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Mariupol is one of the biggest сities in East Ukraine. There used to be more than 500,000 people before the war broke out. However, now the сity is mostly destroyed. But those that could not leave remain to survive day by day. The city has no gas, electric power, or water. Many people are living […]
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Kartik is very auspicious for spiritual advancement. Another name for Kartik is Urja-vrata. Urja means power. The supreme power, the original power, is Srimati Radharani. So, Urja-vrata, or Kartik-vrata, is for Srimati Radharani. Many important pastimes took place in the month of Kartik. On the full-moon night, Sri Krishna played His flute and enjoyed the rasa-lila, which is considered the best of His pastimes. Also during Kartik, Krishna saw that the residents of Vrindavan were preparing to worship Indradeva, and He convinced them not to worship Indra but to use the same paraphernalia to worship Govardhana Hill, the brahmans, and the cows. When Indra saw that his worship had been stopped, he became furious and wanted to take revenge against Krishna and the Vraja-vasis. He sent torrential rains and hail. And to give protection to the residents of Vrindavan, Krishna lifted Govardhana Hill and kept it on the little finger of His left hand for seven days. Thus Indra’s pride was shattered, and he came to beg forgiveness from Lord Krishna.
In the month of Kartik also, our beloved founder-acharya, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, left this world and entered the eternal pastimes of Krishna.
One other event that took place during Kartik was Lord Krishna’s killing of the demon Arista, who had assumed the form of a bull. Thereafter, Lord Krishna manifested Syama-kunda and Radha-kunda. Because today is celebrated as the appearance day of Radha-kunda, we shall read a relevant verse from The Nectar of Instruction, an authorized English presentation by Srila Prabhupada of Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Sri Upadesamrta.
The Nectar of Instruction, Text Ten:
karmibhyah parito hareh priyataya vyaktim yayur jnaninas
tebhyo jnana-vimukta-bhakti-paramah premaika-nisthas tatah
tebhyas tah pasu-pala-pankaja-drsas tabhyo ’pi sa radhika
prestha tadvad iyam tadiya-sarasi tam nasrayet kah krti
karmibhyah—than all fruitive workers; paritah—in all respects; hareh—by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; priyataya—because of being favored; vyaktim yayur—it is said in the sastra; jnaninah—those advanced in knowledge; tebhyah—superior to them; jnana vimukta—liberated by knowledge; bhakti-paramah—those engaged in devotional service; prema-eka-nisthah—those who have attained pure love of God; tatah—superior to them; tebhyah—better than them; tah—they; pasu-pala-pankaja–drsah—the gopis who are always dependent on Krsna, the cowherd boy; tabhyah—above all of them; api—certainly; sa—She; radhika—Srimati Radharani; prestha—very dear; tadvat—similarly; iyam—this; tadiya-sarasi—Her lake, Sri Radha-kunda; tam—Radha-kunda; na—not; asrayet—would take shelter of; kah—who; krti—most fortunate.
TRANSLATION
In the sastra it is said that of all types of fruitive workers, he who is advanced in knowledge of the higher values of life is favored by the Supreme Lord Hari. Out of many such people who are advanced in knowledge [jnanis], one who is practically liberated by virtue of his knowledge may take to devotional service. He is superior to the others. However, one who has actually attained prema, pure love of Krsna, is superior to him. The gopis are exalted above all the advanced devotees because they are always totally dependent upon Sri Krsna, the transcendental cowherd boy. Among the gopis, Srimati Radharani is the most dear to Krsna. Her kunda [lake] is as profoundly dear to Lord Krsna as this most beloved of the gopis. Who, then, will not reside at Radha-kunda and, in a spiritual body surcharged with ecstatic devotional feelings [aprakrta-bhava], render loving service to the divine couple Sri Sri Radha-Govinda, who perform Their astakaliya-lila, Their eternal eight-fold daily pastimes. Indeed, those who execute devotional service on the banks of Radha-kunda are the most fortunate people in the universe.
PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada
At the present moment almost everyone is engaged in some kind of fruitive activity. Those who are desirous of gaining material profits by working are called karmis, or fruitive workers. All living entities within this material world have come under the spell of maya. This is described in the Visnu Purana (6.7.61):
visnu-saktih para prokta
ksetrajnakhya tatha para
avidya-karma-samjnanya
trtiya saktir isyate
Sages have divided the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead into three categories—namely, the spiritual energy, marginal energy, and material energy. The material energy is considered to be the third-class energy (trtiya saktih). Those living beings within the jurisdiction of the material energy sometimes engage themselves like dogs and hogs in working very hard simply for sense gratification. However, in this life, or, after executing pious activities, in the next life, some karmis become strongly attracted to performing various kinds of sacrifices mentioned in the Vedas. Thus on the strength of their pious merit, they are elevated to heavenly planets. Actually those who perform sacrifices strictly according to Vedic injunctions are elevated to the moon and planets above the moon. As mentioned in Bhagavad-gita (9.21), ksine punye martya-lokam visanti: After exhausting the results of their so-called pious activities, they again return to the earth, which is called martya-loka, the place of death. Although such persons may be elevated to the heavenly planets by their pious activities and although they may enjoy life there for many thousands of years, they nonetheless must return to this planet when the results of their pious activities are exhausted.
