Planet ISKCON

Giriraj Swami begins at 10 minutes.

To Ottawa, Ontario

Strides of Shanti

It was really good to get out of the city. Actually, it was liberating to get in between the two cities, Toronto and Ottawa, because twixt the two population densities lies the country side; rolling hills, barns, blue skies, etc.

I asked our driver, Mahadeva, as we sailed along on serene Highway 7, “Do you think we could take a break, stop and hit that trail?” I was implying that I get some physio in and walk a stretch of that 22,000-kilometre trail known as “The Great Trail.” And so Mahadeva, partner Anna Purna, and I made a stretch on this appealing trail edged by cedars and swamp, visited by red-winged black birds and set under the most friendly sky.

Since my knee operation four weeks ago, I hadn’t walked with such guts, in relative speed and distance. This is Lanark County, but we felt we were in Oz, down a yellow brick road. Magical moments. The sun was first on our back, and then with an about-face he was on our face.

We were feeling Krishna on our back and on our front. Pacing like this in such a superb environment is the best therapy. I would say it would have been a cardinal sin had we not gone for those strides of shanti, peace.

Anyway, it was time to end the beautiful spell, get on board the van and head for the nation’s capital, only to then be greeted by loving, cheering devotees at 212 Somerset East.

May the Source be with you!

1 km

 

Greektown, Toronto

Krishna is a Guy

Neil is an accomplished sculptor who hails from Ingersoll, Ontario, and is now settled in Toronto, near Greektown. A generous sponsor, Lajput Prasher, commissioned him to sculpt Krishna and Radha out of a massive maple tree trunk for the upcoming Huntsville project.

I had the good fortune to see Neil’s work-in-progress as he’s putting the finishing touches to an 8-foot-tall Krishna. Thus far, Krishna projects a powerful presence. I’m impressed. It’s indeed rare to see a rendering of the Lord, in wood, by a Canadian, on Canadian soil.

I asked Neil if he could just enlarge the eyes a little as well as put a tiny extra smile to His face. Other than that, He looks good. It was my driver, Karuna Sindhu, who was with me and made the observation, “He looks masculine.” That is what we wanted to achieve, so I’m happy that Karuna said that. We desired a handsome Krishna to stand beside a pretty Radha.

I have expressed it before, that Krishna should not be portrayed with feminine features, which is often the case. Many artists come across rendering Him in an overly female fashion. It gets to be very overdone with make-up and fine ornaments. I’ve seen artist portrayals of Shiva and Rama as being “actual men.” I believe Krishna deserves the same treatment. I get a little tired of people asking me, “Who is that woman on the chariot with Arjuna?”

Dear artists, please do justice and fairness in presenting the Supreme.

May the Source be with you!

 

243 Ave. Rd., Toronto

The Robin and the Book

Nowadays when you wake up in the morning it is not uncommon to hear one of the sweetest song birds around. Even at 4 am (my general time to roll out of bed) I am greeted by the optimistic feathered friend in the form of the common robin. This most prominent of spring birds flies from tree to tree but also takes quality time on grass or soil, bobbing along, looking for breakfast. This welcoming red-breasted creature is well-equipped for yanking out of the earth the juiciest of worms. I really just wanted to put this guy under the spotlight because, for me, this creature really does, like many birds, bring joy to my life.

One more thing I wanted to bring to the readers’ attention is the launch of the book “The Saffron Path,” written by me, the Walking Monk, which in some respects is the translation of my name, Bhaktimarga Swami. The book is a compilation of walking experiences in the US, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Guyana, Trinidad, Fiji, and Mauritius.

I hope the contents will be pleasing to the reader. I have incorporated the element of adventure, introspection, pilgrimage, and the marathon mood. For me, a highlight is the interaction with people. Lots of pics.

The book is available with Amazon and comes in paperback form and with kindle format soon to come. I want to thank editors Abhidheya (Lynne Murray), Wade Wilson, and Nitai Priya (Jennifer Layne) for the excellent editing. The book is selling on a good discount right now.

May the Source be with you!

https://youtu.be/zEVa7ePCGFw

 

Stouffville / Hamilton

Two Towns

The Stouffville group is great; very attentive to the message based on verses 8 and 9 of Chapter Five (Bhgavad Gita). The theme established was what is good separation and what is bad separation?

First of all, Krishna addresses, through the channel of sankhya philosophy, that the body must be seen as separate from the self. For instance, He mentions that merely talking, sleeping, breathing, and even evacuating – all actions of the body – are to be perceived as aloof from the person, the soul. Eventually, the individual within the body must see this distinction.

Ultimately, we must draw the line between matter and spirit. Inevitably, we will separate from this matter. This is favourable separation.

The unfavourable separation, which we initially conceived from time immemorial, was the break-away from God. It was indeed a divorce of sorts. Thus yoga, which means a reconnection with the truth, is what we take up in order to unite. Call it a reunion.

I explained to the group that there are nine methods that allow for this reconnection. Of these nine, the first two – introspective hearing and chanting – are what we concentrated on with a group in Hamilton. Oh, and it was so sweet. We ended up feeling so connected to each other through kirtan. This group only gets together monthly, so naturally we feel separation (the good type) from each other. We had three great drummers where we gathered at Monica’s yoga studio.

May the Source be with you!

 

“There are very exalted spiritual understandings in Krishna consciousness. They are not fictional, imaginary, or concocted. They are facts, and every devotee can have the privilege to understand and indeed take part in Krishna’s pastimes if he is actually advanced. We should not think that the privilege given to Mother Yasoda is not available to us. Everyone can have a similar privilege. If one loves Krishna as one’s child, then one will have such a privilege, because the mother has the most love for the child. Even in this material world, there is no comparison to a mother’s love, for a mother loves her child without any expectation of return. Of course, although that is generally true, this material world is so polluted that a mother sometimes thinks, ‘My child will grow up and become a man, and when he earns money, I shall get it.’ Thus there may still be some desire to get something in exchange. But while loving Krishna there are no selfish feelings, for that love is unalloyed, free from all desires for material gain.

“You should not expect anything in return. That is real love. Just like a mother is loving her child, not expecting any return. But she still she gives service. So, that is as a little sample of pure love.”

—Srila Prabhupada, talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.31, April 23, 1973, Los Angeles, and room conversation, July 13, 1976, New York

Hare Krishna.

Your grateful servant,
Giriraj Swami

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 5 November 2021, Simhachalam, Germany, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.25.19)

Govardhana Hill is eternally present in the spiritual world. There, the Govardhana Hill is much greater than the Govardhana that we know here. It is described that Govardhana Hill was touching the clouds. Nowadays, Govardhana Hill is not touching the clouds. Nowadays, Govardhana Hill is much smaller. But it is said that at the time of Krsna, Govardhana Hill on earth was so high that the Gandharvas when they were flying in their planes would sometimes smash into Govardhana Hill if they were not paying attention. Anyways, that is how big Govardhana Hill was at the time. But the Govardhana Hill in the spiritual world is so much greater than the Govardhana Hill here in the material universe. In our world, it is just a small replica of the original!

The article " Small replica of the original " was published on KKSBlog.

