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Mangala Aarti Iskcon London

If we get the Lord's attention by calling out His names during chanting, then we ignore the Lord (by being inattentive to the sound of the Lord's names)....that is disrespect.
If I call your name and ignore you, then you may feel offended. The Lord is never offended but it shows us the importance of chanting the Holy names with attention to those names.

All the inhabitants of Kailāsa constantly purify their births by perfectly disciplined mantra-yoga augmented by the most talented singers (kinnara), musicians (gandharva), and dancers (apsarā). Myriad jewels and colorful minerals ornament the mountain. Myriad trees, vines and shrubs shelter myriad herds of forest creatures. Myriad pure springs flow amidst myriad summits and grottos, where perfected women playfully delight with their delighters. Peacock calls resound. Blindly-intoxicated bees hum. Red-throated cuckoos sing. Love-birds whisper.

Wish-fulfilling trees are like are like the mountain’s outstretched arms, welcoming the birds. The moving elephants make are like the mountain’s gait, and the flowing water sounds like the mountain’s voice.

The mountain is home to so many precious and exotic trees: Pārijāta, Tamāla, Palm, Mango, Kadamba, Campaka and so many others. They produce so many precious, exotic flowers – like golden, hundred-petaled lotuses, so many fruits, nuts, and spices, and so much shade. Amidst the forests of these trees are lakes decorated with red, blue, and white lotuses, as well as with the golden, hundred-petaled lotus. Flocks of birds sing nearby, and wild animals like tree-monkeys, boars, lions, bears, porcupines, and wild cows and asses congregate to drink alongside peaceful animals like small deer and buffalo. On the sandy lakeshores near clusters of lotuses, many tame animals stand beautifully amongst banana trees: cows, goats, horses, and musk-deer.

---

– Bhāgavatam 4.6.9 ~ 21

Vraja Kishor dās

VrajaKishor.com

Tagged: Bhagavata Purana, kailasa, Shiva, Siva, Srimad Bhagavatam

Written by Rukmini dd

Exchanges of love

People celebrate the coming of a new year and give closure to the previous one in different ways. Some line up their resolutions on January first. The corporate sector has its business year. Student life revolves along the academic year. There is the Chinese calendar, solar years and lunar years. For a disciple however, Vyasa Puja is our day of rebirth and reflection, a day of gratitude and a search for deeper commitment – a day that makes the rest of the year meaningless in its absence.

With all of you, I have some special relationship. All of you have come forward to be devotees… This Vyasa Puja is simply there to reinforce our relationship, to once a year just strengthen that connection and that is why one shouldn’t miss it.

These were the kind and instructive words of Kadamba Kanana Swami on Tuesday, April 14th at a disciples gathered in Gauteng, South Africa. Having flown in from Mauritius just hours before and with a flight to Cape Town just hours later, Maharaj stressed the importance of such an occasion not only with words but by his own sacrifice!

Our gracious host, Girivaradhari Prabhu, opened his home to disciples and well-wishers. Some braved the infamous Johannesburg traffic or sneaked a half day off work. They shed off their day time identity and assumed their Vaikuntha appearance – such is the life of a Hare Krsna in fast-paced Gauteng.

And the festivities began. How purifying are the ancient ceremonies of Vedic culture? Just to see the worship of a superior vaishnava is a privilege. With each silver pot of water that gently flows over lotus feet, each shower of rose petals and each mantra sung in heartfelt gratitude, we are purified and uplifted.

Of course, of all offerings, it is the offering of words in stark sincerity that Maharaj most eagerly receives rather than official worship. The father of our host, Krishnavani Prabhu, crowned Maharaj an inter-continental celebrity. Vrndavan Viliasini devi dasi spoke of how Maharaj shows more faith in his disciples than they have in themselves. “I think one of the reasons why we flock to you like bees to honey is that you allow us to be the crazy, spaced out bunch that we are, as long as we offer the results to Krsna,” said Merumala devi dasi, “The master weaver takes the mistakes of his students and weaves them into the grand design.”  Vibhu Caitanya Prabhu shared some trademark KKSwami sutras such as, “Act normal, that’s crazy enough.” Prem Vikash and Rasaraja Prabhus chose African Hip-Hop as their medium of heartfelt communication. Maitilli devi dasi, who was coined “the sankirtan general” offered the 6100 books that disciples all over South Africa had joined forces to distribute.

In reciprocation, Maharaj shared with us crest jewels mined from his lifetime of commitment in devotional service.  He zoomed in on the point of being independently thoughtful, taking responsibility for our spiritual lives and “flying your own plane.” He also spoke of changes in approach in his own life as the years move on. It is lecture every disciple and devotee should listen to.

I have to leave somethings with you now… a little more than I used to. Please take it. Please take this Krsna consciousness and somehow or other, build it into your life. Whatever it may take, make it strong. Because everything else will break down, everything else we build up will break down… therefore at this stage of the relationship it can’t be that I am the one who is constantly trying to somehow or other inspire you. I must leave Krsna consciousness with you and I must ask you to think deeply about your life. So many lives have passed and now we are here and let’s just not hesitate. We can go back to Godhead. It doesn’t take so much because there is a lot of mercy. But we have to be faithful, faithful to the teachings.

