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Hare Krishna! Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada All glories to Sri Radha Damodar Ki Jai! All glories All glories to Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva & Subhadra Maharani Ki Jai! All glories to Sri Mayapur Dham Ki Jai! Greetings from Sri Mayapur Dham! Happy Dipavali! Happy Govardhana Puja! We convey our warmest […]

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Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia

Charm Boy

 

He is both menacing and adorable

His sweet innocence bars one from saying He's deplorable

For His babyhood charm is written all over His face

And whatever He does transforms that very space

 

That face is on Earth and beyond the skies too

His father and mother impose a well-meaning curfew

Yet He sneaks away at night under the moon

After plotting a rally of monkeys and friends by noon

 

The plot is to scout the neighbours' homes

And spot the butter stock like bees to honeycombs

There is success in the break and enter

It's obvious He is left, right, and center

 

He gets caught red handed by His mother

For His hands and mouth are moistened by thick, smooth butter

His mother decides He must learn a good lesson

She grabs a stick and starts a chasing session

 

But He's fast on His feet, with speed He goes

She runs and, due to fatigue, she slows

Tossing out the stick she manages to stop Him

From here on it may appear to look grim

 

But not so, she secures a rope to bind the boy

For both persons there's a mix of fear and joy

Mystically the rope of lesson and love

Cannot tie Him, frustrating her thereof

 

So He surrenders to her will of good intent

Convinced that her love is one hundred percent

He allows her to fasten Him to a mortar in the yard

For her it is not easy, in fact it is hard

 

In her absence He proceeds to pull rope and mortar

With ease he pulls down two trees in the back quarter

And from that fall appears two beautiful men

Bedazzled they are for what happened to them

 

They had been cursed by a well-known sage

For partying shamelessly, lowering guard and gauge

They now honestly feel a kind of liberation

And they credit the boy for such a relieving sensation

 

They were existing as trees for far too long

And now regained their original forms, so strong

There is a side to the boy that leaves us in wonder

Frivolous and yet helpful, we are left to ponder

 

Now who is this child with all this power

With skin blue and whose mother makes Him cower?

For many admirers and scholars He is a great subduer

Of miscreants, scoundrels, and a host of wrongdoers

 

He goes by different names–Damodara, Mukunda, or Krishna

If you call for Him, by any of these names, you'll feel that He's warm and that He has endless charm 

 

-Composed by Bhaktimarga Swami, The Walking Monk©

May the Source be with you!

 

 

Halifax, Nova Scotia

At the Waterfront

 

A warm wind invited itself into the harbour as we strode along Halifax’s boardwalk. It looked like the city is investing in the beautification of the harbourfront; the place where we have found adequate little nooks for devotee’s presentations of kirtan. With few people out at the early morning hour it makes for a pleasant combination of chat and chant. Basically, we have the raw elements before us – the wind, the waves, the clouds, and the gulls. Yes, those gulls span their wings and sail in the air without effort.

The afternoon turned misty. Rains came down in incredible force and we could view auto accidents from the motorists who had lost control. Our destination, a dance and wellness studio, became our venue for the local Krishna community. It’s Sunday after all, and we must come together. With rain or shine the show must go on and the stalwarts and diehards did attend, despite the storm.

I spoke about community (or to break up the word: common unity) and how important it is for us social animals. It was young Krishna who demonstrated the naturalness of human bonding through His words of charm, creativity, innovation, heroism and attractiveness, which pulled people together in the rustic town of Vrindavan, India. It’s possible to replicate that spirit of harmony by merely planning and willing it. It only requires the combined effort of everyone pulling some weight at the same time.

I hope the talk was meaningful. I know the kirtanwas. So was the blessed food, prasadam. The power of togetherness was there. That’s what heavy rain does – pulls people together under an able roof.

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

Forty-four years ago this year, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada left this world for the divine abode of Sri Krishna and His pastimes. During his empowered life as a preacher of Krishna consciousness from 1965-1977 he accomplished more than practically any acharya in history, bringing the opportunity for the highest attainment of Goloka Vrindaban to millions of souls throughout the world. We are brought to tears no longer having his association in our midst.

“Harassed life after life by the laws of nature, the living entity wanders throughout the entire universe in different planets and different species of life. Somehow or other, if he is fortunate enough, he comes in touch with a devotee who reforms his entire life. Then the living entity goes back home, back to Godhead… The difficulty is to obtain a bona fide spiritual master and Krishna. Therefore the duty of a human being is to capture the opportunity to come in touch with Krishna’s representative, the bona fide spiritual master. Under the guidance of the spiritual master, the spiritual father, one can return home, back to Godhead.”