“We will fearlessly tell everyone the truth, without deceiving anyone. We have to speak the kind of truth that is truly beneficial for the living being, even if it is unpleasant. This is not the same as creating anxiety for others. We have to search for reality. We have to think about the good ofRead More...

(This post has been viewed 11 times so far)Read More...

In this video Braja Vilasa speaks about the completion of the TOVP Nrsimha Wing in 2023. This includes the entire interior of the hall as well as the Lord’s altar. This milestone will be of utmost importance to achieve as we move quickly towards the Grand Opening of the TOVP in 2024.

To help facilitate the required funds for completing Lord Nrsimhadeva’s temple the #GivingToNrsimha 12 Day Matching Fundraiser is going on right now from May 3 (Akshaya Tritiya) until May 15 (Nrsimha Caturdasi). Ambarisa prabhu is matching $250,000 so every dollar donated will be matched. You can sponsor a Nrsimha Brick, Prabhupada Award or Prabhupada/TOVP Trophy, make a Pledge Payment or give a General Donation of any amount.

Below are the various links to offer your seva to Mayapur Nrsimha, our ISKCON Protector.

YOUR DONATION TO MAYAPUR NRSIMHA WILL BE MATCHED!
GIVE $10, $25, $51 OR MORE TO OPEN LORD NRSIMHA’S TEMPLE!

 

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GENERAL DONATIONS AND PLEDGE PAYMENTS

(please indicate pledge payment in Notes or by emailing us at tovpinfo@gmail.com)

India: https://pages.razorpay.com/pl_ElxuouO7r7OvtA/view
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Europe: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/TOVPEU
UK: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/TOVPUK
All other: https://m.tovp.org/generaldonation

NRSIMHA BRICK AND PRABHUPADA MEDALLIONS, AWARDS AND TROPHIES

All: https://m.tovp.org/nrsimha
Canada: https://tovpcanada.org/index.html

ALL INQUIRIES:

India: tovpinfo@gmail.com
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Watch the Live Nrsimha Caturdasi Maha Abhisheka on Mayapur TV on May 15 from 4:30-9:00pm IST

 

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This video is from a visit to ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor, England by His Grace Pankajanghri prabhu in June, 2019. He speaks of various pastimes of Mayapur Nrsimhadeva which will enliven your heart and deepen your faith.

We hope it will also inspire you to help finish Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Hall in the TOVP, scheduled to open finish the Lord’s temple.in October, 2023. No amount of financial support is too small, and there are several sponsorship options including the popular Nrsimha Brick, inscribed with your name and placed under Nrsimhadeva’s altar, the 2024 Marathon Medallion, the Prabhupada Award and the Prabhupada/TOVP Trophy, as well as a General Donation option for one-time donations and pledge payments.

Go to the Give To Nrsimha 2023 Fundraiser page on the website and help today, or use one of the quick links below:

 

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GENERAL DONATIONS

India: https://pages.razorpay.com/pl_ElxuouO7r7OvtA/view
U.S.: https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2036619 (no fee)
Canada: https://www.paypal.com/ca/fundraiser/charity/3440882 (no fee)
Europe: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/TOVPEU
UK: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/TOVPUK
All other: https://m.tovp.org/generaldonation

NRSIMHA BRICK AND PRABHUPADA MEDALLIONS, AWARDS AND TROPHIES

All: https://m.tovp.org/nrsimha
Canada: https://tovpcanada.org/index.html

ALL INQUIRIES:

India: tovpinfo@gmail.com
U.S.: tovpfoundation@gmail.com
Canada: tovpcanada@gmail.com
UK/Europe: tovpuk@gmail.com
All other: tovpinfo@gmail.com

 

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TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
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Can There Ever Be Free Speech?

Prabhupāda: Now, one may question, “Whether you have seen Kṛṣṇa?” So how Kṛṣṇa can be seen? Yes. A spiritual master must have seen Kṛṣṇa. Without seeing, he cannot be spiritual master. But how Kṛṣṇa can be seen? Kṛṣṇa can be seen by love. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. Just like if youRead More...

The Governor of Kerala state of India, honorable Shri. Arif Mohammad Khan officially inaugurated the brief biography of Srila Prabhupada titled ‘The Captain’ written by Toshan Nimai Das from ISKCON Pune on 4th May 2022. Written and presented on the occasion of the 125th anniversary year of the appearance of Srila Prabhupada, this book isRead More...

Today is a most auspicious occasion. Mother Arca-vigraha was a very special devotee, and she really gave everything to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna and the devotees. I think of the verse akamah sarva-kamo va, moksa-kama udara-dhih/ tivrena bhakti-yogena, yajeta purusam param, that akamah, whether one has no desires, sarva-kamo, or is full of desires, moksa-kama, or is desirous of liberation, tivrena bhakti-yogena, if one engages in bhakti-yoga to Krishna, tivrena, with great intensity—that is a very important point: with great intensity, and in a sense it doesn’t even matter what your service is, but if you give yourself to it fully, if you put your heart into it fully—then you can approach the Supreme Lord, the supreme destination.

akamah sarva-kamo va
  moksa-kama udara-dhih
tivrena bhakti-yogena
  yajeta purusam param

“A person who has broader intelligence, whether he is full of all material desire, is free from material desire, or has a desire for liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.” (SB 2.3.10)

Mother Arca-vigraha did that, and in a way she was helped in the end by her pain—intense, difficult pain—because it turned out that the only thing that gave her relief was hearing and chanting about Krishna. His Holiness Bhakti Bhrnga Govinda Swami Maharaja recounts an incident when he went in to see Arca in her room and she was literally crying in pain. Arca was a very strong woman, and she never complained, but she was just in so much pain that she couldn’t control herself, and she was weeping, and Govinda Maharaja began to speak krsna-katha, about the pastimes of Krishna to her, and miraculously she stopped feeling the pain. She started to smile and laugh and enjoy the hearing and remembering of Krishna. So, she had discovered a secret: that as long as she was absorbed in Krishna, she could pretty much transcend the pain, but as soon as she was lax in remembering Krishna, the pain came back in full force. So her pain actually helped her.

She was a very caring and compassionate person. She always gave her best to help devotees, and she genuinely liked and appreciated them. Sometimes even devotees who were considered somewhat renegades in ISKCON or somewhat eccentric in ISKCON would come to visit her, and she would always receive them and encourage them. Sometimes other devotees were worried and would mention these devotees’ bad reputations to her, how these devotees were perceived by others, but that didn’t stop her. She just wanted to extend herself to anyone and everyone, and she genuinely appreciated them as very dear friends.

She was a real artist. She found a way to convey deep spiritual truths in a new vocabulary of form and color. She did one series called “The Eye Opener” that illustrated different principles of Krishna consciousness. On occasion she’d put a little reference to a verse from the Bhagavad-gita, but the images themselves said so much. She displayed the first ones on her wall in her home in Johannesburg, and two completely different people became vegetarian just by seeing her depiction of meat-eaters sitting around the table, how they were developing the faces of animals. She conveyed that idea that by eating the flesh of animals, the eaters were becoming like animals and probably preparing their next birth as animals.