Yet the sobering words were accompanied by his loving touch and Maharaj stayed longer, sharing himself with his disciples till almost midnight. Evening was brought to a close with the live size harmonium birthday cake and smaller “travel harmonium”  that delighted everyone. Another year goes by and presents, as always, a new opportunity to deepen the guru-disciple connection.

 

Audio

KKS_JHB_14April2015_Kirtan

KKS_JHB_14April2015_Lecture

 

 

Photos

Visit flickr to see all the pictures.

 

 

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I have mixed feelings about Shakespeare. Memories of my schooldays and the obligatory Hamlet studied from every angle left me with a bit of a jaded view. But since then I have grown a lot fonder of the Bard. His remarkable gifts aside, he made some astute moral and indeed spiritual observations. I am a great fan of his sonnets and particularly like the one, number 146 no less, where he describes love. There he penned the immortal line, “love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.” He was writing about worldly love, of course, but this for me invokes an important spiritual concept. Sadly these days it does seem that often love does tend to alter when it alteration finds, and is frequently removed by the remover, as Shakespeare put it in his sonnet. I read recently that over 40% of marriages end in separation, and that’s just the partnerships that actually got as far as marriage.

Shakespeare is describing an unswerving love which is completely unconditional, but in reality, love is rarely as straightforward as that. Loving unions require dedication to make them last so unfortunately when one partner no longer pleases the other there is every chance of a split. Even between parent and child we find breakdowns.

The spiritual treatise Bhagavad Gita, often called the ‘Hindu Bible’, suggests that this is because our true loving relationship is with God. It describes us as eternal souls living in temporary bodies, going on to say that bodily relations can never satisfy us, because we the person are different from the body we inhabit. We are further described as spiritual parts of the supreme spirit or God, always seeking our loving relationship with him. As St Augustine said, ‘You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless till they rest in you.’

I know that all of my relationships, no matter how nice they may be, must end sooner or later with the inevitable passage of time. So, as the Bhagavad Gita teaches, I believe that my connection with God is the only love that can be truly unalterable; the eternal soul with his eternal beloved.

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27-03-2015 Why I Became a Monk, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.mp3

Strengthening The Vision:  Prabhupada’s Third Visit to New Vrindaban

 Written by Madhava Smullen. Archival Research by Chaitanya Mangala.

 From July 18^th to 23rd 1974, Srila Prabhupada visited New Vrindaban for the third time, to further establish his vision for it as a sacred place known worldwide for five primary things: cow protection, simple-living, holy pilgrimage, spiritual education, and above all, loving Krishna.

In a letter one year earlier, the ISKCON Founder-Acharya had written to encourage the expanding farm community: “Yes! Go on acquiring the surrounding lands, and in this way we will establish a local self-governing village and show all the world a practical example of spiritual life as Krishna Himself exhibited in Vrindaban.”

As his arrival date fast approached, New Vrindaban residents were whipped up in a flurry of activity. Meanwhile a letter from the editors of Brijabasi Spirit magazine reminded them, “Although we are all engaged in preparing the outward appearance of the community for Srila Prabhupada’s arrival, we must even more so develop the proper consciousness to receive such a great personality.”

And so it was that all the New Vrindaban devotees absorbed themselves in a rip-roaring kirtan as they waited outside their Bahulaban farmhouse temple on Thursday July 18^th, every passing car eliciting from them a sharp intake of breath. When Prabhupada finally arrived, he was followed by a river of devotees, calling “Jaya Srila Prabhupada!” as he walked regally into the temple, offered his respects to Sri Sri Radha-Vrindabanchandra, and took his seat on his vyasasana.

In the Brijabasi Spirit, devotees describe “sheer spiritual force” permeating the temple room when Prabhupada began leading “Jaya Radha Madhava.” As Lord Krishna Himself states in Srila Prabhupada’s book Krsna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, “A pilgrimage site becomes a holy place because of the presence of the saintly persons there.”

After his short but blissful kirtan, Prabhupada then delivered his arrival address, giving devotees an example of the kind of spiritual education he wanted New Vrindaban to be known for.

“So you are all very lucky in this far remote place, that is New Vrindaban,” he began. He talked about how Bhaktivinode Thakur, who had the idea to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, had been a householder just like the residents of New Vrindaban; and about how they had the chance to provide the essential spiritual education that none of the country’s universities, colleges and schools did.

“I am very happy in this remote village,” he concluded. “You have got… Vrindaban Chandra. Vrindaban Chandra means the full moon light of Vrindavana… So worship the Deity and send missionary men from village to village and preach then gradually this center will be developed… So I thank you very much for your activities here. Hare Krishna.”

