Planet ISKCON

Where is the term “mañjarī-bhāva” defined or mentioned in the works of the Goswāmīs or their important disciples and contemporaries? Is it anywhere in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu? No. Is it anywhere in Bhakti-sandarbha? Not as far as I know. This lack of mention in the two most important books defining the practice of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhana should not be taken lightly, and thus the prominence and importance given to the idea of “mañjarī-bhāva” should be subject to doubt and scrutiny.

Some say that 1.2.298 of Bhaktirasāmṛta Sindhu refers to mañjarī-bhāva. If this is the case, why don’t the two most important commentators (Śrī Jīva and Śrī Viśvanātha) mention anything about it in their comment on that text? Instead they both explain the text to mean that kāmānugā-sādhana has two aspects: the desire to please Krishna’s senses (sombhoga-icchā), and the desire to experience the sweet mood of the gopī’s love for Krishna (tat-tad-bhāva-icchā). They say that the second aspect is primary and the first is secondary. They distinguish the first as being useless if not having some mixture with the second, as was the case with Kubja of Mathurā.

If it doesn’t come from Śrī Rūpa or Śrī Jīva, the concept of “mañjarī-bhāva” must come from somewhere else. Where? I don’t know. Great contemporary scholars and practitioners of Gauḍiya Vaiṣṇavism such as Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī and Paṇḍit Śrīla Haridās Śāstrī indicate that it developed under some influence from the sahaja tradition born from a mating of Buddhism and Tantra. All I personally know for sure is that even Śrī Viśvanātha did not mention it as far as I know, which indicates to me that even several generations after Śrī Jīva, Śrī Viśvanātha either did not approve of the idea or it did not yet exist.

The word mañjarī is certainly used often by the Goswāmī’s of Vṛndāvana (but not as the compound “mañjarī-bhāva,” and not a denotation of a specific ideological package). The word mañjarī simply means “new flower.” The specific connotation is a girl who has newly become a woman. Any beautiful young lady may be referred to by the term mañjarī.

In Rādhā Krishna Gaṇodeśa Dīpika, Śrī Rūpa uses the term mañjarī several times. It is a suffix for the names of several gopīs. In texts 179-181 of the laghu section, he names several people defining a group he calls Rādhā’s Mañjarī. This is in a section where he defines Śrī Rādhā’s main friends. In 175 he names the [primary] parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs, in 176 he names the priya-sakhīs, in 177 he names the jīvita-sakhīs, in 178 he names the nitya-sakhīs. Then we come to to 179-181 where he names “rādhā-mañjarī” (“Rādhārāṇī’s new flowers”).

The names all end with “-mañjarī”. The list begins with anaṅga, and proceeds to rūpa, rati, lavaṅga, rāga, rasa, vilāsa, prema, maṇi, suvarṇa, kāma, ratna, kastūrī, gandha, netra, śrīpadma, līlā, hema. The name bhānumati is a synonym for Prema and Rati Mañjarī. We should also note that: (a) the suffix mañjarī is used for several gopīs who are not named here. And (b) anaṅga-mañjarī is listed here, even before Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. (Some proponents of “mañjari-bhāva” claim that she is not truly among the group of “Rādhā’s Mañjarī,” because she obviously has direct relations with Krishna).

In 183, Śrī Rūpa says that all the categories of Rādhā’s friends listed above possess forms and qualities very, very similar to her own. He makes no further stipulation about what a “mañjarī” is, so far as I know.

Śrī Raghunātha dās Goswāmī’s Vilāp Kuśmañjalī also doesn’t explicitly define mañjarī-bhāva, although most of the current concept of it is based on this book, which shows Śrī Raghunātha to be more dedicated to Śrī Rādhā than directly to Śrī Krishna. But all of Rādhārāṇī’s friends, not just the mañjarī, are primarily dedicated to her, and serve Krishna through her. She is their divine conduit, much as a telescope or microscope is the conduit for the human eye to observe the universe.