Her last desire, or one of her last desires, was that just as she loved Vrindavan and had all facility to associate with senior devotees in Vrindavan and relish the spiritual atmosphere of the dhama, she wanted others to have the same opportunity. And this desire—her compassion and her desire—gave rise to the idea of the hospice in Vrindavan, which has actually taken shape and is open and running. In my own life, her desire brought me into the field of devotee care in a very specific way, and that has also expanded into other ways and has brought me into the field of death and dying, and so I wrote my book called Life’s Final Exam: Death and Dying in the Vedic Tradition.

Another of my books is called Many Moons: Reflections on Departed Vaishnavas, and it deals with nine of Srila Prabhupada’s exalted departed followers, including Mother Arca-vigraha. There are about two pages of pictures for each of the moonlike devotees. For Arca, one picture shows her at her initiation ceremony. She had her full head of red hair and she was coming forward to get her beads. I gave her the name Arca-vigraha dasi because she was a painter, an artist, and a sculptor also, but mainly a painter. Once, a disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, “Which of the nine processes is painting, and Srila Prabhupada replied, “Arcanam, decorating the form of the Lord.” So, I gave her the name Arca-vigraha devi dasi, and then one of her important services became painting deities. She began with the Gaura-Nitai Deities in Muldersdrift, and she went on to do beautiful painting of Deities, Radha-Golokananda in Mauritius and Radha-Rasabihari in Juhu, and she even did the Deities in Vrindavan, although strictly speaking, it was against the rules for a woman to go into the deity room. But I guess Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu arranged for her to come on the altar after all the deities and the devotees had taken rest, and she painted the deities between nine-thirty or ten at night and two or two-thirty in the morning. She would hardly eat or sleep—maybe an hour or two before she went to work. So, yes, she did that service wonderfully. Her painting of the deities was beautiful.

Another picture shows Arca in front of her home in Ramana-reti. She had already retired to Vrindavan—she had cancer, but it wasn’t so bad yet, and she was still active and very blissful, happy to be in Vrindavan, very attached to chanting the holy name and of course hearing about Krishna. She had also begun to paint the deity of Vrindadevi at Vrinda-kunda. The pujari there had engaged her in painting the deity, with whom she had a very special relationship, but it was very much toward the end of her life, and the use of her arm had become quite painful. It was painful even otherwise, and so it was hard for her to paint, and she could never complete the work. After she passed away, Bhakti Bhrnga Govinda Swami and I took some of the devotees who were attached to her, who were in Vrindavan, to Vrinda-kunda, and I mentioned to the pujari that she had felt sorry that she had not been able to complete her service to Vrindadevi. The pujari closed his eyes and then pointed upwards and said, “Now she will complete her service there.”

Arca also did a painting of Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami to be placed in his renovated bhajana-kutira at Radha-kunda, and that was supposed to be a big secret, because the mahants at Radha-kunda, the babajis at that time, tended to see foreigners as mlechchhas and unqualified and unworthy, and then on top of that, she was a woman, so from that conception she was even more unqualified and unworthy. A devotee named Akincana Krishna, a granddisciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who somehow had become a babaji at Radha-kunda, because of his association with Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati—and he was also good friends with Bhurijana Prabhu and Jagattarini Mataji—he had some of that dynamic ISKCON spirit, or Prabhupada spirit, and he wanted to renovate . . . He practically rebuilt the whole bhajana-kutira, and Bhurijana Prabhu and Jagattarini arranged for Arca to paint the picture.

Arca and Kunti went to the unveiling of the picture on the disappearance day of three acharyas: Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, and Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. And someone pointed to her, and said, “There’s the artist right there.” She wanted to disappear into the earth.

Then Akincana Prabhu renovated Jiva Gosvami’s bhajana-kutira at Radha-kunda, and Arca also did the portrait of Jiva Gosvami. At the inauguration the head mahant at Radha-kunda surprised everyone and spoke openly about her: “This devotee has come all the way from South Africa, and she has done so many austerities to serve Krishna, and she painted this beautiful painting of Srila Jiva Gosvamipada,” and he actually started to weep when he was speaking about Mother Arca-vigraha.

So, she made many contributions in many different ways. But the main thing is that she gave her heart fully to service, to the service of the devotees, to Radha-Shyam, and her consciousness became extremely elevated, and her destination was extremely auspicious.

Shortly after Mother Arca-vigraha left, I visited South Africa. I didn’t particularly expect anything different, but soon after I got there I could feel her desire to give mercy to various devotees whom she knew, especially those who had been with her or had served her in some way. It was an adventure as she revealed to which devotees she wanted to show special favor. And the same process is continuing today.

So, we have fond memories of Mother Arca-vigraha as we knew her, and we believe that she has gone to the realm of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Radha and Krishna and that she can bestow her blessings upon us. She is ready and eager to bestow her mercy upon her associates and friends, and upon the devotees whom she knew and appreciated when she was here. Her mercy is very strong and powerful, and I feel we are very fortunate and blessed to have known her and to have had the opportunity to associate with her and to be able to receive her blessings even now.

Mother Arca-vigraha ki jaya!

 

Sundarananda dasa:

With Mother Arca-vigraha, the joy of being a devotee and her heart’s feelings for Krishna and the devotees were so alive. All her being, all her self, was full of life and her desire to serve Krishna and the devotees, just radiating this enormous desire to please Krishna, to serve Krishna, to serve the devotees and the spiritual master. It was like seeing everything we read put into practice. It was practically not seeing a human being but seeing a completely spiritual soul in action, in service to Krishna. I never saw her as a material body. Looking at her, I saw her service, her desire to please, her strong determined feelings for Krishna and guru and the devotees.

Hare Krishna.

 

Kandarpa Manjari dasi:

I feel that she has definitely been an inspiration in my spiritual life. The main inspiration was her service attitude toward you, Maharaja, and toward the other devotees. And her non-judgmental attitude toward the Vaishnavas—the way she was always willing to give the devotees the benefit of the doubt and encourage them—and her example of always being enthusiastic to serve were both very inspiring.

When I first arrived in South Africa in 1990, some of the devotees greeted me—Nama Cintamani, Kuntidevi—and they pointed out Mother Arca-vigraha, saying, “See Mother Arca-vigraha? She’s very advanced.” And of course, I, with my material vision, thought, “Really? Oh.” But as the years went by and I heard more about her, I realized why she was so advanced. I saw that in her different services in South Africa she was selfless—in her service to the Deities, the devotees, her spiritual master, everyone. I thought, “Oh, this is the real sign of advancement, that someone is willing to give up everything—one’s pride, everything—to serve.” Only then did I begin to realize what the devotees meant.

I finally met her when Maharaja was able to go to India after so many years. She and I were on the same flight back to South Africa. I had always wanted to speak with her, but I didn’t know how to approach her. But she just jumped out of her seat and came and sat right next to me and made me feel really important. She said, “Here, look at these pictures!” They were pictures of Maharaja and the life members in Bombay, and she took the time to explain each incident to me. Her enthusiasm overwhelmed me, and I thought, “This is such a kind-hearted devotee.” She just had an art of making you feel important, even though you weren’t. She was really amazing. It showed that even in her relationships she was selfless: she just wanted to encourage you all the time; she didn’t want anything for herself.

