Monday, September 1st, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Montreal, Quebec

Good Place and People


About 30 of us pilgrims walked, almost waltzed, down Prince Arthur in the McGill University area.  We stopped in front of one residence, by Sumir’s arrangement.  He functions as the coordinator of our chanting party today.  I objected to singing and drumming in front of someone’s home at 11 AM on Labour Day. 

“I know this is the building that Prabhupada (our guru) stayed for the summer in ’68, but I have some apprehension about us being in someone’s face.  Maybe people are still sleeping, it’s a holiday.”

Sumir assured me that it’s okay.  The front door to the handsome looking home opened, there, appeared a smiling woman.  She waved us in, so a small contingent of three entered and stepped in.  There we met the family that was expecting us.  Sumir explained to me, “It’s always on Labour Day that we do this.”

We met Matt, the lady’s husband, a cello player and teacher at McGill.  They are the home owners.  He’s also good friends with John McLaughlin of the Maha Vishnu Orchestra.  He asked us which year was it that our guru met John Lennon and company.  It was from the downstairs quarters that our guru lived here, and then spent time training six of his students in harmonium, mrdanga (drum), karatalas,  and voice, before dispatching them to England when they met the Beatles. 

“It was in around ’69,” I suggested to Matt. 

In any event, it was great to be in that spot.  The couple mentioned that they’ve been to the other three duplicates of their home which are all in an attached row, but, to quote them, “But no place has the same good vibes as this home.”  It was implied that a very special person had been living here. 

So after our visit, we continued the walk with kirtan on the grounds of McGill.  The security, lead by three people, approached our man in the front and inquired.  I guess the grounds do not permit assemblies of different kinds.  When they saw how harmless we were, and that we were ‘just passing through’, they let us off the hook.  They were taken by the good vibes.

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Saturday, August 30th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Dundas, Ontario

There is One Thing
 
There is one thing I would like to declare, unofficially; that those Johnny-on-the-spot outdoor toilets are perfect self-realization cubicles. 

I personally stepped into one of those purely to make a change into my swimming trunks for water exploration. In the cubicle next to me a woman entered saying, "Gross!", horrified at the contents. That's why I say, "A step into one of those units and you've got reality staring you in the face." It's the lump-sum of human bodily constituency. It's eye opening while the nostrils and mouth stay tightly shut. 

The place of activity for the day was Spencer's Gorge, near Dundas, Ontario, which became a real hot spot for family and community fun. I spent the morning, and part afternoon, with our Brampton community; bonding, tracking, learning, chanting and having a picnic. It was a bhakti blast. The water experience took some bravado.

Every person that came to this outdoor haven circumvented barriers to reach the base of Spencer's Gorge/Webster's Falls. Vrajadham from Hamilton was our guide. He took us to what seem like Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth". The notable place of ecstasy was right under the falls, a strong penetrating continuous shower. Going behind the constant pour was another "looking behind-the-scenes" experience. It was unobnoxious compared to the toilets.

The anatomy of this day was ending in Richmond Hill at the home of a god-brother, Subha Vilas. There, I delivered a theatrical reading of the Gita along with another spiritual bro, Krishna Das. Yes, it was well received, as was Kalyapani's song of Krishna done to an Irish tune. It was totally sweet!

May the Source be with you!

6 KM
 

Friday, August 29th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario


Don't You Know, We're Eternal?


I pulled out of the closet, my '96 blue backpack with the logo "Cross Canada Walk" sewn on, before I embarked on a Bloor Street trek for two hours. This small pack provides enough space for overnight provisions - a tooth brush, clean set of robes and swimming trunks. My destination was anywhere on Bloor St. until my host from Milton, Aindra by name, would see me from his car and then scoop me up for a ride to his home.

I like Bloor St. It's not raunchy like sections of Yonge. Bloor is multi-culturally vibrant. It has a more quaint "downtown" feel. As I was recently reminded from a mundane prospective, Petula Clark's song, "When you are alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown." The transitional community phases from Bloor and Spadina range from Anglos, to Koreans, to Portuguese, to Polish. There are Caribbean shops too - "Mom and Pop shops" - along the way. You are not in a crazy concrete jungle when you're on Bloor. 

