New Vrindaban’s Thanksgiving Weekend Schedule
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Everyone is invited!

Thanksgiving-Dinner

Thursday Nov. 28 is the “real” Thanksgiving Day for the U.S.A. and there will be a sumptuous  Thanksgiving feast for everyone who comes that day.

In addition, we will have a full, three day Thanksgiving program the weekend following Thanksgiving Day, namely Fri. Nov 29, Sat. Nov 30 and Sun. Dec. 1. SCHEDULE BELOW.

There will be such features as a swing festival for Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra, and sacred storytelling with our long-time resident, professional storyteller, Sankirtan das, as well as  a seminar about worshiping Lord Krsna in your home.

Hare Krsna!

THANKSGIVING UPDATED SCHEDULE 2013

 

Why worship the cows?
→ Dandavats.com

The meaning is within the words – Govinda, Gopi, Govardhana, Goloka Vrindavan. It is clear these are the greatest. Govinda is Lord Krishna, the protector of cows, Gopis are the highest devotees, Govardhana is the best servant, and Goloka Vrindavan (“go loka – the abode of the cows ”) is the highest destination . The meaning is obvious. There is nothing without the cows. They all serve cows. Cows are the dearest to Lord Krishna, they are His deities. This is the highest form of worship of Lord Krishna and available to only a very select few devotees. Even this knowledge is very rare – most people don’t understand the exalted position of cows, they see cows as animals. People who serve Krishna ’s cows are the most fortunate and achieve all results. Read more ›

Understanding the Intro of Caitanya Caritamrita (Adi 1.30-)
→ The Enquirer

The first fourteen verses of Caitanya Caritāmṛta are extremely important. The author, Krishnadās Kavirāja, will explain them systematically and thoroughly over the first seven chapters of the biography.

Verses 15-29 were a very brief summary explanation of those fourteen verses. Let’s pick up the narrative from the 30th verse of Chapter One:

He pays his respects to all the Vaiṣṇava readers, and says “Now I’ll fully describe the meaning of all these (fourteen) verses. Please listen with a one-pointed mind, because I will define Krishna Caitanya with through reasoning and authoritative evidence.”

He again explains that the absolute truth is a singular entity fully expressed in six facets:

  1. Krishna
  2. Guru (The entity who reveals Krishna)
  3. Bhakta (The entity who loves Krishna)
  4. Shakti (The power through which love is expressed)
  5. Avatāra (the forms of Krishna that descend into the world)
  6. Prakāśa (the forms of Krishna that are fully brilliant)

He says that he hasn’t jumped right into explaining them – first he made a humble glorification of them so that he could recieve the blessing of their mercy, which is the only way the absolute truth can be fruitfully discussed.

He repeats the first verse of the fourteen, in which he offered his respects to the six aspects of absolute truth. He identifies Śrī Krishna Caitanya as the absolute truth with six aspects.

The first of the aspects he will enumerate more clearly is the “Guru” aspect. He offers respects to “mantra-guru” (in singular) and “instructing gurus” (śikṣā-guru-gaṇa - in plural). In ISKCON and many modern settings, it’s common to refer to the mantra-guru as the dikṣa-guru. He names his instructing gurus: “Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana, Bhaṭṭa-raghunātha; Śrī Jīva, Gopāla-bhaṭṭa, Dāsa-raghunātha.”

Next he more elaborately specifies the “Bhakta” aspect. He offers “countless respects to the feet of all the devotees of Bhagavān, amongst whom Śrīvāsa is very important.”

Next he respects the “Avatāra” aspect (skipping the Śakti aspect). He offers, “countless obeisances to the lotus-feet of Advaita Ācārya, the Lord’s aṁśa-avatāra.”

Next, the “Prakāśa” aspect. He says, “Nityānanda Rāya is the brilliant manifestation of the Lord’s own form. I am a servant offering praise to his lotus-feet.”

Out of order, he specifies the “Śakti” aspect. He says, “Gadādhara Paṇḍit (and others) are the Lord’s own śakti. My thousands of respects are at all of their feet.”

Finally, also out of order, he specifies the “Prabhu” (Lord) / “Krishna” aspect. He says, “Śrī Krishna Caitanya Prabhu is Bhagavān himself. My infinite respects are at his lotus-feet.”

Now we are up to the 43rd text. Here he says that he’s respected all six facets of the Absolute Truth, so he can now begin explaining them. He will begin with the “Guru” facet. We will discuss that section next.


Glorification and distribution
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 February 2013, Simhachalam, Germany, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.1.34)

Sometimes, making money took over. There was a time when the feeling was that if we sell records, then we will make more money than with books. So we started to sell records and sometimes we would do books. Then of course, you know, paintings make more money than records so we started to sell paintings. Some sold Krsna paintings and some sold any paintings, Hong Kong paintings. Then carpets made more money than paintings!

book distribution_ukAnd before we knew it, it was business and business! I remember these things going around the offices – a roll of paintings and then girls in the office who liked the paintings but there was no time in the day so you made an appointment for the evening, to visit them at home. Then together, you sat on the carpet looking at the paintings and sometimes she liked the paintings a lot but she liked you even more! We lost a few brahmacaris in those days (laughter!). There were some casualties in this program. 