SB 6.16.6

For those who have “captured the opportunity” and realized the great gift which Srila Prabhupada gave to the world, there is no option than to repay him through our surrender, service and sacrifice, whether he is here physically or not. Our debt of gratitude to our acharya is eternal and constant, and focused on the fulfillment of his order to spread the sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to every nook and corner of the earth, and even beyond. As his servants it is our bounden duty to give all we can for this purpose.

The TOVP project represents the culmination of his expressed projects during his physical presence. He had clear vision that this crest jewel of his ISKCON society would be the greatest preaching tool for bringing the message of Godhead to the world on a large scale. As a matter of fact, he saw the world beating a path to his TOVP: “My idea is to attract people of the whole world to Mayapur”.

On this most glorious yet sad occasion, let us renew our commitment to our own emancipation by “capturing the opportunity”, and to the TOVP project, as well as to Prabhupada’s far-reaching vision. We are the pioneers of Krishna consciousness in the modern world and are part of this grand, transcendental and most rare opportunity he has given us. As he said, “Just give this one life to Krishna, and He will bring you back to Goloka”.

We humbly request all devotees to take advantage of this occasion during the auspicious month of Kartik, when spiritual activities have increased potency, to support the completion of the TOVP construction so the temple can open timely in 2024. Our newest fundraising campaign started the beginning of September with the release of the India Govt. minted Prabhupada 125th Anniversary Year coin. We are just reminding devotees that they can get one of these rare coins from the TOVP, which will remain as an heirloom in their family for generations to come.

Of course, during this auspicious month you can also sponsor any Seva Opportunity ​or make a Pledge Payment ​or General Donation​.

The coin is available for $1,250 / ₹1,25 Lakhs / €1,250 / £1,250. A two-year installment payment plan is an option for long-term payments. That’s a payment of $50 / ₹3700 / €85 / £37 a month for two years.

Reserve your coin today as supplies are limited!

To reserve your coin, use the following buttons:

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What does chanting do? As Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explains, ceto-darpana-marjanam: chanting cleanses the dirt from the mirror of the mind. If you want to know what you look like, you have to look in a mirror. But if the mirror is covered with dust, you cannot see. So, we have to cleanse the dust from the mirror of the mind; then we can know who we are. In ignorance, we may think we’re the body. We may think that we’re black or white or red or yellow; man or woman; American, Russian, Chinese, or African. We have so many designations based on our falsely identifying with the body. But ceto-darpana-marjanam—when we clear the dust from the mirror of the mind by chanting, we can actually see who we are: not the body but the soul within the body. The soul is not black or white or male or female or Russian or Chinese. The soul is pure spirit, part and parcel of God, the Supreme Spirit, Krishna.
So, chanting will cleanse all the dirt from the mind, from the heart. But how does chanting work? A verse from the Padma Purana (quoted as Cc Madhya 17.133) explains:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hare Krishna.

Happy Diwali

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

By Giriraj Swami

After Srila Prabhupada left us on November 14, 1977, I came across a section in Srimad-Bhagavatam—Canto 4, Chapter 28—in which he explicitly discusses the disappearance of the spiritual master and how the disciple is to serve him—even in separation. The following paragraph summarizes the essence of his instructions Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada—Vani and Vapuh
→ Dandavats"

By Nama Prabhu Dasa

So at times like this we should remember Lord Dhanvantari to become free from disease, yet at the same time we must always remember that death is inevitable as long as we have a material body and Krishna will always do what is best for us. "My Lord, due to Your illusory energy, all living beings in this material world have forgotten their real constitutional position, and out of ignorance they are always desirous of material happiness in the form of society, friendship and love. Therefore, please do not ask me to take some material benefits from You, but as a father, not waiting for the son's demand, does everything for the benefit of the son, please bestow upon me whatever You think best for me.” (SB 4.20.31) Continue reading "One Who Remembers the Name of Dhanvantari Can Be Released from All Disease
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Today is the appearance day of Dhanvantari, who is described in the following verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.21):

 TEXT

dhanvantaris ca bhagavan svayam eva kirtir
  namna nrnam puru-rujam ruja asu hanti
yajne ca bhagam amrtayur-avavarundha
  ayusya-vedam anusasty avatirya loke

TRANSLATION

The Lord in His incarnation of Dhanvantari very quickly cures the diseases of the ever-diseased living entities simply by His fame personified, and only because of Him do the demigods achieve long lives. Thus the Personality of Godhead becomes ever glorified. He also exacted a share from the sacrifices, and it is He only who inaugurated the medical science, or the knowledge of medicine, in the universe.

