Tulasi Harison sings ‘Krishna He’ at our December Kirtan. Just the chant to ring in the new year. Happy 2013 everyone, and may you be blessed with auspicious sounds to hear, peace in your hearts, inspired thoughts, and action that pleases everyone. In short may your year be filled with the Supreme Spirit.
Podcast 007 – Tulasi sings Krishna He
Podcast 007 – Tulasi sings Krishna He
→ Oxford Kirtan
Tulasi Harison sings ‘Krishna He’ at our December Kirtan. Just the chant to ring in the new year. Happy 2013 everyone, and may you be blessed with auspicious sounds to hear, peace in your hearts, inspired thoughts, and action that pleases everyone. In short may your year be filled with the Supreme Spirit.
Aspects of a Successful Parampara
→ The Vaishnava Voice
When one thousand people in the United States were asked the question: “What factors brought you to your present religious belief and membership of your current religious community?” the overwhelming majority, 85%, responded that ‘my friend got me interested,’ or ‘my friend was already involved,’ or ‘I went along to the meetings with friends.’ The findings of this survey suggest that a prime influence in religious self-identification (other than deeply-held personal conviction) is our circle of friends; and what we believe then influences our subsequent choices of friends. The committed relationships we maintain with our circle of friends also seem to be a key ingredient in the expansion, socialisation and sustainability of a religious community.
There will always be highly motivated, self-starting, lone seekers of spiritual wisdom. After a mystical experience, or a deeply heart-warming reading of an ancient text, and armed with only their own initial inspiration, they’ll search out a spiritual practitioner who can share his or her wisdom. They may even join a small, very dedicated, band of austere followers. In India it was formerly quite common for a guru to impart rahasya-vidya, secret teachings, to a handful of such disciples, sometimes only one or two. Those disciples would then pass on the secret mantras and tantras to another two disciples. Over the generations this would form a small and exclusive parampara; perfectly valid and intact, but not one that would have any far-reaching social consequences.
The paramparas associated with the Vaishnava community are, in contrast, dedicated to widespread dissemination of knowledge and practice. They are based upon the compassionate uplifting of humanity with the message of the most merciful incarnations and messengers of God. As such, the mantra – at least the particular parampara’s ‘great mantra’ – is distributed to all comers, irrespective of any material or social consideration. It is this friendship to all – the creation of lines of friendship so important to the socialisation of a religious message – that guarantees the widespread popularity of Vaishnavism and its endurance across the centuries.
Although a parampara is simply the handing down of knowledge from teacher to student – guru to sisya – it also generates a parallel manifestation due to its reaching out in friendship to others: a self-perpetuating community of spiritual friends that forms a distinct social grouping, steadily growing down through many centuries.
The authentic teachings of Vaishnavism in written form have become essential in perpetuating a parampara. For this reason modern-day Vaishnavas of ISKCON have digitized the founder-acarya’s teachings, audio recordings and visual images, and provided bomb-proof, museum-level archives for the original materials. Without preservation of the original teachings there would inevitably be philosophical divergence at some point in the future, threatening the perpetuation of the parampara.
But the other elements that serve to sustain a parampara are those that were amply demonstrated by the acarya himself. Firstly, the personal appearances: individual teaching and lecturing – upadesha and upanyasa – with guidance, correction, encouragement, and enthusiasm given to disciples by a living preceptor. Second, the formation of branches of the community, physical places where, in a dedicated environment, followers may gather together for prayer, meditation, worship and discussions. Third, the utter dedication to reaching out to others in a spirit of friendship: free hot meals of sacred food, theatre and colourful festivals, singing processions and sales of philosophical books in accessible language. It is difficult to imagine the present success of ISKCON without these components so generously arranged by the founder.
The sustainability of the parampara would thus seem to be best guaranteed by the preservation of the teaching; the living presence of the exemplars of the teaching; the proliferation of physical spaces where the practices of spirituality can prosper, and the spirit of reaching out to others. And of course, if everyone can remain friends then success is assured.

Will the West ever solve its water woes?
→ The Yoga of Ecology
Will the West ever solve its water woes?
→ The Yoga of Ecology
Hung Up
→ Devamrita Swami's Facebook notes
Sometimes what I read ties me in knots. Suddenly the purports in Srila Prabhupada's books reveal their unlimited depths, and I feel like a small child gazing upon the ocean for the first time: "When does it end; where is the bottom?" Let me plunge you into a section of Chaitanya-caritamrita that has overloaded my circuits for two weeks—therefore I didn't write anything (an excellent excuse).
In Jagannatha Puri the devotees of Mahaprabhu had gone to the sea to bathe, preparing for their awesome lunch. Meanwhile, Lord Caitanya sought out Haridasa Thakura—finding him, of course, chanting the mahamantra in ecstatic love of Krishna. Immediately Haridasa Thakura falls on the ground like a stick, offering his respects. Mahaprabhu picks him up and embraces him.
Now, here is what has shut me down: "Then both the Lord and His servant began to cry in ecstatic love. Indeed, the Lord was transformed by the qualities of His servant, and the servant was transformed by the qualities of his master." (Madhya 11:187)
Although Mahaprabhu, Krishna Himself, is always the predominator, and the living entity, the predominated, nevertheless, in the exchange of ecstatic love, both become transformed.
This is Krishna's intelligent design—the innermost mystery of existence.
As Prabhupada writes in the purport: ". . . the servant of the Lord is the heart of the Lord, and the Lord is the heart of the servant. . . .The Lord is always eager to congratulate the servant because of the servant's transcendental qualities. The servant pleasingly renders service unto the Lord, and the lord also very pleasingly reciprocates, rendering even more service unto the servant."
Meanwhile, we are afraid to intensify our relationship with Krishna? Such paranoid madness can only be the result of contact with maya.
my inspiration for today
→ kirtaniyah sada hari
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson
I remember the way I felt the first time I heard this, "Wow, that's totally applicable to me and everyone I know!" Years later, I've realized it's not only beautiful and inspirational but more importantly, it's a call to action for all of us. Krsna has given all of us unique abilities and talents and it is our service to culture, nourish them and offer it back in His service. om tat sat. :D
my inspiration for today
→ kirtaniyah sada hari
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson
I remember the way I felt the first time I heard this, "Wow, that's totally applicable to me and everyone I know!" Years later, I've realized it's not only beautiful and inspirational but more importantly, it's a call to action for all of us. Krsna has given all of us unique abilities and talents and it is our service to culture, nourish them and offer it back in His service. om tat sat. :D
in honour of gita jayanti: a new blog
→ kirtaniyah sada hari
Today, Sunday December 23, 2012 marks Gita Jayanti- the anniversary of when the Bhagavad gita was spoken over 5000 years ago on the sacred grounds of Kurukshetra.
The Bhagavad gita - as it is, is one of my favourite books. In fact, I often comment that it's "my hand book for life". If I have a question, a problem, am frustrated or am in need of some inspiration, the Gita is always there for me. I never need to worry that it's too busy or doesn't have time for me. In short, the Gita never lets me down.
I wanted to do something to commemorate this significant day and so for the first time in my life I consecutively read all 700+ verses - in English. I've recited all the sanskirt verses before and it was a wonderful experience. However, since my understanding of sanskrit is minimal at best, I could only appreciate the beautiful sound vibration of the mantras and not the essence it contained within them.
That's why I challenged myself to read the English translation of all 700+ verses. At some point in time between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 an idea came to me. Well...it was more like a challenge: write something about every single verse in the Gita. A verse a day on the importance of the topic discussed, the way it makes me feel reading it or perhaps even a question that comes to mind.
And so here I am at the start. Today marks the beginning of diving into THE greatest yoga text. I invite you to join me... www.gita-asitis.blogspot.com
in honour of gita jayanti: a new blog
→ kirtaniyah sada hari
Today, Sunday December 23, 2012 marks Gita Jayanti- the anniversary of when the Bhagavad gita was spoken over 5000 years ago on the sacred grounds of Kurukshetra.
