Friday, December 30th, 2022 243 Avenue Road, Toronto
I am very encouraged by the crew we have to help me in my services to guru and God. Cooperation, humility, good listening, good advising, good intelligence are some of the ingredients that make our product. The main ingredient is bhakti. It is that agent that causes ‘the cake to rise’ or our consciousness to rise.
Our product or project is our production. Drama. Theatre. Teatro. A play called Big Fish Little Fish!
Not only are we experiencing the blossoming of talent, but intelligence as well. A number of young people from our community have come forward to volunteer and it’s making a big difference. When casting people for certain acting roles, I have had to do some personal digging. It involved phone calls, or something asking so-and-so to ask so-and-so to see if he/she would like to get involved.
The personal touch usually works and that’s how the flow of volunteers happens. I know that if I ask, I’ll get a response. If I don’t inquire or invite, nothing will happen. Everything will be quiet. There will be no growth.
I see that here’s a lot of enthusiasm and energy exploding around our little theatre project. My realization around this matter is that there should be a branch of a thespian element within our bhakti culture. Such a venture should be highly supported.
Shrila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura took birth in the year 1654 Shaka era (according to the Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidana, Part 3, p. 1370) within the Nadia district of West Bengal in a place called Prasiddha Deva Gram. He appeared in the Radhiya line of brahmanas.
Shrila Chakravarti Thakura went on to live in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, in Saiyadabad, where he received mantra initiation from Shri Krishna Charana Chakravarti. He lived for a long time in the house of his guru-deva, where he wrote many books.
When Shrila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura lived in Nadiya, he closely studied the scriptures, beginning with a study of Sanskrit grammar, poetry, and rhetoric. It is said that even as a boy in school, he was an undefeatable scholar who could overcome anyone in argument and debate. From an early age, he was indifferent towards family life.
For the purpose of binding his son in the contract of family life, Vishvanatha’s father arranged for his marriage when he was very young. He remained a married man for only a short time. Soon he renounced his wife and home and went to live in Vrindavan.
After this, his parents and relatives made many unsuccessful attempts to induce him to return to family life, but Vishvanatha Chakravarti was fixed in his determination to renounce wordly life and surrender himself completely to the service of Krishna.
After having come to Vrindavan Dhama, Shri Vishvanatha took up his residence in the bhajan kutir of Shri Krishna Das Kaviraja Goswami on the banks of the Radha-kunda, where there lived a disciple of Krishna das Kaviraja whose name was Mukunda das. There, Shri Vishvanatha Cakravarti made a careful study of the Goswami’s literatures. In that holy place he later wrote many commentaries on the books of the Goswamis.
Shri Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura established the worship of the deity of Shri Gokulananda. Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur was also sometimes known as Harivallabha das. Vishvanatha’s title, “Chakravarti” was awarded to him by the devotees. Generally this title designates one who maintains (varti) a circle (chakra) of influence.
Shri Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura has written many books, among which are the following: Commentaries on Srimad-Bhagavatam (Sararthadarshini-tika), Bhagavad-gita (Sararthavarshini-tika), Alankara Kaustubha (Subodhini-tika); Ujjvala-nilamani,Ananda Vrindavana Champu (Sukhavartini-tika); Rupa Goswami’s Vidagdha-Madhava Natakam, Gopal-tapani-upanishad; Chaitanya-charitamrita; and original works such as Shri Krishna-Bhavanamrita Mahakavya; Svapnavilasamrita; Madhurya Kadambini; Stavamala-lahari; Aishvarya Kadambini.
The life and teachings of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti give happiness, inspiration, and transcendental wisdom to the entire Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya. In Krishna lila he serves Srimati Radhika as Vinoda-manjari. His samadhi is in the Radha Gokulananda temple courtyard in Vrindavana.