PURPORT

As stated in the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, everything emanates from the ultimate source of the Personality of Godhead; it is therefore understood in this verse that medical science, or knowledge of medicine, was also inaugurated by the Personality of Godhead in His incarnation of Dhanvantari, and thus the knowledge is recorded in the Vedas. The Vedas are the source of all knowledge, and thus knowledge in medical science is also there for the perfect cure of the diseases of the living entity. The embodied living entity is diseased by the very construction of his body. The body is the symbol of diseases. The disease may differ from one variety to another, but disease must be there just as there is birth and death for everyone. So, by the grace of the Personality of Godhead, not only are diseases of the body and mind cured, but also the soul is relieved of the constant repetition of birth and death. The name of the Lord is also called bhavausadhi, or the source of curing the disease of material existence.

* * *

May Lord Dhanvantari bless us all.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

The following account was given by Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Atma Tattva Dasa.

One Ekadasi during the Kumbha-mela in Allahabad, Prabhupada was sitting back with his eyes closed, his legs stretched under his desk, talking about Ekadasi. Prabhupada said, “Lotus pods fried in ghee are very good on Ekadasi.” Somebody immediately ran to the market to arrange for lotus pods, but just two minutes later a Ramanandi brahman and his nine-year-old son arrived, both wearing Ramanandi tilak. They paid their obeisances, and the father put a cloth bag from his shoulder on Prabhupada’s desk. Prabhupada put his hand in it and said, “Just see; it has come.” It was lotus pods fried in ghee. He looked at the Ramanandi and said, “How are you?” This man happened to be the priest of a Bengali family in Firozabad, U.P., where Prabhupada used to stay. Even though this person was a Ramanandi, he did the Gaura-Nitai Deity worship for this family.

Prabhupada ate some of the pods, distributed the rest, and said to the Ramanandi, “You haven’t taken bath in the confluence, the sangam?” The Ramanandi said, “Swamiji, I have come to take bath in the sangam,” and he put a plate under Prabhupada’s feet. Prabhupada adjusted his feet on the plate, and this man bathed Prabhupada’s feet in sangam water from his pot while he chanted mantras. Prabhupada looked at him, smiling.

During that time—this was December 1976—it was rare to get Prabhupada’s charanamrita, and all of us desired it. This Ramanandi sprinkled that water on his head, drank some, and then sprinkled some on all of us. He said to Prabhupada, “Your feet are the actual sangam. What will we get in bathing that sangam? Your feet will purify the Ganges, and since you are not going to the Ganges, I brought the Ganga here. I will mix some of this charanamrita in the Ganga.”

Prabhupada smiled and said, “Give me your son. I will make him an acharya.” The man said, “He is yours, Swamiji, you can take him any time.” Prabhupada said, “No, no, any time means no time. You give him to me now. I will make him an acharya.” The Ramanandi said, “Swamiji, now he is learning Sanskrit grammar. To study the bhasyas, the commentaries, he must know some grammar. Once his vyakarana is over, I will hand him over to you. He is yours.” Prabhupada insisted for the fourth time, “No, no, what grammar? We don’t need grammar. Give him to me. I will make him an acharya.” The man said, “Swamiji, I am not saying no; everything mine is yours. But he is too small. He will only be trouble for you. In a few years, I will hand him over to you.” Prabhupada said, “Okay, thik he, thik he,” and he rubbed the boy’s head. After that, there were other visitors to see Prabhupada, and this man and his son left.

Years passed, and the Ramananda sampradaya broke into many inimical sects. Then one year, I took ten gurukula boys to the Allahabad Kumbha-mela, and I was surprised to learn that the Ramanandas had elected one young sannyasi to lead their whole sampradaya and that they had a huge Ramananda stall at the festival. I told the gurukula boys, “We will have this leader’s darshan. That one sadhu united a whole sampradaya is unheard of, and you boys should meet the person who has this potency. God knows, tomorrow you may become a guru.”