The Bhagavad gita - as it is, is one of my favourite books. In fact, I often comment that it's "my hand book for life". If I have a question, a problem, am frustrated or am in need of some inspiration, the Gita is always there for me. I never need to worry that it's too busy or doesn't have time for me. In short, the Gita never lets me down.
I wanted to do something to commemorate this significant day and so for the first time in my life I consecutively read all 700+ verses - in English. I've recited all the sanskirt verses before and it was a wonderful experience. However, since my understanding of sanskrit is minimal at best, I could only appreciate the beautiful sound vibration of the mantras and not the essence it contained within them.
That's why I challenged myself to read the English translation of all 700+ verses. At some point in time between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 an idea came to me. Well...it was more like a challenge: write something about every single verse in the Gita. A verse a day on the importance of the topic discussed, the way it makes me feel reading it or perhaps even a question that comes to mind.
And so here I am at the start. Today marks the beginning of diving into THE greatest yoga text. I invite you to join me... www.gita-asitis.blogspot.com
Podcast 006 – Vrindavan Kirtan
→ Oxford Kirtan
This kirtan podcast was recorded last week at our monthly kirtan at the Friends Meeting House. Our kirtan leader was Krishna-ksetra, a renowned musician and singer. The style of this short but very jolly piece is that of Vrindavan, the birth place of Krishna, in North India. It has a lively and spontaneous mood, engaging the emotions in its waves of pace.
Podcast 006 – Vrindavan Kirtan
→ Oxford Kirtan
This kirtan podcast was recorded last week at our monthly kirtan at the Friends Meeting House. Our kirtan leader was Krishna-ksetra, a renowned musician and singer. The style of this short but very jolly piece is that of Vrindavan, the birth place of Krishna, in North India. It has a lively and spontaneous mood, engaging the emotions in its waves of pace.
Podcast 006 – Vrindavan Kirtan
→ Oxford Kirtan
This kirtan podcast was recorded last week at our monthly kirtan at the Friends Meeting House. Our kirtan leader was Krishna-ksetra, a renowned musician and singer. The style of this short but very jolly piece is that of Vrindavan, the birth place of Krishna, in North India. It has a lively and spontaneous mood, engaging the emotions in its waves of pace.
Celebrate Krishna’s Eternal Song
→ Toronto Sankirtan Adventures
Celebrate Krishna’s Eternal Song
→ Toronto Sankirtan Adventures
5 Takeaways From NOAA’s New Study On Climate Change And Extreme Events
→ The Yoga of Ecology
Click here to read the full article from Kelly Levin at WRI Insights
Many people are understandably perplexed at the U.S.’s recent extreme weather events like record heat waves, torrential downpours, droughts, and wildfires. A new report published by scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other institutions may finally offer some insight into climate change’s connection to the damaging and costly extreme events that are on the rise.
5 Takeaways From NOAA’s New Study On Climate Change And Extreme Events
→ The Yoga of Ecology
Click here to read the full article from Kelly Levin at WRI Insights
Many people are understandably perplexed at the U.S.’s recent extreme weather events like record heat waves, torrential downpours, droughts, and wildfires. A new report published by scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other institutions may finally offer some insight into climate change’s connection to the damaging and costly extreme events that are on the rise.
Travel Journal#8:22: Alachua and Gainesville, Florida
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk
By Krishna-kripa das
(November 2012, part two)
(Sent from Radha Govinda Temple, Brooklyn, New York, on December 21, 2012)
- read translation
- figure out meter
- look at word meanings for the first line
- practice saying the first line while remembering its meaning
- repeat steps 3 and 4 with all the lines of the verse
- practice your verses periodically
“Two devotees going door-to-door in central Edinburgh entered a very posh-looking restaurant with the idea of going round the tables to collect. There were big pillars, chandeliers, etc. They hesitated at the doorway thinking it was too posh. Then a customer at a table must have recognized them and at the top of his voiced yelled out, ‘Gaaaaauuuuraaaangaaaa!’ the sound reverberating round the hall and shattering the devotee’s doubts!”
Travel Journal#8:22: Alachua and Gainesville, Florida
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk
By Krishna-kripa das
(November 2012, part two)
(Sent from Radha Govinda Temple, Brooklyn, New York, on December 21, 2012)
- read translation
- figure out meter
- look at word meanings for the first line
- practice saying the first line while remembering its meaning
- repeat steps 3 and 4 with all the lines of the verse
- practice your verses periodically
“Two devotees going door-to-door in central Edinburgh entered a very posh-looking restaurant with the idea of going round the tables to collect. There were big pillars, chandeliers, etc. They hesitated at the doorway thinking it was too posh. Then a customer at a table must have recognized them and at the top of his voiced yelled out, ‘Gaaaaauuuuraaaangaaaa!’ the sound reverberating round the hall and shattering the devotee’s doubts!”
Guru and Disciple: New questions are the same as the old ones
→ The Vaishnava Voice
I often get asked questions by people who are looking for a guru: “What sort of teacher should I be looking for?” is shortly followed by: “And where do I begin looking for someone like that?”
After they’ve thought a few moments the next question is: “What sort of things do I have to do before I can become someone’s student?” “What happens if I don’t quite measure up?”
Some time later the questions are more about what will happen after they become initiated: “What is he supposed to teach me?” “How do I know if he’s teaching me the right things?”
Lots of questions but, strangely enough, the same questions that people have been asking for a long time. Proof of this is that way back in the 14th century a great spiritual teacher named Vedanta Deshika gave answers to these questions in a short book - Nyasa Vimsati. The answers proved so popular and correct that Gopala Bhatta Goswami included them in his handbook of devotional practise, standard for Gaudiya Vaishnavas for the last 500 years.
This is one post for those who like lists! (But worth the effort of reading it)
Fourteen Qualities of the Guru
Taken from the Nyasa Vimsati by Vedanta Deshika (1268-1370)
As included in the Hari Bhakti Vilasa by Gopala Bhatta Goswami (1503-1578)
- Sat-sampradaya siddham – He is firmly established in the sampradaya
- Sthira dhiyam – His mind remains firmly fixed, even in debates based on deceitful reasoning
- Anagam – Free from sin, and never swerves from shastra
- Srotriyam – Fully conversant with the Vedas and Vedanta
- Brahma nistham – He has resolute devotion to God, free from blemishes
- Sattvastham – Dominated by sattva guna
- Satya vacam – Free from deceitful speech, he always tells the truth
- Samaya niyataya sadu vritya sametam – Adept at anushtanams (prayers and religious practices).
- Dambha asuyadhi muktam – No inauspicious characteristics such as egoism or jealousy
- Jita visayi ganam – Does not engage in conduct prohibited by the Bhagavat shastras. Has controlled senses
- Dirgha bandhum – He is a friend and guide for all those who have sought his refuge, always seeking their welfare, and lifting them up to the ultimate destination
- Dayalum – Has spontaneous compassion and kindness for his disciples
- Skhalite sasitaram – Corrects his disciples and recommends improving actions for them
- Svapara hitaparam – Determines what is mutually good for him and his sisya (disciple) and acts accordingly
Fifteen Qualities of the Good Disciple
- Sadh buddhi – Good intelligence
- Sadhu sevi – He has the disposition to mingle with, and serve, the sadhus
- Samucita carita – He is marked for his righteous conduct, both personal and social
- Tattva bodha abhilasi – Has an eagerness to learn spiritual teaching
- Susrusu – He excels in helping the guru in his seva
- Tyakta mana – He has become humble or at least free from the gross manifestations of pride
- Pranipatena para – He has implicit obedience to the guru and bows down in his presence
- Prasna kala pratiksa – He waits for the right time to clear his doubts about what he has learned from the acarya
- Santa – He is peaceful and self-controlled
- Danta – Controls both his mind and speech
- Anasuya – Free from jealousy
- Saranam upagata – Always eager to hear ‘instructions of divine grace’ from his guru
- Sastra visvas Sali – Has total faith in shastra
- Paristam prapta – Ready to undergo any tests set by the guru for assessing his state of preparedness to be accepted as a deserving disciple
- Krita-vid sisya – He will be a grateful disciple for all that is to be received from the acarya.