Perhaps, the most memorable encounter of today was not on Bloor but earlier in the day when I joined Godbrothers, Dharma and Krishna Das, both who, like myself, are in our 60's. Dharma has suffered from a stroke back in the early 80's. He moves slow and limped during our mini-procession. As we went down Yorkville Ave. with our kirtan, a group of guys were sitting at a patio outside a bar. 

One white-haired man drinking his liquor and bearing a resemblance to Michael Douglas, shook his head in disgust when he saw us. Now, practically everyone who saw and heard us on the street was either indifferent or favourable in their response. This fellow seemed to discard us, "Aren't you, guys, too old for this?" Inside me, I took offense. Externally, I smiled and said, "Don't you know we are eternal? Have a nice day!" He kind of went blank. 

May the Source be with you!

12 KM

World Holy Name Week: Day 2
→ ISKCON Malaysia

BY GAURAVANI DASA

KUALA LUMPUR - World Holy Name Week: Day 2



"O Lord! Be merciful and appear on my tongue in Your holy name; dance there constantly, O Lord! I fall at Your lotus feet and beg You. You may keep me in this world or take me to Your abode, as You please, but whatever You do with me, feed me the divine nectar of Your names. You have descended into this world to distribute the Holy Name, so kindly also consider me one of those You intended to bless. I am the most lowly, whereas You are committed to the uplift of the lowest; this is our eternal relationship, O Savior of the fallen! On the strength of this unbreakable connection between us, O Lord, I beg You to shower me with the nectar of the Holy Name." - Uttered by Haridas Thakur, Harinama Cintamani 11.53-57

12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Lord Vamana and Vamana Dvadasi
→ ISKCON Malaysia

BY GAURAVANI DASA

KUALA LUMPUR - 12 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Lord Vamana and Vamana Dvadasi:


1. He is known by many names, the most common ones being Vamana (the little dwarf), Trivikrama (he who has taken three steps, the giant form), and Upendra (Indra's younger brother);


2. In every planetary system the denizens worship a particular Visnu-tattva as their sole Lord (Plaksadvipa, Surya-Narayana; Maha-purusa, Brahmaloka; Yajna-purusa, Maharloka, et cetera) and in the heavenly planets, the demigods worship Lord Visnu in His plenary portion: the four-armed Vamana;


3. When Indra and the demigods leave Svargaloka temporarily to battle the asuras, Vamana stays behind and protects the Heavens by flying around on the back of Garuda, and pierces demons with His trident;

4. When Vamana took His second step, He pierced a hole through the subtle coverings that surround our universe, and Ganga and Yamuna flowed into our universe through that hole that Vamana made with His toe;


5. Srila Prabhupada had said that to honor festivals such as Rama Navami and Vamana Dvadasi, the devotees could dress up and worship a small boy as the particular avatar. In Mayapur, every year on Vamana Dvadasi a young gurukuli from the Bhaktivedanta Academy is chosen to 'be' Vamana for the day. A foot washing ceremony is performed, followed by elaborate offerings of bhoga (he gets to eat whatever he wants!), arati, pushpanjali, and distribution of his maha-prasad.


6. Bali Maharaj is a mahajana, and represents atma-nivedanam, the act of surrendering fully to the Lord, one of the angas of bhakti. 


7. Bali Maharaj also become Indra in the next manvantara;


8. Vamana did not kill Bali Maharaj, because He had promised Prahlad Maharaj (Bali Maharaj's grandfather) as Lord Nrsimhadeva that He would not kill anyone in his family lineage, before or after his time; 


9. Vamana eternally resides on His personal planet in Vaikuntha, and as the door-guard to Bali Maharaj's kingdom in the lower planetary systems, as well.


10. Once Ravana tried to force himself into Bali Maharaj's kingdom. Vamana kicked Ravana with his toe and sent him flying 10,000 yojanas away.


11. When Vamana pushed Bali Maharaj down to Sutalaloka, Bali Maharaj received special permission from the Lord to visit his kingdom on earth once a year, the day of Onam. 