The mañjari-bhāva theory, as it exists today, is not entirely disagreeable to me, but some of the portions I disagree with (not all of which are held by all proponents) are: (a) The idea that jīva can become a mañjarī, but not any other type of gopī. (b) The idea that mañjarī do not interact with Krishna directly. (c) The idea that mañjarī are very young (below puberty). And (d) The idea that mañjarī-bhāva is essential to the Rūpānuga conception of Bhakti-yoga. Some of the principles held by the mañjarī-bhāva theory are indeed important to Śrī Rūpa’s conception, but the idea that mañjarī-bhāva is a discrete philosophical entity of central importance is, in my estimation, untrue.

The opening verse of Vilāpa-Kuśmāñjali is exquisite. It is a part of 6 poems that form a maṅgalācarana by glorifying the author’s benefactors, inspirations, and exemplars. The first 2 glorify Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. The 3rd glorifies Śrī Rati Mañjarī. These are the author’s gurus in the siddha-deha. The next three glorify the author’s gurus in the sādhaka-deha. The 4th glorifies his mantra-guru Śrī Yadunandana. The 5th glorifies his śikṣā-guru, Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara, who instructed him on behalf of Śrī Krishna Caitanya. The 6th glorifies his śikṣa-guru especially in the path of renunciation, Śrī Sanātana. At the 7th verse, the introduction ends and the main subject begins.

The opening verse is

tvaṁ rūpa-mañjari sakhi prathitā pure’smin
puṁsaḥ parasya vadanaṁ na hi paśyasīti
bimbādhare kṣatam anāgate-bhartṛkāyā
yat te vyadhāyi kim u tac chuka-puṅgavena?

You, Rūpa Mañjari, are the most famous Sakhī in this city (Vraja-maṇḍala). [You say] you certainly have not even seen the mouth of the Supreme Male, yet the Bimba-fruits of your lips have bite marks, and your husband is nowhere to be found. So what really happened? Did some great parrot try to eat your lips?

Ananta dās Bābājī suggests in his commentary that the answer is that Krishna has bitten Śrī Rādhā’s lips, and that Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī’s unity with Śrī Rādhā is so extensive that the bite mark shows on her own lips. As beautiful as that explanation is, the verse itself clearly shows that Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī does not lack anything to be had from direct interaction with Krishna. Whether Krishna directly kissed her, or whether she experienced Krishna’s kiss by him kissing Śrī Rādhā, in either case, she experiences Krishna’s kiss, as the evidence (the bite mark on her lips) clearly demonstrates. This certainly calls into doubt the mañjarī-bhāva theory that aspiration of a kāmānugā-sādhaka should exclude any direct interaction with Krishna.

The second verse also clarifies that Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Krishna have one-to-one interaction (against the idea held by the modern mañjari-bhāva theory). Here it is. It is extremely beautiful.

sthala-kamalini yuktaṁ garvitā kānane’smin
praṇayasi vara-hāsyaṁ puṣpa-guccha-cchalena
api nikhila-latās tāḥ saurabhāktaḥ sa muñcan
mṛgayati tava mārgaṁ kṛṣṇa-bhṛṅgo yad adya

[Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī] is as proud as a magnolia tree in full bloom amidst the trees of this [Vṛndāvana] forest. She hides her beautiful smile of pride by causing [that Magnolia tree] to erupt in blossoms. [Why is she so joyfully proud?] The Krishna bee ignores all the other fragrant vines just to constantly search for her.

This doesn’t uphold the idea that the only reason she has bite marks on her lip is because Krishna has kissed Śrī Rādhā. Instead it clearly shows that Krishna personally comes to kiss her.

I do not mean to pretend that I realize or fully understand such things. But I would like my approach to understanding and realizing them to be free from obstacles and directly in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s most important followers, particularly Śrī Rūpa, Śrī Raghunātha, and Śrī Jīva.

I am warmly open to discussion with learned persons on this subject.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.18.5 during the Sunday program.