Vedanta Deshika concludes: “Tattvata – abhimatam sikshaniya.” (Truly, such a person with these qualities is fit for instruction by the acarya).
Four Key Instructions the Guru must teach the Disciple
- The creation, sustenance and dissolution of everything that is animate and inanimate are under the total control of the Lord and His consort. We have to comprehend the Lord as:
(a) Jagat Karanan – The Creator of all
(b) Jagat Rakshakan – The Protector of all
(c) Sarva Samharakan – The Destroyer of all Creations
(d) Karma Pravrtti Niyamakan – The Commander of all acts initiated by the soul
(e) Sarva Karma Phala Dhayakan – The Granter of the fruits of all karmas
2. Understanding this unique role of the Lord, please do not consider anyone else as your goal.
3. Do not seek anyone other than Him as a means to reach Him.
4. Knowing that both fear and fearlessness about samsara arises from Him, please do not break His commands in shastra.

New Zealand’s Kuli Mela Aims for Unity, Love and Devotion
→ Seeking The Essence
New Zealand’s Kuli Mela Aims for Unity, Love and Devotion
An article written by Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News and originally posted on December 7th, 2012.

Kuli Mela has already hit the US, Europe, Russia and Australia. And now, the festival that aims to unite and inspire those who have grown up in the Hare Krishna movement is coming to New Zealand.
Around 120 “Kulis” are expected to attend the nearly two-week-long event, which will continue to revise the mood and activities of the Kuli Mela template.
The “Kiwi Mela,” running from December 27th to January 6th, is being organized by two childhood friends, Vrinda Taylor and Saraswati Howie. Both attended the local gurukula on the ninety-acre New Varshana farm near Auckland, where the event will be held. To them, all the generations in the community, not just their own, are important.
“This Kuli Mela is not just a youth festival,” says Saraswati. “ Because we don’t live in a youth bubble. We’re trying to create a bond between the generations. To create real and genuine relationships between the younger kids and the older gurukulis; between us and the senior devotees.”
True to this goal, preparations for the Kuli Mela have brought New Zealand devotees of all ages together—all the way from twelve-year-old current gurukula students to 82-year-old Madri mataji. The togetherness has been healing for the devotees, who have been recovering since February of last year from the loss of their Christchurch temple and Deities in an earthquake.
As well as all generations, Kiwi Mela is also attempting to create a space where people from all spiritual affiliations will feel welcome. Organizers hope this will go some way towards healing old rifts and wounds in the New Zealand Hare Krishna community, which has been split for many years between ISKCON and followers of Narayan Maharaja.

“It’s about coming together, putting our differences aside, and focusing on the commonality that we have,” says Saraswati.
She also wants Kulis from all levels of spiritual practice to feel welcome and free from judgement.
“I hope to create an atmosphere where youth don’t feel that they have to ostracize themselves from Krishna when they go through whatever they’re gonna go through, as my generation did,” she says.
At the same time, Saraswati sees the Kiwi Mela as a chance to create a deeply Krishna conscious event that helps remove Kulis from any remaining perception by older devotees that they’re just “partiers.”
“As we mature, our events will mature accordingly,” she says.
Combining good healthy fun with Krishna consciousness, the Kiwi Mela will be split into two parts.
The first, “Golden Moon,” will run from December 27th until January 1st in Rotarua, one of New Zealand’s top tourist attractions. A beautiful geothermal hotspot, it’s filled with volcanos, geysers, hot waterfalls and thermal lakes.

Kulis will travel there from Auckland’s New Varshana farm on a specially donated bus at 9:30am on the 27th, launching into a “raging kirtan” as they depart. During the three-and-a-half-hour drive, they’ll also stop for a “Harinama picnic” at one of New Zealand’s most beautiful picnic spots.
At Rotarua, they’ll stay in forest cabins on land owned by the Maori—the native New Zealand tribal people— and will be welcomed by the local Maori tribe.
The first day at Golden Moon will be a relaxed get-to-know-each-other affair, with fun games and a feast in the evening.
The next four days will feature a packed schedule of hikes, bike rides, swimming and other nature activities.
On New Year’s Eve during the afternoon, Kulis will head out for a huge Harinama, chanting Hare Krishna on the streets of Rotarua town.
“Then we’ll return to our camp, where we’ll hold a Holi celebration, followed by what Vrinda has referred to as a gulab shindig,” laughs Saraswati. “We’ll be cooking about 500 gulabjamuns [syrupy sweets] and having gulab eating, throwing and catching, and juggling contests. Sounds rather dangerous!”
Kulis will then settle into a night of kirtan in the forest with a whole host of singers including Nitai and Vijay from US group the Kirtaniyas, who will be fusing traditional mantras with electronic dubstep beats.

On January 1st, the group will have a spiritual program in honor of Vaishnava saint Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s Disappearance Day, and then return to the New Varshana farm.
The official Kuli Mela will run from the 2nd to the 6th of January on the waterfront property, where a 20 x 15 meter marquee will be set up with a full stage and Jagannath Deities from Whangarei preaching center to bless the event. A large yurt will also be set up for bhajans.
An elaborate opening ceremony on the 2nd will feature dances and other performances, as well as a welcome by VIP guests including a local Maori representative. It will be followed by get-to-know-each-other group activities, and in the evening a vegetarian barbecue and Hangi.
“Hangi is a traditional Maori way of cooking,” Saraswati explains. “You heat up rocks in the fire, wrap your food in leaves, and put it in a basket. Then you bury it with the hot rocks underground for three or four hours. When it comes out, it’s infused with the taste of the earth and is just like nothing you can even explain.”
January 3rd and 4th will be packed with activities. After the morning program at the temple and breakfast, Kulis will attend workshops and seminars from 10am to 1pm, break for lunch, and attend more workshops from 3pm to 6pm.
Offered by a host of senior devotees and Kulis, these will include everything from study of Krishna’s pastimes, to relationship skills and nurturing Krishna’s children, to yoga, Ayurvedic cooking, and martial arts, to creative arts like drama, jewelry-making, graffiti, wood-carving, and t-shirt-making.

There will also be a major forum, led by Krishnendu Das and Damodara Das, which will explore what kind of vision Kulis would like to shape for the future, and what kind of responsibility they would like to take in the Hare Krishna movement.
At the end of each day, after evening arati at the temple and a buffet dinner, there will be an entertaining variety show from 7:30pm until 11:00pm. It will include dramas, puppet shows, Bharat Natyam dance, and acrobatics and martial arts from multi-talented artist Hari Narayan Das.
There will also be a packed roster of kirtan artists, including Sri Prahlad, Hari Bhakti Dey, and Sudevi and Kishori Mohan.
Finally, audiences will laugh and be thrilled at Kuli’s Got Talent, a humorous Kuli spin on the hit international TV show.
Judges including New Varshana temple president Kalasamvara Das and gurukula drama teacher Bhakti Marga Dasi will cast their verdicts on a variety of extremely talented mridanga players, acrobats, salsa dancers, jugglers and much much more.
Audiences will even get to enjoy the kind of hilariously bad performances featured at the beginning of the TV show, with senior devotees and Kulis delivering purposefully lame talents.
On the evening of January 4th, meanwhile, Kulis will head out onto Auckland’s Queen Street for an epic Harinama, after which they will invite members of the public back for an open event.
The Kuli Mela will end with a closing ceremony on Sunday the 6th, followed by a Kuli-led Sunday Feast at the temple.
“Kulis will be leading the kirtan, giving the class, cooking the prasadam, and serving and looking after everybody,” says Saraswati.
She hopes that attendees will come to Kuli Mela with an open mind and heart, and leave with deepened relationships, feeling inspired and empowered for the future.
“I want to show people that regardless of all our differences, we can work together, and we can create greatness—for Srila Prabhupada,” she says. “I just want to make him happy, and proud of us.”
To book your tickets and for more information, please visit http://kulimelanz.com.

Golden Age – Global Kirtan & Kulimela Association Featured In Bhakti Beat Magazine!