With another ecstatic kirtan following him, Prabhupada was then chauffeured to his residential quarters at the “Grey House” in Guruban, which had been renovated from top to bottom by an enthusiastic crew of devotees.

The next day, he toured the Bahulaban barn, to see how his cow protection vision was practically manifesting. He expressed his approval as devotees showed him their Harvestore silo, demonstrated its feeding system, and pointed out the lettering at the top that read “New Vrindaban — Founder and Acharya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.”

Later the same day, Srila Prabhupada visited his under-construction Palace, which was being built for him to reside and translate his books in. He beamed as Kirtanananda showed him where his bedroom, bathroom, Deity room and study would be, tapping the walls with his cane to make sure they were solid.

As Prabhupada inspected the Palace – nothing more than a construction site at the time — Bali Mardan asked if it would be illuminated with jewels on the wall, like Lord Krishna’s Palace in the Krsna book.

Srila Prabhupada looked over at Soma and Gostabihari, two construction workers on the job at the time. They had been toiling hard on a building site that had neither electricity nor running water. “These devotees,” he said, “Are my jewels.”

When Kirtanananda told Prabhupada the Palace would be ready soon and asked him to be patient with them, Prabhupada said, “I already am,” and added, “If you want, I am already living here.”

As he got into his car to leave, he looked up at Soma and Gostabihari through the open window. “So, you are working here?”

“Ghostabihari answered, ‘Yes Srila Prabhupada,” Soma recalls. “And then Prabhupada looked straight at us and said, ‘Thank you very much.’ It made me feel so good that he personally thanked me for working there.”

The next day, Saturday July 20^th, about 400 devotees from all over North America including GBCs, sannyasis, travelling book distributors, and ISKCON Press staff gathered for a huge festival. Prabhupada attended guru-puja and gave Bhagavatam class in the morning. During the day there were ecstatic kirtans led by visiting devotees, and a delicious feast “with more preparations than anyone could eat,” according to Brijabasi Spirit.

In the evening, Srila Prabhupada spoke to a rapt audience, concluding his lecture by asking the devotees to all cooperate together “and then everything will go nicely.”

The next day, he initiated thirteen devotees, including Madhava Gosh, Tapanacarya, Advaitacarya, Rasalila, Nirmala, and Meghamala. He also awarded brahmana initiation to six candidates, including Parasara and Kashyapa (who would later become Varshana Swami).

In his talk, Prabhupada spoke about the simple-living aspect of his vision for New Vrindaban. He called the race for sense gratification unnecessary and praised living peacefully in a little cottage, growing vegetables and food grains, and getting milk from the cows. “We are trying to introduce in this New Vrindaban colony this simple life,” he said.

Later during his stay Prabhupada personally saw the Brijabasis’ efforts at this simple life. In 1973, he had written a letter instructing them how to build small cottages with wooden beams and tile roofs. “This design is especially suitable for grhasthas, who can feel very comfortable there,” he wrote.

Now he visited one of these cottages, dubbed “Prabhupada houses,” that had been built at New Vrindaban. Set in the Madhuban section of the community, it was home to Daivata Das and his wife Parayana Dasi.

When Prabhupada arrived, he appreciated the gardens where many householders were cultivating vegetables together, as well as the just-harvested vegetables on Daivata’s porch. “I do not want to eat anything unless it is grown here,” he said. “You should not buy, you should grow vegetables.”

He thoroughly inspected the cottage he himself had provided the design for with some interest, tapping the walls with his cane in his endearing way. Inside, he sat on a rocking chair, looking at everything and saying, “You should make thousands of these nice houses.” He then asked Daivata, “You are happy here?”

“Oh yes Srila Prabhupada, very happy. Thank you very much,” Daivata said.

Prabhupada continued chatting and laughing with Daivata for some time, asking about his four-month-old daughter Devahuti and commenting on how active she was. “I am very pleased to see this place,” he said before he left.

Prabhupada’s warm, personal interaction with Daivata was exemplary of all the interactions he had during his visit, with many devotees remembering his care and love in different ways.

Varshana Swami was impressed at how concerned Prabhupada was about making sure there were oxen and men working in the fields. “It really touched me that Prabhupada was attentive to what was being done in the agricultural realm,” he says.

Mahadevi Dasi will never forget the time that Prabhupada was giving out milk sweets to a huge crowd of devotees, and she worried that she wouldn’t get one. “As if he just read my heart, he looked directly at me, pointed his finger and held up the milk sweet that he had just bitten,” she recalls. “And it was passed through the devotees, right to me.”

And Gopalasapriya Dasi recalls how when Srila Prabhupada was talking to a group of devotees outside on a chilly evening, he stopped, looked at her and asked, “Are you alright? Such a thin cloth. Haven’t you got a cloth?” He then told one of the leaders, “You must find out if they have everything they need… the women need to be protected. They will not ask. You must ask them once a month and make sure that they are having everything they need.”

“I remember afterwards a few of the devotees were crying and feeling like he was so observant and concerned and he really does care about all of us,” she says.