COMMENT by Giriraj Swami
The lowest category mentioned here is the karmi. The principle of the karmi is to work to get money for sense gratification. Ninety-nine percent of the people in the world are karmis, and they fall into two categories: those who are regulated according to Vedic principles and those who are not. Those who are not regulated are like animals—cats and dogs and hogs. They just want to eat, drink, and enjoy. They engage in all sorts of sinful activities, and as a result they are pushed down into hellish conditions. Those in the other category, the regulated, follow the Vedic injunctions in order to enjoy a higher standard of material happiness. By performance of pious activities, such as Vedic sacrifices, such persons can be elevated to the heavenly planets, where they enjoy the results of their pious deeds. But after their pious credits are exhausted, they again fall down to earth.
One time on a morning walk in the middle of New York City, Srila Prabhupada pointed to some blades of grass growing up between the cracks of the concrete pavement. “What is this?” he asked. “It’s grass, Srila Prabhupada,” a devotee replied. “Yes, I know it is grass,” Prabhupada said. “But how did it come up here between the cracks?” Nobody could answer. Then Srila Prabhupada explained that after the fruitive workers exhaust their pious credits on the higher planets, they fall down to earth. And how do the spirit souls get here from the higher planets? They come in the rain. The rain falls on the earth, between the cracks of the sidewalk, and the living entities who were enjoying life in the heavenly planets take birth as blades of grass or sprouts of grain on earth. This is because their pious credits have been exhausted.
From the point of view of one in Krishna consciousness, that happiness of sense gratification is not real happiness. But even if someone is on a lower level and thinks that material enjoyment is happiness, still he cannot enjoy for long. As soon as his pious credits are finished, he will have to suffer. Therefore, intelligent persons do not try to enjoy the material world.
PURPORT (continued)
This is the position of all karmis, including those who act piously and those who act impiously. On this planet we find many businessmen, politicians, and others who are simply interested in material happiness. They attempt to earn money by all means, not considering whether such means are pious or impious. Such people are called karmis, or gross materialists. Among the karmis are some vikarmis, people who act without the guidance of Vedic knowledge. Those who act on the basis of Vedic knowledge perform sacrifices for the satisfaction of Lord Visnu and to receive benedictions from Him. In this way they are elevated to higher planetary systems. Such karmis are superior to the vikarmis, for they are faithful to the directions of the Vedas and are certainly dear to Krsna. In Bhagavad-gita (4.11), Krsna says: ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham. “In whatever way one surrenders unto Me, I reward him accordingly.”
COMMENT
In shastra Lord Krishna states that “the injunctions of the Vedas are My orders, and one who goes against the injunctions of the Vedas goes against Me.” So, one who follows the Vedic injunctions follows the orders of Krishna, and he tends to be dearer to Krishna than one who goes against them.
PURPORT (continued)
Krsna is so kind that He fulfills the desires of the karmis and jnanis, what to speak of the bhaktas. Although the karmis are sometimes elevated to higher planetary systems, as long as they remain attached to fruitive activities they must accept new material bodies after death.
COMMENT
In the Bhagavad-gita (8.16) Lord Krishna says, a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino ’rjuna: from the highest planet in the material world, Brahmaloka, down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. Even if one is elevated to a heavenly planet, he still has to die and take birth again. As stated in the Gita (2.27), “For one who has taken birth, death is certain. And for one who has died, birth is certain.” He remains caught in the repetition of birth and death.
PURPORT (continued)
If one acts piously, he can attain a new body among the demigods in the higher planetary systems, or he may attain some other position in which he can enjoy a higher standard of material happiness. On the other hand, those who are engaged in impious activities are degraded and take birth as animals, trees, and plants. Thus those fruitive actors who do not care for the Vedic directions (vikarmis) are not appreciated by learned saintly persons. . . .
One should therefore be eager to understand the science of the soul (atma-tattva). Unless one comes to the platform of atma-tattva, by which one understands that the soul and not the body is oneself, one remains on the platform of ignorance. Out of thousands and even millions of ignorant people who are wasting their time simply gratifying their senses, one may come to the platform of knowledge and understand higher values of life. Such a person is called a jnani.
COMMENT
Higher than the karmis are the jnanis. The karmis are bound to remain in the material world to enjoy and suffer the fruits of their work. They may enjoy for a while, but mainly they suffer. The jnanis are more intelligent, because they see that fruitive work leads to suffering, but they don’t know about devotional service. They know only material activity, and that material activity brings material misery. So, to become free from material misery, they resolve to refrain from all activity. But the soul is active by nature. The soul cannot remain inactive for long. So, the jnani too must engage in activity, and, having no knowledge of spiritual activity, he will again engage in material activity and thus fall down. Therefore Srimad-Bhagavatam says that although jnanis imagine that they are liberated, actually they are not, because they neglect the service of the lotus feet of the Lord.
ye ’nye ’ravindaksa vimukta-maninas
tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah
aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
patanty adho ’nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah
“O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet.” (SB 10.2.32)
Because such impersonalists neglect the Lord’s service, they fall down. After renouncing material activities, they become restless; they want some activity. And because they are unaware of the spiritual activities of bhakti-yoga, devotional service, they fall into material activities and become karmis again. There are many examples of impersonal jnanis and yogis who go to the Himalayas to become one with Brahman, declaring, brahma satya jagan mithya: Brahman is truth, and the world is false. They leave the world to engage in impersonal meditation, but they cannot maintain it; they fall down. They come back to the world they have declared to be false, back to the cities, and engage in material welfare activities such as opening schools and hospitals, and sometimes they fall so low that they become involved in politics. So, patyanti adah: they fall down.
