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Ekadasi is the 11th day of the Moon’s lunar phase, and Kamada Ekadasi falls on the Shukla Paksha (waxing phase) in the month of the Chaitra (March-April). This day is also called ‘Chaitra Shukla Ekadasi.’
This Ekadasi is especially auspicious for disciples of His Holiness Jayapataka Swami whose 73rd Vyasa Puja will be celebrated on this day. Jayapataka Maharaja will be flagging off the official launch of the TOVP 2024 Marathon to open the TOVP in 2024 and relocate our beloved Deities into Their new home. Several new seva opportunities are available to sponsor. Please visit the TOVP 2024 Marathon Page on the TOVP website for more information.
NOTE: Kamada Ekadasi is observed on April 12 worldwide. Please refer to your local calendar through www.gopal.home.sk/gcal.
View, download and share the TOVP 2022 Calendar.
The glories of Kamada Ekadashi are found in the Varaha Purana in a conversation between Maharaja Yudhishthira and Lord Krishna. Referring to this conversation while speaking to some great sages of the universe:
Sri Suta Goswami said, “Oh sages, let me offer my humble and respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Hari, Bhagavan Sri Krishna, the son of Devaki and Vasudeva, by whose mercy I can describe the fast day that removes all kinds of sins. It was to the devoted Yudhisthira that Lord Krishna glorified the twenty-four primary Ekadasis, which destroy sin, and now I shall recount one of those narrations to you. Great-learned sages have selected these twenty-four narrations from the eighteen Puranas, for they are truly sublime.
“Yudhishthira Maharaja said, ‘Oh Lord Krishna, Oh Vasudeva, please accept my humble obeisances. Please describe to me the Ekadasi that occurs during the light part of the month of Chaitra [March-April]. What is its name, and what are its glories?’
“Lord Sri Krishna replied, ‘Oh Yudhishthira, please listen to Me attentively as I relate the ancient history of this sacred Ekadasi, a history Vasishta Muni once related to King Dilipa, the great-grandfather of Lord Ramachandra.
‘King Dilipa asked the great sage Vasishta, “Oh wise brahmana, I wish to hear about the Ekadasi that comes during the light part of the month of Chaitra. Please describe it to me.”
‘Vasishta Muni replied, “Oh king, your inquiry is glorious. Gladly shall I tell you what you wish to know. The Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight of Chaitra is named Kamada Ekadasi. It consumes all sins, as a forest fire consumes a supply of dry firewood. It is very purifying, and it bestows the highest merit upon one who faithfully observe it. Oh king, now hear an ancient history which is so meritorious that it removes all one’s sins simply by being heard.
“Once, long ago, there existed a city-state named Ratnapura, which was decorated with gold and jewels, and in which sharp-fanged snakes would enjoy intoxication. King Pundarika was the ruler of this most beautiful kingdom, which was inhabited by many Gandharvas, Kinnaras, and Apsaras among its citizens. Among the Gandharvas were Lalit and his wife Lalita, who was an especially lovely dancer. These two were intensely attracted to each other, and their home was full of great wealth and fine food. Lalita loved her husband dearly, and likewise Lalit constantly thought of her within his heart.
“Once, at the court of King Pundarika, many Gandharvas were dancing and Lalit was singing alone, without his wife. He could not help thinking about her as he sang, and because of this distraction he lost track of the song’s meter and melody. Indeed, Lalit sang the ending of his song improperly, and one of the envious snakes who was in attendance at the king’s court complained to the king that Lalit was absorbed in thinking of his wife instead of his sovereign. The king became furious upon hearing this, and his eyes turned crimson with rage.
“Suddenly he shouted, ‘Oh foolish knave, because you were lustfully thinking of a woman instead of reverently thinking of your king as you performed your court duties, I curse you to at once become a cannibal!’ “Oh king, Lalit immediately became a fearful cannibal, a great man-eating demon whose appearance terrified everyone. His arms were eight miles long, his mouth was as big as a huge cave, his eyes were as big as the sun and moon, his nostrils resembled enormous pits in the earth, his neck was a veritable mountain, his hips were four miles wide, and his gigantic body stood a full sixty-four miles high. Thus, poor Lalit, the loving Gandharva singer, had to suffer the reaction of his offense against King Pundarika.