12. That day is today.

State government announces anyone who has lived in India for six months will get significant monetary benefit :-)
→ Dandavats.com

If the state government were to announce today that anyone who has lived in India for six months will get one million gold coins as a gift, how many of us will not accept such an offer by none other than the government itself? None, provided all of us are smart. Why? First because it is a gift and secondly, it is offered by the state government, a body we can trust in. My question is, do we really trust in God? Do we also not trust the Vedas and Puranas? If we can trust God and if we can trust the Vedas and Puranas, then we ought to also trust what is written in there, in full. Offers and assurances given by such scriptures are not imaginary although they may appear to be fantastic to our miserly intelligence. While reading Sri Navadvipa Dham mahatmaya, we hear the following from Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. Read more ›

Five thousand devotees for the Russian Yatra festival in Anapa (Album 46 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Indradyumna Swami: Five thousand devotees came for the installation of Panca Tattva deities on the first day of the Russian Yatra festival in Anapa. After presiding over the festival the deities will be worshipped in the temple in Krasnodar. Their installation is another milestone in the amazing history of the Russian yatra. It has all come about by the strong desire of Srila Prabhupada who visited Moscow in 1971 Read more ›

Srila Prabhupada Outlines the Essence of His New Vrindaban Vision in Two Sublime Sentences – July 1973
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Prabhupada New Vrindaban 1976

Srila Prabhupada on a morning walk with his disciples in New Vrindaban, June 1976.

“Agriculture and protecting the cow, this is the main business of the residents of Vrindavan, and above all simply loving Krishna. The cows, the trees, the cowherd men and Gopis, their chief engagement was loving Krishna, and in New Vrindaban we want to create this atmosphere and thereby show the whole world how practical and sublime our movement is.”

Click here to read the rest of the letter at the Vanipedia website.

Blessings From A Subscriber
→ Japa Group

I recently received a very nice message from a Japa Group member and subscriber:

I pray that the Japa Group gets even more members daily and that this group continues to inspire every to chant Japa very nicely. I often think about the daily emails while i'm on Japa walk, the attached pictures help me to remember the quotes.

Your dasa,

NCD

World Holy Name Week 2014 – 5 and 15 September
→ Welcome to the official site of ISKCON Perth

WHNW

Dear Devotees and Friends,

In order to commemorate Srila Prabhupada’s arrival anniversary in the United States, all ISKCON Temples and Centres throughout the world are gearing up to celebrate the World Holy Name Week 2014 between 5th and 15th September this year. Srila Prabhupada’s greatest desire was to spread the chanting of the Holy Names all over the world.

In this connection, ISKCON Perth is launching this worldwide event by inviting you to participate with us in the following activities:

  • 12 Hour Kirtan Festival
    • Sunday 7th September
      • 8:00 AM till 8:00 PM
      • Hare Krishna Temple, Kalamunda
  • Harinaam Sankirtan Procession
    • Friday 5th September and 12th September
      • 5:45 PM onward
      • James and William street near Govindas restaurant in Northbridge
    • Saturday 13th September
      • 5:45 PM onward
      • James and William street near Govindas restaurant in Northbridge
  • Sunday Feast and Harinaam Rathcart carrying Sri Sri Gaura Nitai within Temple compound by kids
    • Sunday 14th September
      • 5:00 PM onward
      • Hare Krishna Temple, Kalamunda

If you would like to sponsor the festival in part or full, or help in some service please call:
Sitaramalaxman Das (0422045525)
Syama Sarana Das (0439969002)

—-
Hare Krishna

“harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasti eva nasti eva gatir anyatha”

A Sanskrit verse from Brhan-naradiya Purana which means

“In this age of Kali, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative for spiritual progress other than the chanting of the holy name, the chanting of the holy name, the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.”