The impersonal philosophers don’t have real knowledge. If someone actually has knowledge, he surrenders to Krishna and engages in devotional service.
bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyante
vasudevah sarvam iti
sa mahatma sudurlabhah
“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Gita 7.19) After being a jnani for many lifetimes, when the jnani actually becomes wise, he surrenders to Krishna and becomes a bhakta, a rare great soul.
The bhakta is superior to the karmi and the jnani. The bhakta begins with the process of sadhana-bhakti, but even the sadhaka is considered higher than the best of the karmis and jnanis. And when the sadhaka becomes more advanced, he attains krsna-prema. Among the devotees, he who has prema is the best. And among the devotees who have prema, the active servants are better than those who have neutral appreciation; the friends are higher than the servants; the fathers and mothers are higher than the friends; and the lovers, or the young gopis, are the best of all. And among the gopis, Srimati Radharani is the best—She is the best of all.
PURPORT (continued)
Of all these devotees, the gopis are recognized as superior because they do not know anything other than satisfying Krsna. Nor do the gopis expect any return from Krsna.
COMMENT
The gopis are the best because they have no personal desire for enjoyment. They want only Krishna’s happiness. Srila Prabhupada told the story of the time Krishna declared that He had a headache and that only the dust of the feet of His devotee could cure Him. He sent His messenger to so many devotees, but they all said, “If the dust of our feet goes on the Lord’s head, we will commit a great offense and have to go to hell.” So they all refused. The messenger became discouraged. He went back to Lord Krishna, and the Lord said, “You should go to the gopis of Vrindavan and ask them.” So he went, and immediately all the gopis gathered around him and inquired, “How is Krishna?” The messenger replied, “Krishna is not well. He has a headache.” The gopis immediately became disturbed. “Krishna has a headache! What can we do? What can we do?” The messenger said, “The only thing that will cure Krishna’s headache is the dust of the feet of His devotee.” “Oh, then take as much dust as you like, take it all!” “But if the dust from your feet goes on Krishna’s head, you will be committing a great offense and could go to hell,” the messenger said. And the gopis replied, “As long as Krishna’s headache is cured, we don’t care if we go to hell.”
This is the standard of the gopis’ love. They have no desire for personal happiness. They want only Krishna’s happiness, and if their unhappiness gives Krishna happiness, they consider their unhappiness to be the greatest happiness. We cannot experience such feelings in the material world. Only someone who has come to the stage of bhava- or prema-bhakti can know such selfless love. “Of all these devotees, the gopis are recognized as superior because they do not know anything other than satisfying Krishna.”
Srila Prabhupada often gave the example that Krishna would go into the pasturing grounds and the gopis would be at home, crying. Why were they crying? Because they were thinking that the paths of Vrindavan were filled with so many thorns and stones and that if the soft lotus feet of Krishna were pricked by some pebble or thorn, He would feel pain. And thinking of Krishna’s pain, they would cry.
“Nor do the gopis expect any return from Krsna.” Srila Prabhupada used to say that when Krishna returned from the pasturing grounds in the afternoon, the gopis would not approach Him and say, “Krishna, You have been working all day. What have You brought for me? Let me look into Your pocket and see if You brought something for me.” They were not like that.
PURPORT (continued)
Nor do the gopis expect any return from Krsna. Indeed, sometimes Krsna puts them into extreme suffering by separating Himself from them. Nonetheless, they cannot forget Krsna.
COMMENT
In the material world, we may think that we love someone, but after some time we may forget. Somebody will die, and we will cry for some days, but gradually we may forget. But the gopis never forget Krishna.
PURPORT (continued)
When Krsna left Vrndavana for Mathura, the gopis became most dejected and spent the rest of their lives simply crying in separation from Krsna. This means that in one sense they were never actually separated from Krsna. There is no difference between thinking of Krsna and associating with Him.