“Seeing her husband suffering as a horrible cannibal, Lalita became overwhelmed with grief. She thought, ‘Now that my dear husband is suffering the effects of the kings’ curse, what is to be my lot? What should I do? Where should I go?’ “In this way Lalita grieved day and night.
Instead of enjoying life as a Gandharva’s wife, she had to wander everywhere in the thick jungle with her monstrous husband, who had fallen completely under the spell of the king’s curse and was wholly engaged in terrible sinful activities. He wandered aimlessly across the region, a once-beautiful Gandharva now reduced to the ghastly behavior of a man-eater. Utterly distraught to see her dear husband suffer so much in his dreadful condition, Lalita began to cry as she followed his mad journeying.“By good fortune, however, Lalita came upon the sage Shringi one day. He was sitting on the peak of the famous Vindhyachala Hill. Approaching him, she immediately offered the ascetic her respectful obeisances.The sage noticed her bowing down before him and said, ‘Oh most beautiful one, who are you? Whose daughter are you, and why have you come here? Please tell me everything in truth.
“Lalita replied, ‘Oh great age, I am the daughter of the great Gandharva Viradhanva, and my name is Lalita. I roam the forests and plains with my dear husband, whom King Pundarika has cursed to become a man-eating demon. Oh brahmana, I am greatly aggrieved to see his ferocious form and terribly sinful activities. Oh master, please tell me how I can perform some act of atonement on behalf of my husband. What pious act can I perform to free him from this demonic form, Oh best of brahmanas?
“The sage replied, ‘Oh heavenly maiden, there is an Ekadasi named Kamada that occurs in the light fortnight of the month of Chaitra. It is coming up soon. Whoever fasts on this day has all his desires fulfilled. If you observe this Ekadasi fast according to its rules and regulations and give the merit you thus earn to your husband, he will be freed from the curse at once.’
“Lalita was overjoyed to hear these words from the sage. Lalita faithfully observed the fast of Kamada Ekadasi according to the instructions of the sage Shringi, and on Dvadasi she appeared before him and the Deity of Lord Vasudeva and said, ‘I have faithfully observed the fast of Kamada Ekadasi. By the merit earned through my observance of this fast, let my husband be free from the curse that has turned him into a demoniac cannibal. May the merit I have gained thus free him from misery.’
“As soon as Lalita finished speaking, her husband, who stood nearby, was at once freed from the king’s curse. He immediately regained his original form as the Gandharva Lalit, a handsome heavenly singer adorned with many beautiful ornaments. Now, with his wife Lalita, he could enjoy even more opulence than before. All this was accomplished by the power and glory of Kamada Ekadasi. At last the Gandharva couple boarded a celestial airplane and ascended to heaven.
“Lord Sri Krishna continued, ‘Oh Yudhishthira, best of kings, anyone who hears this wonderful narration should certainly observe the holy Kamada Ekadasi to the best of his ability, such great merit does it bestow upon the faithful devotee. I have therefore described its glories to you for the benefit of all humanity. There is no better Ekadasi than Kamada Ekadasi. It can eradicate even the sin of killing a brahmana, and it also nullifies demoniac curses and cleanses the consciousness. In all the three worlds, among movable and immovable living entities, there is no better day’
Thus ends the narration of the glories of Kamada Ekadasi from the Varaha Purana.
This article has been used courtesy of ISKCON Desire Tree
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The TOVP Team is pleased to announce our annual matching fundraiser, the #GivingToNrsimha 12 Day Matching Fundraiser from May 3 (Akshaya Tritiya) till May 15 (Nrsimha Caturdasi). This year Ambarisa prabhu has doubled his matching commitment to a total of $250,000! Every donation will be matched, every pledge payment matched, dollar for dollar.
There are several new seva options available such as Prabhupada Medallions, Prabhupada Awards and Prabhupada Trophies, as well as Nrsimha Bricks and a General Donation.