“Demons are very much disturbed when devotees worship the Lord in the prescribed ways recommended in the scriptures. In the Vedic scriptures, the neophyte devotees are advised to engage in nine kinds of devotional service, such as to hear and chant the holy name of God, to remember Him always, to chant on beads Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, to worship the Lord in the form of His Deity incarnation in the temples, and to engage in various activities of Krishna consciousness to increase the number of godly persons for perfect peace in the world. Demons do not like such activity. They are always envious of God and His devotees. Their propaganda not to worship in the temple or church but simply to make material advancement for satisfaction of the senses is always current. The demon Hiranyaksha, upon seeing the Lord face to face, wanted to make a permanent solution by killing the Personality of Godhead with his powerful mace. — SB 3.18.5 purport

Kirtan
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.18.5

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ISKCON TURNS 50!
Preparing for the 50th anniversary of ISKCON!
The preparatins for the celebratin of ISKCON’s 50th year of incorporatin in 2016 are well underway all over the world. Various events are being planned in major citis of the world, such as New Delhi, Kolkata, New York, London, etc. This will include a seven day mega padayatra in 2015 from Mayapur to Kolkata dock where Srila Prabhupada boarded the ship, Jaladuta, and began his journey to the west.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/642zQh

Dining with Prime Ministers
Bhakta dasa, ISKCON Australia’s Communicatins Director, was invited to a luncheon event attnded by Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott and the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Below is an account of the event as told by Bhakta dasa. “I was invited to the luncheon by Prime Minister Tony Abbot to commemorate the visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. I was able to garland Mr. Modi with Srimat Radharani’s garland organised by Acintyarupa Prabhu.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/f3QwIe

ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Cultural Centre Youths’ Sanga (10-1-2015) (Album 9 photos)
On the 10th of January 2015, once more the ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Cultural Centre youths had successfully organised their monthly youth sanga for the pleasure of Guru and Gauranga. The purpose for this youth sanga is to generate discussion about Krishna Consciousness, the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and the roles of the youths in propagating the Hare Krishna movement. It also functions to strengthen the bond among the youths and of course to increase the taste in chanting the holy name of the Lord. This youth sanga is being held monthly and every month it is hosted by different youths in their respective home.
So as usual, for the recent youth sanga, the program started with some sankirtan, followed by a group japa and a discussion on the sikhastakam. Finally we feasted on a variety of sumptuous Krishna prashadam in which the host of the house cooked the main dishes while the other youths brought potluck. We later hit the pool and enjoyed a blissful and exciting kirtan at the park. With Mahaprabhu’s kripa the kirtan attracted a lot of people including some youths from the Middle East whom danced and chanted along with so much of enthusiasm.
Harinam Sankirtan Ki Jai…
Youth Sanga Ki Jai…
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Preaching program in Iskcon London, Soho Street (Album 23 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: There is competition of loving Krishna even in the party of Srimati Radharani. It is a kind of rasa to compete in loving affection centering around Krishna. Letter to Brahmananda, November 18, 1967.
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Jean Beausejour, Chilean football player getting The science of self-realization book of Srila Prabhupada. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6Ypeyz

The post Kirtan in London appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The latest news at Care for Cows
This issue of 28 pages (1.5 MB pdf document) covers events over the past four months. The articles in this issue are: 1. A brief explanation of the Govardhana Puja and Gopastami Festivals with many photos showing the joyous celebrations at our facility in Kiki Nagla. 2. A reprint of a newspaper article describing a historic decision made by the Maharastra High Court regarding their prohibition of the slaughter of 12,000 bulls. Interestingly enough the plea to the court was submitted by a national Muslim society. 3. A report by Gopa Kumar Dasa, an Ayurvedic practitioner, on how cow dung (gobar) and turmeric smoke relieves cough and other bronchial maladies. 4. Care for Cows is experimenting with a new identification tag system. 5. A transcription of a lecture on cow protection delivered by Sri Rajendra Dasa Ji Maharaja, Mahant of the Sri Malook Peeth, Vrindavan. 6. A report on four new calves born at CFC. 7. A report on two new admissions who have joined our recuperation program.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/yt3iXZ

Bollywood Singer Kavita Krishnamurty and her husband L Subhramaniam recieving Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

The Thief Who Stole The Lord’s Toe-ring
SRIRANGAM - I had the good fortune to witness the stealing of Sri Ranganatha’s ornaments by Thirumangai Alvar when I made visit to Srirangam recently enroute to Kumbakonam to order three kalasams for our BCC temple project. The amazing story of Thriumangai Alvar can be found from Wikipedia. The gist has been extracted here for easy reading.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/8qOtpH

The movie PK states that people go to temples because of fear, but Gita 4.10 states that fear obstructs people from Krishna's shelter. How do we reconcile the two?