So we went for the money but this was not Prabhupada’s idea. Prabhupada’s idea was that we become absorbed; we become absorbed in glorifying Krsna. We read the Bhagavatam and as we distribute the book, we glorify the book! We take elements of the book, we glorify it and distribute the book on its merit – that is the key – and not with salesmen tricks. In this way, the purity of the book distributor is guaranteed and then the movement has strength.

 

Saturday, November 23rd, 2013
→ The Walking Monk

A Verse That Tells It All

Richmond HIll, Ontario

It’s an honour to be asked to speak from the book, ‘Bhagavatam’.

Today’s verse, 7.15.57, was particularly appealing and addresses the nature of the Absolute:

“He who exists internally and externally at the beginning and end of everything and of all living beings, is that which is enjoyable and as the enjoyer of everything, superior and inferior, is the Supreme Truth.  He exists as knowledge and the object of knowledge.  As expression and the object of understanding.  As darkness and as light.  Thus, the Supreme is everything.”

The reason why this verse so much resonates with me is because of the confirmation of the presence of Divine presence being everywhere.  So that’s it, you can’t escape it, Spirit is all about.  Better still, Supreme Consciousness is everywhere, you can’t hide from it.  It’s always there to protect you.

Most people can’t see it.  We view objects as mere products of matter, as energy.  This verse underscores that ultimate reality is present in matter.  In expression.  In light.  In darkness.  In knowledge.

I like the description, ‘enjoyable’.  God is playful, not vindictive, not one to instill fear, but joy.  Fear does exist in this world.  We don’t need to be naïve about that, but we can overcome it by reflecting on the ananda (blissful) feature of the Absolute.  Absoluteness can be found anywhere in beauty and in ugliness, and hence, nothing moves without the will of the Supreme, not even a blade of grass.  In fact, within the most simple object you will find subtle complexities as it’s make up.  This is confirmation of a sophistication that could leave one in awe.  The world as it is is one of mystery and could leave Alice in Wonderland puzzled.

I’m travelling again, this time to a hospital to see a patient getting some Divine insertion.  May I become a decent conduit for the task.  Then I’m off to Cuba, not on foot though.

May the Source be with you!

0 KM

Friday, November 22nd, 2013
→ The Walking Monk

With The Gods

Toronto, Ontario

Temperatures at night were going to go below the freezing point.  As I was preparing for that nighttime stroll that’s been habit this week, several people became my mothers.  It had drizzled, winds were picking up in addition to there being a plummeting of degrees.  So I donned my hoodie over a saffron coloured sweatshirt.  That wasn’t good enough though for my well intentioned friends as I was about to go out the door.

“You’ll need your coat, Maharaja.”  “Are you sure you’ll be warm enough?”  I simply had to remind those concerned well wishers that I’m not going to be standing at a bus stop freezing to death.

“I’m walking. Walking, in and of itself, is the most powerful mechanism for the emission of heat.”  We have this furnace within that stokes up as soon as you move those feet.  It’s the legs and feet that fire up the whole body.  As you put feet in motion, it’s like striking the flint; initially sparks will fly and then a combustible flame ignites.

Agni, the god of fire, which is the origin or root word for ‘ignite’ or ‘ignition’, will visit you.  He’s with you, even in the presence of Vayu, the wind god, who definitely tagged along for the stretch along College Street (I have yet to explore who the god of cold is, but he’s out there).  Generally the demigods all work either in concert or in competition.  You are never alone.

A young student, Durjoy, was next to me on the trek on College.  He was all bundled up and at one point brought up the topic once again, “Aren’t you cold?”

“No, I’m not cold, I am a spirit,” I wanted to say.  I assured him that Agni was with us, so I’m warm.  In all honesty, I didn’t mind the company of the elements at all.  They are the reason for keeping silent at times.  They are communicating with you and it’s always a good thing to acknowledge their presence without too much intimidation.  They are personalities and are devotees of the Great Spirit.

So all that is needed is to chill out so to speak.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

The Enchanting One! (Album 30 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Indradyumna Swami: The deities of Radha-vallabha in downtown Vrindavan are amongst my favorites. Krsna's dark eyes are so enchanting! Popular amongst the Vraja-vasis, the old temple is not so well known amongst ISKCON devotees. Srimati Radharani is present as Her crown to the left of Vallabha, like at the more famous Radha Raman temple Read more ›

SE ranking indicators
→ Gita Coaching

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http://blog.presencefactor.com/2013/11/se-ranking-indicators.html