This is a crucial time as we run the last lap of the race to open the TOVP in 2024 and relocate our beloved Mayapur Deities into Their new home. Srila Prabhupada sits in his room in the TOVP now awaiting that historic moment in ISKCON’s progress and in the future of the sankirtan movement. The TOVP 2024 Marathon races forward.
Please make a sankalpa to support this important fundraising event by sponsoring one of the seva options or making a general donation and visit the #GivingToNrsimha Page today or during the 12-day fundraiser. This is the final lap in the race to open the TOVP and with your help we can accomplish this. Our motto is WE RUN, YOU WIN! We’ll do the running to get the temple open and you’ll be the winner by going back to Godhead.
“If you all build this temple, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur will personally come and take you all back to Godhead.
Srila Prabhupada to Giriraja Swami
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Gaura Purnima – Appearance Day of Caitanya Mahaprabhu
This festival celebrates the appearance day of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is observed annually (in February – March) by devotees all over the world, especially in the area of Mayapur in India, the place where Mahaprabhu appeared in the year of 1486. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme, Lord Krsna Himself, appearing as His own devotee, to teach us that we can gain full enlightenment simply by chanting the holy names of the Lord. Those who witnessed Mahaprabhu’s pastimes saw Him dance and chant with ecstatic love for God. He encouraged everyone to follow this same process. He taught that anyone, regardless of background or spiritual qualification, could develop their innate love of God and experience great spiritual pleasure by chanting the Hare Krsna mahamantra.
To the present day, ISKCON continues the work begun by Lord Caitanya, who predicted that the chanting of the holy names of Krsna would spread all over the world. Gaura Purnima means the ‘golden full moon’ signifying that Lord Caitanya was born during a full moon, and the Lord blesses everyone with soothing, moonlike rays of His sublime teachings. Hopefully, those of you who observed this festival, managed to fast and chant the holy names all day.
Kadamba Kanana Swami spent this month in South Africa, where he visited many places, gave initiations, led harinams, kirtans and gave lectures. Please see links to these programs below:
12 March 2022 – Initiation Ceremony in WuSa House
https://www.facebook.com/savyasaci.das/videos/494000312178167/
13 March 2022 – ISKCON Lenasia – Sunday Love Feast
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=753017698978211&id=1069732548&sfnsn=scwspwa
18 March 2022 – ISKCON Sandton – Caitanya Caritamrta Gaura Purnima Morning Class
20 March 2022 – ISKCON Pretoria – Embassy of the Spiritual World, kirtan and lecture
https://www.facebook.com/iskconpta/videos/4224583787643909
21 March 2022 – ISKCON Durban – Kirtan Festival
https://www.facebook.com/DurbanKrishna/videos/780686726243365
26 March 2022 – River Ranch program
https://www.facebook.com/shobhamayi.devidasi.5/videos/501678154753562
29 March 2022 – ISKCON Cape Town – Kirtan and Lecture
https://www.facebook.com/kamlasan.naidoo/videos/639199820506995
30 March 2022 – Cape Town – Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 3.7.21
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1035597837030246&id=100009635618987&sfnsn=scwspwa
30 March 2022 – Cape Town – Spirit Matters – lecture
https://www.facebook.com/100009635618987/videos/1129128711262836/
or
31 March 2022 – Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 3.7.22
Weekly Zoom Meetings
4 March 2022 – Brihad Bhagavatamrita
11 March 2022 – Sri Sri Sad Goswami-astaka
18 March 2022 – Sri Gaura Purnima evening
25 March 2022 – House Program in Umhlanga
Kadamba Kanana Swami will be in Europe in April 2022. Keep tuned in for more fabulous kirtans and lectures for this month.
The article " Monthly Media – Mar 2022 " was published on KKSBlog.
Ramanujacharya is also known as Ramanuja. He was born in 11th century around 1017 in a Tamil Brahmin family in Sriperumbudur village of Tamil Nadu. His birth name was Lakshmana and was also referred as Ilaya Perumal, that is, ‘the radiant one’.
His legacy as a theologian, teacher and philosopher remains alive. He was one of the greatest teachers of Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, which is one of the six classical systems of Indian philosophy.