So, we went to see him. We were given priority because some of the boys were from South America, Australia, and so on. There were about a hundred people with this young sannyasi—men with long beards and matted locks of hair, all three times older than him, and leaders in their own right. This young sannyasi was sitting on a big seat, and people were fanning him with a chamara. We paid obeisances, and a gurukula boy from South America loudly chanted the sannyasa-sukta, which is a traditional way to greet a sannyasi. As he started chanting, everyone became silent, and after he had finished, this young Maharaja composed a Sanskrit poem about Prabhupada. He recited, “If I say that neither in the past nor in the future will there be an acharya equal to the acharya of the Hare Krishna movement, I won’t be committing an offense to the founder of my line, Ramananda, because in his commentary Ramananda himself predicted that Vishnu worship would spread around the world and that the whole world would take to it.”

As the sannyasi was talking, I realized that this was the same person who, as a small boy, had his head rubbed by Srila Prabhupada. He finished four slokas glorifying Prabhupada and ended with the glorification of Lord Jagannatha. Then he honored each boy separately, and when I went up to him, he said, “Atma Tattva Prabhu, do you remember me? You used to carry me on your back.” When I had traveled on padayatra, we had stayed at his father’s house. At that time, I was a brahmachari, and I used to carry this boy on my back. He used to call Lokanath Maharaja an “old man” because he had white hair. He said, “Prabhupada spoke about me becoming an acharya. My father never brought me to the Hare Krishna movement, but before he passed away, he told me that I had to study the Shankara-bhasya so that I could defeat it. That was his last wish. So, for four years I stayed with the Mayavadis in Benares and studied the commentary of Shankara. It was painful. Our whole sampradaya had split up over misunderstandings, and I thought that since I had Prabhupada’s blessings, maybe I could unite us. I tried for nine years, and this year it has happened. By the blessings of your guru maharaja, we are united. Ramananda said that as long as we were broken, we would never be able to fulfill his prediction. But Ramananda also said, ‘We don’t have to fulfill that prediction, because it has already been fulfilled by these people. We simply have to join and preach with them. Their movement is spreading around the world.’ ” Using us as a catalyst, this young sannyasi preached to everyone assembled there in that way. It was great to hear from him.

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На днях провели парикраму в Гокуле, во Вриндаване. Среди множества новых и интересных мест, которые мы посетили, были священные самадхи Рас Хана и Тадж Биви. Рас Хан был уважаемым мусульманином, и стал великим и весьма уважаемым Вайшнавом. Его стихи о Вриндаване, Радхе и Кришне растапливают сердце. Тадж Биви была царицей у Великих Моголов, – в точности как жена императора Акбара, которая также обратилась в Гаудия-Вайшнавизм и прожила большую часть жизни в отречении во Вриндаване.

The other day we did parikrama in Gokula, Vrindavan. Among the many new and interesting places we visited were the sacred samadhi’s of Ras Khan and Taj Biwi. Ras Khan was a Muslim gentleman who became a great and highly respected Vaisnava. His poetry about Vrindavan and Rádha and Krsna melts one’s heart. Tāj Biwi was a Mughal Queen – the wife of Emperor Akbar to be exact – who also converted to Gaudiya Vaisnavism and lived most of her life as a renunciate in Vrindavan.

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Halifax, Nova Scotia

Fun All Around

 

The day started with a walk and it was Daniel, Nihil, and Ryan that explored Savyasacin’s neighbourhood along with him as the host – and me. The area is mostly of rock, lakes, and trees as well as new development – a kind of urban sprawl, but wilderness is sustained with plenty of that mentioned above in between each home. There are sightings of fox, bear, deer, and bobcat.

To contrast there is the city of Halifax itself, fast-becoming what some people call “The New Vancouver.” It’s growing. People from other parts of Canada are settling here and immigrants also find it a desirable place to live.

In the deep of downtown, devotees of the area gathered on Argyle St., at the famous Neptune Theatre, for perhaps the last outdoor kirtan chanting session for the year. Tomorrow is Hallowe’en, which usually marks the end of fall and the start of winter. Passersby responded favourably. We presented a happy sound and we do come across as a spiritual lot. In fact, Hare Krishnas are a group of that spiritual genre that are openly visible to the public. Salvation Army would be about the only bold group to sing and play musical instruments to song, in praise of the Supreme, in major downtown areas one hundred years ago or more.