Then I went to Vrindavan. It was about five months before she left her body, and when I saw her I thought to myself that I didn’t know how to deal with her, because she was leaving her body, which is a very traumatic experience. But she must have read my mind or something, and she just walked up to me as if nothing was going on in her life except how much she was in love with Vrindavan. It was in the restaurant, and she hugged me and said, “You better come and see me before you leave”—really begging me to come. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fulfill that desire of hers, because we were in a rush to leave and were with a whole group of other devotees. I thought I would see her when I came back to Vrindavan, because I was planning to come back the following year.

Then I heard that she had left her body, and I felt very upset about it. But then I had a dream about her, at the same time that Maharaja came to South Africa after her disappearance. And in the dream we made peace and she forgave me that I had not come to see her.

I feel that her example is my inspiration and example. When Maharaja was very sick and came to America in 1999, Mother Arca-vigraha was instrumental in helping me, because I used to pray to her to inspire me and help me to cook for Maharaja to make him feel better. She was a figure, an instrument, to instruct and help me, even though she was not physically present. And the same thing happened today. Although I have been very sick for the last few days and couldn’t even cook or do any housework, somehow I got up early and had energy to cook. This was definitely Mother Arca’s mercy, that on her auspicious disappearance day she again empowered me to serve the devotees. And I prayed to her that I could learn to become more selfless, like her.

Hare Krishna.

 

Kuntidevi dasi:

My mind is so filled with memories of Mother Arca-vigraha that it is difficult to isolate what inspired me about her, and what inspires me about her now. There is so much. But a few days ago I was thinking how Mother Arca-vigraha embodied the two most important devotional principles: chanting the holy names and serving the Vaishnavas. As Kandarpa and Sundarananda have mentioned, she performed these two activities with great determination and enthusiasm.

She would get up early each morning, at about three o’clock, and she never failed to chant her sixteen rounds. She worked very hard. When she was painting the deities in Vrindavan, she would hardly sleep for days or sometimes weeks. Even when we were still in South Africa, before we moved to India, she would paint until late at night. I would come back at about 10 p.m. from a day’s book distribution and the evening preaching program at Yeoville, ready to collapse. But Mother Arca-vigraha would be awake, so we would talk and discuss until late at night, sometimes reading from the Bhagavatam. The next morning, she would be up at three o’clock, ready to start another day. And although she would rise very early, she would often encourage me to take a little extra rest.

She always said that Jayananda Prabhu was her model. Hearing about his example inspired her with the determination to always finish her rounds, no matter what. She had such a taste for service that she often said she wanted to become like the Six Gosvamis. She lamented that she had to sleep at night. Once, we took a course in Vrindavan on The Nectar of Devotion and she said that the real nectar of devotion was to do service.

Her service to the devotees was amazing. She was everybody’s friend, and she made everybody feel important and special and loved. She would greet you in such a way that you would feel that you meant everything to her. One day, before I began to stay with her, I went to visit her at her house in Yeoville. I knocked on the door, and when she opened it she exclaimed, “Oh, Kuntidevi!” with such joy. And I thought, “Wow, she really likes me.” Then just about an hour later somebody else came and knocked, and when she opened the door she greeted the person with the same joy and enthusiasm. I was quite shocked at first to realize that it wasn’t just me, but then I realized what a special quality it was to be so warm and gracious—and not just as a social mannerism, but from the love in the heart.

I miss her as a friend. She was, in Krishna consciousness, the person with whom I had the deepest friendship and the deepest relationship. I haven’t really had another friend like her. I really miss her a lot. Often I share thoughts and experiences with her in my mind. Or something happens and I immediately think of her—funny things, especially, because we used to laugh at the same things. And also confidential things, things I wouldn’t easily share with anyone else. And I would think, “Oh, Mother Arca would have laughed at this” or “I have to tell her this.” But she is not there in the same way anymore. Still, in another way she is still there and very supportive as a friend and as a devotee.

Although we were friends, Mother Arca-vigraha was older and more experienced. I learned a lot from her training, her instructions, and her association. I was telling Vrajesvari the other day how Mother Arca had a juicer that she received as a wedding gift, thirty years or so before I met her. Arca took such good care of this juicer that it was in first-class condition so many years later, even though she used it every single day.

This was one of the first practical lessons I learned from her—to immediately take the machine apart after every use, wash every piece, dry every part, put it together again, and pack it away. I learned how to take care of things and to perform even simple tasks thoroughly. This may not seem like a very profound lesson, but actually Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna consciousness means to be conscious, and she taught me to become more conscious of details.

Another thing I was remembering the other day—I was wrapping something—was how we used to wrap her paintings in Vrindavan. Again, she did it with such care and precision and artistry, the way she did everything. To maintain herself, she would paint floral still lifes, like the ones on the calendar in our kitchen. She was very, very sick at that time, and the pain in her arm was almost unbearable, but somehow she would still paint. So, I would go to different places in Vrindavan, sometimes in the fields, to collect flowers for her to paint. It wasn’t so easy to find flowers on stems in Vrindavan, because people there grow flowers mainly for garlands. So sometimes I would go to Delhi, and there was one really nice flower market at Khan Market. So, I would pick out some beautiful flowers and bring them back to Vrindavan for her. We would arrange them in one of her colorful Rajasthani ceramic vases, and then she would just paint for days. It was a momentous effort every time. But she was so determined. Then we would have to package these paintings so that Sara, her daughter and agent in South Africa, could sell them. Mother Arca-vigraha was very particular about packing her paintings. By watching her and helping her, I got a sense of her meticulousness, and eventually I was entrusted with packing them. When a person who is such a perfectionist and who has such fine taste entrusts you with something so dear to them, it really means a lot. Of course, in some ways she entrusted her life to me, but at the time packing her paintings meant a lot to me.

Although I fall far short in every respect, I have often thought that my service to Mother Arca-vigraha prepared me for my service to you, Guru Maharaja, because you are also a perfectionist with very sensitive and refined taste, and you also have an artistic temperament in many ways. It was good training to serve her before trying to serve you.

Apart from being an amazing devotee, she was just a wonderful person. Nowadays we often speak about devotees being “balanced.” I feel she was balanced—as a human being and as a devotee—in the sense that she was very deep in spiritual life, very deeply absorbed in Krishna consciousness, but not fanatical at all, not dogmatic at all, not exclusive of anybody or anyone’s belief. She saw the essence in everybody and often said that we should see the divinity in everyone. And she had great respect for all living entities—even the dogs. When she saw the dogs suffering in Vrindavan, she would cry. Sometimes she would cry and say she was crying for the whole world. Of course, her emotions were heightened by her particular situation, but she was very sensitive.

She would befriend all kinds of devotees, even if they were unpopular or ostracized by some. For example, she made friends with Hansadutta, who was considered very offensive, a renegade in ISKCON, but she made friends with him and welcomed him into her house. At first I was really concerned. I could not understand why she made friends with him. I would go to Govinda Maharaja and ask him what we should do about her association with Hansadutta, and I would write letters to Guru Maharaja asking him what to do. Eventually I realized that Mother Arca-vigraha was just following her own heart, so full of purity and spiritual realization. And this was another valuable lesson, to be true to oneself, the way Mother Arca-vigraha was always true to herself. She always followed her heart.