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From Sajit P:
Lord Chaitanya enjoins us to speak Krishna's message to everyone, yet the ninth offense forbids us from speaking the glories of the holy name to faithless people. How do we reconcile?

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Scandinavian Bhakti Sangam 2015
There will be lots of exstatic kirtan, enlivening lectures, nice prasadam and many wonderful opportunities to serve the vaishnavas!
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Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast:

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The post Should disciples give diksa to devotees – accept disciples – in the physical presence of their own diksa guru? appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Holy Name Meditation Podcast:

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New Year 2015 celebration in ISKCON Riga, Latvia with kirtan (20 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: These four principles: Always think of Krishna, become Krishna’s devotee, worship Krishna and offer your respect, obeisances to Krishna. That’s all. This is Krishna consciousness. Hyderabad, November 17, 1972.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/8uvNHr

1. Are rituals wrong numbers to God? (PK QA 1)

2. Can we reject as wrong numbers the rituals that don’t make sense? (PK QA 2)

3. Why do religious teachers stereotype people as when they pronounce all Pakistanis as cheaters? (PK QA 3)

4. Do people who are afraid go to temples? (PK QA 4)

5. Is it cowardice to go to God out of fear? (PK QA 5)

6. Are there two gods: the god who created man and the god whom man created? (PK QA 6)

(To be continued)

Why only two? Why not thousands?

Yes, it is true that man has concocted notions of God. But if we were to count such concoctions, then there would be not two gods but thousands of gods, because thousands of people have come up with their own myriad notions of god.

PK says that we don’t know anything about the God who made man. The how do we know that this God is different from the god whom man created? If we don’t know anything about the real currency note, how can we say that the currency note in front of us is false? To say that the God who created man is not the god whom man created implies having some knowledge about that God. If we don’t have any knowledge about God, then how can we say what god is not?

More incoherently, PK says that he has faith in the God who made man. But if he doesn’t know anything about this God, then on what basis does he believe in him? Might his faith be blind? Or might the differentiation between the two Gods be a subtle and sinister tool to make people stop doing all practical acts of worshiping God, while giving them a pseudo-assurance that they haven’t become atheists because they worship some unknowable true God?

To authentically know what God is and to differentiate between him and man’s concoctions about God, we need to not stop doing rituals but start studying scripture, the authoritative books about God. Such study will protect us not only from the pitfall of blind faith that PK depicts but also the pitfall that PK pushes us into – blind faithlessness.

It is no more cowardice than is a small child’s going to parents out of fear. But just as the child is meant to outgrow the fear, so too are religious people meant to grow up spiritually and outgrow the fear motive for going to God.

There are four broad levels at which people approach God: fear, desire, duty and love.

1. Fear: People who are afraid of life’s problems go to God out of fear. Such fear is a good beginning in one’s relationship with God, just as children need to have some healthy fear of their parents. That fear checks their unruliness and fosters discipline in them, thereby preparing them for a bright future career. Similarly fear of God helps instill basic morality in people. But just as children are not meant to live lifelong in fear of their parents, but are meant to develop higher emotions such as love, so too are we meant to grow in our relationship with God from fear towards love.
2. Desire: When people want things that are difficult for them to get by their own efforts alone, they go to God out of desire. This is one step higher because their conception of God is not negative as a discipliner but positive as a potent desire-fulfiller. But still their relationship with him is utilitarian, based on give-and-take rather than love.
3. Duty: Some people understand that God has already given me so much

– life, body, health, food, clothing, shelter. So they feel dutybound to go periodically to his temple for thanking him. Here the relationship is based on gratitude for what has already been given and not on desire for what one wants to receive. So the relationship is steadier. However, duty can over time become a burden. Moreover, the focus in this level is still on what God has done for me, not on God himself.

4. Love: This is the purest level of approaching God, where people understand that God is their supreme object of love and they find the supreme fulfillment in loving and serving him. At this level, we see all living beings as members of the same one family of God. Thus love for God blossoms into love for all living beings.