COMMENT
Krishna is absolute. Therefore Krishna’s name, Krishna’s form, Krishna’s qualities, and Krishna’s pastimes are all the same as Krishna. So, when one remembers Krishna’s name, form, qualities, or pastimes, one is in Krishna’s association. In the extreme mood of separation from Krishna, the gopis actually experience Krishna’s presence. And they feel great ecstasy. The bodies of the gopis are ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabis (Bs 5.37). They’re made of ananda cinmaya-rasa, or mahabhava. Their constitution is ananda-maya, full of bliss. It cannot be anything but bliss—and not only bliss, but the highest ecstasy of mahabhava. Their feeling of separation appears externally to be misery, but actually it is not misery; it is ecstasy. Srila Sanatana Gosvami gives an analogy for extreme separation—that ice acts like fire. For example, dry ice is so cold that if you touch it, you get burned. It’s freezing cold, but it produces the opposite effect. The mood of the gopis’ separation is so extreme and intense that in separation they experience meeting Krishna, and they experience ecstasy in Krishna’s association.
PURPORT (continued)
There is no difference between thinking of Krsna and associating with Him. Rather, vipralambha-seva, thinking of Krsna in separation, as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did, is far better than serving Krsna directly.
COMMENT
We should try to develop Krishna consciousness in the mood of separation. We are not liberated now, not now in Krishna’s pastimes. And if we imagine that we are meeting Krishna and serving Krishna and not factually realizing it, we can become sahajiyas. Srila Prabhupada didn’t want us to become sahajiyas. He wanted us to worship in the mood of separation, like Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the Six Gosvamis.
PURPORT (concluded)
Thus of all the devotees who have developed unalloyed devotional love for Krsna, the gopis are most exalted, and out of all these exalted gopis, Srimati Radharani is the highest. No one can excel the devotional service of Srimati Radharani. Indeed, even Krsna cannot understand the attitude of Srimati Radharani; therefore He took Her position and appeared as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, just to understand Her transcendental feelings.
In this way Srila Rupa Gosvami gradually concludes that Srimati Radharani is the most exalted devotee of Krsna and that Her kunda is the most exalted place. . . .
yatha radha priya visnos
tasyah kundam priyam tatha
sarva-gopisu saivaika
visnor atyanta-vallabha
“Just as Srimati Radharani is dear to the Supreme Lord Krsna, so Her bathing place is equally dear to Krsna. Among all the gopis, She alone stands supreme as the Lord’s most beloved.”
Therefore everyone interested in Krsna consciousness should ultimately take shelter of Radha-kunda and execute devotional service there throughout one’s life. This is the conclusion of Rupa Gosvami in the tenth verse of Upadesamrta.
COMMENT
We’re not really qualified to discuss Radha-kunda, but because today is Radha-kunda’s appearance day, we may say something about the appearance of Sri Radha-kunda, which we can respect and appreciate from a distance.
As I mentioned earlier, Krishna killed the bull demon, the aristasura, and after killing him He approached the gopis for pastimes, but they refused. “You have killed a bull,” they said, “so You are contaminated. We do not want to associate with You.” Krishna asked, “What do I have to do to become purified from the sin?” The gopis replied, “You must take bath in all the sacred rivers in all the sacred places in all the three worlds.” Then Krishna thought, “Better I call all the holy places here.” He pushed His heel in the ground, and immediately all the personified holy places came before Him and started offering prayers and obeisances. Srimati Radharani said, “I don’t see any holy places.” So, Lord Krishna told the holy places personified to identify themselves, and they said, “I am Yamuna, I am Ganga, I am Sarasvati, I am Sindhu, I am Prayag, I am Puskhara,” and so on. And then, on Krishna’s indication, they became liquid and flowed into the kunda created by the impression of Krishna’s foot, and they filled up the kunda with water. Thus Krishna-kunda, or Syama-kunda, came into existence. Krishna took His bath and then announced to the gopis, “Now I am completely pure. I have taken bath in all the sacred places in all the three worlds. But you are not pure. You are contaminated, because although Aristasura was in the form of a bull, still he was a demon. You took the side of a demon, so you are contaminated. So you also have to take bath and become purified. Take bath in My kunda, and you will be free.”
Srimati Radharani said, “No, no. Your kunda is contaminated by the terrible sin of killing the bull. I am not going to take bath in Your kunda. I am going to make My own.”
Aristasura’s hooves had made a shallow ditch just west of Sri Krishna’s pond. So, the gopis began digging up lumps of soft mud with their hands, and very quickly they manifested a beautiful kunda. Srimati Radharani had said from the beginning, “I will make My kunda more beautiful than Krishna’s.” Now Krishna said, “Well, Your kunda is very beautiful, but it has one defect: it has no water in it. So why don’t You take some water from My kunda?” “No, no, no, no. Your water is contaminated by Your sin. We will bring our own water.”
There are thousands and millions of gopis. On Srimati Radharani’s indication, they filled pots with water and passed the pots from one gopi to the next to the next in a long chain, all the way from Manasi-ganga to Radha-kunda. But Lord Krishna, seeing the labor of the gopis, was not happy, because He cannot bear to see even one drop of perspiration on the face of Srimati Radharani. He appealed to Her, “Please take water from My kunda.” But She refused—“No!” Then Lord Krishna called the representative of all the holy places, who began to offer prayers to Srimati Radharani: “Even Krishna likes to serve Your lotus feet, and He rejoices and feels most fortunate simply by satisfying the tips of the toes of Your lotus feet. So we also want to serve Your lotus feet. If You fulfill our desire, our lives will be successful.”