Mother Arca-vigraha was not conventional. Sometimes this was quite amusing, especially in the beginning. She was very spontaneous in her devotional service and lived “outside” in her own house, while we all lived in the temple and were all trained to be very, very strict about everything. There were so many rules and regulations, and the slightest “deviation” had tremendous consequences, or so it seemed at the time. But Mother Arca-vigraha was so spontaneous, and in the beginning she couldn’t get every detail right, like how many times to offer an incense stick or ghee lamp. Later on, I understood that the purpose of all the rules and regulations is to remember Krishna, and that Mother Arca-vigraha was already remembering Krishna, so what was the fault if she made some small mistakes.

And she always had a very personal relationship with Krishna. I remember that when I stayed with her in her house in Johannesburg, she would often talk to Krishna just like she would talk to any other person. And if something disturbed her, she would call out loud, “Krishna!” We weren’t quite sure how to understand her spontaneity, but her relationship with Krishna was indisputably real. Arca was twelve years old when her mother died, and she told me that her father was so grief-stricken that he was unable to take care of her and her older brother. So her father handed her over to the care of a Catholic lady, Mrs. Schneider, who lived next door. Although Arca was Jewish by birth, Mrs. Schneider taught her how to pray, how to call out to God, bowing down with folded hands, in the Christian way. Arca was in great distress about her mother’s death, but Mrs. Schneider taught her to take shelter of God. Mother Arca-vigraha credited Mrs. Schneider for teaching her to develop a personal relationship with God through prayer. And that sense of having a unique and personal relationship with God always stayed with her.

As she grew older, she explored many different paths of self-realization and God-realization. She inquired into Christianity, the Kabbalah, Sai Baba, Bhagavan Rajneesh, the Rosicrucians—everything there was. She even traveled on the back of a camel through the Sinai desert with a group of Bedouin nomads. And whatever path she followed, she learned everything there was to know about it and then practiced it very seriously. Gradually she rejected all the other theories and came to Krishna consciousness. Then she realized that Krishna consciousness was the process she had always been searching and yearning for. So when she joined and became a devotee, she already had a lot of spiritual training and realization.

But she was a fun person. Even when she was sick in India, dying, still she had a spirit of fun and adventure. At one stage we were going all over India, seeing different kinds of doctors and healers, going to different types of hospitals (I think I saw every cancer ward in Bombay and Delhi). But through all of this, which was a very heavy experience, she always had a sense of humor. Looking back on it now, I can see how incredible it was to maintain this spirit under such circumstances. But we saw it as an adventure, not only the physical adventure of traveling through India, but also a spiritual adventure, a journey. It was a very dynamic time. All these things would happen to us, and it was a great experience. We had some very unusual experiences.

One summer, when Mother Arca-vigraha’s frail health could no longer tolerate the intense heat in Vrindavan, we flew to northern India, to Kulu-Manali in Himachal Pradesh. Kulu-Manali is situated in the outer ranges of the Himalayas, near the border of Tibet. Manali, situated higher up in the valley, is a famous tourist resort, both for wealthy Indians and Western hippies. We chose to stay in the lower village of Kulu, situated on the banks of the river Vyasa.

Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu in Vrindavan had given us the names of some friends in Kulu. One boy invited us to visit his family in their village, high on the slopes of the mountain. The only way to reach his village was on foot, a steep, three-hour climb from Kulu. There was no way Mother Arca could do such a climb, but she insisted I go. One morning the boy and I set out. The climb was magnificent, with beautiful vistas of the surrounding mountain peaks—named after the seven great sages—and the river below. The scenery and landscape reminded me of something one would see in a National Geographic photo-article. I knew Mother Arca would love it and resolved to take her as well.

First our friend offered to carry her on his back. Then he said he could take her on a mountain horse, but she was too frail for that too. Eventually we shelved the idea. But at nine o’clock the next morning our friend burst into our room and said, “Come, let’s go.” He had four other men with him, and they had crafted a special palanquin, or palki, for her, complete with curtains and a roof to shield her from the sun. For Rs. 500, they would carry her up and down the mountain.

Mother Arca-vigraha loved the palki and was excited about the climb. Not wanting to miss the beautiful scenery, she had us take down the curtain and the roof, and she made herself comfortable, sitting cross-legged, sketching. Although paid for their services, the palanquin bearers carried her with the utmost care and respect. She had that effect on people: everyone she met wanted to serve her and please her. And these people recognized her as someone special, a “holy mother.” Wherever we went around Kulu, people would offer respect and address her as “holy mother.”

Eventually we reached the village. First we visited the village temple, where there were a deity of Lord Ramachandra and a Shiva-lingam, and then the boy took us further up the mountain to his family home. His family lived in a simple log cabin—the sheep downstairs, the people upstairs—overlooking groves of almond and apple trees. Huge hemp bushes grew wild everywhere.

Mother Arca-vigraha was fascinated by the villagers’ simple, self-sufficient way of life. They grew their own wheat, dal, and vegetables; herded sheep for wool; and kept short-legged Himalayan cows for milk. They ground their own atta, spun and dyed their own wool, and wove their famous Kulu shawls and tunics. They even built their own houses. With the hemp they made shoes.

With usual Indian hospitality, the mother offered us lunch. She gathered bundles of wheat, ground them in a stone grinder, and with this freshly-ground atta formed thick with her hands. Then she made a sabji of fresh, tiny eggplants with a chili-masala stuffing, and some dal. It was simple, almost primitive, but delicious.

After lunch, we drank fresh water from a stream trickling down the mountain. According to legend, the Pandavas, as well as many sages and rishis, had spent time in the area. It wasn’t difficult to imagine these great devotees living there, drinking fresh water from the streams, eating fruits and berries from the trees, meditating on God.

Mother Arca-vigraha gained a lot of inspiration from that trip up the mountain. She saw it as a symbolic journey, looking out over the world she was leaving behind and embracing the world beyond.

Then one morning she woke up with intense pain. We knew the cancer had spread, and we returned to Delhi by bus—a fifteen-hour journey, winding down the narrow mountain roads. In Delhi we went straight to Batra Hospital to meet her oncologist, Dr. Gosh. He was very straightforward and told her that the cancer had come to a critical point. Mother Arca-vigraha was shaken. We both realized that she did not have long to live. The only thing she could do was try to control the pain through radiation therapy. So we went back to Vrindavan for a few days and then returned to Delhi.

Mother Arca-vigraha wanted her art equipment—pencils and brushes and paints and papers—in case she felt inspired to work. We also took a portable kitchen—stoves, pots, and dry goods. And her special pillow, sheets, and personal effects.

The taxi left us at Batra Hospital. There were throngs of people. Struggling with our impossible luggage, we took our places in a long line leading to the front desk. Eventually we reached the admission clerk. Our idea was that I would stay under Arca’s bed and cook for her and take care of her. But the hospital refused. With that, Mother Arca-vigraha turned around and walked out. “We’re going to Kaya Maya.”