For his part, Srila Prabhupada, like a proud parent, was very glad to see his first farm community growing into a wonderful realization of his vision.

“Regarding New Vrindaban I was very happy when I was there,” he wrote a few months after his visit. “Not only myself but all devotees and GBC members all enjoyed the atmosphere of New Vrindaban, especially the cow protection scheme. May Krishna give more facilities to advance the cause of New Vrindaban, and I am expecting very soon to go there and live in my proposed palace at least for some time.”

This entire section of Bhāgavatam (Canto 4, Chapters 1 through 7) is really about Vaiṣṇava-aparādhā / Sādhu-ninda / offenses to spiritualists. Here is the latest section, (4.6.1~8). I will offer some comments afterwards.

---

So all the gods, priests and guests were smashed and defeated, their limbs covered in wounds from the spears, tridents, blades, clubs, bats, and hammers of Rudra and his followers. Trembling in fear, they fled to Self-born Brahmā, paid their respects, and told him what had happened. But Flower-Born Brahmā already surmised everything they would tell him. This is why he – and Nārāyaṇa, soul of all – did not attend Dakṣa’s ceremony.

After hearing their tale, Great Brahmā replied, “You have destroyed yourselves and put your very lives in jeopardy by insulting a powerful being. You dishonored the Lord of Existence, Śiva, by excluding him from his portion of the ceremony’s opulence – yet you still hope to live and prosper?

“If he is angry, the worlds and their masters cannot exist. You have robbed him of his beloved wife, and pained his heart with foul insults, yet he is famous for being merciful towards those who fall at his feet. Your only hope is to seek his merciful forgiveness. So quickly apologize with complete and utter sincerity. Then you might also beg him to restore the lives that were lost at the ceremony.

“You have no recourse but to beg forgiveness. Any other course of action would be disastrous, for no one can even comprehend the extent of his self-generated power and might – not I, not Yajña, and not any of you who exist in bodies, be you gods, or be you sages.”

Then Unborn Brahmā left his seat, followed by the Ancestral Pitṛ and the Progenitors, to personally lead the fearful gods to Kailāsa, the greatest mountain and beloved home of the powerful Prabhu who is an enemy of cities.

---

Cause of Insult:

Dakṣa insulted Śiva because he was proud and paid more attention to other people’s flaws than his own. He exploited external social formalities as an excuse to express his foul consciousness.

Śiva’s behavior is irreproachable, but is on a deep, internal spiritual level. Externally he may seem shocking, rude, crude, etc (not combing his hair, not dressing properly (or at all), not bathing, etc). Similarly spiritualists may seem low-class to ordinary estimations – not being wealthy, not being concerned with cultural opulences, not observing formalities, etc. And those those without deep realization often use these apparent external flaws as excuses to justify their hatred of true spiritualists.

We should be wise and know that the only cause of hatred is ignorance, especially when hatred is directed towards sādhus.

Effect of Insult:

Even the gods were ruined by their offense to a sādhu. No one can survive.

Sādhu’s Limit of Tolerance:

A sādhu will tolerate insults to an extreme extent. Śiva never retaliated against Dakṣa & Bhṛgu’s insults. It was only when his beloved wife Satī was insulted to the extent of suicide that he would no longer remain patient and control his anger. Then he unleashed his fury and wrecked the offenders.

Even when the sādhu tolerates, the insulter is still doomed. Dakṣa was already doomed from chapter 1 of canto 4, the very beginning of the tale. It is actually fortuitous for us if the sādhu expresses some anger, so that we might have an opportunity to be woken up out of our self-absorbed grandeur in which every single thing we say or do is “flawless” and “bona-fide” and “correct” and “siddhāntic.”

Remedy for Insult:

The only recourse for offending a powerful spiritualist is to erase that offense, by behaving in such a way as to remove the displeasure and disturbance caused to the spiritualist. This is done primarily by apologizing.

Apologies are not automatic vindication tickets dispensed from a vending machine via electronic mail, please. Not that we submit some formality of apology and when the desired response isn’t forthcoming we use it as further cause to insult the spiritual person, please.

Brahmā stipulated that apologies must be pariśuddha-cetasā — completely pure and utterly sincere. Apologies must express an accurate understanding of the wrong one has done. If you step on my foot and then apologize for your odor, you haven’t really apologized for the thing that bothered me. I was not bothered by your odor, I was bothered by the pain you caused to my foot. The apology has to show that you really understand what you did wrong.

If you are apologizing to someone and they are not forgiving, the most likely problem is that your apology is not pariśuddha-cetasā, it is not clear and accurate and sincere. A clear, accurate, sincere apology will not fail to elicit forgiveness from a spiritualist.

Spiritualist’s Anger:

You should know that the anger of a spiritualist is not an error. You deserve it, and it is good for you. This was the first thing Brahmā told the devas in the section narrated above.

You should know that the spiritualist does not need to forgive you, you need to apologize correctly. You need to erase the displeasure you caused.