Radhastami
→ Ramai Swami

images-2images

tapta kancana gaurangi radhe vrndavanesvari vrsabhanu sute devi pranamami hari-priye

I offer my respects to Radharani, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vrndavan. You are the daughter of King Vrsabhanu and You are very dear to Lord Krsna.
Radhastami is very special to the devotees coming in the line of Lord Caitanya. In Vrndavan all the pure devotees pray for the mercy of Srimati Radharani because She is the tender-hearted feminine counterpart of the supreme whole, Lord Krsna. Her mercy is readily available to sincere devotees.
At the Bhakti Centre the devotees celebrated the appearance of Srimati Radharani with sweet bhajans, worship and a transcendental feast.
IMG_0956IMG_0957

Join us for Special Sunday Feast from 11.00am-2.00pm. Experience Joy and Bliss by hearing from Her Grace Jayaraseswari Devi Dasi for this Sunday’s Special Vedic Discourse about**Radhastami**
→ ISKCON Brampton


Sunday Love Feast

When?
Sunday,Sep 7th,2014
Program starts at 11 am

Where?
6 George Street South
Brampton, Ontario
L6Y 1P3, Canada
Park underground(free) @ City Hall
Phone:416-648-3312

New! Listen
Click here to listen to previous class recordings on our blog
Make a Donation
Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.1.32
katamo 'pi na venah syat
pancanam purusam prati
tasmat kenapy upayena
manah krsne nivesayet
TRANSLATION
Somehow or other, one must consider the form of Krsna very seriously. Then, by one of the five different processes mentioned above, one can return home, back to Godhead. Atheists like King Vena, however, being unable to think of Krsna's form in any of these five ways, cannot attain salvation. Therefore, one must somehow think of Krsna, whether in a friendly way or inimically.
 

Program Schedule
11.00- 11.15      Tulsi Puja                                           
11.15 - 11.30     Guru Puja                                            
11:30 –11:55     Aarti & Kirtan                                      
11.55 - 12.00    Sri Nrsingadeva Prayers                  
12.00 – 1:00     Special Discourse on**Radhastami**
1.00_1.10m      Radhastami Presentation by Sunday School 
  1:00 –  1:30      Closing Kirtan
 
COMING UP AHEAD
Parsva Ekadasi
Fasting.....................on Sep 5th,2014
Breakfast................. on Sep 6th,2014 b/w 6.46am-8.37am

Every fortnight, we observe Ekadasi, a day of prayer and meditation. On this day we fast (or simplify our meals and abstain from grains and beans), and spend extra time reading the scriptures and chanting the auspicious Hare Krishna mantra.

Bhagavad Gita Classes(New Session)
Starting on Sep 6th,2014

Course fees: $125.00 per Student and  $75.00 for family members of Student(Prasadam and study material included).Mone is payable to ISKCON Brampton....tax receipts will be provided.
Join our new session of  Bhagavad Gita Course with His Grace Vaisnava Dasa from 8.45am-12.00pm and get certified from Bhaktivedanta College at the completion of this course towards Bhakti Sastri Degree.The course duration is approximately 10 weeks.To register please contact Vaisnava Dasa Prabhu in person or via email[vaishnavadas@icloud.com]


ON GOING EVERY SUNDAY
ISKCON Brampton Yoga and Wellness

Empower your mind and strengthen your body as you move through a series of meaningful poses.Mother Rashmi Ahuja will be conducting Yoga Classes every Sunday from 10am-11am before our Sunday Feast Program at ISKCON Brampton.These classes will be focussed on promoting our physical and mental well being.(Please bring your yoga mat)
Please Register here:
Email:rashmis.yoga@facebook.com 
Facebook page:Yoga and Satvic Nutrition with Rashmi
Contacts:416.569.6373 or 905.488.7272
Nutrition Help & Diet Tips

Mother Rashmi Ahuja is offering free one to one consultations and development of Individualized Nutrition Plans on Sundays between 1:30 - 3pm. Please contact (416)569-6373 or (905)488-7272 to book an appointment.

Sunday School

To register,contact us
Email:sundayschool108@gmail.com
Call:647.893.9363

The Sunday School provides fun filled strategies through the medium of music, drama, debates, quizzes and games that present Vedic Culture to children. However the syllabus is also designed to simultaneously teach them to always remember Krishna and never forget Him.
The Sunday School follows the curriculum provided by the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture (BCEC).
 
Please note that ISKCON Brampton is a nut free environment in order to support those with allergies. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Chant and Be happy!