Years before, on a flight from Mauritius to Bombay, Mother Arca-vigraha had met a famous Ayurvedic kaviraja. After she moved to Vrindavan, she started taking treatment from Kaviraja Partap Chauhan, who, it turned out, was a student of the famous kaviraja she had met on the plane. And Kaviraj Chauhan’s “Guruji,” as he was called, ran an Ayurvedic clinic called Kaya Maya in Tughlakabad, outside Delhi.

We piled into an auto rickshaw, with Mother Arca-vigraha in the back on top of the luggage, and I squeezed in next to the driver. When we arrived at Kaya Maya, we found that it was just a day clinic. Still, the manager agreed to give us a room, a dark little room full of cobwebs with a simple tap and toilet as an attached bathroom, and another room, a crude cement structure with a tap and a basin, to use as a kitchen.

Every day people would come to consult Guruji. They would wait for hours in the courtyard outside his consulting room, and they would notice us. Partly out of boredom and partly out of curiosity, people would come right up to our door and window and stare at us. And Mother Arca-vigraha, equally intrigued, would stare back. Her artist’s vision always noticed something unique and beautiful about each person, no matter how ordinary he or she seemed.

Mother Arca-vigraha had excellent taste in everything, and she loved fragrant oils. She had one particularly nice oil that she would wear on her sikha. So, the first night at Kaya Maya, at about ten or eleven at night, there was a loud knock on our door. Standing in the door, swaying and hiccuping, was a large man who introduced himself as Guruji’s son. He told us that he had just come from a party and had smelled the exquisite fragrance coming from our room. Mother Arca Vigraha was delighted and said, “Oh, you like it? Come smell.” So, she lifted up her sikha and allowed him to smell. Then he started telling us his life story, all the while hiccuping. As we got to know the place better, we understood that he was the black sheep in his family. But he felt so encouraged by Mother Arca-vigraha’s kindness. She always saw the good in everyone and gave them a sense of dignity and self-respect.

This was about six months before she left her body. She was very sick and in great pain. We had no transport to get to the hospital, so every day I would walk down to the main road to hitchhike. When a car stopped, I would tell the driver, “Just wait, I have to call my mother,” and run back up to call Arca. It is amazing how many austerities she accepted. She was accustomed to having the best of everything, but here she was, begging rides to go to the hospital.

At the hospital we met people from all over India and Nepal. Some had huge tumors, like footballs, protruding from their bodies. It was almost too much for the human mind to bear. I think the other patients recognized how brave Arca must have been. She was so obviously refined and accustomed to more, but here she was in a mediocre hospital, far away from her family and country and facilities. I think she gave the other patients courage to face their own situations.

After that, we returned to Vrindavan, and she never left again, not even for a day. She became more and more absorbed in Krishna consciousness, and her focus shifted from her life and service in this world to her life and service in Goloka Vrindavan. The next few months extracted from her the ultimate in surrender and purification, and by the time she passed away, her consciousness was highly exalted.

She had taken your instruction, Guru Maharaja—“Just go to Vrindavan and let Radharani take over”—completely to heart. Her faith in guru and Krishna and her love for Vrindavan had assured her of complete victory. There is no doubt that she entered the eternal pastimes of Radha and Krishna and Their associates.

[Mother Arca-vigraha’s disappearance day, May 9, 2000, Carpinteria, California]

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Maharaj Bhagiratha had, after great penances, been successful in bringing the most purifying Mother Ganges, whose waters wash the lotus feet of the Lord and are therefore his charanamrita, from the heavenly planets to this earth for the purpose of delivering his forefathers. While he was making the way from the Himalayas to the ocean for her to flow, he happened to pass by the hermitage of the great sage Jahnu. 

Seeing the great river coming in his ashram and disturbing his meditation greatly enraged the pious sage, and in his anger, he swallowed all the water of the river. When Bhagiratha realised that mother Ganges was no longer following him and had been swallowed by the hermit, he immediately fell at the lotus feet of the sage, begging him to release Ganga. She was the only means of delivering his forefathers and her presence was for the benefit of the entire human race. 

As is the nature of all the devotees of the Lord, Jahnu muni was naturally very compassionate and therefore he agreed to release mother Ganga, and he did so by expelling her waters from his right ear. Due to having been thus swallowed by Jahnu muni, Srimati Ganga devi came to be known as Jahnavi, the daughter of the Sage Jahnu. 

It was on this auspicious 7th day of the Shukla paksha in the month of Vaisakh that this pastime of the Lord’s devotees took place and therefore this day is famous as Jahnu Saptami. This pastime actually came to take place in Sri Navadwip mandal at Jahnudvip, where Jahnu muni was absorbed in deep meditation upon Gaurahari and it was here that he was also blessed with the darshana of Mahaprabhu.

On this auspicious day, knowing mother Ganges to be very dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the devotees offer respects and perform puja to Srimati Ganga devi to get her mercy and the mercy of Jahnu muni. In this way they may also be able to some day serve in the pastimes of Sri Gaurahari.

Lord Ramachandra Lord Rama, is one of the Supreme Person’s many avatars on earth. He appeared during a previous age, Treta-yuga, and ruled as emperor of the world. A chronicle of His activities is presented extensively in the epic Ramayana, and concisely in the ninth canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, a biography of Krishna’s many incarnations.Read More...

Lord Ramachandra Lord Rama, is one of the Supreme Person’s many avatars on earth. He appeared during a previous age, Treta-yuga, and ruled as emperor of the world. A chronicle of His activities is presented extensively in the epic Ramayana, and concisely in the ninth canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, a biography of Krishna’s many incarnations.Read More...

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“A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.” Organized by Tulasi Sakhi devi and all the parents, the teacher’s appreciation this week was phenomenal. On […]

Parasuram das This morning a Devotee living near Kharkiv, Ukraine got a message to me. In desperation, he explained how his town and neighboring towns are constantly being bombed, had no running water, no electricity and no shops in working order. The devotees in Kharkiv are willing to set up a mobile Prasad Distribution Service,Read More...

Available on Amazon and wherever books are sold. Hardcover for release June 15, 2022 An inspirational biography of Srila Prabhupada’s passage to America and how he founded the International Society of Krishna Consciousness, opened over one hundred temples, cultural centers, ashrams, and initiated devotees all over the world. Srila Prabhupada was considered an important leader […]

The post Sing, Dance and Pray: The Inspirational Story of Srila Prabhupada Founder-Acharya of Iskcon appeared first on ISKCON News.

“It is by the goodness of God that we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them,” wrote Mark Twain. Wise words from the esteemed author, although some of us may well doubt their wisdom, among them Mr. Elon Musk, who just […]

The post Can There Ever Be Free Speech? appeared first on ISKCON News.

“When Krishna walked on the bank of the Yamuna, He was seen nicely decorated with tilaka on His head. He was garlanded with different kinds of forest flowers, and His body was smeared by the pulp of sandalwood and tulasi leaves. The bumblebees became mad after the treasure and sweet nectar of the atmosphere. BeingRead More...

Mohini Ekadasi vrata, also known as Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, is observed in the auspicious Vedic month of Vaishakha. It is one of the most important of the 24 Ekadashi vratas and is observed on the 11th day during the Shukla Paksha or the Full Moon fortnight.