Chanting outside the theatre was great but more kirtan took place at people’s homes, which prolonged the ecstasy for some of us. In two apartments I had the pleasure to charade out stories of Krishna, His parents and friends.

 

May the Source be with you!

4 km

 

Halifax, Nova Scotia

First Day by the Atlantic

 

I was brought to Maya’s Court. Yes indeed. A kind couple, Mangalananda and Ratri, scooped me up from Swoop Airlines at Halifax Airport and from there to be driven to Maya’s Court, the actual name of the street where my hosts live. Savyasacin, Shyamesvari and their three girls reside in this gorgeous natural setting near Sackville and in that sense, because of its paradise features, it could pose for an illusion, which is mayain Sanskrit.

A brief walk by McNabb Lake, a great meal from Shyamesvari’s hand, and concluding the day with a group of bhaktienthusiasts at the home of Angiras made the day complete.

About the evening program? Well, the group was a mixed bunch of East and West folks. I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice couple (next door neighbours) from the Netherlands because I have Dutch blood in me. The thrust of my talk was on pilgrimage and what I benefited from in the past marathon walks and how it is a natural thing for a monk to do. Being that different kind of pedestrian is what I don’t mind sharing.

The talk culminated in a chanting session which stoked up a fire in us for a wholesome meal. This Halifax group is a fine community that is building on relationships between each other and the Supreme. Any chanting that is ever done is to satisfy the Supreme. During this month we are remembering Him as Damodara, the young Krishna, engaged in habits of divine charm. Meditate on the pastimes and you are assured of being out of maya’sdomain.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

St. Jamestown/High Park, Toronto

Both Crowds Are Good

Many connections I made, just before the disconnections of tomorrow when I will soar in the air, via Swoop Airlines. Making that domestic flight will bring me to the city of Halifax. So, tying up loose ends is what I’m talking about. With my phone as a constant communication device, I’ll be staying in touch with regular comrades but for the most part I’ll endeavor to “be here now” while being Atlantic way.

There will be plenty to do on the east coast, where they’ve got me in queue for programs. Not too many monks come around the Maritimes for delivering a dash of bhakti. Come to think of it, monastics are hard to come by these days, even though the general public are intrigued, and perhaps even mystified by men of the cloth.

I did, by the way, make an escape from winding down to briefly attend an outdoor ecstatic dance event. It was at night and one of our boys was DJing to genres of electronic sound. Shared headphones aglow in the dark, in green, drew a crowd. I was not up for the dance but for meeting nice folks; open-hearted. I did recognize some of them for having visited the temple at times. Indeed, it’s here in High Park, amidst trees, that openness abounds.

I often times find myself with the conservatives but here you are mingling with the liberals. Both crowds are good for me. Both demonstrate some spark from the soul. A monk’s presence consequently brings that out in people.

 

May the Source be with you!

5 km

 

St. Jamestown/High Park, Toronto

Both Crowds Are Good

Many connections I made, just before the disconnections of tomorrow when I will soar in the air, via Swoop Airlines. Making that domestic flight will bring me to the city of Halifax. So, tying up loose ends is what I’m talking about. With my phone as a constant communication device, I’ll be staying in touch with regular comrades but for the most part I’ll endeavor to “be here now” while being Atlantic way.

There will be plenty to do on the east coast, where they’ve got me in queue for programs. Not too many monks come around the Maritimes for delivering a dash of bhakti. Come to think of it, monastics are hard to come by these days, even though the general public are intrigued, and perhaps even mystified by men of the cloth.

I did, by the way, make an escape from winding down to briefly attend an outdoor ecstatic dance event. It was at night and one of our boys was DJing to genres of electronic sound. Shared headphones aglow in the dark, in green, drew a crowd. I was not up for the dance but for meeting nice folks; open-hearted. I did recognize some of them for having visited the temple at times. Indeed, it’s here in High Park, amidst trees, that openness abounds.

I often times find myself with the conservatives but here you are mingling with the liberals. Both crowds are good for me. Both demonstrate some spark from the soul. A monk’s presence consequently brings that out in people.

 

May the Source be with you!

5 km

 

Mississauga/Hamilton

MANtra and Visits

 

Great women of bhakti (devotion), tell your men about the upcoming retreat; for men and by men. In particular, we encourage Krishna Conscious guys to connect via the fourth Annual MANtra retreat, which will be virtual, once again, and held on the 12^th, 13^thand 14^th of November. It is a very enriching experience; informative, engaging and powerful. All guys can make some room for improvement in their lives. When they become more enhanced everyone benefits.

