edged by black-berry bushes in spots. It's secluded and it also runs along the backside of a few warehouses. It's just under 2 km long.

This new passge-way made my heart leap for joy. I always wanted access to the Fraser without hindrance. Well, the truth is that one obstruction is Marine Way. Other than that we are scott-free. You know, sometimes doing these walks in the exploratory mode brings out the kid in you.

Most important is that here I have a new venue for japa meditation. Others can benefit as well. I'll point out the location gladly.

 
May the Source be with you!

6 km

 

Wednesday, August 5th, 2015
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Wednesday, August 5th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

What We're Missing

The thing that people really miss out on is the daily opportunity to sing and dance. Just switching on the radio to hear your favourite station while in traffic or being wired up to listen to your chosen genre of sound may pacify or please but it cannot substitute for your own participation - your own use of voice and body.

This became so clear to me when our group of seven (sounds like the impressionist artists) devotees of Krishnamade our way westbound and back on Bloor St. And we were observing the response of people; yeah, they wanna get involved. As we momentarily pass by an eating place, the sound of our kirtan, drums and voice, carries inside. It turns heads and it works facial muscles - exploding smiles. It causes arms to fling in the air and sometimes the whole body gets up and going. I'm sometimes reminded of the old song "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Mardellas.

At Christie Pitts Parkwe took to the grass near the hoola-hoopers. A guitarist came over to play. It looked like it made his day and on our return journey back to the ashram, one local woman came our way to stride along with us. When we got near her building, she insisted we choose the other side of the street in order for her to remain with us for as long as possible. We paraded right to her doorstep. Now, our neighbourhood is quite upper-class. It's rare for our neighbours to show such spontaneity.

This is my point, that the buzz that folks need in life on a regular basis, even on a Wednesday evening, can do so much to raise the quality of life. Credit goes to the sound. Not just any but a sound imported from another world. That's why we chant mantras. It does more than excite the ears and the body. It targets the soul.

 
May the Source be with you!

6 km

Tuesday, August 4th, 2015
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Tuesday, August 4th, 2015
Madrid/Toronto

Spain Wrap Up

It was a blessing to once again move through the windy, swervy streets of Madrid in the morning. Now I could actually see much more. What a plus it is to have pedestrian cobblestone streets without the botheration of machines whizzing by every few seconds. I consider it a second blessing for receiving a gift, a pair of sandals, that have the perfect fit. This is something I didn't ask for but something I needed. The former pair of shoes, I now leave behind, was also a gift. Not to be ungrateful but the purchase of footwear to the right size is critical, otherwise the shoes have a negative effect on your physiological self. It's a special pleasure to be on the right trail with the right fitting gear.

At one square that we came to, vehicles restricted, one of our boys wanted to sit and question me on his ashram status. Okay! So he opened up and wanted some advice on whether it was wise to go the full-on brahmacari (monk) way or wait it out. He had been living with a woman some time back.

"Am I ready?" he asked.

Such a question is personal and individual, of course. I generally encourage every young male, or female, to tread the waters of celibacy but more important is bhakti, devotion. Celibacy is a good experience and it prepares one for responsibility on the next level, should one choose to partner-up with someone. I also would like to add a message which I recall I read on a billboard when I walked through Manitobacountry three summers ago. The line, a message for teens especially, was, "Save Sex For Marriage." To me it's an old school value but one that works when applied.

During my flight back to CanadaI had some quality time reading "Love, Medicine and Music, the flip-side of the Sixties - Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll" by Roger Siegel aka Gurudas. I'm lovin' it. Yes, life in the 60s before our guru (Srila Prabhupada) came was very experimental.


May the Source be with you!

5 km

Monday, August 3rd, 2015
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Monday, August 3rd, 2015
Madrid, Spain

Being in Madrid

Mantri Ram is one of the monks stationed at our centre in Madrid. He was kind enough to take myself and two guests from Sweden on a sort of pilgrimage to some significant sights which grab tourists' attention. There is the famous Cathedral, De la Almudena, the Egyptian Templo Debod, the statue of fiction character, Don Quixote, the Plaza Calle Montera and Calle Fuencarral. It was night-time but that was good because that's when all the people are out.