This year Mohini Ekadasi is observed on May 12 worldwide, a few days prior to Nrsimha Caturdasi and during the #GivingToNrsimha 12 Day Matching Fundraiser from May 3 (Akshaya Tritiya) until May 15 (Nrsimha Caturdasi). This is an auspicious day to give a donation for the completion and opening of Lord Nrsimhadeva’s TOVP altar and hall in 2023, as part of the TOVP Marathon to open the temple in 2024. Please visit the #GivingToNrsimha Fundraiser page TODAY and support this effort.

WATCH THE NRSIMHA CATURDASI MAHA ABHISHEKA LIVE ON MAYAPUR TV ON MAY 15 FROM 4:30 – 9:00PM

  NOTE: Mohini Ekadasi is observed on May 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 Mohini Ekadasi

From Kurma Purana

Sri Yudhisthira Maharaja said, “Oh Janardana, what is the name of the Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight (sukla paksha) of the month of Vaisakha (April-May)? What is the process for observing it properly? Kindly narrate all of these details to me.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna replied, “Oh blessed son of Dharma, what Vasishtha Muni once told to Lord Ramachandra I shall now describe to you.

Please hear Me attentively.

“Lord Ramachandra asked Vasishta Muni, ‘Oh great sage, I would like to hear about the best of all fasting days that day which destroys all kinds of sins and sorrows. I have suffered long enough in separation from My dear Sita, and so I wish to hear from you about how My suffering can be ended.’

“The sage Vasishtha replied, ‘Oh Lord Rama, Oh You whose intelligence is so keen, simply by remembering Your name one can cross the ocean of the material world. You have questioned me in order to benefit all of humanity and fulfill everyone’s desires. I shall now describe that day of fasting which purifies the whole world.

‘Oh Rama, that day is known as Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, which falls on Dvadasi. It removes all sins and is famous as Mohini Ekadasi. Truly, Oh dear Rama, the merit of this Ekadasi frees the fortunate soul who observes it from the network of illusion. Therefore, if You want to relieve Your suffering, observe this auspicious Ekadasi perfectly, for it removes all obstacles from ones path and relieves the greatest miseries. Kindly listen as I describe its glories, because for one who even just hears about this auspicious Ekadasi, the greatest sins are nullified.

‘On the banks of the Sarasvati River there was once a beautiful city named Bhadravati, which was ruled by King Dyutiman. Oh Rama, that steadfast, truthful, and highly intelligent king was born in the dynasty of the Moon (Chandra-vamsa). In his kingdom was a merchant named Dhanapala, who possessed a great deal of wealth of food grains and money. He was also very pious. Dhanapala arranged for lakes to be dug, sacrificial arenas to be erected, and beautiful gardens to be cultivated for the benefit of all the citizens of Bhadravati. He was an excellent devotee of Lord Vishnu and had five sons: Sumana, Dyutiman, Medhavi, Sukriti, and Dhrishtabuddhi.

‘Unfortunately, his son Dhrishtabuddhi always engaged in greatly sinful activities, such as sleeping with prostitutes and associating with similar degraded persons. He enjoyed illicit sex, gambling, and many other varieties of acts aimed at gratifying the senses. He disrespected the demigods (devas), the brahmins, the forefathers and other elders of the community, as well as his family’s guests. The evil-hearted Dhrishtabuddhi spent up his father’s wealth indiscriminately, always feasting on untouchable foods and drinking alcohol to excess.

‘One day Dhanapala kicked Dhrishtabuddhi out of the house after he saw him walking along the road arm-in-arm with a known prostitute. From then on, all Dhrishtabuddhi’s relatives were highly critical of him and distanced themselves from him also. After he had sold all of his inherited ornaments and become destitute, the prostitute also abandoned him and insulted him because of his poverty.

‘Dhrishtabuddhi was now full of anxiety, and also hungry. He thought, “What should I do? Where should I go? How can I maintain myself? He then began to steal. The king’s constables arrested him, but when they learned who it was, and that his father was the famous Dhanapala, they released him. He was caught and released in this way many times. But at last, sick of his arrogance and total disrespect for others, and their property, the ill-mannered Dhrishtabuddhi was apprehended, handcuffed, and then beaten. After whipping him, the king’s marshals warned him, “Oh evil minded one, there is no place for you in this kingdom.

‘However, Dhrishtabuddhi was freed from his tribulation by his father and immediately thereafter entered the dense forest. He wandered here and there, hungry and thirsty and suffering greatly.

Eventually he began killing the jungle animals, the lions, deer, boars, and even wolves for food.

Always ready in his hand was his bow, always on his shoulder was his quiver full of arrows. He also killed many birds, such as chakoras, peacocks, kankas, doves and pigeons. He unhesitatingly slaughtered many species of birds and animals to maintain his sinful way of life, the sinful results accumulating more and more each day. On account of his previous sins, he was now immersed in an ocean of great sin that was so relentless that it appeared that he could not get out.

‘Dhrishtabuddhi was always miserable and anxious, but one day, during the month of Vaisakha, by the force of some of his past merit he chanced upon the sacred Ashrama of Kaundinya Muni.

The great sage had just finished bathing in the Ganges River, and water was dripping from him still. Dhrishtabuddhi had the great good fortune to touch some of those droplets of water that were falling from the great sage’s wet clothing. Instantly Dhrishtabuddhi was freed of his ignorance, and his sinful reactions were reduced. Offering his humble obeisances to Kaundinya Muni, Dhrishtabuddhi prayed to him with joined palms: “Oh great brahmana, please describe to me some of the atonement I may perform without too much endeavor. I have committed so many sins in my life, and these have now made me very poor”.

‘The great rishi replied, “Oh son, listen with great attention, for by hearing me your life will change, and you will become free of all your remaining sins. In the light fortnight of this very month, Vaisakha (April-May) there occurs the sacred Mohini Ekadasi, which has the power to nullify sins as vast and weighty as Mount Sumeru. If you follow my advice and faithfully observe a fast on this Ekadasi, which is so dear to Lord Hari, you will be freed from all the sinful reactions of many, many births.

‘Hearing these words with great joy, Dhrishtabuddhi promised to observe a fast on Mohini Ekadasi according to the sage’s instructions and direction. Oh best of kings, Oh Ramachandra Bhagavan, by fasting completely on Mohini Ekadasi, the once sinful Dhrishtabuddhi, the prodigal son of the merchant Dhanapala, became sinless. Afterwards he achieved a beautiful transcendental form and, free at last of all obstacles, rode upon the carrier of Lord Vishnu, Garuda, to the Supreme abode of the Lord.

‘Oh Ramachandra, the fast day of Mohini Ekadasi removes the darkest illusory attachments to material existence. There is thus no better fast day in all the three worlds than this.’

Lord Sri Krishna concluded, “and so, Oh Yudhishthira, there is no place of pilgrimage, no sacrifice, and no charity that can bestow merit equal to even one sixteenth of the merit a faithful devotee of Mine obtains by observing the Mohini Ekadasi. And He who hears and studies the glories of Mohini Ekadasi achieves the merit of giving away one thousand cows in charity.

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, or Mohini Ekadasi, from the Kurma Purana.