If you blame the spiritualist for getting offended, or for not forgiving your sloppy or perfunctory “apology” you are twice doomed, and it is surprising if you will even be allowed to keep your current physical body for very long.

Other options:

There is no other way to overcome an offense. Brahmā tells the devas that no one (and he really, really means no one, he even includes Yajña which means the incarnation of Viṣṇu who became the first Indra)… no one can overcome the power of the displeasure of an ātma-tantra – a self-realized spiritualist. Just as no blessing can compare to the pleasure and satisfaction of a spiritualist, no curse can compare to their displeasure and dissatisfaction.

We have to take this seriously.

Tagged: Aparadha, Apology, Curses, Forgiveness, Offenses, Vaishnava aparadha

On a floor above our downtown Crossways restaurant, the Urban Yoga program continues nicely.

"I’ve chanted twelve rounds. I have a little time left to do a few more. So on the whole, it’s not so bad. Chanting can always be improved. It’s always good, also, no matter what you do."

From Bhajan Kutir #194
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, April 2005, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture)

The spiritual master is not just an authority; he is our well-wisher and because he is our well-wisher, he has no other interest than to see that we are doing well. When the spiritual master finds some nice quality in the disciple, he is immediately pleased! But when the spiritual master is upset with us, then it is time to learn! The most pleasing service to the spiritual master is when we give Krsna consciousness to others.

 

 

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Real Heroes Retreat

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Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī explains how to practice Rāgānugā-sādhana, in three verses of Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu (1.2.294-296):

kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya preṣṭhaṁ nija-samihitam
tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā

“Remember Krishna with his beloved devotee whose love for Krishna exemplifies your own aspirations. Dwell there in Vṛndāvana by always discussing them and their love.”

sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi
tad-bhāva-līpsunā kāryā vraja-lokānusārataḥ

“Emulate the essence of the Vṛndāvana-bhāva you adore, by executing the practical forms of devotional service with relevance to their prefect forms.”

śravaṇot-kīrtanādīni vaidha-bhakty uditāni tu
yāny angāni ca tany atra vijñeyāni manīṣibhiḥ

“The wise know that the practices of Vaidhi-bhakti previously described, especially those beginning with hearing and chanting, are the practical forms of devotional service to be executed.”

Here are important points I would like to clarify.

From the first verse:

(1) We need a clear aspiration for a specific relationship with Krishna before we can begin.

(2) Three things should always be remembered: Krishna in the form that we adore, the devotee whose love exemplifies what we aspire for, and the intimate relationship between Krishna and that devotee.

(3)  Smarana (rememberence of these three) is the essence of Rāgānugā, but this smarana is based on kīrtana (kathā)

(4) By doing kīrtan of these three things we become absorbed in memory of them and thus live in Vṛndāvana. To physically live in Vṛndāvana is also very important (one of the five most powerful spiritual practices) but its not what Śrī Rūpa is talking about here. Rāgānugā can be practiced outside Vṛndāvana-Mathurā. Mahāprabhu, for example, practiced it in Jagannātha Puri.

From the second verse:

(1) The first verse was what Śrī Bhaktivinoda would probably identify as śravaṇa-daśa. This second verse is what he would probably call varaṇa-daśā.

(2) We should engage in devotional service (seva).

(3) The devotional service has two forms, a practical form (sādhaka-rūpeṇa) and a perfect form (siddha-rūpeṇa). We have to engage in service in both ways. Not just externally (sādhaka-rūpa), and also not just internally (siddha-rūpa). 

(4) We do this be correlating the external activity to a perfect activity performed by the Vrajabāsī whose relationship with Krishna exemplifies what we aspire for. (the whole second line explains this).

From the third verse:

(1) If we ask the second verse, “You said to do devotional service (seva)… what devotional service should we do?” The answer is the third verse: the practices defined when discussing vaidhi-sādhana are the devotional service the rāgānugā-sādhaka should engage in. Especially those that are based mostly on hearing and chanting.

(2) If we ask, “Then how is it different from vaidhi-sādhana, the answer is in the first and second verses.

— Vraja Kishor dās

VrajaKishor.com

Tagged: Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, Raganuga, Raganuga Bhakti

Opportunity:

ECO-Vrindaban is a non-profit organization serving in the New Vrindaban community, located near Wheeling West Virginia, USA.

ECO-V promotes simple living, cow protection, engaging oxen, local agriculture, and above all, loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON New Vrindaban.

We seek an individual with experience in engaging oxen, who can handle both the challenges of managing a robust ox training program as well as maintaining positive relationships with New Vrindaban residents, pilgrims and guests.

Duties:

• Oversee the ox training program, facilities and staff

• Handle department related logistics and budgets

• Serve as an educational resource for local cowherds

• Coordinate ox training volunteer activities

• Act as an organization liaison and representative

All potential candidates must be:

• Excited to develop Srila Prabhupada’s vision for self-sufficient farm communities

• Passionate about cow protection and related issues

• Physically able to work with oxen; training, plowing, transporting, logging, etc.

