Fireworks on Diwali
Giriraj Swami

On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, I share with you a description by Smriti “Baby” Warrier (later initiated as Sravana dasi), whose family were tenants at Hare Krishna Land in Juhu, of how when she was a child she and her brothers wanted to set off fireworks, and how Srila Prabhupada responded.

One Diwali, in the evening, Mother Kanta was in the women’s ashram above our flat and we were outside setting off fireworks. It was around 9:00, and I guess she wanted to take rest, but we weren’t finished playing. So she started throwing buckets of water down on us. My brothers and I marched up to Srila Prabhupada’s room. Chaitya-guru caught us and said, “You can’t go in there—he’s resting.” We must have made a lot of noise, because Prabhupada called, “Let them in.” My brothers went in and pleaded that we wanted to do fireworks, but Prabhupada said, “No, it’s too noisy.” So my brothers gave up and walked out. But I, the youngest, stood there and said, “But it’s Diwali—we’ve got to break some firecrackers.” Then Prabhupada said, “All right, until 10:00—but after that, no more.” So we got permission and broke firecrackers. The next day, Mother Kanta came with a plate of maha-prasada and apologized for throwing water on us.

Being so close to Srila Prabhupada, at Hare Krishna Land, you got to associate with him in a different light.

Sunday, October 16, 2022
→ The Walking Monk

Scarborough, Ontario

Getting on with Kirtan

I really had to think over what I would speak about at the Brampton ISKCON Sunday program. I was in the premises just one day before conducting workshops on kirtan standards, which went well. So, it dawned on me that not everyone attended from the congregation. “Let me try an abbreviated version of the previous day’s workshop, now that I have a larger audience today.”

I took full advantage of the situation. The end result is that people listened, were delighted and informed. The president of ISKCON Brampton, Radha Gopinatha, even asked, “Please do this again in the spring.”

I said, “Alright!”

What was so gratifying about the second half of the day, at a home function (at Amul’s place), we had a series of people singing, someone from Ukraine, another from Jamaica, from Canada, from Bangladesh – always simple tunes, all melodious - and with great participation from everyone. It went so well with the guidelines on kirtanbeing followed and these were vocalists and musicians who didn’t attend my workshop. It felt that it was a reciprocation from above. Oh, dear Sri Krishna is pleased with the efforts of giving some direction with respect to chanting. Of course, we have to credit our beloved spiritual master, Prabhupada, for bringing light to the all-powerful importance of this most cherished of devotional activities.

May the Source be with you!

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Saturday, October 15, 2022
→ The Walking Monk

Brampton, Ontario

A Good Workshop

 

Because there is a need to regulate and standardize the practice of kirtan in ISKCON centers, I have taken up the task to do so in my areas of influence, which is referred to as zone one within the context of several US states and all of Canada. Last Saturday, by God’s grace, we pulled off a successful standardization workshop in Montreal. Today it was Brampton. The attendant was approximately forty-five, and to my surprise some of them were children, well behaved.

The questions that naturally arise in the minds of chanting enthusiast are, “Why is there a need for some kind of standard?” And “Who set those standards?” So, we address the issues because most people on the bhakti path require some foundation. That is the case in all areas of endeavor whether in the workplace, the educational field or recreation as in sports.

There needs to be some rules and our guru, Prabhupada, has set some regularity and uniformity for the benefit of practitioners in our lineage. He took the time during his stay with us, from 1965 to 1977, to help in the field of “standards” on all levels, even dance.

I especially like this portion of my presentation. We all get off our chairs and with buttocks off the floor and we then move gracefully and gingerly in dance steps. This is fun.

There is a saying about resting on one’s laurels, which means being satisfied with one’s previous achievements but making a little effort to improve. In other words, we get set in our ways and become a little complacent.

 

May the Source be with you!

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Friday, October 14, 2022
→ The Walking Monk

Queen’s Park, Toronto

Kapila, The Monk

 

The class today was mine to move and shake a heart and brain. If I was able to do that with just a pinch or an inch of effectiveness then I consider it at least a minor success.

The topic of this morning was about the monk, Kapila. Born of outstanding parents, Kardama and Devahuti, he was an obvious product of pureness. In the book Bhagavatam he is put in the category of Mahajan, being one of twelve trail-blazing bhaktimasters. He was a teacher of sankhya philosophy which delves into details of the physical world and its root cause, Vishnu or God. The soul is also addressed along with its human obligation.

Talk about breaking items down, he certainly achieved such in his delivery to his principal student, his very own mother. In reality the lessons are for all of us to cater to. He taught that while our seva or service are often rendered with the influence of the modes of nature, we should strive for cleanliness inside and out.