His father was Keseva Samayaji and his mother name was Kantimathi. He married Rahshambal in around 1033. Not long after the wedding, his father died. He with his mother and wife went to Kanchipuram and settled there.
It is said that Ramanuja’s marriage life lasted until he was thirty, when he gave up worldly life. Ramanuja’s cousin, Govinda Bhatta was his closest friend. He played an important role in Ramanuja’s life.
Ramanujacharya’s birthplace is now commemorated by a temple in Sriperumbudur and also in an active Vishishtadvaita school. His religious practices and the doctrines that he had promulgated are also carried in two most important Vaishnava centres: the Ranganatha temple in Shri Rangam, Tamil Nadu and the Venkateshvara temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh in South India.
Today is the appearance anniversary of Sripada Ramanujacharya, the principal acharya in the Sri, or Lakshmi, sampradaya. In a letter dated November 22, 1974, Srila Prabhupada wrote, “We find great shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Ramanujacharya because his lotus feet are the strongest fort to combat the Mayavadi philosophy.” And in the early days of ISKCON in India, before we had Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is in Hindi, Prabhupada would refer people to read the Hindi edition of the Gita with Sri Ramanujacharya’s commentary.
Srila Prabhupada often told a story about Sri Ramanujacharya’s merciful, compassionate nature. As he related it in Ahmedabad in 1972, “The servants of Krishna take all risk for Krishna’s sake. Just like Ramanujacharya. Sri Ramanujacharya’s spiritual master said, ‘My dear son, the mantra which I am giving, you chant silently and you will be delivered. It is so powerful. Don’t chant this mantra loudly so others can hear.’
“Ramanujacharya thought, ‘If this mantra is so powerful that if others hear it they’ll also be delivered, then why not?’ He immediately went to the market and began to chant the mantra. So, his spiritual master became very angry, that ‘I told you not to chant loudly, so that others may not hear.’ And Ramanujacharya replied, ‘My Lordship, I have done offense unto you. That’s all right. For this I am prepared to go to hell. But if this mantra is so powerful, I must speak it to everyone.’ ”
In this mood, following in the footsteps of Sripada Ramanujacharya, Srila Prabhupada broadcast the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita everywhere, to everyone.
We pray and aspire to follow in their footsteps.
Hare Krishna.
Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami
On April 12, 2022, the auspicious Kamada Ekadasi, disciples and well-wishers of His Holiness Jayapataka Swami around the world will celebrate his 73rd Vyasa Puja anniversary. To illustrate his desire to complete the TOVP for Srila Prabhupada’s pleasure, Maharaja will flag off the official launch of the TOVP 2024 Marathon to open the temple in 2024 and relocate our beloved Mayapur Deities into Their new home by lighting and carrying a TOVP Victory Torch.
There will also ensue a live TOVP fundraising event at Maharaja’s Vyasa Puja for the above purpose, and we would like our readers to be aware of this campaign. You can participate and offer your financial support to the TOVP on this appearance day and Ekadasi combination by sponsoring one of several new seva options such as the Prabhupada Medallion, Prabhupada Award and Prabhupada/TOVP trophy. This can be considered as your personal guru dakshina offering to Jayapataka Maharaja to fulfill his service to Srila Prabhupada.
Go to the TOVP 2024 Marathon Page today and sponsor one of the above seva options in honor of His Holiness Jayapataka Maharaja and help open the TOVP in 2024. This is the final lap in the race and with your help we can accomplish this. Our motto is WE RUN, YOU WIN! We’ll do the running to the finish line to get the temple open and you’ll be the winner by going back to Godhead.
“If you all build this temple, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur will personally come and take you all back to Godhead.
Srila Prabhupada to Giriraja Swami
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“As described in the second verse of this chapter, not only is this devotional service easy, but it can be performed in a happy mood. One does not need to undergo any severe penance and austerity. He can live this life in devotional service, guided by an expert spiritual master, and in any position, either as a householder or a sannyasi or a brahmacari; in any position and anywhere in the world, he can perform this devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus become actually mahatma, a great soul.” (Bg 9.14 purport)
Bhagavad-gita 9.14 (Right click to download)
Mississauga, Ontario
What to Do About Too Much Food?