Srimati Radharani was pleased and, glancing at Krishna from the corners of Her eyes, She smiled and replied, “Please come.” And the holy waters in Syama-kunda broke through its boundary walls and quickly filled Radha-kunda. Then Sri Radha and the gopis took bath, and in the end, Krishna was so pleased that He told Her, “Your kunda will become even more famous than Mine. I will always come here to bathe and enjoy My water pastimes. Your kunda is as dear to Me as You are.” Srimati Radharani was pleased, and She said to Lord Krishna, “I will also come and take bath in Your pond, even if You kill hundreds and thousands of Aristasuras. Anyone who has devotion for Your lake and bathes or resides there will become very dear to Me.” Both Sri Radha and Krishna became so pleased after the formation of Syama-kunda and Radha-kunda that They inaugurated a great festival of the rasa dance.
I’ll mention just one more point from the verse. The Sanskrit in the verse concludes, prestha tadvad iyam tadiya-sarasi tam nasrayet kah krti: “What fortunate person will not take shelter of Radha-kunda?” This is what the Sanskrit says. But what does Srila Prabhupada say? “Who, then, will not reside at Radha-kunda and, in a spiritual body surcharged with ecstatic devotional feelings, render service to the divine couple who perform Their eternal eight-fold daily pastimes?” In other words, this is what it really means to take shelter of Radha-kunda—not to go there and live like a monkey. When a disciple once told Srila Prabhupada that he wanted to go and stay in Radha-kunda, Srila Prabhupada replied that there were already enough monkeys there; they didn’t need another.
Taking shelter of Radha-kunda doesn’t mean going there and living like a monkey, thinking of the demands of the body. Monkeys appear to be very renounced, because they don’t wear clothes, they eat only fruits and berries, and they live in the jungle in trees. But Srila Prabhupada said that each monkey has two dozen girlfriends. So, actually, they are not renounced. If someone goes to Radha-kunda without being able to take shelter of the holy name as described by Srila Prabhupada in the translation, he may become just like a monkey—outwardly appearing renounced but internally full of desires for sense gratification.
So, we go step by step. Srila Rupa Gosvami describes the exalted position of Srimati Radharani and Radha-kunda and asks, “What fortunate person will not take shelter of Radha-kunda?” But here we are at the end of Rupa Gosvami’s instructions. There are so many instructions earlier in the book, and to take shelter of Radha-kunda properly, we have to follow all the other instructions, from text one to text nine—not jump like monkeys to texts nine, ten, and eleven.
What is the first instruction? Vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam/ jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam—we have to control the urges. First is the urge to speak. We speak so much nonsense. Whenever we get the chance, we discuss politics, we discuss boy-girl affairs, or still worse, we criticize devotees. So, vaco vegam, and then manasa krodha-vegam: we have to control the mind. Anyway, I need not elaborate. We all can assess our present positions. And we should proceed step by step from the first verse up to the last ones, nine, ten, and eleven.
Still, by the mercy of Srimati Radharani, Srila Rupa Gosvami, and Srila Prabhupada, we have had the opportunity to remember Sri Radha-kunda and discuss the conclusions of Srila Rupa Gosvami given here in Sri Upadesamrta, so kindly explained by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
Hare Krishna!
[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Radha-kunda’s appearance day, November 7, 1993, Bombay]
Queen’s Park, Toronto
Charm Boy
This is the month of Domodhara, hence this poem, “Charm Boy”
He is both menacing and adorable
His sweet innocence reveals He’s not deplorable
Babyhood charm is written all over His face
And wherever He is he transforms that very space
That space is on earth and beyond the skies too
His parents impose upon Him a decent curfew
Yet He sneaks away at night under the moon
After plotting a rally of monkeys and friends by noon
The plot is to scout the neighbors’ homes
And swarm their butter stock like bees to honeycomb
There is success in the break and enter
He is definitely left, right and center
He then gets caught red-handed by His mother
For His hands are moisten by thick, smooth butter
His mother decides He must learn a good lesson
She grabs a stick and starts a chasing session
But He’s fast on His feet with speed He goes
She runs and due to fatigue she slows
Tossing out the stick she manages to stop Him
From here on it may appear to look grim
But not so, she secures a rope to bind the Boy
For both persons there is a mixture of fear and joy
Mystically the rope of lesson and love
Cannot tie him, frustrating her thereof
- Composed by Bhaktimarga Swami, The Walking Monk©
May the Source be with you!
Brickworks, Toronto
From Bricks to Beavers
Mitch from Orangeville came by to join us on the prearranged walk to the Brickworks and beyond. Usually, I can pack in some japa on beads; chanting during these urban pilgrimages, which are actually located in ravines. However, today was just talking all the while. The topic of Tattva, philosophical truths, according to the devotional perspective and practical realities were what occupied our time. It was sweet. We even cited a beaver lodge.