→ Seeking The Essence
End of the World? Chant Louder. Where’s the Bhav on 12.21.12?
An article written by Brenda Patoine for Bhakti Beat and originally posted on December 20th, 2012.
It’s been the subject of scholarly study, doomsday prophesizing and New Age philosophizing alike for…well, pretty much forever. It’s inspired countless books, millions of articles, a major motion picture, and more than a few good cartoons. Whatever your beliefs are about 12.21.12 — the end of the world, the beginning of a new world, or none of the above – one thing is clear: the occasion is being marked worldwide with consciousness-raising events focused on prayer, meditation, and yes, kirtan. Along with more than a few end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it blow-out bashes.
It’s no wonder: 12.21.12 is not only the much-ballyhooed date on which the Mayan calendar supposedly ends (but not really); it is also the winter solstice — the longest night of the year and the turning point for the “return of light” by way of gradually lengthening days. Some theorists suggest the date coincides with Earth’s crossing a central nexxus in the Milky Way galaxy, signifying the end (or beginning) of an epoch in the orbit of our sun around the galaxy’s spiraling vortex.
There are as many theories out there about what 12.21.12 means as you care to dig for (30.5 million Google results in .24 seconds). One recurring theme is the idea of a kind of global metanoia, a spiritual transformation or rise in consciousness like the world hasn’t seen in say, 5,125 years (the length of this last period in the Mayan timekeeping system). Within the “conscious community,” 12.21.12 has become, it would seem, a lightning rod for stepping up the call for global unity and action to recognize our interconnectedness and avert ecological disaster on our home planet, a fate that seems to be racing toward us with accelerating speed.
With that in mind, we set out to find out what was happening in the bhakti community. We didn’t have to look far…
Worldwide Events
Golden Age Global Kirtan
Quite simply, kirtan will be everywhere on 12.21.12. From every corner of the globe, chanters will be beating their drums and raising their voices in mantra throughout the day, all day, all night. Championed by NoCal bhakta K.d. Devi Dasi and the non-profit Kuli Mela Association, whose mission is to promote and preserve bhakti yoga philosophy, Golden Age Global Kirtan links chanters and Krishna communities worldwide for a common gathering celebrating “a shared experience of Loving Service, Bhakti Yoga.”
It has been a volunteer, person-to-person effort, Devi Dasi said, using social networking for spiritual activism. “On a deeper level we are activating a network of real people, real hearts to be connected, not on-line this time, but in our hearts, body, mind and spirit…in COMMUNITY!” she said. As of Wednesday, some 25 countries had signed on to participate in Global Kirtan — with groups of ’2 or 200′ people — and the list was growing fast as the news went viral in the bhakti world.
“This is not simply each of us in our own corner praying,” Devi Dasi said. “This is a grass-roots call out to one another, as brothers and sisters, activating our communities with unified intentions, beyond borders, countries, or organization.” For more info and to add your kirtan to the list, visit the Kulimela Assocation’s page on facebook.
UNIFY Global Moment of Peace
This worldwide effort links events around the globe in an umbrella event being called simply, UNIFY. Highlights are a globally synchronized “Solstice Moment of Peace” at 11:11 GMT (6:11 a.m. EST) and a “Global Unification Moment” at 20:00 GMT (3 p.m. EDT), where people will gather the world over for a silent prayer, meditation or ceremony with the intention of uniting for world peace. From a Unify.org press release:
The hope behind the ‘Unify’ idea is that joining in with these events will demonstrate that people have more desire to participate in something positive, than to dwell on the doom and gloom of apocalyptic predictions. Unify.org is serving as a hub for these events, including helping organize meditation flash mobs in city centers to live-streaming ceremonies at Mexican archaeological sites with hundreds of thousands in attendance to coordinating an interfaith moment in Jerusalem between major world religions.
Unify.org will live-stream footage of key events on the day including festivals, ceremonies and events from Jerusalem, The Pyramids at Giza, Stonehenge and Glastonbury, Chichen Itza, Palenque, Teotihuacan, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Texas, Lake Titicaca, Cape Town, Byron Bay, Australia and even Antarctica. For details on the movement and individual events, see www.unify.org.
Global Convergence at Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Global Convergence is a 3-day adventure retreat to Giza, Egypt (and a continuing Nile River cruise afterward) that culminates with a dawn-breaking ceremony at the Great Pyramid on 12.21.12, which will be live-streamed via www.unify.org. Details of the ceremony are sketchy on the Global Convergence website, but as far as we can tell, it will feature “a selection of the top electronic music producers and DJ’s from the west coast’s music scene” as well as world-music pioneers Arjun Baba and Fallah Fi Allah, who never fail to rock the stage at Bhakti Fest with their high-voltage brand of Sufi Qawwali music. Presented by L.A. electronic-music producers The Do Lab; for more details, see www.globalconvergence2012.com.
Best Bhakti Bets
(If we had a teleporter and could go anywhere, we’d beam in on these first — right after Arjun Baba’s set at the Great Pyramid, that is.)
Kirtaniyas at New Braj: At the top of the list is the first-ever New Braj 24-Hour Kirtan at the community of Krishna devotees in New Braj Village in central California, near Sequoia National Park. Spearheaded by The Kirtaniyas, the internationally beloved foursome of “Krishna kids” Vijay Krsna, Sarasvati, Rasika Dasi and Nitai Prem, this kirtan immersion will span 12 hours each day Friday and Saturday. Rumor has it there may be a live-stream of the chanting (the next best thing to beaming there); stay tuned to The Bhakti Beat’s facebook page for up-to-the-minute updates. Starts at 10 a.m., New Braj Village, CA. Details here.
SRI Kirtan & World Peace in the Catskills: It will be mantras and meditation in the mountains at this weekend retreat featuring Sruti Ram and Ishwari, the Woodstock, NY duo behind SRI Kirtan, who will lead ecstatic chant as part of Friday evening’s program. Go for the night or the whole weekend by joining the World Peace Meditation Retreat at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, N.Y. Learn more.
Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe in Phoenix: Can you say transformance? Any show with this band will transform you; Larisa Stow is passion personified, love without limits, delivering a wake-up call to anyone who will listen. Can you hear it? The Tribe takes their mantra rock to Phoenix this weekend, kicking it off with a celebration of ceremony and community with drum, flute, song and dance that they are headlining Friday night. On Saturday, Stow will lead a Mantra Playshop session, all part of the 12.21.12 festivities of the non-profit Fusion Foundation. Find out more.
Bhakti Blessings Coast-to-Coast
IN THE WEST
Venice, CA: Rebirth of the Light Winter Solstice Movement Meditation with Shiva Rea, Dave Stringer, Global Sonic DJ Fabian Alsultany , Donna De Lory, Spring Groove, Yehoshua Brill and more. 2-10 p.m., Exhale Center for Sacred Movement, Venice, CA. More info.
Los Angeles, CA: Celebrating the New Age, an evening of “live yoga, live music, live food and live people” featuring multi-instrumentalist Sheela Bringi and Clinton Patterson (producer of Bringi’s debut CD in-the-works), with Leonice Shinneman, playing blues/raga/kirtan. 6:30 p.m. at Peace Yoga Gallery, Los Angeles. Details.
Richmond, CA: Blessings for the New Millennium,a multicultural evening of mantra, music and sacred ceremony, featuring Daniel Paul and Gina Salá, who are just finishing up their West Coast storm tour to launch their collaborative CD, Tabla Mantra. Includes Sound Healing with Jan Cercone, Taiko drumming with Eden Aoba Taiko, and of course, tabla mantra with Paul & Salá. Find out more.
San Rafael, CA: Cosmic Dance Party with MC Yoga & special guests. Described as an “Intergalactic Planetary Dance Party In Northern California to celebrate the end of the Mayan Calendar, the Winter Solstice, and anything else that makes you feel like dancing.” That about covers it…and dance you will want to: with Robin Livingston on deck and Amanda Devi on visuals, this threesome pumps out high-voltage, bass-heavy tracks from MC’s latest CD, Pilgrimage, that you can’t help but move to. Get the scoop.