“The process of bhakti-yoga is regulated by a theory of knowledge that strictly rules out unjustifiable speculation and extrapolation, and in this respect bhakti-yoga is methodologically superior to modern science and goes beyond modern science by providing the individual with practical methods of developing higher cognitive powers that lie dormant in the conscious self.” (Mechanistic […]
Hiranmayi dasi, a French-Swiss devotee who lived in Montreal, wife of Priya bhakta prabhu and disciples of Srila Prabhupada has left this world on ekadashi brahma muhurta time in Montreal. She was accompanied by Srila Prabhupada chanting and Sarada prabhu who was with her at the time. She was on dialisis for many years because Read More...
Srimad Bhagavatam class given by HH Devamrita Swami at ISKCON New Govardhana Temple.krishnafarm.net Srimad Bhagavatam 3.5.14 – Devamrita Swami – 20 Jan 2023. Read More...
Srimad Bhagavatam class given by HH Mukunda Goswami at ISKCON New Govardhana Temple.krishnafarm.net Srimad Bhagavatam 3.5.13 – Mukunda Goswami – 19 Jan 2023. Read More...
The lieutenant governor of Maryland, Aruna Miller, swore her oath to serve as the lieutenant governor by placing her hand on Srila Prabhupada‘s Bhagavad-gita as it is -Likely the first lieutenant governor to do so. Aruna Miller took the oath of office with Chief Justice Matthew Fader of the Supreme Court of Maryland, placing her […]
(photo credit: Ashwani Diwedi) Selfless service by devotees at ISKCON Ayodhya ISKCON Ayodhya distributes prasadam to over a hundred thousand people. Vinay Bhushan Chaitanya Das, the director of ‘Food for Life,’ cited Srila Prabhupada’s words that no one within 10 miles of an ISKCON Temple must sleep hungry. The distribution happened in over 11 […]
A clip from the video explains how their children need electricity to do online school. The ISKCON Ukraine devotees would like to thank ISKCON North America for organizing and collecting over $100,000 to help them, who are now in the middle of winter, have power and heat. The NAC Support Office led the fundraising […]
NAC Conference – Fundraising workshop facilitated by Madana-gopāla Dāsa (Co-Director of Communications North America) Fundraising Workshop Jan 2023 Read More...
New Vrindaban’s outdoor Gaura Nitai deities are being carefully restored thanks to our generous donors Restoration of the prominent and iconic Gaura Nitai deities began at New Vrindaban in the spring of 2022, led by Balaramshakti das and others. In October, Rukmavati devi dasi took over the project, starting with a surgical pressure washing to Read More...
Swarupa Das: Just got word that David Crosby died. Back in ’86 Chitta and I were introduced to David by a mutual friend. We met at the friend’s house in Novato (Marin County, California) and from there we drove David to his home in Mill Valley. We stayed with him all night into the next Read More...
By Maharishi Das It’s Saturday at 4.30pm, I looked out the window to see the sky covered with grey clouds and a torrent of rain splashing the landscape. I felt unwell, should I go on Harinam? The mind was flickering. Should I go or stay in the comfort of my home.I thought of all the Read More...
“The process of bhakti-yoga is regulated by a theory of knowledge that strictly rules out unjustifiable speculation and extrapolation, and in this respect bhakti-yoga is methodologically superior to modern science, and goes beyond modern science by providing the individual with practical methods of developing higher cognitive powers that lie dormant in the conscious self. Read More...
Dnipro in Ukraine has a beautiful Hare Krishna Temple, a thousand devotees live in this city with beautiful Deities of Gaur Nitai and Jagannath, Baladev and Subadra. (The big Gaur Nitai have moved to a secret safe location.) They have a traveling Sankirtan party and a big Prasad Distribution Initiative, it’s like going back in Read More...
GBC Meeting Report January 18, 2023 The GBC meeting was opened with prayers led by HH Bhanu Swami Maharaja, Chairman of the GBC Executive Committee. Nrisimha Kavaca dasa, ISKCON Deity Minister, followed with a reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam. The GBC began by updating a few committee assignments that needed clarification from 2022. (Assignments for Read More...
I got rusty bones and a dusty brain Seems the wheel of time treats us all the same. But there’s a younger me within this heart, beyond this mortal frame Life takes its toll, I’m an average soul I’ll never play the half time show at the Super Bowl But there’s a younger me within Read More...