I had taken my japa, chanting a little more seriously than normal and with a notch higher in volume. One of the young women in mini-skirt and heels and lavish make-up - a prostitute - picked up on the mantra as we passed by. She then mimicked what I was doing. I guess she gets some spiritual benefit from that.

I basically felt myself lucky (fortunate) to be trekking through these hot spots. I had completed a two-hour talk to our Iskcon community about the benefits of spirit walking or pilgrimage. Who in the world would know better about such an opportunity than the people of Spain. It is here that the reputed trail of the Camino de Santiago runs through. What I heard from members who were listening to the talk and expressing themselves, that a good number of them walked that Camino.

Shirley Maclane has written about it. And, from what I can remember as I was passing by a movie theatre in Toronto about three years ago, Martin Sheen starred in a film "The Way" all to do with a true story how some people's lives had changed for the better from the walk.

My only other major impression, apart from 'walk' talks, fine buildings and beautiful people in the form of Krishna devotees, was seeing a Cuban family I've known shine in Madrid. Janardan is working on his PhD but he and his wife have plans to move back to their beloved Cuba after he receives his degree. They made him the president of the Iskcon centre here in Madrid.

May the Source be with you!
 
5 km

 

Sunday, August 2nd, 2015
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Sunday, August 2nd, 2015
Tenerife, Spain

Preparation: Parade

To prepare for any event, for any endeavour, practitioners of bhakti-yoga engage in some sadhana. Essential to seeing that sadhana is done, they look to the earlier morning hours to connect to the Divine What this entails is some mantra meditation, some reflection on guru and God, and some contemplation of words of wisdom.

Our small group of bhaktas (devotees) achieved these sadhana components at the beach for the last full day of our stay in Tenerife. The big event for tonight was the Chariot Fest and the sadhana exists for being psychological prepared. The public would come. And they did, including the mayor and other staff members of the city council at Playa de las Americas.

Devotees were optimistic. So was the crowd. Maybe the public was curious. My own critical mind observed a could-be-better performance of kirtan. The event was late by about an hour. The food, a spiced-flavoured rice, was starting to turn. It was a large endeavour for a virtual handful of people. Our drama, "The Witness" was bumped to the last few minutes of the stage presentation. We finished our drama by 12:30 am. What was left by that time was a meagre attendance.

And had I that one extra day for practice our drama troopers could have worked to a more polished presentation. It's no one's fault. My hat goes off to Patita Pavan and Julan Yatra, two people who organized with all their heart a huge undertaking. And additionally I have to say the chariot and the deities looked stunning.

Finally, the dis-assembly of the chariot was completed by 6 am, about the time of our daily morning beach sadhana which didn't happen. By the time of my rising at 8 am, my mind reverted back to our discussion of the morning before. The qualities of the Supreme are unlimited and I got to thinking that while Divine Intelligence has fathomless traits, the small gods (us) are limited.


May the Source be with you!

5 km

 

Saturday, August 1st, 2015
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Saturday, August 1st, 2015
Tenerife, Spain

Get the Language Down

There are these teaser clouds, dark and foreboding looking, that suspend themselves and cling on to the mountain tips. I say “teaser” because, while they look as if to deposit some much needed moisture, they end up just hanging there. Eventually they disperse, being blown over by currents of air. At least one feels a protection from the sun.

Many folks are here on vacation. The signs of it are everywhere. Beach towels hang over balcony rails. Eating and partying carry on for some until 7 am. Luggage wheels drag over interlocked tiles making that rattling sound to indicate the coming and going of hotel visitors.

For our little impromtu drama group, we stayed put for hours in the local Hindu Temple rehearsing on their stage. It was tiring but rewarding. We got something accomplished. It poses a challenge to do the directing with my English parlance to Hispanic speaking folks. My Spanish is poor but to accommodate the actors and the audience-to-come we are working with a translated script in the Spanish medium.