In the class there were reactions of attentiveness, some laughter and interaction. By the mercy of Krishna, we had succeeded in having our group listen with questions to follow in this morning class.

Such was the case in the evening as well. A Zoom group from the west end of the city got on board to explore 2.20 from the Bhagavad-Gita. In this chapter we explore the nature and qualities of the atma, the soul. While our attendance was a little down (some of our members are in India) those who were on the Zoom were just great. I assigned each of them to be a mimic pandit themselves and to give a three-minute class. They appeared to like the challenge. Kapila would be pleased.

 

May the Source be with you!

5 km


 

Thursday, October 13, 2022
→ The Walking Monk

Kensington Market, Toronto

Anger/Danger

A few days ago, in Ottawa during a walk at the confluence of Rideau Canal and the Ottawa River by a cliff, a sign is posted warning pedestrians not to get too close. It reads, or is supposed to read “Danger,” with an image of a man falling off the cliffs edge. Someone had come along, when security wasn’t looking, and blocked out the “D” from the word leaving it to read “Anger.” I guess the person’s intent was to project a moment of truth. After all, the two words can be considered synonymous as an angry person is often dangerous. And to touch reality on this matter the Bhagavad-Gita does indeed list three items that lead to a fall. They are lust, anger and greed (kama, krodha, and lobha). In fact, these items take you straight to the trail of hell.

Hell doesn’t necessarily refer to a place of burning flames, that is usually the reference that people imply, but it definitely means a place of suffering. The comedian Red Skelton once said, “If someone’s in hell you can’t tell them where to go.” The toxic nature that a person carries, such as anger, is indeed a state of hell; a state of self torture.

So, as I was walking back from a hospital visit at Toronto General West this very night I was pondering on the amazing force of anger, how it can consume us and envelop us into a sealed in darkness that is hard to get loose from unless you try and cry out for help.

May the Source be with you!

7 km


 

Dipavali at Radha Kunda
→ Dandavats

Hare KrishnaBy Bhaktisiddhanta Swami

The meanings of Dipavali, its symbols and rituals, and the reasons for celebration are innumerable. Dipavali celebrates Lord Rama's glorious and long-awaited return to His Kingdom of Ayodhya after his fourteen long years of exile in the forests. It commemorates Lord Krsna's victory over the demon Narakasura who had kidnapped and terrorized the gopis of Vrndavana. Before the evil Naraka was finally killed by Bhagavan Krsna in the presence of Satyabhama, he begged pitifully for mercy; thus, upon his entreaties, it was declared that this day of his death would be celebrated with great joy and festivity. It is also celebrated as the day Bhagavan Visnu married Maha Laksmi. Continue reading "Dipavali at Radha Kunda
→ Dandavats"

Puranic and Siddhantic Cosmology Conference, Govardhan Ecovillage, November 4-6, 2022
- TOVP.org

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 cosmology conference at the Govardhan EcoVillage (GEV) just north of Mumbai, November 4–6, 2022, titled “Puranic and Siddhantic Cosmology: Within an Experiential Mathematical Framework.”

For people trained in the modern sciences, Vedic knowledge offers many concepts that may appear incomprehensible, or even contradictory. Partly in response, this conference aims to examine cosmological descriptions offered in time-honored Puranic and Jyotisa texts (Siddhantas) identified with the Vedic tradition, as more than a collection of seemingly esoteric metaphysical perspectives.

This conference also aims to be the first in a series of seminars fostering a continuous dialogue that proactively engages Vedic considerations of natural philosophy while avoiding indulgence in either excessive religious dogma or scientific rationalism. Such discourse aims to encourage an appreciation of how the cosmological descriptions found in the Puraṇic and Jyotisa traditions can help enhance a grander sense of reality underlying ordinary conditional experience.

The conference will also be broadcast live on a limited basis. Details and updates are available at http://bihsmumbai.com/, and registrations are open for all interested participants who wish to attend the live event or view the broadcast.

Please see the flyer below for more information.

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Happy Diwali
Giriraj Swami

We wish you all a happy Diwali. Diwali, or Dipavali, marks the end of the year, and by the year’s end we want to pay our debts and rectify our relationships—and then try to do better the next year.

The Vedic literatures inform us that in the present age, Kali-yuga, the recommended process for self-realization, or God realization, is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. Lord Krishna appeared about five thousand years ago and spoke the Bhagavad-gita, and at the end of the Gita (18.66), He instructed:

sarva-dharman parityajya
  mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
  moksayisyami ma sucah

“Give up all varieties of religiousness and just surrender unto Me. I will deliver you from all sins. Do not fear.”