Vancouver, BC: Mantra, kirtan and labyrinth meditation featuring the World Peace Flame, organized by Sandra Leigh and Give Peace a Chant Kirtan Community. 7 p.m., Labyrinth at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Vancouver, BC. Details here.
Seattle, WA: Dharma Sound is presenting kirtan at 7 p.m., Samudra Yoga, Bremerton, WA.
IN THE EAST
Rosemont, PA: Stay Strong 2 Release Party and Winter Solstice kirtan celebration with David Newman, Mira and The Beloved. This is the official release party for Stay Strong 2: You Can Count On Me. The evening is a benefit for The Bridge Foundation and Global Green USA. 8 p.m., The New Leaf Club, Rosemont, PA. Details here.
Boston, MA: Tom Lena is hosting a special Solstice edition of his regularly scheduled Kitchari Kirtan, featuring Beantown chantress Irene Solea. The evening will open with Shakti Rowan leading the KK Posse in a Solstice Ritual to welcome the new earth. 7 p.m., Cambridge, MA. Details here.
Bedford, NY: Satya Franche & MA Kirtan will add their “vibration to the celestial vortex” for holiday chanting and potluck gathering, beginning 7 p.m. at Transcendence at Sun Raven, Bedford, NY. More info.
West Hartford, CT: Celebrate the Winter Solstice with friends and family in a gathering that includes the ancient Homa Hotra fire ceremony to “let go of that which we no longer need and manifest all that we envision for ourselves in the future.” And of course, there will be chanting and dancing. 8:30 p.m.; West Hartford Yoga. Details here.
Bennington, VT: DEVI presents an evening of Solstice kirtan with special guest, Bill ‘Jambavan’ Pfleging. DEVI’s just-released CD, “The Path of Love,” will be available for purchase. 6 p.m., Karma Cat Yoga, Bennington, VT. More info.
IN THE MIDWEST
Minneapolis, MN: The Midwest gets a head start on 12.21.12 with a celebration of mantra by Heartland bhaktas Sitari and Kalyana with Pavan Kumar (aka Susan Shehata, Colleen Buckman and Keith Helke), who are releasing their first self-titled CD on 12.20. The evening includes a guided “clearing” meditation and a celebration of the return of the sun, and also features the music of Blue Soul Caravan and special guest Jill James. Long-time champions of midwestern bhav, this Minneapolis-based band (which also includes Will Kemperman) made its debut at Bhakti Fest Midwest this summer. Details here.
Green Bay, WI: Erika King and Be Alford team up for live music and yin yoga for a Winter Solstice Celebration at the Studio for Well-Being in Neenah, WI. More info.
Chicago, IL: The Bodhi Spiritual Center is hosting Birth of the Golden Age Celebration, a two-hour program including a Q & A led by Mariana Gigea on the Awakened State, a Crystal Bowl Meditation, dancing, and hands-on blessings for awakening in the tradition of Amma Bhagavan, founder of the Oneness University. Find out more.
Your turn: tell us where you’ll be chanting on this long-anticipated day. Will you be celebrating, praying, hiding your head in the sand…?

Diary of a Lazy Mo’Fo
→ A Convenient Truth
The universe (aka - Shri Krishna) seems to be telling me that I'm a lazy piece of shit that's full of excuses. It started on Facebook last week when I saw a post by my dear god brother Advaita Acarya. It was a link to a video (which I didn't watch), but his comment was something like, "For those who see the importance of distributing Srila Prabhupada's books they'll find a way to do it. For those who don't they'll find a lot of excuses why they can't." Something like that. I replied with a half-joke, "If you ever need excuses, I have a long list (winky face)." I thought I was joking (and he knew I was joking), but was I really joking? Or was there some truth to what I had just said?
Then one night while laying down I was reading this article on Cracked.com:
http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person/
It was like the events of that earlier day all started to make sense. Without going into too much detail, basically I was yelled at for work-related stuff. It was very shocking and emotional for me. I was even crying about it. I was already emotional because of being sick and dealing with the side effects of antibiotics. The getting yelled at was just the proverbial straw that broke my back. It was devastating.
So when I read that article on Cracked.com it was as if Paramatma was speaking to me, telling me the reason why I was getting reprimanded: I'm lazy and full of excuses.
Then today I got an email from my wife and it was a link to this:
http://zenpencils.com/comic/97-charles-bukowski-air-and-light-and-time-and-space/
BAM! There it was...again. And when I asked my wife why she sent it to me, she mentioned how she thought it was a cool comic and that it could also be related to sadhana.
So there it is. Shri Krishna and Shri Guru are clearly speaking to me. I need to stop being lazy, stop making excuses. Not only in terms of devotional service, but just in general, in life itself. Life is not about sitting idly by the side and just avoiding everything and waiting for death.
The really icing on the cake about the message Krishna is sending me was when I came across this video on YouTube by accident:
Spiritual activism. Yeah. Being active. Spiritual life is not about doing nothing. It's not about moving into a cave and not mingling with society, although at times that's exactly what I'd like to do. No. The real experience, the real lessons, the real opportunity to put ideals into practice is out here in the world.
My desire to negate everything (like the Buddhists) is quite impersonal. My relationships with everyone are reflections of how I relate with Shri Guru and Shri Krishna. Seeing duality between people I like and people I don't like is all illusion. Everything is Krishna and Krishna's energies. And I don't mean that in a "repeating what I heard" kind of way. I mean that in the way that THAT'S reality. To not see that is illusion.
Shri Guru speaks to us through everyone and everything, as long as we are receptive to it and not defensive, absorbed in false ego or full of pride. Through humility we can hear the message. We can't hold on to our initial negative reactions of anger, hurt, betrayal, disdain, denial, etc. We can't get caught up in the externals or only see the surface of things. We have to look beyond the appearance of the messenger and hear the message. We have to realize that every interaction with others is an interaction with Krishna.
So now that I can hear what Krishna is trying to tell me, the question becomes, "What am I going to do with this message?" Am I going to ignore it and keep doing whatever? Or am I going to try and make an improvement? Am I going to try and stop making excuses for everything and become proactive and enthused about serving everyone and everything?
My tendency to be lazy is deep-rooted. My tendency to make excuses is also deep-rooted. I can only pray to Shri Nityananda Prabhu that just as He has given me this message, that please also give me the strength to make a change.
Diary of a Lazy Mo’Fo
→ A Convenient Truth
The universe (aka - Shri Krishna) seems to be telling me that I'm a lazy piece of shit that's full of excuses. It started on Facebook last week when I saw a post by my dear god brother Advaita Acarya. It was a link to a video (which I didn't watch), but his comment was something like, "For those who see the importance of distributing Srila Prabhupada's books they'll find a way to do it. For those who don't they'll find a lot of excuses why they can't." Something like that. I replied with a half-joke, "If you ever need excuses, I have a long list (winky face)." I thought I was joking (and he knew I was joking), but was I really joking? Or was there some truth to what I had just said?
Then one night while laying down I was reading this article on Cracked.com:
http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person/
It was like the events of that earlier day all started to make sense. Without going into too much detail, basically I was yelled at for work-related stuff. It was very shocking and emotional for me. I was even crying about it. I was already emotional because of being sick and dealing with the side effects of antibiotics. The getting yelled at was just the proverbial straw that broke my back. It was devastating.
So when I read that article on Cracked.com it was as if Paramatma was speaking to me, telling me the reason why I was getting reprimanded: I'm lazy and full of excuses.
Then today I got an email from my wife and it was a link to this:
http://zenpencils.com/comic/97-charles-bukowski-air-and-light-and-time-and-space/
BAM! There it was...again. And when I asked my wife why she sent it to me, she mentioned how she thought it was a cool comic and that it could also be related to sadhana.
So there it is. Shri Krishna and Shri Guru are clearly speaking to me. I need to stop being lazy, stop making excuses. Not only in terms of devotional service, but just in general, in life itself. Life is not about sitting idly by the side and just avoiding everything and waiting for death.