• Willing to live in New Vrindaban, WV

The ideal candidate will have:

• A proven track record and expertise in cow protection and engaging oxen

• Management or leadership experience, preferably with a non-profit

• A regular practice of individual chanting and participation in temple programs

Compensation: This will be a full-time, salaried position subject to a multi-year contract.

Please send cover letter, resume and any other inquires to Ranaka dasa: dfintel@msn.com

Dakṣa’s Demise

Rudra came before Bhṛgu and declared, “While you poured oblations into the fire, people warned you to dedicate some portion to Śiva. You merely smiled at this advice, and proudly stroked your beard…” Then he grabbed hold of Bhṛgu’s beard and tore it off.

When Rudra came furiously before him, Bhaga fell to the ground in fear. “While Dakṣa ridiculed and cursed me,” Rudra shouted, “you encouraged him with your eyes…” He lifted Bhaga’s head and gouged out his eyes.

Then he announced to Puṣa. “Like Bhaga, you also encouraged my accursed curser. You smiled at him, so…” With that, Rudra knocked out all of Puṣa’s teeth, just as Balarāma did to the King of Kaliṅga.

Rudra’s fury then fell upon Dakṣa, who he forced to the ground and sat on his chest. Rudra sliced Dakṣa’s neck with a cold, bright blade, but Three-Eyed could not decapitate him. He tried many different blades, axes, arrows, and so on – but the Destroyer could not even scratch Dakṣa’s skin. Very perplexed, the Lord of Creatures thought about it carefully. When that lord saw the altar where Dakṣa had been sacrificing creatures, he dragged Dakṣa upon it and successfully tore his head from his body, turning the sacrificer into the sacrificed.

Seeing this, Rudra’s warlocks, ghouls, and monsters exclaimed, “Sādhu! Sādhu! You’ve done a great deed!” But Dakṣa’s followers protested, “This is horrible!”

Furious Rudra ceremoniously offered that head into the southern fire, which then erupted into an inferno consuming the entire sacrificial arena. He left the place in ashes, returning with his minions to the invisible, hidden realm.

Note: Dakṣa was so powerful from all the sacrifices he had performed, not even Rudra could destroy him. I am wondering why he was able to do so on the sacrificial altar, but was unable to do so elsewhere with any weapon. In this section of verses there is a lot of subtle play on the word Paśu (animal), this seems to be the key to understanding Dakṣa’s weakness, which Rudra exploited.

In Vedic culture there is a split of opinion over whether sacrifices should involve the slaughter of animals or not. The ritualistic Brāhmaṇas tend to support the opinion that animal slaughter should be included, and most of the gods support them. But the sādhus and sages tend to support the opinion that animal slaughter should not be included in a Vedic sacrifice.

Dakṣa was undefeatable due to the power gained from executing so many sacrifices, but his weakness was that he had killed many, many animals to gain this power. Rudra is addressed here as Paśupati (“protector of animals”), and by putting Dakṣa himself on the altar of sacrifice – transforming the sacrifier into the sacrificed – he exposed Dakṣa’s weakness (specifically, that he would have to suffer as a result of gaining power by harming other creatures), and utilized that weakness to tear Dakṣa’s head from his body.

— Bhāgavatam 4.5.19 ~ 26 [End]

Vraja Kishor dās

VrajaKishor.com

Tagged: Animal Sacrifice, Bhagavata Purana, Destruction, Rudra, Slaughter, Srimad Bhagavatam

The Lord needs something to reciprocate with in our relationship through the Spiritual Master. Our vow is to chant 16 GOOD rounds and not just 16 below average rounds.
By making this effort to be attentive and concentrate, our relationship with the Lord is reciprocal and He blesses us with His spiritual energy and eventually love for Krsna or Krsna Prema.

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Gopisa’s India Journal, continued…..

Please see the first few installments of Gopisa Prabhu’s timeless and  intriguing India journal on this Brijabasi Spirit at Gopisa’s India Journey Begins

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Vrindavan Day 3

Dearest family,

The trips to the temples and Loi Bazaar have been via bicycle rickshaw. I’d gladly trade some of my girth to the walla to make him stronger and make his portly fare easier to bear. Jaya Krsna takes it all in stride saying that this is their dharma and we are helping them out as they are the poorest of the lot seeing that they can’t afford a motorized rickshaw, but he still beats them up on the price! A ride to Loi Bazaar use to cost 5-7 rupees, now it’s 40 (after bargaining).

Loi Bazaar, a Unique Shopping Experience

We purchased some fruits, the quality is so nice. Also drank fresh squeezed pomegranate juice and sugar cane juice. It’s challenging to keep in mind that these are the residents of Vrindavan and therefore Krsna’s personal friends…but we do our best to remain humble and peaceful. Personal space is not a luxury one can afford in this town. In America people have a real need for physical contact but be assured that such necessities are well funded in this land of intimacy.