Now, I am the first to admit that I am a trite bit behind in my correspondence with people, but I make it a priority to offer myself to these younger Vaishnavas. The days of good weather are numbered at this time of year and so it is important to bend with the seasonal changes. You are not going to find a situation, like now, with more favorable weather conditions. As I mentioned to Mitch, “The fall is the best time for working, playing, eating, sleeping and spiritual undertakings. It is the month of Damodhara, also known as kartik; when spiritual progress can be realized. Some people make vows to increase their chanting.”
Incidentally at one cozy corner in the forest we lead kirtan and used our hands to clap, like a beaver would slap his tail on the water. That singing and clapping alone attracted one young couple who heard us from the distance through the trees across Mud Creek. They sought us out and joined us.
Mitch had been on my weekly Gita chat Zoom calls so I was so happy to see him becoming a component of our walking, talking and chanting excursion.
May the Source be with you!
10 km
Ottawa, Ontario
We Give Thanks
Out of the whole calendar year few days come across as days of shanti, or peace. Thanksgiving Day, which in Canada is today, is one of them. It also happens to be, by the Vedic calendar, the first day of an auspicious month, known as Kartik. At this time one can make tremendous progress on the spiritual platform.
Bearing all this in mind Brhat Mrdunga, the newly initiated Shreyas and I ventured along Ottawa, including a walk, in front of and behind the parliament buildings. We also factored in a stroll over bridges to the district of Gatineau on the Quebec side.
We were bathing in the sun and embracing the autumn colors while pedestrians, many of them tourists, offered their “Hellos!” or “Bonjour.” For sure peace was in the air as we kept walking and walking on what I would say is the perfect weather (not summer) for parikrama, which as a Sanskrit word means “pilgrimage” or “spiritual walk.”
A very kind cook at Govinda’s Restaurant, by the name of Mandala Rama, prepared some great veggie preps for us. Beginning tomorrow, the 11th, he will spearhead a program called “Feed the World,” a weeklong free feed-out of prasadam, blessed food. Being in the heart of the student world at Ottawa U, students will go crazy, as in previous years, over the great meals made available to them allowing a chance at making baby steps at spiritual progress.
May the Source be with you!
10 km
Ottawa, Ontario
Moving On
After a fresh and light rainfall, the sun made his appearance and of course this is outside dynamics. In the meantime, there was a shanti, or peacefulness, in the interior of the Krishna temple on Pie IX Blvd., Montreal. Every Sunday morning a reading and a discussion takes place from the text Chaitanya Charitamrta. This morning I had the honor to conduct the class on a section where the renowned monk, Chaitanya himself, had a serious chat with a scholar of the Tattvavadi School. The scholar was emphasizing the importance of everyone following their prescribed duty in relation to the system of the four social and spiritual orders. Chaitanya, on the other hand, stressed the relevance of people adhering to nine processes of bhakti, devotion.
It was a good read.
Brhat Mrdunga and I were in anticipation to leave for our next stop, which was Ottawa, but Mahadeva’s vehicle was having all kinds of complications, beginning with a flat tire. A kind Gokulananda helped us with a 2-hour drive to the capital city of Ottawa. We arrived at the sweet end of the Sunday open house, which was special today due to an initiation ceremony. A doctor by the name of Sunil was aspiring for this next step in his spiritual life. The agni-hotra, or fire ceremony, was completed when we arrived, which was late, but time allowed for Sunil to receive his chanting beads with his name, Shreyas. We congratulated him on his progressive path.
May the Source be with you!
3 km
Montreal, Quebec
Workshop Day
In some respects, it was a long hard day; a workshop on kirtan standards. It went well though and I was happy with the turnout at our ISKCON Montreal center. The course covers directions or standards on conducting chanting sessions either by those who lead or those who respond to kirtan. As usual, we go through the points of the mood behind chanting, the execution, the collaboration, the inclusiveness, the etiquette, etc.
Kirtan has become popular among our youth around the world and much of that inspiration comes from a trailblazing kirtan master, Aindra, who was quite expert. This late and great soul demonstrated his passion for the art. The unique thing about Aindra is that while he has a kind of “rock star” status, that empowerment of his did not go without a strong backbone of sadhana. Power comes from the practice of sadhana, which in the bhaktitradition involves personal japa chanting, puja worship and a regular reading of the books of bhakti teachings.
Our guru, Prabhupada, set standards and moods for kirtan through his books and his example. In my presentation for the workshop, I failed to mention the point that the popular kirtanleaders today carry excellent devotional practices, enabling them to have power in their delivery of chanting the mantras. I guess I will include it in my next workshop, which will be held in Brampton next week.
May the Source be with you!
4 km
Gananoque, Ontario
Out to the Countryside
Our superstar Brahmachari (monk), Brhat Mrdunga, and I, along with my musical devotee friends, Mahadeva and Aunapurna, set off in the westerly direction towards Montreal. But first we plan to take a small detour at Marysville, off the 401, to visit a country farm project run by Dhyana Chandra and David, who both had some experience in ashramlife. The property of forty-five acres has a house, a barn, garden and an acreage of mostly red cedar. Before our trek through this new kind of forest, which is at the back of the property, we came upon a line of dark and naturally ripened plum trees. And yes, we did indulge in the fruit.