The purpose of religion is to help people rise from the level of fear to the level of love. To that end, temples should have educational forums where people can learn about this progression and raise themselves accordingly. PK goes about caricaturing temple-goers as fearful ninnies and thereby discourages many people from getting the relief and strength available through temples. If instead it had guided people to rise to the level of love for God, it could have done far greater service to society

Could be, but then people who are afraid go to watch PK too. Many people who watch movies seek relief from worry, stress, and tension – all fear by other names. If an activity is to be stopped just because it is done out of fear, then watching PK should also be stopped. Just as people watch movies for many reasons other than fear, people go to temples for many reasons other than fear – reasons that we will discuss in the next answer. Let’s focus on the fear motive here.

The simple undeniable fact about life is that so many things can go wrong at any moment. Such uncertainties naturally worry us. Different people deal with this fear in different ways: for example, by drinking, watching movies or going to temples.

Rather than parodying an activity based on its motive, we need to evaluate it based on its utility, that is, based on whether it serves its purpose.

Does watching movies help people deal with their fears? Not really, except that it helps them forget their fears for a few hours.

Does going to temples help people deal with their fears? At the very least, it offers people what a movie offers – relief from fear. The serene, spiritually vibrant atmosphere of the temple brings peace to people’s minds and hearts, thus helping them forget their worries.

But for the devout going to temples offers so much more. People pray for solutions to their problems and sometimes they do get solutions – not necessarily through a miraculous intervention, but through the arrival in their mind of positive ideas, insights and inspirations. Even if their specific problem is not solved, still the very act of going to the temple and praying often makes them feel reassured. When we share our heart’s anxieties with a loved one, even if that person doesn’t offer any solutions, still the very act of sharing makes us feel lighter, unburdened, strengthened. Similar is the enlivening effect of going to a temple and praying to God. Such enlivenment empowers them to perform better, thereby contributing towards solving the problem.

Some skeptical people might consider such enlivenment illusory. Does that give them the right to caricature religious people’s beliefs? What happened to democracy and the right of all people to their beliefs?

A famous cricketer believed that placing a red handkerchief in his pocket helped him perform better; a batsman believed that kissing his bat each time before facing the bowler improved his batting. If we don’t lampoon such superstitious idiosyncrasies, then why do we consider it fair game to lampoon something – going to temples – that has offered relief and strength to millions for millennia?

Such stereotyping is definitely undesirable, but then why does PK stereotype all religious teachers by depicting them in just one color – black. If there are shades among Pakistanis, aren’t there shades among religious teachers? The popular media frequently portrays religious teachers as manipulators and mercenaries out to profit from people’s faith and fear. And PK by depicting only that kind of religious teachers simply perpetuates that stereotype. If stereotyping all Pakistanis as cheaters is simplistic and misleading, then isn’t stereotyping all religious teachers as cheaters also simplistic and misleading?

Someone might argue, “But those are the kind of religious teachers who are most popular and influential. So it’s only right and educational that PK depicts them.”

Won’t that argument apply to Pakistanis too? The common Pakistani people may not have any strong anti-India prejudice, but they don’t determine Pakistan’s policies towards India. Those policies are determined by Pakistan’s political and martial leaders – both of whom usually find it convenient to keep anti-India sentiments high among Pakistanis because blaming India for Pakistan’s problems helps deflect attention from their own ineptness. So if Indians are to be educated, then they should be educated about the dangerous mindsets of such influential Pakistanis also, not just about un-influential Pakistani Romeos pining for Indian Juliets.

Further, if PK truly wanted to educate people about India’s religious landscape, it could have highlighted or at least depicted the sincere religious teachers who unselfishly serve God and humanity. Then people could have endeavored to find and follow such teachers, thereby staying protected from the harmful influence of self-serving teachers.

But depicting such complexity isn’t easy and it isn’t entertaining. Much easier to paint all religious teachers as black, make fun of them and make big money out of it. PK’s purpose is not educational – it’s simply commercial. PK accuses religious teachers of making a business of faith. Though not all religious teachers do such business, PK itself surely does that. It makes a business of faith, just from the opposite side – not by promoting faith, but by bashing faith. Agar dharma-guru shraddhaa ka dhanda kar rahe hain, to PK dharma ki ninda ka dhanda kar raha hain.