The really icing on the cake about the message Krishna is sending me was when I came across this video on YouTube by accident:
Spiritual activism. Yeah. Being active. Spiritual life is not about doing nothing. It's not about moving into a cave and not mingling with society, although at times that's exactly what I'd like to do. No. The real experience, the real lessons, the real opportunity to put ideals into practice is out here in the world.
My desire to negate everything (like the Buddhists) is quite impersonal. My relationships with everyone are reflections of how I relate with Shri Guru and Shri Krishna. Seeing duality between people I like and people I don't like is all illusion. Everything is Krishna and Krishna's energies. And I don't mean that in a "repeating what I heard" kind of way. I mean that in the way that THAT'S reality. To not see that is illusion.
Shri Guru speaks to us through everyone and everything, as long as we are receptive to it and not defensive, absorbed in false ego or full of pride. Through humility we can hear the message. We can't hold on to our initial negative reactions of anger, hurt, betrayal, disdain, denial, etc. We can't get caught up in the externals or only see the surface of things. We have to look beyond the appearance of the messenger and hear the message. We have to realize that every interaction with others is an interaction with Krishna.
So now that I can hear what Krishna is trying to tell me, the question becomes, "What am I going to do with this message?" Am I going to ignore it and keep doing whatever? Or am I going to try and make an improvement? Am I going to try and stop making excuses for everything and become proactive and enthused about serving everyone and everything?
My tendency to be lazy is deep-rooted. My tendency to make excuses is also deep-rooted. I can only pray to Shri Nityananda Prabhu that just as He has given me this message, that please also give me the strength to make a change.
How Millions of Farmers are Advancing Agriculture For Themselves
→ The Yoga of Ecology
The world record yield for paddy rice production is not held by an agricultural research station or by a large-scale farmer from the United States, but by Sumant Kumar who has a farm of just two hectares in Darveshpura village in the state of Bihar in Northern India. His record yield of 22.4 tons per hectare, from a one-acre plot, was achieved with what is known as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). To put his achievement in perspective, the average paddy yield worldwide is about 4 tons per hectare. Even with the use of fertilizer, average yields are usually not more than 8 tons.
How Millions of Farmers are Advancing Agriculture For Themselves
→ The Yoga of Ecology
The world record yield for paddy rice production is not held by an agricultural research station or by a large-scale farmer from the United States, but by Sumant Kumar who has a farm of just two hectares in Darveshpura village in the state of Bihar in Northern India. His record yield of 22.4 tons per hectare, from a one-acre plot, was achieved with what is known as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). To put his achievement in perspective, the average paddy yield worldwide is about 4 tons per hectare. Even with the use of fertilizer, average yields are usually not more than 8 tons.
School Tragedy: A Hindu Response
→ The Vaishnava Voice
I wanted to share this piece from the Huffington Post’s Religion section with my readers. Its a Hindu comment on the tragic school shootings by Vineet Chander, a chaplain at Princeton University:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vineet-chander/arjunas-grief-a-hindu-mou_b_2317529.html?

Wish Granted
→ Seed of Devotion
Radhanath Swami had been here in Mayapur for almost a week, speaking every night to 4,000 people on the glories of Lord Chaitanya. Even though the pandal where he was speaking was only a couple hundred meters from where I was studying, I had not yet had time to spend one full night to listen. I was just so, so busy.
But tonight would be different. I was scheduling my day meticulously to leave school on time. Not only that, I was going to sit up at the very, very front and look at Maharaj's face the entire time!
Night fell. Despite my planning, I was still at school. Still practicing for my exam.
The lecture had begun. The pandal was so close by the Academy that I could hear the echoes of the microphone as Maharaj spoke. I felt spikes of pain to be so close yet so far. My hopes from the whole day crashed around me.
And yet at the same time, I knew that by being here, studying for Krishna, that was what Radhanath Swami himself would've wanted of me.
So I stayed.
Later that night, I was walking home from dinner with my friend Jahnava. We were turning a corner on the road when I saw up ahead a figure in orange, walking by himself, his orange cloth lit up by a streetlight behind him. At first I thought he was a brahmachari.
Then I looked again.
"Oh my, Maharaj!" I exclaimed. I immediately knelt to the dust to offer my respects. Jahnava also knelt.
By the time I had stood up, Maharaj had walked up to both of us, his eyes shining, his face beaming.
"Bhakti lata devi!" he said and looked into my eyes. "I have been yearning to see you."
I was speechless for a moment. "Maharaj... I... I've been yearning to see you!"
He was quiet for a moment, smiling, then he turned to Jahnava and asked, "What is your name?"
"Jahnava," she replied.
"Beautiful," he said, holding her gaze for several moments. He turned to me again and was quiet. Then, as if he had all the time in the world, he asked me gently, "How are you?"
"I am very well, Maharaj," I said, and I was thinking I would just end it there. After all, this was someone who only an hour before had been speaking to 4,000 people. Surely he had other things to do, other people to talk to. But I found no such mood of rush in Maharaj's face or his voice. He simply wanted to know how I was.
And so I shared with Maharaj a little about Mayapur Academy, and we spoke about how to learn the essence of every ritual we do. He said that he may come to my graduation in March to hand students their diplomas. "I may hand you yours," Maharaj said with a smile.
Then we folded our palms and bid each other goodbye and goodnight.
Jahnava and I continued to walk home, and my eyes were wide and shining.
The holy land of Mayapur seems to grant wishes.
Wish Granted
→ Seed of Devotion
Radhanath Swami had been here in Mayapur for almost a week, speaking every night to 4,000 people on the glories of Lord Chaitanya. Even though the pandal where he was speaking was only a couple hundred meters from where I was studying, I had not yet had time to spend one full night to listen. I was just so, so busy.
But tonight would be different. I was scheduling my day meticulously to leave school on time. Not only that, I was going to sit up at the very, very front and look at Maharaj's face the entire time!
Night fell. Despite my planning, I was still at school. Still practicing for my exam.
The lecture had begun. The pandal was so close by the Academy that I could hear the echoes of the microphone as Maharaj spoke. I felt spikes of pain to be so close yet so far. My hopes from the whole day crashed around me.
And yet at the same time, I knew that by being here, studying for Krishna, that was what Radhanath Swami himself would've wanted of me.
So I stayed.
Later that night, I was walking home from dinner with my friend Jahnava. We were turning a corner on the road when I saw up ahead a figure in orange, walking by himself, his orange cloth lit up by a streetlight behind him. At first I thought he was a brahmachari.
Then I looked again.
"Oh my, Maharaj!" I exclaimed. I immediately knelt to the dust to offer my respects. Jahnava also knelt.
By the time I had stood up, Maharaj had walked up to both of us, his eyes shining, his face beaming.
"Bhakti lata devi!" he said and looked into my eyes. "I have been yearning to see you."
I was speechless for a moment. "Maharaj... I... I've been yearning to see you!"
He was quiet for a moment, smiling, then he turned to Jahnava and asked, "What is your name?"
"Jahnava," she replied.
"Beautiful," he said, holding her gaze for several moments. He turned to me again and was quiet. Then, as if he had all the time in the world, he asked me gently, "How are you?"
"I am very well, Maharaj," I said, and I was thinking I would just end it there. After all, this was someone who only an hour before had been speaking to 4,000 people. Surely he had other things to do, other people to talk to. But I found no such mood of rush in Maharaj's face or his voice. He simply wanted to know how I was.
And so I shared with Maharaj a little about Mayapur Academy, and we spoke about how to learn the essence of every ritual we do. He said that he may come to my graduation in March to hand students their diplomas. "I may hand you yours," Maharaj said with a smile.
Then we folded our palms and bid each other goodbye and goodnight.
Jahnava and I continued to walk home, and my eyes were wide and shining.
The holy land of Mayapur seems to grant wishes.
Travel Journal#8.21: London, New York, Jacksonville
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk
By Krishna-kripa das
(November 2012, part one)
(Sent from Stuyvesant Falls, New York, on December 17, 2012)
- Pramana: Evidence comes from the scripture.
- Parama-tattva: Hari alone is the Truth.
- He is the possessor of all potency.
- He is the source of all relationships, rasa.