The trek was a great break to the ride. Onward we went to quaint Gananoque, a gateway to the tourist trap, The Thousand Islands. The Gananoque Inn is the largest of its kind along this area of massive Lake Ontario/New York State and can be seen from our vehicle windows. There we ate at the diner with the farm’s harvested cilantro, cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers garnished on our preps.
My brother, Jerry, and his wife, Jo Anne, live in town so, naturally, I invited them for a genuine Indian meal (except for the pizza with the fresh cilantro sprinkled on it). A strong obligation I keep is maintaining contact with birth and kin; always a good policy whether monk or a regular guy.
May the Source be with you!
1 km
St. Jamestown, Toronto
Getting Around
A lot of love has been flowing my way. Birthday and post-birthday messages find their way through the cyber space network. Such gratitude I don’t deserve in the heaps that are coming. In any event, thank yous generate a good mood of optimism, so I can appreciate the happy triggers.
Going for a physical checkup was one prime function of the day. Blood and urine samples were left with “Life Lab” on Bloor St. and, hence, I had the opportunity to venture there on foot. Whenever there’s a chance to go somewhere I say “Do it by foot.” I guess you could say that is the beauty of being downtown. Services and needs are accessible unlike the burbs of urban sprawl.
Our Thursday Zoom group still hover around on the stupendous chapter thirteen, which delves into the theme of paramatma, Supersoul. We are finding the credentials of this feature of the Absolute to be quite intriguing. For instance, verse eighteen informs us that “He is the source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the darkness of matter and is unmanifested. He is knowledgeable, He is the object of knowledge and He is the goal of knowledge. He is situated in everyone’s heart.”
There are admin rolls to play, even for a swami, and so the evening saw me sitting in at istaghosti, a review and reflection session on how our ashram monastery is running. Also very exciting was a discussion on the project for Huntsville, where fourteen units will be available as apartments for seniors to reside. There will be a restaurant and temple in the complex. More on this as time unfolds.
May the Source be with you!
4 km
Weston, Ontario
Keeping Blocked From the Sun
I decided to have some downtime through walking, considering that, at the end of it, there would be a kind of party with a number of people. So, I set foot at 1 pm, headed for a ravine, which took me through some fall colors in the northwest direction. I met a man, perhaps in his early eighties. We actually chatted at a park bench for a while. So I was adjusting my seat and taking off my socks; it was too warm, when he told me the distance he was going, to the U of T, I was inspired. That is a stretch!
I hit Vaughn Road, which snakes about in a diagonal way. Trees and homes shaded me from the sun. Then, when I reached Eglinton, I made a left, again sheltered by shadows. A man at the stoplight asked me a question, “The Buddha temple?” Assuming I was going there. Naturally I clarified things for him. We shook hands.
From a five-story window a woman removed her AC unit, preparing for a coming colder season. But all along the way folks were nice. An elderly woman remarked, “That attire looks good.” Of course, it was a new set of clothes for the birthday.
After black Creek Road I swung right on Weston Road, which, for a stretch, edges along the Humber River. This turn was deliberate again, to stay on the shady side of the street, on a road that continues to go in a diagonal direction towards my destination, the Sringeri Banquet Hall, to celebrate the birthday boy – me. It is a humbling affair and devotees were so kind to express gratitude. Thank you all!
May the Source be with you!
13 km
Scarborough, Ontario
To the Bluffs
This was a very inspiring day, one where we were commemorating the birth anniversary of one of our outstanding teachers in the bhaktilineage, Madhavacharya. He was a great scholar who challenged the philosophy of Mayavada with his doctrine on dvaita, personalism. He was born in 1238 and passed away in 1317.
It was perfect to be outside in the joy of the day as we had scheduled a visit to the spectacular Scarborough Bluffs. Our Bhakti Academy trainees and I took a brisk walk by the shores of massive Lake Ontario to bond between each other and all that nature provides. We looked at sumac, chicory, Russian olive trees, wild grapes, chokecherries, poison ivy, pines, maple, oaks, cedars and swamps.
It was just great to bump into Manoharini, a god-sibling, and her husband Bill. They located, in the shade, an ideal spot for kirtan with a guitar on the sand, so we indulged. How sublime that was!
One of the boys remarked on the paradise nature of the situation, “If the material world is a reflection of the spiritual world, then I wonder how super-excellent that spiritual world is, when this place is so special.”
With the outing over, I jumped into a weekly Zoom class on the Gita, 3.33. The message is powerful, about acknowledgment of one’s psychophysical nature and then channeling that in the service of the Lord.
May the Source be with you!
5 km
North York, Ontario
Turning 70
It was hard to believe when the cake came out. I was visiting my sister Pauline in North York, as did two other sisters, Connie and Rose-Ann (I also have two brothers who live a distance away), and presented before me was a one-level, vegan cake with the number seventypressed into the top.
What was shocking to me was not the delicious flavor that the desert was, rather it was the number indicating seven decades of experience in this body. Yes, in this lifetime I have gone through “stuff” but that many years suddenly dawned on me. My birthday is actually on the 5thof this month. I knew it was that annual cheer but suddenly that aged figure crept up. At age fifty it didn’t psychologically affect me – fifty, so what!Then sixty came along – big deal! A lot of folks hit that mile stone. But 70?