While it appears that much of the town is being overrun with capitalism and its maidservant technology, still there are remnants of the spirituality of the past tucked away in secret spaces hidden from the untrained eye. And I failed to mention that the rickshaw wallas don’t have horns for pedestrian traffic, the call out “Radhe-Radhe”. The chanting of Krsna’s holy name is ever present as we traverse this hallowed ground. Every time I pay obeisances, I make a point to take a little dust on my head…vancha calpa tarubyas ca….

Today we will endeavor to gain the audience of Syamasundar, the self manifest diety of Syamananda Pandit. As the story goes, he found an ankle bracelet and would not return it to a disguised Lalitadevi insisting on gaining the association of Srimati Radharani Herself. He was given a temporary spiritual body to accomplish this feat, initiated by Sriji Herself and given a beautiful diety of Krsna that self-manifest for Her pleasure.

This journey has been both humbling and enlightening…I cannot imagine what will come next. There is no way to predict Krsna’s plan…I canonly put one foot in front of the other and trust in Guru and Gauranga that They have my best interest in mind.

Love and Krsna to you all!   g

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Vrindavan Day 4

Dearest family,

Today was rather exceptional…up early (3:00 am), japa finished before breakfast. Had every intention to attend class with Vashiseka but wanted to check on Jaya Krsna as he’s been getting progressively sicker and didn’t get out of bed this morning. Entering the MVT, there’s Dhanudara Maharaja with a group of Iranian matajis and 4 bramacharis heading out to Radha Kunda. Needless to say, I was on my way down the rabbit hole. Though it would take considerable time to write the whole story, sufficient it to say that Maharaja feels he needs to reciprocate for some some small gesture on my part from 40 years ago.

Off we go to Radha Kunda to receive the mercy of Srimati Radharani in Her pure liquid form. Maharaja is careful to set the mood with kirtan on the way there and our first stop is our godbrother, Svarupa Damodara Maharaja’s temple to pray for his mercy. After kirtan in the temple room, two bhajans in his personal quaters and japa in front of his samadhi, we’re ready to go. Onward to Raghunatha das Goswami’s samadhi, Janavidevi’s sitting place with a specially constructed private bathing entrance and finally we offer obeisances on the steps and I get the mercy of Radha Kunda from Maharaja! A nice brahmana offers puja on our behalf and then it’s off to Bhaktisiddhanta’s house for a special treat. A cabinet is opened and out comes His Divine Grace’s cane for benedictions on our heads. These Iranian matajis are VERY enthusiastic chanters and we are all in a special state of grace.

All told we were gone 6 hours and there was no time for breakfast, yet I did not experience any hunger.

Tomorrow Maharaja has a special place he wants to take Jaya Krsna and me, it’s 15 minutes’ walk and through a gate the he says will take us back to the way Vrindavan was in the past. More on that tomorrow.

I’m still amazed at the animals here. When I describe the monkeys, pigs, cows, dogs, green parrots, etc… It’s not that they are an occasional occurrence here, they are EVERYWHERE! All the dogs are docile as are the cows and pigs. Only the monkeys get a little rambunctious and that’s mostly in the bazaar where they’ve learned to steal glasses to trade for bananas. It’s not surprising to see 20 monkeys, 5 pigs, 4 cows and a half dozen dogs in a single block.

 

And the driving is a state of perpetual chicken (or cow, dog, pig, monkey…you get my drift) yet all survive and one learns to take it all in stride. One truly must be convinced that they are not the body to adapt. Safety is non-existent, no seat belts, lines in the road, traffic lights, nothing! It’s chaotic symmetry on the highest order.

I found out that there is a swan boat festival here once a year where they flood the courtyard and give Their Lordships a nice ride. This temple is amazing! The deities are the absolute center of attention and the lines of people that stream in every single day for morning and evening darshan is incredible. There are so many fragrant flowers offered that it boggles the mind. The marble floors and walkways are swept two or three times a day and washed at least once. The crew that runs and maintains this facility is large, motivated and efficient. All wear neck beads and respond to a Hari Bol. The restaurants, sweet shops and snack bars are all top quality. They announce their book distribution totals every morning to Their Lordships and it’s typically 1400-1600 books every day! Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental book distribution Ki Jaya!

Enough for today. This took 1 1/2 hours to write…   I know the subject matter is more than a little esoteric and may be a bit much to absorb…..I can only beg for your tolerance and ask that you all bear with me on this rather extraordinary journey.

Love and Krsna to you all!     g

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Vrindavan As It Is

Dearest family,

Today Dhanudara Maharaja took a small group of us to see Vrindavan as it is. There is no describing the experience of passing through a dimensional portal into a world of 5000 years past. We turned off a road and went through a solid black steel gate and into paradise. Lest you think I exaggerate, there are pictures to prove it. What lies beyond is a Vrindavan untouched by the cold finger of “progress”.