Some cool topics of discussion under the theme of “The Hero’s Journey” are “Big Heroes Do Cry,” “Heroes Forgive,” and “Marry the Mission.” There are great presenters such as Mahatma, author Yogesvara, and a stand-up comedy act by Yadunath.

Ladies, please get your men to register. They will like “Heroes in Marriage.” Check https://man-tra.org/

Today, I had the fortune to make two hospital visits. First of all, with kind Nanda Maharaja as the driver, we visited beloved Madhurya Lila from Bengal, a cherished member of ISKCON Brampton, who is suffering from cancer and is currently in Credit Valley Hospital. Our deep prayers to her.

Secondly, with a trip to Hamilton General, we made that visit to see Vaishnava, hailing from South Africa. He is dealing with a heart condition. Again, prayers to this great soul who opened up ISKCON branches in Brampton and Niagara Falls.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

Mississauga/Hamilton

MANtra and Visits

 

Great women of bhakti (devotion), tell your men about the upcoming retreat; for men and by men. In particular, we encourage Krishna Conscious guys to connect via the fourth Annual MANtra retreat, which will be virtual, once again, and held on the 12^th, 13^thand 14^th of November. It is a very enriching experience; informative, engaging and powerful. All guys can make some room for improvement in their lives. When they become more enhanced everyone benefits.

Some cool topics of discussion under the theme of “The Hero’s Journey” are “Big Heroes Do Cry,” “Heroes Forgive,” and “Marry the Mission.” There are great presenters such as Mahatma, author Yogesvara, and a stand-up comedy act by Yadunath.

Ladies, please get your men to register. They will like “Heroes in Marriage.” Check https://man-tra.org/

Today, I had the fortune to make two hospital visits. First of all, with kind Nanda Maharaja as the driver, we visited beloved Madhurya Lila from Bengal, a cherished member of ISKCON Brampton, who is suffering from cancer and is currently in Credit Valley Hospital. Our deep prayers to her.

Secondly, with a trip to Hamilton General, we made that visit to see Vaishnava, hailing from South Africa. He is dealing with a heart condition. Again, prayers to this great soul who opened up ISKCON branches in Brampton and Niagara Falls.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

Yorkville, Toronto

About Bhakti

 

Contrary to popular belief…

 

Strength lies in humility

Whereas weakness does in pride

Our base, set in simplicity

Puts complexities to the side

 

Pleasures ignite from stimulus

But that is so short-lived

Long-term comes from vigilance

When cheap thrills will outlive

 

Entertainment may lift us up

But education takes us higher

Spectators don’t always see close up

It’s through wisdom we’re inspired

 

We define ourselves in bodily terms

Yet the body is just a shell

Our observing this shell confirms

That it’s within that we do dwell

 

Happiness happens in receiving

And that is certainly true

However, the item that is most pleasing

Is when one gives to Him and you

 

-Composed by Bhaktimarga Swami, The Walking Monk

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

Yorkville, Toronto

Sharing Thoughts

 

Wet days are upon us; both day and night are accepting. My indecision this day was dispelled by a sudden inner voice that said, “Just do it!”

So, I meandered through streets receiving a light spray from above. I find that rain or drizzle can deepen your thoughts. That’s okay. Never over-think. Throw those mantras in there.

My intense thoughts for the night were reflections from the morning. The morning discussion was invoked from the Bhagavatam,verse 11.6.30. Some of our discussion was as follows:

Five topics are discussed in the Gita:

1) Isvara – God

2) Jiva – the soul

3) Prakriti – material energy

4) Kala – time

5) Karma – activity (good or bad)

Of the five, only one is temporary – karma.

We discussed that “genuine humility implies strength. Excess pride implies weakness.”

The members of the Yadu dynasty became a burden as a result of their conquests. Krishna arranged for their removal. He is the director, after all.

Outside of the discussion, and after my walk, an excerpt came to me and is to be shared from a letter of Prabhupada. “Please note it carefully that you cannot leave Krishna Consciousness. That is a fact. And even if you want to leave, Krishna will not leave you. That is also a fact.”