In a card Pauline handed to me she scribed, “Hope you have another seventy years to come!”
“Thanks for the blessing, Pauline.”
We had a pleasant time, me and my siblings, along with Pauline’s friend, Andre. Our reminiscences of platonic goings on are always special. What is really important is to see to it that the future goings on become endearing. In many ways it is a choice situation. We carve out our karmaby our current performances.
When the night came, I took the opportunity to hit Yonge St. with my wanting feet. Walking is, after all, a way to celebrate life in a human body.
May the Source be with you!
5 km
Stouffvilke/Vaughn
Getting Around
My first class for today was held in Stouffville, a new and upcoming urban sprawl place. Along with it comes young families who are adherent to the culture of the Vedas. In the quaint lobby of a relatively current plaza unit is pinned on the wall’s bulletin board an invitation to talk about “The Nine Goddesses.” I thought that was a Vedic concept for sure. “Nine Mothers” is what some of us call it.
Inside the main presentation room, which comfortably sits around fifty folks, the intensely painted violet walls have larger than life freehand images of Shiva and Parvati, god and goddess. My purpose in being with this fine group was to deliver a class on the prime God, Krishna, who addresses, in chapter five of the Gita, the message of “Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the anger of the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is well situated and is happy in this world.”
The message, with my humble attempt at elaborating, was well received. Thank you, host Pitambara.
I shifted to Vaughn and to the grand house of some dedicated devotees, the Batra family, to catch the tail end of an appreciation dinner for those who participated in the distribution of the very best of Vedic books capsulated in the text known as The Bhagavatam. Thank you!
Finally, my last destination was home, 243 Avenue Rd.; the temple. Here I finally had the opportunity to launch, as the author of The Saffron Path, a book which details an account of my walking travels through many countries.
May the Source be with you!
0 km
Queen’s Park, Toronto
Touching the Old Times
There is nothing like people coming together after a long ordeal of separation. That was the case when our leaders of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) converged for a re-orientation and, for some, getting acquainted for the first time. We are proud of this bunch of Krishna devotees, men and women of a great caliber, all eighteen of them. The social interaction among them is precious.
While we lunched together, in came a dear old friend, Tim Campbell a.k.a. Trilokanath, A god-sibling and a former partner in travel. It was not walking but driving adventures; all to do with spreading the mission. This was in the mid ’70s and, shall I say, at more simple times; before high-speed devices. Also with him was Roxanne a.k.a. Ratri, another god-sibling, and a great actress when the three of us staged dramas to embellish our Sunday open house at the temple. We also got involved in the fundraising of our current building; a church turned temple back in ’75.
The reunion, if you will, added so much brightness to the day as we spoke about old times; when we just gave our full surrender to Krishna. That formula of surrender still applies to the success in one’s life provided one has a good balance in the way one does things. And in those pioneer days of the movement, due to youthful energy, we did come across with a zealot-manner at times.
I always admired Trilokanath as a good person and devotee of Krishna, not to dismiss Ratri. I was already a monk then and I would actually hang out with the guys in service to Guru.
May the Source be with you!
3 km
The Child Protection Office has an excellent service that you can engage in whether you live in, near, or far from a temple community. This much-needed Seva is one that you can do on your own or with others, such as your family or a reading group. Together we will compile a repository of all […]
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H.G. Ambarisa Prabhu Launches Srila Prabhupada International Heritage Museum Project in the TOVP TOVP Chairman, His Grace Ambarisa Prabhu, is pleased to announce to the worldwide ISKCON community the future opening of a beautiful, inspiring, and permanent Prabhupada Museum in the TOVP, to preserve and display various artifacts related to ISKCON Founder/Acharya, His Divine Grace […]
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ISKCON, Chowpatty, in academic collaboration with the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies in Gainesville, Florida (BIHS) and the Bhaktivedanta Research Center in Mumbai (BRC), will be hosting an international hybrid conference at the Govardhan EcoVillage (GEV) just north of Mumbai, November 4 – 6, 2022, entitled, “Puranic and Siddhantic Cosmology: Within an Experiential Mathematical Framework.” […]
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Being sick is a serious ordeal these days. If it is a serious illness, it is double trouble. Willpower and wallet are put to test. Gauranga Dasa, a devotee from Odessa, found himself in such a difficult situation. In March 2022, after an emergency operation for peritonitis, Gauranga Prabhu heard a terrible diagnosis – cancer. […]
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When Illness Takes Hold: Hopeful Words for Sadhakas explores the challenges and opportunities we face when dealing with illness (or losses and other obstacles) while practicing bhakti. The book has three essays exploring the authors’ personal experiences and the spiritual solutions they found; a question and answer section; and a collection of quotes from our […]
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Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party, visited Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire to mark the start of the Hindu holy month of Kartik. On arrival, the Labour leader was greeted and garlanded as part of a traditional ceremony to welcome guests, and met with the Temple President, Her Grace Visakha Dasi. Sir Keir spoke […]
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