This land is in the flood zone and therefore cannot be developed, at least not yet… It is all gardens, neatly arranged in multiple plots divided by 12″ high mounds. Within this remarkable vision of pastoral delight are countless rows of marigolds, roses, banana trees, large bale fruit trees, amala trees, and other strange and exotic varieties of plant life. Kalindi, you would be in ECSTASY! Try to conjure up the ideal rose fragrance….now multiply it tenfold. That’s how fragrant these roses are. Now I know where all those garlands and bushels of flowers come from that are offered to Their Lordships. For one tuned in to the olfactory sensations, this is a veritable gold mine. Yet in this land of Krsna, one instinctively feels, ” Oh, what a nice flower, let me offer it to my beloved Gopinatha”. It’s not that I have any love or realization, it’s just this place…one simply knows from somewhere deep within.

And the residents! Today is Ekadasi, fasting from beans and grains. The streets were buzzing all day with pedestrian traffic of chanting and singing people in blisstacy as they follow the parikram path that surrounds the town. At the temple every morning and evening, these same residents file through with banana leaf plates overflowing with garlands to offer both the Lord and His pure devotee. To see so many people coming through in droves, trying to get the merciful audience of Srila Prabhupada and the presiding deities. Today is Tuesday yet there are so many visitors…yes it’s Ekadasi, but yesterday was the same….I took both still pictures and a video so you can see what I mean. AND, there is 24 hour kirtan, every day, all day and all night. There’s a dozen large oriental rugs covering the floor for these kirtanias. And these rugs must be rolled up every day for the sweepers to clean and wash the floor.

Vrindavan Parikrama

Though Jaya Krsna is still quite sick (and I’m not far behind), we made it to Loi Bazaar to finish our shopping. I got a little incense, a bell for offerings, neck beads, counting beads and some other something or other…….;-) Suffice it to say, the flight home will be challenging. Jaya Krsna and I will have to sit on opposite sides of the plane to keep it from listing.

That’s all for now. We’re off to Govardhana tomorrow to begin the next retreat…or should I say “re-treat”?

Love and Krsna to you all!   g

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Govardhana

Dearest family,

We left Vrindavan today for the Govardhana retreat. I was quite sick last evening and couldn’t sleep, gave up at 3 am and got up for the morning program. Well worth the effort to get one last look at the heartbreakingly beautiful countenances of Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai, Sri-Sri Krsna Balarama and the stunning Sri-Sri Radha Syamasundar, Lalita and Vishaka.

Sri Giriraja (the personality of Govardhana hill) is the greatest facilitator of Krsna’s pastimes and is not without a sense of humor. We finally arrived at our destination and my suitcase, which I watched them load, is missing. Apparently an Indian gentleman from Houston mistook mine (which is half again bigger, a lot heavier, a different hrand and doesn’t have a red ribbon on it) for his and it took him almost an hour to figure it out. So there I am with one set of dirty clothes, wet socks (because the drains here are flexible plastic pipe stuck in a hole in the floor which the rats displace when they come top side) and I’m facing the loss of all my clothes and the silver deity paraphernalia I’d just purchased. Can’t say it’s not an adventure!

We went out to a special place near the hill with very old pilu trees that appear to be in a state of frozen perpetual motion. Hard to describe, you’ll just have to see the pictures to understand. These entities are ancient and graceful. They could easily be thousands of years old.

The next 5-6 days will be filled with lectures, philosophy and deep discussions of the answers to God, the universe and everything…..and no, it’s not 42. Just foolin’, but suffice it to say that there is insufficient time or space to explain it. There’s 5 speakers, 4 lectures per day and it’s all taking place next to Govindaji’s garden in an elaborate tent that would rival the sultan tents of Persia AND right next to Govardhana Hill.

Don’t know if I’ll have much to write over the next several days but we’ll see…you’re probably getting overloaded anyway…

Love and Krsna to you all!   g

 

The peeps over at Elephant Journal just published an article by yours truly entitled Yoga for “People Who Can’t Do Yoga”. Check it out for some easy morning reading, and let me know what you think.

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed)

[Originally published on 09-23-2011]

Today, the sun didn’t rise
I kept waiting, perplexed
the wind howled
rain came in sheets
electric power failed
no machines worked
not even computers
I lit candles
the ancient technology
altar Deities again illuminated
“O Lord, what is going on?”
Going upstairs, my wife vanished
“Such things can’t be happening!”

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 05 April 2015, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture: The secret of spiritual advancement)

Each service in Krsna consciousness is a service in itself, for example, cleaning the temple. That is a service, absolutely, but then a person may go to the next level. He may be very serious while cleaning the temple but then, later on, he will be the one who eventually sits up here, giving the lecture. Over time, service increases and gets bigger and bigger.

Therefore, I would like to say that each service is the preparation for a bigger service and it should be like that if we want to feel alive spiritually. We do not want to be spiritually dry. Many devotees become dry over time. They say, “Hare Krsna.” (depressed voice) It should be, “Hare Krsna!!” It should be full of happiness. Hare Krsna is not about being depressed. Hare Krsna is about realising that life is a wonderful gift.