 

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

Etobicoke/Hamilton

Getting About

 

The grass is still green and the pumpkins orange at Hamilton’s Gage Park. This was our designated destination for a fall kirtan. In dedication to Bangladesh victims of rioting madness our small group (for starters but which grew) sang with soul giving attention to a Sunday afternoon. I believe that those who don’t know the Hare Krishna maha mantramight see us as some kind of gathering singing something along the lines of “kumbaya,” which is an American-African spiritualist song calling on the Lord to help. This melodic piece is sometimes joked about but the implication of the spirit in the words conjures up strength and togetherness.

Ben Zambiasi is a retired linebacker of Hamilton’s football team, “The Tiger Cats.” I’ve known him for some years but haven’t seen him for some time, so it was great to have him out to join us for a stretch on chanting mantras.

It was Roman who drove me around, first to the group registered as the “ISKCON Russian-speaking Toronto” group. They are a fine bunch of devotees that meet weekly. We spoke about surrendering, conducted a home vigil for Krishna as Damodara and had non-spicy food, the way Ukrainians and Russians like it.

So, all in all, two chanting programs – plus a final chanting session back at 243 Avenue Road, T.O. for the outdoor Stairwell Kirtan.

Hamilton and the Russians will be monthly visits for me. I am fortunate.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

Giriraj Swami begins at about 18:00.

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Behind his mother’s skirt, a shy little boy is hiding. It’s his first day of school – ever! Especially after more than a year of […]

Today, Sri Rama-ekadasi, is a very special day. It is the first Ekadasi in the month of Kartik, or Damodara, and it has special significance as the day on which Srila Prabhupada completed his translation of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, the most important book on the life and precepts of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Every devotee should read it. Actually, every devotee should read every book of Srila Prabhupada’s—Sri Isopanisad, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, The Nectar of Devotion, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.

Although Sri Caitanya-caritamrta covers a wide range of topics, it is a very advanced book of study, and we will read from the end of it:

jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda
jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda ems 

 “All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityananda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”

On this date, Sri Rama-ekadasi, in 1974, we went up the stairs to Srila Prabhupada’s quarters in the F-block in the back of the Juhu property. It was usual for us to go every morning at six o’clock to accompany Srila Prabhupada for his walk on Juhu Beach. But this time we were surprised to find that the door was locked. In fact, both doors—to his quarters and to his staff’s quarters—were locked, and we could not understand why. We knocked, and eventually Srila Prabhupada’s secretary Harikesa Prabhu opened the staff’s door and told us that Srila Prabhupada had just completed his translation of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, that he had written the most beautiful glorification of his guru maharaja at the end, that he was in a very jubilant mood, and that he said we should celebrate by having a feast.

Now we shall read Srila Prabhupada’s Concluding Words to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta:

CONCLUDING WORDS

Today, Sunday, November 10, 1974—corresponding to the 10th of Kartika, Caitanya Era 488, the eleventh day of the dark fortnight, the Rama-ekadasi—we have now finished the English translation of Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami’s Sri Caitanya-caritamrta in accordance with the authorized order of His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Gosvami Maharaja, my beloved eternal spiritual master, guide, and friend. Although according to material vision His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada passed away from this material world on the last day of December, 1936, I still consider His Divine Grace to be always present with me by his vani, his words. There are two ways of association—by vani and by vapuh. Vani means “words,” and vapuh means “physical presence.” Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but vani continues to exist eternally. Therefore we must take advantage of the vani, not the physical presence. The Bhagavad-gita, for example, is the vani of Lord Krsna. Although Krsna was personally present five thousand years ago and is no longer physically present from the materialistic point of view, the Bhagavad-gita continues.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

Srila Prabhupada sets the theme for his Concluding Words in the very first sentence by saying that he has completed his translation of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta in accordance with the authorized order of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja—the order, the instruction, the words, the vani. Although Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had passed away on the last day of December in 1936, Srila Prabhupada was still connected with him by serving his instructions. Almost forty years after his guru maharaja disappeared, Srila Prabhupada was pleased to offer him his translation of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. In other words, his relationship with his spiritual master was not diminished by the passage of time, because the association of vani continues eternally. In Srila Prabhupada’s dedication to his translation of Srimad-Bhagavatam, he wrote, “To my eternal spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja. He lives eternally by his divine instructions and the follower lives with him.”

We never need to feel bereft of the association of the spiritual master or the parampara, because their association is always available through their words (vani), and as Srila Prabhupada wrote, we must take advantage of the vani. For example, Srila Prabhupada’s vani is available in his books. So we have to take advantage of his books. If we don’t read his books, if we don’t study his books, if we don’t discuss his books, how will we have his association? And we want his association.