 NOTE: If the holy fast falls on Dvadasi, it is still called Ekadasi in the Vedic literature. Furthermore, in Garuda Purana (1:125.6), Lord Brahma states to Narada Muni:
“Oh brahmana, this fast should be observed when there is a full Ekadasi, a mixture of Ekadasi and Dwadasi, or a mixture of three (Ekadasi, Dwadasi, and Trayodasi) but never on the day when there is a mixture of Dashami and Ekadasi. This is also upheld in the Hari Bhakti Vilas, Vaishnava smriti shastra, and upheld by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupad in his Navadwip Panjika introduction.

 

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The TOVP #GivingToNrsimha 12 Day Matching Fundraiser began on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya (May 3) and continues until Nrsimha Caturdasi (May 15 – India time). Ambarisa prabhu has doubled his personal total donation to this fundraiser to $250,000 to match every dollar for dollar.

Why not double your commitment to the TOVP also? This year you can sponsor a Nrsimha Brick to be inscribed with your name and placed under the Lord’s altar for hundreds of years to come. Your donation will help to complete and open Lord Nrsimha’s TOVP Wing in 2023 as part of the TOVP 2024 Marathon to open the temple in 2024, and will also honor Pankajanghri prabhu who left our vision one year ago.

Go to the #GivingToNrsimha 12 Day Matching Fundraiser page today and make your sankalpa with the Lord to complete His TOVP Wing in 2023.

WATCH THE MAYAPUR NRSIMHA MAHA ABHISHEKA CEREMONY LIVE ON MAYAPUR TV, MAY 15 FROM 4:40 – 9:00 PM

 

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“My dear friends, Krishna is so beautiful that the goddess of fortune always remains on His chest, and He is always adorned with a golden necklace. Beautiful Krishna plays His flute in order to enliven the hearts of many devotees. He is the only friend of the suffering living entities. When He plays His flute,Read More...

By Vijaya Dasa

March was a successful month, with 363,401 books going out and a whopping 1,766 full sets distributed. Srila Prabhupada is pleased that so many sets and books go out. Among the large temples, Pune had the biggest increase, 601%, with 35,404 book points. And among the medium temple New Mayapur (France) had the biggest increase, 231%, with 3,706 book points. New Mayapur just keeps on increasing. Viva la France! The small temple Columbus (Ohio) had an increase of 87% with 3,202 book points, and the maha-small temple Baltimore increased 485% and was No. 1 in this category with 1,356 book points. Fired up! Continue reading "WSN March 2022 – World Sankirtan Newsletter
→ Dandavats"

The day known as Aksaya-tritiya occurs on the third day (tritiya) of the waxing moon in the month of Vaisakha. Every second of this blessed day is completely auspicious, and so there is no consideration of any one period (muhurta) being better than another. Aksaya means “inexhaustible”; anything a person undertakes on the day of Aksaya-tritiya is bound to succeed, especially the performance of devotional activities, which guarantee inexhaustible benefit.

It is said that Aksaya-tritiya is the day when Treta-yuga began and the river Ganges descended to earth. Also, the festival known as Candana-yatra starts on Aksaya-tritiya.

In the Madhva-sampradaya, Aksaya-tritiya is celebrated as the day of the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as Parasurama. In the Sri Krishna Mutt monastery a special festival takes place during which the aksaya-patra, the marvelous pot gifted by the sun-god to Draupadi, is worshipped. Srimati Draupadi was given the benediction that her pot would provide unlimited food at each meal, until she herself ate from it. It appears that the pot came under the custody of Sri Madhvacharya, and on Aksaya-tritiya it is worshipped and prasada is lavishly distributed throughout the day.

An interesting incident took place on Aksaya-tritiya in Nandagrama, where Sri Krishna enjoyed His childhood pastimes with Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yasoda. When Nanda Maharaja established his residence in Nandagrama, he excavated a large lake, then known as Nanda Sarovara. Nanda Maharaja, his family members, and all the Vraja-vasis used to bathe in that lake. And it is said that while Nanda Maharaja and his family bathed at one end of the lake, Vrsabhanu Maharaja would occasionally come and bathe with his family at the other end. According to local tradition, Srimati Radharani and Krishna used to swim underwater to the middle of the lake and engage in pastimes.

One day, little Krishna noticed that instead of cooking the usual meal of rice, dal, sabji, and chapatis, Mother Yasoda was making all kinds of fried preparations with dal, noodles, and flour. When Krishna asked her why she was cooking those things, she replied that Nanda Maharaja was going on a pilgrimage the next day and that the fried things she was cooking would last for several days without spoiling.

Krishna then asked where His father was going, and Mother Yasoda replied that he was going to Prayaga. Little Krishna went to Nanda Maharaja and asked him where Prayaga was and why he was going there. Nanda Maharaja explained that Prayaga was the sacred place where the three rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Sarasvati met and flowed together and that to take bath there was most auspicious.

The next morning was Aksaya-tritiya, the perfect day to start on a long journey. As usual, Nanda Maharaja got up early and went to take bath in his lake. When he got there, he saw a man he had never seen before—an imposing, regal person—rolling in the dust and laughing loudly. Every now and then he would get up and dive into Nanda Sarovara, and then again he would come out and roll in the dust and laugh, and again bathe in the lake.

Nanda Maharaja approached the kingly man and asked, “Maharaja, who are you?”

“Baba, I’m Prayaga,” the man replied.

“Prayaga? I don’t know anyone in Nandagrama with that name.”

“No. No. I’m not from here. I’m Prayaga Raja, the king of all the holy places (tirthas)!”

“And why have you come here today, Maharaja?”

“Baba, all year long people come and bathe in my waters and leave their sins there. So, every year, on Aksaya-tritiya, I come here, roll in the dust of Vraja, and bathe in this sarovara, because this dust and this lake have the potency to purify (pavana) one from all sins.”

Nanda Maharaja was amazed. Suddenly he noticed that on the other side of the lake were many beautiful ladies in silk saris embroidered with gold and silver threads. They were also bathing in the lake. Approaching them respectfully, Nanda Maharaja asked who they were.

One lady replied, “Baba, I’m Ganga.” Another said, “I’m Sarasvati.” And yet another said, “I’m Godavari.” They all responded with the names of different holy rivers: Kurujangala, Kaveri, Narmada, Brahmaputra, Mahananda, etc.

Then Nanda Maharaja asked, “And why have you come here today? I’ve never seen you before.” The ladies explained that all year long people put their sins into their waters and that every year on the Aksaya-tritiya day they came to Vraja to roll in its dust, bathe in the sarovara, and become purified (pavana).

After taking his bath, Nanda Maharaja went back up the hill to his residence. By that time, little Krishna was awake. Coming before His father, He asked, “Baba, are you going now?” “No, Lala. I’m not going.” “Why, Baba?” “Because today, all the places I wanted to go came to take bath in our lake and become purified (pavana). So why should I take the trouble to go to them when they all came here?”

From that day, Nanda Sarovara became known as Pavana Sarovara.

“The body of Krishna, the ocean of the eternal beauty of youth, can be seen to move in waves of beauty. There is a whirlwind at the sound of His flute, and those waves and that whirlwind make the hearts of the gopis flutter like dry leaves on trees, and when those leaves fall downRead More...