And if PK had bothered to find some authentic religious teachers, it would have discovered that they see everyone with equal vision, as the Bhagavad-gita (05.18) describes. They see that beyond our different bodily shells the spiritual substance that animates all of us is similar. Accordingly, they teach that all living beings, whatever their nationality, religion or race, are all beloved parts of God. So authentic religious teachers, far from stereotyping others, provide the spiritual vision by which people can rise beyond such stereotyping.

This is the 3rd in a series of 4 entries by Gopisa das to his India Journal about his recent first-time pilgrimage to India.

His 1^st India Journal posting: Day 1 & 2 “Rotis and Spirituality”:

http://www.brijabasispirit.com/2014/12/26/new-vrindabans-gopisa-das-discusses-rotis-and-spirituality-in-the-land-of-bharatavarsha/

His 2nd India Journal posting: Day 3 & 4 “Adventures”:

http://www.brijabasispirit.com/2015/01/05/new-vrindabans-gopisa-dass-adventures-on-his-spiritual-retreat/

DAY 5

Dearest family,

Today was a quieter day in anticipation of the 64 rounds day at Srila Rupa Goswami’s bhajan kutir tomorrow. We had an adventure shopping this morning and finding the post office which appears to be much more modern according to Jaya Krsna… while it is a small hole in the wall place with a couple steps leading in, they do have bar codes and a computer. It’s just a matter of firing up the Honda generator, plugging in the power strip, booting up the computer and working through the start up to finally get to the program that will give a cost to send a small package. Everything in India has its own way of getting to the goal…it’s just that it usually takes a parikram around Govardhana hill to get there.

Everything we purchased was at the tourist price. That’s just the way of it here. They are so happy to engage in a little cheating….160 rupees for a small bunch of bananas, 4 huge apples and a papaya…it’s highway robbery I tell you! Of course it’s also 3 dollars US…

I’m off to bed now with hopes and prayers that I’ll accomplish my goal of chanting 64 rounds, a task which will take me about 10+ hours.

Love and Krsna to you all!   G

Post Office in India

 DAY 6

Dearest family,

Today was our 64 rounds day in Srila Rupa Goswami’s bhajan kutir. It is a very peaceful atmosphere with beautiful trees and many meditation areas. The facility is run by a very ebullient and energetic goswami originally from Bengal. Sacinandana Swami has a very good relationship with him and the experience was both serene and enlivening.

I actually managed to chant all 64 rounds though I didn’t finish till 8:30 pm. Still, that was a first for me. We leave tomorrow for Vrindavan and should arrive by 3 pm. Hopefully we’ll have internet there and these emails will all hit you at once.

Need to get to bed…we’re hiking up to Srimati Radharani’s temple for the morning program which starts at 5:30 am.

Love and Krsna to you all!   G

It's good to be here and to have your association. I receive a lot of inspiration from the Japa Group. The pithy and often succinct advice goes straight to the heart and often after reading one I will go and do some more japa. You can tell its doing something good and the pure seva it is for devotees, if it causes one to desire to chant more, to be more focused and pure of heart and be with the Lord. He is just waiting for us.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.21 during a program at the house of Brijmohan Sethi.

“It just so happens that Srila Prabhupada saw the same Juhu Beach land many times before he went to America. In order to get a passage to America, Srila Prabhupada approached Srimati Morarji of the Scindia Steam Navigation company. She had a large Bungalow just on Juhu Beach. She was a devotee of Krishna and in order to encourage her spiritually, Srila Prabhupada would visit her bungalow. On the way he would pass Mr. Nair’s land which was known as Nair Wadi. Srila Prabhupada thought that this would be a nice place to have a temple. So, we can see how powerful are the desires of a pure devotee. Several years later, when Srila Prabhupada returned from America with some of his American and European disciples, some of his disciples met Mr. Nair who offered them the same land”

Program at Brijmohan Sethi’s House, Mumbai

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Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami Appearance Day in ISKCON-Delhi (Album 25 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The name Krishna and the Personality of Godhead Krishna are identical. There is no difference in the absolute realm between the name, form or person of the Absolute Truth because in the absolute realm everything is transcendental bliss. (Srimad Bhagavatam, Introduction)
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