People do pranks on this day, April Fool’s Day. In the secular culture it is common enough, but within the confines of our ashram there is so little of that happening on this annual date.
Personally, I would easily declare myself as Fool Number 1, in the sense that my level of surrender trails behind what it should be. The path of devotion, while simple in procedure, still makes its demands. Exercising self-discipline is not always the easiest course.
Tonight, I attended a sangha, a small gathering of devotional folks in Mississauga, and the hosts, Dharma and Manasi Ganga, prepared an elaborate feast. They asked me before hand, days ago, what I would like in the way of supper. Since they asked, I specified – avocado, asparagus, roasted veggies, and some super healthy drink consisting of lemon, ginger, jaggery, and water. They devotionally prepared these delicious items… and more. Delicious dahl, a paneer veg, sambar, and bananas made from the stove to the table.
Did I exercise restraint? To some degree. To some extent, I was proud of myself in terms of withholding. The tongue can be voracious, especially when items of prasad are so well executed. There is absolute deliciousness.
After two Gita Chat Zoom sessions with the sangha visitors and others who joined the called from outside, Gungam gave me a lift to return to the ashram and I asked him to drop me off so I can burn off some of the karmic calories. He felt obliged and left me at Eglinton, from where I trekked the rest, until I reached home.
May the Source be with you!
4 km
East of Yonge
Sweet Pear Bits
I had a sore craving for some leftover pear slices in the lunch room’s fridge. It was after midnight and insomnia hit me so I made it down the stairs, picked up two garbage bags outside Govinda’s Restaurant, which is adjoined to our ashram, to toss in the trash room. The bowl of small pear bits was still there. I transferred them into a small katori dish and made my way up with the fruit securely in hand.
The clock had turned to be April Fool’s Day and I don’t think within the somewhat strict regimen of the ashramthat I was foolish at all for my minor nibble-break. I didn’t even feel guilty. Happy, actually! I was reminiscing about the morning before. Fancy that – I was on a Zoom call with some Scottish seniors from the actual highlands over the Atlantic. This group of inter-faith folk were curious about my monastic life, my walks and in general; what does my day look like on the average?
It was a cozy conversation. They had question and my responses seemed to comfort. I shared some thoughts:
1) God or Krishna gives each and every one of us the gifts of physical, intellectual, and emotional power. We catch it, process it, individualize and send a meagre portion back to Him. It’s called bhakti; love.
2) We don’t die. Our bodies do. We move on to greener pastures; greener than the Highlands.
3) In our mature years we gather our collective wisdom and experience, then, with that ammunition, fight off the last of our little demons’ clearing the internal clutter before making our exit to love.
Those pear bits were yummy.
May the Source be with you!
5 km
Casa Loma, Toronto
Coming to Halifax
The good news is that one of our newly-formed communities on the east coast, Halifax, is hosting their first Ratha Yatra this summer. Ratha Yatra is that exciting festival featuring Krishna Himself in beauty black with ecstatic eyes and oceanic smile. The event actually takes the shape of a parade of sorts. Krishna as Jagannatha, which translates as Universal Lord, is set proudly on a conveyance resembling a chariot. There is no horse-power applied (although horses are invited; any species for that matter), but through the muscle of man, woman, and child pulling rope. The chariot moves on the motivation of bhakti, devotion.
Haligonians, people of Halifax, will witness a re-enactment of an ancient fest dating back to a time five millennia ago. It is supposed to be a family reunion, of many solar eclipse’s past, near Kuruksetra, the very district where the famous dialogue took place between the wise Krishna and His momentarily bewildered warrior friend, Arjuna.
Not everyone will pick up on the historic sweetness of the program but there are other Ratha Yatra vibes, like friend-making and building in addition to the rope-pulling. You can watch Jagannatha’s smile widen.
To prepare, look out for the actual date with ISKCON Halifax Facebook Page. You can help in many ways, such as donating. The main thing is be there and experience something different.
May the Source be with you!
3 km
ISKCON Halifax Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/iskconhalifaxcenter/
GoFundMe:
Rosedale, Toronto
I Love It
It was dark but the night was still fairly young when Vallabha and I were strolling through a pedestrian lane in Rosedale, when three young women, arm in arm, were oncoming. One of the girls took notice of my saffron and just lit up. “I love it!” she blurted out.