- We are all his amsas (parts).
- Souls in this world are baddha (bound by maya [illusion]).
- Liberated souls are free from maya.
- We are simultaneous one with and different from Krishna [acintya-bheda-abheda].
- Pure devotion the is only means for perfection.
- Love of Krishna is the goal.
Travel Journal#8.21: London, New York, Jacksonville
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk
By Krishna-kripa das
(November 2012, part one)
(Sent from Stuyvesant Falls, New York, on December 17, 2012)
- Pramana: Evidence comes from the scripture.
- Parama-tattva: Hari alone is the Truth.
- He is the possessor of all potency.
- He is the source of all relationships, rasa.
- We are all his amsas (parts).
- Souls in this world are baddha (bound by maya [illusion]).
- Liberated souls are free from maya.
- We are simultaneous one with and different from Krishna [acintya-bheda-abheda].
- Pure devotion the is only means for perfection.
- Love of Krishna is the goal.
Obama’s Speech
→ The Vaishnava Voice
This was President Obama’s speech yesterday:
Thank you. Thank you, Governor. To all the families, first responders, to the community of Newtown, clergy, guests – Scripture tells us: “…do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away…inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”
We gather here in memory of twenty beautiful children and six remarkable adults. They lost their lives in a school that could have been any school; in a quiet town full of good and decent people that could be any town in America.
Here in Newtown, I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation. I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts. I can only hope it helps for you to know that you’re not alone in your grief; that our world too has been torn apart; that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you, we’ve pulled our children tight. And you must know that whatever measure of comfort we can provide, we will provide; whatever portion of sadness that we can share with you to ease this heavy load, we will gladly bear it. Newtown – you are not alone.
As these difficult days have unfolded, you’ve also inspired us with stories of strength and resolve and sacrifice. We know that when danger arrived in the halls of Sandy Hook Elementary, the school’s staff did not flinch, they did not hesitate. Dawn Hochsprung and Mary Sherlach, Vicki Soto, Lauren Rousseau, Rachel Davino and Anne Marie Murphy – they responded as we all hope we might respond in such terrifying circumstances – with courage and with love, giving their lives to protect the children in their care.
We know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside classrooms, and kept steady through it all, and reassured their students by saying “wait for the good guys, they’re coming”; “show me your smile.”
And we know that good guys came. The first responders who raced to the scene, helping to guide those in harm’s way to safety, and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shock and trauma because they had a job to do, and others needed them more.
And then there were the scenes of the schoolchildren, helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young children sometimes do; one child even trying to encourage a grown-up by saying, “I know karate. So it’s okay. I’ll lead the way out.”
As a community, you’ve inspired us, Newtown. In the face of indescribable violence, in the face of unconscionable evil, you’ve looked out for each other, and you’ve cared for one another, and you’ve loved one another.This is how Newtown will be remembered. And with time, and God’s grace, that love will see you through.
But we, as a nation, we are left with some hard questions. Someone once described the joy and anxiety of parenthood as the equivalent of having your heart outside of your body all the time, walking around. With their very first cry, this most precious, vital part of ourselves – our child – is suddenly exposed to the world, to possible mishap or malice. And every parent knows there is nothing we will not do to shield our children from harm. And yet, we also know that with that child’s very first step, and each step after that, they are separating from us; that we won’t – that we can’t always be there for them. They’ll suffer sickness and setbacks and broken hearts and disappointments. And we learn that our most important job is to give them what they need to become self-reliant and capable and resilient, ready to face the world without fear.
And we know we can’t do this by ourselves. It comes as a shock at a certain point where you realize, no matter how much you love these kids, you can’t do it by yourself. That this job of keeping our children safe, and teaching them well, is something we can only do together, with the help of friends and neighbors, the help of a community, and the help of a nation. And in that way, we come to realize that we bear a responsibility for every child because we’re counting on everybody else to help look after ours; that we’re all parents; that they’re all our children.
This is our first task – caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.
And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children – all of them – safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know that they are loved, and teaching them to love in return? Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?
I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change.
Since I’ve been President, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by a mass shooting. The fourth time we’ve hugged survivors. The fourth time we’ve consoled the families of victims. And in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small towns and big cities all across America – victims whose – much of the time, their only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law – no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society.
But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this. If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from the grief that has visited Tucson, and Aurora, and Oak Creek, and Newtown, and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg before that – then surely we have an obligation to try.
In the coming weeks, I will use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens – from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators – in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. Because what choice do we have? We can’t accept events like this as routine. Are we really prepared to say that we’re powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?
All the world’s religions – so many of them represented here today – start with a simple question: Why are we here? What gives our life meaning? What gives our acts purpose? We know our time on this Earth is fleeting. We know that we will each have our share of pleasure and pain; that even after we chase after some earthly goal, whether it’s wealth or power or fame, or just simple comfort, we will, in some fashion, fall short of what we had hoped. We know that no matter how good our intentions, we will all stumble sometimes, in some way. We will make mistakes, we will experience hardships. And even when we’re trying to do the right thing, we know that much of our time will be spent groping through the darkness, so often unable to discern God’s heavenly plans.
There’s only one thing we can be sure of, and that is the love that we have – for our children, for our families, for each other. The warmth of a small child’s embrace – that is true. The memories we have of them, the joy that they bring, the wonder we see through their eyes, that fierce and boundless love we feel for them, a love that takes us out of ourselves, and binds us to something larger – we know that’s what matters. We know we’re always doing right when we’re taking care of them, when we’re teaching them well, when we’re showing acts of kindness. We don’t go wrong when we do that.
That’s what we can be sure of. And that’s what you, the people of Newtown, have reminded us. That’s how you’ve inspired us. You remind us what matters. And that’s what should drive us forward in everything we do, for as long as God sees fit to keep us on this Earth.
“Let the little children come to me,” Jesus said, “and do not hinder them – for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
Charlotte. Daniel. Olivia. Josephine. Ana. Dylan. Madeleine. Catherine. Chase. Jesse. James. Grace. Emilie. Jack. Noah. Caroline. Jessica. Benjamin. Avielle. Allison.
God has called them all home. For those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on, and make our country worthy of their memory.
May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in His heavenly place. May He grace those we still have with His holy comfort. And may He bless and watch over this community, and the United States of America.

ISCOWP November 2012 Update
→ The Yoga of Ecology
ISCOWP November 2012 Update
→ The Yoga of Ecology
BHAKTI YOGA SEASIDE RETREAT – Invitation
→ Welcome to the official site of ISKCON Perth
Dear Devotees and well-wishers,
It gives us great joy to invite you and your loved ones to the first Perth Hare Krishna spiritual event for 2013 THE BHAKTI YOGA SEASIDE RETREAT Come and join your friends and fellow devotees to get their sublime association in the tranquil settings of the Indian Ocean, whilst participating in a spiritual feast of activities ranging from transcendental kirtans, spiritually uplifting workshops, international cuisine prasadam, cultural and beach activities, japa walks and more. With fun activities for kids, there is something for everyone!
All are welcome.
Book (paid) by Dec 16 2012, to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount! We kindly request a donation of only $90 per adult and $50 per child (under 16) for the whole retreat (includes accommodation and meals).
Early bird donations are only $80 per adult and $45 per child (under 16) for the whole retreat (includes accommodation and meals). If you are unable to join us for the whole retreat, please take advantage of the day visitor option which includes prasadam and day activities (excludes accommodation at the retreat venue) for the days that suit you for a donation request of $35 per adult and $20 per child per day.
Venue: Alfred Hines Seaside Camp, Hymus Street, Point Peron, Rockingham
Dates: 25 -28 January 2013Arrival Time: Friday from 5pm
Register now, by simply completing the attached registration form and returning with full cash only payment to Jane ASAP.
For more information or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jane on
0430 810 800 or email iskconperth1@gmail.com
Best Wishes,
Bhakti Yoga Seaside Retreat Organising Team
Forecasting Denial: Why Are TV Weathercasters Ignoring Climate Change?