But how do we surrender to Krishna—practically? It is a big question. Therefore, Krishna Himself came again about five hundred years ago as Sri Krishna Chaitanya and showed us how to serve Krishna and develop love for Krishna, especially in the present age of Kali. He quoted one verse from the Brhan-naradiya Purana (3.8.126):

harer nama harer nama
  harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
  nasty eva gatir anyatha

“One should chant the holy names, chant the holy names, chant the holy names of Lord Hari. There is no other way, no other way, no other way for success in the present age of Kali.”

Lord Chaitanya Himself demonstrated how to chant the holy names. Actually, there are two methods: In japa, one chants softly but loud enough that at least one can hear oneself. Our acharyas have recommended that we chant on beads, japa-mala. I suggest that as a New Year’s resolution you all begin to chant at least one mala (round) every day, and that those who are chanting already try to increase. Suppose someone is chanting two malas every day. In the New Year that person can decide to do four malas, or whatever he or she can manage. One mala will take five to ten minutes. So, that is japa.

The other method is kirtan. Kirtan means loud chanting, all together, usually with musical instruments such as mridanga, kartals, and sometimes harmonium. That collective chanting of the holy names of God is very effective in the present age of Kali.

What does chanting do? As Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explains, ceto-darpana-marjanam: chanting cleanses the dirt from the mirror of the mind. If you want to know what you look like, you have to view yourself in a mirror. But if the mirror is covered with dust, you cannot see. So, we have to cleanse the dust from the mirror of the mind; then we can know who we are. In ignorance, we may think we’re the body. We may think that we’re black or white or red or yellow; man or woman; American, Russian, Chinese, or African. We have so many designations based on our falsely identifying with the body. But ceto-darpana-marjanam—when we clear the dust from the mirror of the mind by chanting, we can actually see who we are: not the body but the soul within the body. The soul is not black or white or male or female or Russian or Chinese. The soul is pure spirit, part and parcel of God, the Supreme Spirit, Krishna.

So, chanting will cleanse all the dirt from the mind, from the heart. But how does chanting work? A verse from the Padma Purana (quoted as Cc Madhya 17.133) explains:

nama cintamanih krsnas
  caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
  ’bhinnatvan nama-naminoh

“The holy name of Krsna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krsna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krsna’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Krsna Himself. Since Krsna’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with maya. Krsna’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Krsna and Krsna Himself are identical.”

The holy name of Krishna is Krishna Himself. Abhinnatvat nama naminoh: there is no difference between the name and the person who has the name. In the material world, the relative world, there is a difference between the name, or word, and the object. For example, if I am in the desert dying of thirst and chant “water, water, water, water,” my thirst will not be quenched, because the word water and the substance water are different. But in the spiritual world, the absolute world, the name of the thing and the thing are the same. So, when we chant the holy name of Krishna, Krishna is actually present, dancing on our tongue. Thus, because Krishna is all pure, when we associate with Him by chanting His holy name, we become purified (ceto-darpana-marjanam). And when we become purified—when we become Krishna conscious—we automatically develop all good qualities.

At present we have qualities that are good, and we have other qualities that are not so good. Often, at the end of the year people make resolutions for the new year—how they will improve. It may be that one will try to not lose one’s temper, or try to not overeat. We make so many resolutions, but after some time we may fail in our determination because of weakness in the heart. The one resolution that will eventually help us develop all good qualities and keep our other, secondary resolutions is the resolution to chant the holy names of God.

Diwali also commemorates the return of Lord Ramachandra to Ayodhya. You all know the history of how Rama was banished from His kingdom into the forest. In the forest Ravana kidnapped Sita and took her to Lanka. Then Rama and Laksmana searched for Sita. They made alliances with many monkey warriors, and eventually They came to the southern tip of India. They built a bridge across to Lanka, and eventually Rama killed Ravana, which is commemorated by Dasara, or Rama-vijaya-dasami. Then Mother Sita was tested in fire, and she emerged pure. And Rama, Laksmana, and Sita, accompanied by other associates, returned to Ayodhya. To prepare for the Lord’s arrival, the residents of Ayodhya placed lamps on the rooftops and balconies and celebrated His return. And Lord Ramachandra was installed on the throne.