And then a young man carrying his disassembled bike also noted my monastic duds and asked, “Are you a Hare Krishna monk?” And, “Indeed!” I clarified. I was happy he didn’t deliver the usual line, “Are you Buddhist?” Afterall, Buddhists aren’t the only monks on the planet. I believe it’s important to offer some exposure and let the public know there is a Krishna culture out there.
It’s with great pleasure and pride that I walk the streets and parks in traditional attire. I am passionate about Krishna being known and, eventually, understood. It is in sharing that He gets pleased. Check 18.68 to understand what I’m saying. That’s in the Gita.
While we are at the notion of sharing, I wanted to share something I read today about sacrifice, change or transformation. From Bhagavad-gita: As It Is our guru, Prabhupada, offers to say this from verse 3.11. “By performance of sacrifice, all activities become purified. One’s eatables become sanctified, and by eating sanctified foodstuffs one’s very existence becomes purified; by the purification of existence finer tissues in the memory become sanctified, and when memory is sanctified one can think of the path of liberation, and all these combined together lead to Krishna consciousness, the great necessity of the present-day society.”
May the Source be with you!
3 km
“Any time you devote to Krishna consciousness will come back to you in that it will bring you closer to your eternal life with Krishna. How quickly you reach that goal will depend on how intensely and intelligently you use your time in Krishna consciousness.
“Srila Prabhupada uses an amazing phrase in the first sentence of his purport: ‘This verse indirectly confirms the greater importance of utilizing the human form of life to realize our lost relationship with the Supreme Lord by acceleration of devotional service.’ Accelerate means to go faster. We are in a race against time. We want to finish our business of becoming fixed in Krishna conscious before our duration of life ends.
“Then Srila Prabhupada says, ‘Time and tide wait for no man. So, the time indicated by the sunrise and the sunset will be uselessly wasted if such time is not properly utilized for realizing identification of spiritual values.’” (SB 2.3.17 purport)
Opening the Door to Perfection (Right click to download)
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 1 July 2021, Radhadesh, Belgium, General Lecture)
Do you also have one? Are you also connected with one of those things that just eats up your time? That just makes you obsessed. That is with you as a constant companion. And that is always getting your attention by making sounds and by vibrating. Do you also have one? You probably do. Time for a digital detox. Time to disconnect. Time to leave that thing. Time to simply break the habit. Are you also touching the screen more than you are touch your beads? It is time to go back to the basics.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura lived a life of a simple sadhu, who lived in a simple hut in Mayapur. He was chanting three hundred thousand names a day and ten years of billion names. He then went to preach in the modern world. He was dressed in a overcoat, drove in a car and went to printing presses and what not to push forward the mission. He took us over the bridge from tradition to modernity, where we have arrived, and in the middle of our life we now have Krsna consciousness. Oh yes, we can have it all and it can be cool because you can use it in the service of the Lord. Everything we have, we should think about using in the service of Krsna.
But what about sometimes putting those things aside and going over the bridge of tradition and returning to the very simple basic spiritual life? Living very simple, eating very simple and just chanting and chanting and chanting. Maybe if we go on, then we can become enchanted by the holy name of Krsna. Maybe that will rejuvenate us very much. Digital detox without a doubt may be relevant to many of us, including myself.
There is a great danger that machineries, especially electronics, are beginning to control our lives more and more. This certainly opens up so many horizons. But they take us away from the core of who we are. There are studies that show how Google is permanently changing the way we think. Not only intellectually, but physically, by activating different neurons within our brain and by creating different paths in the brain. It is the time to reflect. A time to take away from these things and return to the very basic chanting of Hare Krsna, and the very basic reading of sastras. Japa retreats and reading retreats are no longer a luxury. They are becoming essential in the artificial modern world that we live in. Just to reconnect with the deeper essence of spiritual practices, where we are meant to experience and realise the presence of Krsna and become cent per cent absorbed in pleasing Him.
The article " Digital Detox " was published on KKSBlog.