For communication, language is so important. So I found it interesting that one of our attendees at our morning beach sadhana is from the neighbouring island La Gomera where a common whistling communication goes on. It is actually a language called Silbo and is designed to send messages from one mountain to the next.

Now all we need to achieve is a good communication with God and that medium is called mantra. Let us do so with a heart.

 
May the Source be with you!

4km

Friday, July 31st 2015,
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Friday, July 31st 2015,
Tenerife, Spain

Roundish Moon

I woke to the gorgeous view of a roundish blue moon reflecting on the Atlantic's still waters. The window from our room at Hotel Playa Real reveals nature's opulence. Though my roommate Hridaya Gauranga from Germanyinformed me that we are in the desert portion of the island Tenerife, there is an obvious richness here. I even allowed myself to get pleasantly lost in the barrage of evening displays- cafés, shops and bars - located on endless pathways by the ocean.

It was my freedom time. The air was cool in the evening. Daytime was too hot and for my own obligatory services (drama practice) during the day, certain needs and people power were lacking. We prefer to work in air conditioned spaces. Yes, things are great here in Tenerifebut a little laid back. It was annoying at times but as usual when practicing for a play we had our laughter times and light times to compensate for any shortcomings.

Patita Pavana, a Spanish-by-birth devotee of Krishna, had invited me for a second time to contribute to his festival on Sunday. Another chariot festival for me.

It was his idea that before we got serious with activity we head for the beach. There we enjoyed sadhana and a swim. Since it is a marked calendar day known as guru-purnima, one's guru (or gurus) are remembered. I spoke from the Gita 4.34. The topic was the relevance of having a guru. Several members of the community came. I mentioned about the good fortune of having a guru in your life. “Every whale in the ocean has a mother and a father but a human on the earth can have mother, father plus a guru and Krishna”

That’s 4 people.

I’m grateful to have the fab four in my life. I wouldn’t exchange it for the world. I don’t believe I could have a better life. As long as I can walk, as long as I can talk, for Krishna’s sake, I’ll be where I want to be.

Now when the moon is full it can have a strong bearing of mental influence on the world but we can just take its appearance as a cue to chant an extra few mantras for protection's sake.

 
May the Source be with you!

9 km

Independence Day Meditation – A Patriotism beyond Patriotism
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Should the Bhagavad-gita be made India’s national book?
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Not a matter of anti-secular religious oneupmanship, but of recognition of the Gita’s significant impact on India
1. Historical significance for over a millennium
2. Defining role in India’s independence struggle among both violent and nonviolent freedom fighters
3. Relevant message: renunciation in action, balance of material and spiritual, religious inclusivism, nonsectarian devotion
4. Global appeal and admiration

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ISKCON 50th Anniversary Inauguration Celebration in Kolkata
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On August 13th, ISKCON temples worldwide celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the westward journey of founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who, at the age of 69, left India this day in 1965 to introduce Krishna-consciousness to the West. In Kolkata a grand celebration was held with the participation of devotees from 108 countries, and dignitaries such as the Chief Minister of West Bengal.  

Jahnavi Harrison’s First Album Takes Us On an Introspective Journey
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We’re in a golden age of kirtan albums. The offerings are diverse: In May, Ananda Monet’s Inevitable Time told us the story of the Mahabharat in theatrical, epic style; and Madi’s Bhakti Without Borders stuck in our heads with its catchy pop sensibilities.  Now, Jahnavi Harrison’s Like A River to the Sea (July 24th, Mantralogy) takes us on a journey.

Hare Krishna! Unveiling of Brass Srila Prabhupada Statue…
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Hare Krishna! Unveiling of Brass Srila Prabhupada Statue Jaladuta Journey to USA – Video
Unveiling of Brass Srila Prabhupada Statue Jaladuta Journey to USA in one end and other end Reaching Boston. Narration by Madan Mohan Das. This is gift from Ukraine devotees for Srila Prabhupada’s 50th Jaldutta Anniversary Journey to USA.
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