We too want to welcome Lord Rama (Lord Krishna) into our hearts. And just as, before we install a Deity, we clean the temple so that it is a fit place for the Lord to reside, similarly we each want to welcome Lord Ramachandra into our heart, to install Him on the throne in our heart. But to make our heart a proper, fit place for Him, we have to cleanse it. Therefore, on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, we chant the holy names of Rama and Krishna—Hare Krishna, Hare Rama—so ceto-darpana-marjanam: the heart is cleansed. Then we can welcome Lord Rama into our hearts and install Him on the throne of our hearts and celebrate His presence.

So, this should be our resolution: to purify our hearts so that the Lord will have a proper place to sit there. And who could be more fortunate a person than he who has Lord Rama, or Krishna, with him?

There are many Ramayanas, histories of Ramachandra, but the most authorized in Sanskrit is the Valmiki Ramayana. Consistent with that version, the Ninth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam also contains a short Ramayana. And at the end of the Bhagavatam’s Ramayana, there is a statement that during the reign of Lord Ramachandra all of the citizens were peaceful and happy, just like in Satya-yuga. There are four ages that repeat in cycles, like the seasons. Satya-yuga is the best of the ages, the golden age. Then come Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga, and Kali-yuga. The Bhagavatam describes that during the rule of Lord Ramachandra all of the citizens were religious and completely happy, healthy, and peaceful, just like during Satya-yuga, although it was actually Treta-yuga. Srila Prabhupada comments that by God consciousness, Krishna consciousness, one can invoke Satya-yuga, or Rama-rajya, even in Kali-yuga. Therefore, the same Krishna who appeared in Treta-yuga as Lord Ramachandra appeared in Kali-yuga as Lord Chaitanya to introduce the chanting of the holy names—Hare Krishna and Hare Rama.

So, if we take up the chanting of the holy names, we can not only invoke the presence of Lord Rama within our hearts, welcome Lord Rama into our hearts, but we can also recreate the situation of Satya-yuga, the situation of Rama-rajya. Sometimes Srila Prabhupada remarked, “People want the kingdom of God without God.” But we cannot have the kingdom of God without God. We cannot have Rama-rajya without Rama. But if we invoke the presence of God, of Krishna, by chanting His holy names, we can have the same experience of Satya-yuga in Kali-yuga. We can have the same experience of Rama-rajya when, as described in the Bhagavatam, Rama loved all of the citizens just like a father loves his children, and all of the citizens loved Lord Rama and obeyed Him just like children love and obey their father. By Krishna consciousness, we can have the same situation even today. And if on this Diwali you can take a vow, make a resolution, to chant every day in the next year—and in all the years to come—that will bring you all auspiciousness.

We pray that the Lord will bless all of you in the year to come, and that you will also take the blessing of chanting into the New Year.

Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Dipavali, October 25, 2003, Houston]

ISKCON Philadelphia & Vaishnavas C.A.R.E. 1st Annual Holistic Health Fair
→ ISKCON News

On Saturday, October 8, 2022, ISKCON Philadelphia and our Philadelphia Vaishnavas C.A.R.E. Team presented our 1st Annual Holistic Health Fair in order to welcome our neighbors to the temple for an afternoon of friendship, educational activities, healthcare assessments, and an introduction to Krsna consciousness. After days of stormy rain and cold winds from Hurricane Ian, […]

The post ISKCON Philadelphia & Vaishnavas C.A.R.E. 1st Annual Holistic Health Fair appeared first on ISKCON News.

Ukrainian New Mayapura Needs Our Help
→ ISKCON News

New Mayapur ISKCON Education Center has provided shelter for devotees who have been displaced in Ukraine. The main task for New Mayapur currently is to increase its energy self-sufficiency as the vital infrastructure of Ukraine is being destroyed including power plants and electricity distribution networks. Now there are around a hundred Vaishnava refugees relocated to […]

The post Ukrainian New Mayapura Needs Our Help appeared first on ISKCON News.

Diwali or Deepavali
→ Ramai Swami

The word Diwali is derived from the Sanskrit word of Deepavali, which means a “row or a string of lights”. Diwali or Deepavali marks the victory of light over darkness. There are many different historical events and stories co-relating to this beautiful festival.

As different cultures celebrate Deepavali in their own ways and traditions, the only thing common is that it is celebrated on the 20th day after Vijaya Dashami. Some celebrate this festival because Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya on this day after an exile of 14 years while some others celebrate Deepavali by worshipping Goddess Lakshmi or Goddess Kali.

SrIla Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, quoting from the Vaisnava-tosani of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, says that the incident of Krsna’s breaking the pot of yogurt and being bound by Mother Yasoda took place on the Dipavali Day, or Dipa-malika. Even today in India, this festival is generally celebrated very gorgeously in the month of Karttika by fireworks and lights, especially in Bombay. – S.B. Purport 10.9.1