→ The Yoga of Ecology
Forecasting Denial: Why Are TV Weathercasters Ignoring Climate Change?
→ The Yoga of Ecology
Travel Journal#8.20: The North of England and London
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk
By Krishna-kripa das
(October 2012, part two)
The North of England and London
(Sent from Stuyvesant Falls, New York, on December 12, 2012)
- an Eastern European who did not know we had Hare Krishna programs in Sheffield.
- two Muslim couples, stopping at different times, who upon hearing my explanation, considered that chanting God’s names in public was a good thing to do.
- a lady who was a follower of another Gaudiya Vaishnava group who did not know there were Hare Krishna programs in Sheffield.
Candramauli Swami:
Even the residents of Vrindavana got into trouble because of their relationship with Krishna, but He saved them in the end. Krishna will always save you. Sometimes not in the beginning but in the end.
Life is about learning how to die in the right consciousness, thinking of Krishna, so you attain the spiritual world. One is happy to leave when Krishna says it is time to go.
Spiritual life is difficult, but material life is impossible. Material life is impossible because whatever you gain you lose, but in spiritual life, your spiritual assets come with you to the next life.
Hanuman becomes a physician, Murari Gupta, in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes. Actually he was also a physician in Lord Rama’s pastimes because he brought the herbs to bring Laksman back to life.
In the last stanza of the “Damodarastakam” the phrase “your unlimited pastimes” refers to rasa-lila [Lord Krishna’s celebrated dance with the gopis].
If we could hear Krishna’s flute we would drop everything in the material world.
When pride enters, Krishna is gone.
Bhakti means to assist the Lord in His pastimes.
The gopis always aspire to assist Radha and Krishna in Their pastimes.
People say they love God, but what do they actually do for God?
If you want to do something to increase the happiness of the other person, that is love.
Radharani can please Krishna by being mad at Him, and that is difficult to do, but Radha can do it.
Krishna wants to taste love from each and every soul.
In this world, people pray to God for food, but in the spiritual world, they consider what food to offer to God.
Prabhupada says Krishna’s favorite sweet is rasgulla.
The soft sweet sound in the heart is the Lord, and that loud voice is our false ego.
Krishna’s name, Gopi-vallabha, means one who gives ever newer pleasure to the gopis.
Niranjana Swami:
from a recorded lecture in Ukraine:
Krishna enjoys by sharing the pleasure He enjoys with His devotees.
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
from his autobiography entitled, The Story of My Life:
“Krishna-kripa quoted Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati as saying harinama sankirtana was the emperor of all sadhanas. Every form of sadhana must have its connection with harinama sankirtana in order to have its meaning. He said this was the best quote he had ever found and Agnideva said, ‘Wow!’ I hope I connected to harinama sankirtana while describing the spring, otherwise it’s useless. We chant while we work, singing the Lord’s Names.”
from Viraha Bhavan, October 25, 2012 poem:
I am remembering Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati’s saying that the Hare Krishna mantra
is nama-bhajana to Radha.
Gaura Krishna Prabhu:
When Gopa Kumara attained Goloka Vrindavana and ran up to Krishna and embraced Him, they both fainted in ecstasy. At Heathrow you will see many reunions, but nothing like that.
Our reunion with Krishna comes through service.
We each have a special thing to offer to Krishna. Although He is self-sufficient He is missing that special thing until we reconnect and offer it to Him.
Kirtida dd:
Krishna explains that without tolerating dualities we cannot come up to the level of spiritual knowledge.
Radha Mohan Prabhu:
Just as people all over world were interested when Bin Ladin was killed, all the demigods were very interested to hear that Krishna had killed Aghasura.
Although Krishna as the Lord is worthy of being served, He took pleasure in letting His friends eat their lunch while He searched for the calves.
comment by Gaura Prabhu:
One student who joined a devotional retreat in South Africa became convinced that this Krishna consciousness was something special by the end of it because all we did was sing the same song and yet it got better and better. Thus he joined and became a very good preacher.
Radha Ramana Prabhu (of Wales):
conversation of prospective disciple with Radhanatha Swami:
prospective disciple: I feel you are my spiritual master.
Radhanatha Swami: I feel I am your servant.
Travel Journal#8.20: The North of England and London
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk
By Krishna-kripa das
(October 2012, part two)
The North of England and London
(Sent from Stuyvesant Falls, New York, on December 12, 2012)
- an Eastern European who did not know we had Hare Krishna programs in Sheffield.
- two Muslim couples, stopping at different times, who upon hearing my explanation, considered that chanting God’s names in public was a good thing to do.
- a lady who was a follower of another Gaudiya Vaishnava group who did not know there were Hare Krishna programs in Sheffield.
Candramauli Swami:
Even the residents of Vrindavana got into trouble because of their relationship with Krishna, but He saved them in the end. Krishna will always save you. Sometimes not in the beginning but in the end.
Life is about learning how to die in the right consciousness, thinking of Krishna, so you attain the spiritual world. One is happy to leave when Krishna says it is time to go.
Spiritual life is difficult, but material life is impossible. Material life is impossible because whatever you gain you lose, but in spiritual life, your spiritual assets come with you to the next life.
Hanuman becomes a physician, Murari Gupta, in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes. Actually he was also a physician in Lord Rama’s pastimes because he brought the herbs to bring Laksman back to life.
In the last stanza of the “Damodarastakam” the phrase “your unlimited pastimes” refers to rasa-lila [Lord Krishna’s celebrated dance with the gopis].
If we could hear Krishna’s flute we would drop everything in the material world.
When pride enters, Krishna is gone.
Bhakti means to assist the Lord in His pastimes.
The gopis always aspire to assist Radha and Krishna in Their pastimes.
People say they love God, but what do they actually do for God?
If you want to do something to increase the happiness of the other person, that is love.
Radharani can please Krishna by being mad at Him, and that is difficult to do, but Radha can do it.
Krishna wants to taste love from each and every soul.
In this world, people pray to God for food, but in the spiritual world, they consider what food to offer to God.
Prabhupada says Krishna’s favorite sweet is rasgulla.
The soft sweet sound in the heart is the Lord, and that loud voice is our false ego.
Krishna’s name, Gopi-vallabha, means one who gives ever newer pleasure to the gopis.
Niranjana Swami:
from a recorded lecture in Ukraine:
Krishna enjoys by sharing the pleasure He enjoys with His devotees.
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
from his autobiography entitled, The Story of My Life:
“Krishna-kripa quoted Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati as saying harinama sankirtana was the emperor of all sadhanas. Every form of sadhana must have its connection with harinama sankirtana in order to have its meaning. He said this was the best quote he had ever found and Agnideva said, ‘Wow!’ I hope I connected to harinama sankirtana while describing the spring, otherwise it’s useless. We chant while we work, singing the Lord’s Names.”
from Viraha Bhavan, October 25, 2012 poem:
I am remembering Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati’s saying that the Hare Krishna mantra
is nama-bhajana to Radha.
Gaura Krishna Prabhu:
When Gopa Kumara attained Goloka Vrindavana and ran up to Krishna and embraced Him, they both fainted in ecstasy. At Heathrow you will see many reunions, but nothing like that.
Our reunion with Krishna comes through service.
We each have a special thing to offer to Krishna. Although He is self-sufficient He is missing that special thing until we reconnect and offer it to Him.
Kirtida dd:
Krishna explains that without tolerating dualities we cannot come up to the level of spiritual knowledge.
Radha Mohan Prabhu:
Just as people all over world were interested when Bin Ladin was killed, all the demigods were very interested to hear that Krishna had killed Aghasura.
Although Krishna as the Lord is worthy of being served, He took pleasure in letting His friends eat their lunch while He searched for the calves.
comment by Gaura Prabhu:
One student who joined a devotional retreat in South Africa became convinced that this Krishna consciousness was something special by the end of it because all we did was sing the same song and yet it got better and better. Thus he joined and became a very good preacher.
Radha Ramana Prabhu (of Wales):
conversation of prospective disciple with Radhanatha Swami:
prospective disciple: I feel you are my spiritual master.
Radhanatha Swami: I feel I am your servant.