A householder devotee in England told me that he was concerned about his son—not only his son, but also many other members of the congregation—because his son was focused on only his immediate authority in Krishna consciousness, whom he accepted as his guru. The devotee was concerned that his son should also develop his relationship with Srila Prabhupada, understanding that everything in ISKCON, including Prabhupada’s disciples, was the result of Prabhupada’s mercy. He felt that his son should have a proper, tangible, substantial relationship with Srila Prabhupada.

So, the father prevailed upon the son to start listening to Srila Prabhupada’s tapes and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books—systematically. And that boy started to awaken his relationship with Srila Prabhupada in a very tangible way. He hadn’t understood it before. He hadn’t understood that he could have a tangible, substantial, relationship with Srila Prabhupada even in Prabhupada’s physical separation by hearing his words, reading his books. And then Srila Prabhupada started to come in his dreams. The boy is very pure. In his teens he went to Vrindavan and joined the twenty-four–hour kirtan party and was ready to live the rest of his life in Vrindavan just chanting the holy name. In particular, he was a very good mridanga player. So, he had a dream in which the deity of Srila Prabhupada sitting on his vyasasana in Vrindavan came to life. Many devotees have had dreams in which the deity of Srila Prabhupada comes to life. And he had another dream in which Srila Prabhupada was standing at the entrance to the temple room at Bhaktivedanta Manor, observing all the youth, including him, doing kirtan. After the kirtan, Srila Prabhupada walked over to him and said, “It is very good that you are engaged in kirtan. However, if one does kirtan simply to attract the opposite sex, this kind of kirtan will take one to the darkest regions of hell.” The boy took the dream as real and took the instruction to heart. And of course, what Srila Prabhupada said is true.

This is just one example of how we can establish our relationship with Srila Prabhupada—or any of the previous acharyas—through vani, through hearing the words, through reading the books.

Srila Prabhupada would take rest at about ten o’clock at night and then wake up at about midnight and translate. While practically everyone else was sleeping, he was translating for us. He was translating so that we would have these books to study and apply. So it is our duty, it is our privilege—it is a blessing, but it is also our duty—to read the books. Otherwise, it means that Srila Prabhupada was wasting his time writing books for us and we don’t even care enough to reciprocate and make the effort to study them. And Srila Prabhupada said that we should not only distribute his books but also read them. He said of his devotees that sankirtana will keep them happy and reading his books will keep them. So, we shall continue.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

In this connection we may call to memory the time when I was fortunate enough to meet His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, sometime in the year 1922. Srila Prabhupada had come to Calcutta from Sridhama Mayapur to start the missionary activities of the Gaudiya Matha. He was sitting in a house at Ulta Danga when through the inducement of an intimate friend, the late Sriman Narendranath Mullik, I had the opportunity to meet His Divine Grace for the first time. I do not remember the actual date of the meeting, but at that time I was one of the managers of Dr. Bose’s laboratory in Calcutta. I was a newly married young man, addicted to Gandhi’s movement and dressed in khadi. Fortunately, even at our first meeting His Divine Grace advised me to preach the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in English in the Western countries. Because at that time I was a complete nationalist, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi’s, I submitted to His Divine Grace that unless our country were freed from foreign subjugation, no one would hear the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu seriously. Of course, we had some argument on this subject, but at last I was defeated and convinced that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message is the only panacea for suffering humanity. I was also convinced that the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was then in the hands of a very expert devotee and that surely the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would spread all over the world. I could not, however, immediately take up his instructions to preach, but I took his words very seriously and was always thinking of how to execute his order, although I was quite unfit to do so.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada was the leader of his circle of friends, and thus when Narendranath Mullik met Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he wanted our Srila Prabhupada also to meet him, to give his verdict about him. Srila Prabhupada also described how across from his home in Calcutta there was a large building with many rooms and many men living there. During the day they would go out and earn money, and then in the evening they would come back and cook and eat their dinner and go to sleep, and then the next morning they would again go out to earn money and come back in the evening. Among them there was one man who, before going out each morning, would put on the robes of a sadhu and go out and collect money and later come back, take off his robes, eat with the other karmis, go to sleep, get up in the morning, and go out again.

Many sadhus would come to Srila Prabhupada’s father’s home, and Prabhupada was not very satisfied with their dealings. So when his friend invited him to meet the sadhu, he was not very eager to go, because, as there were so many bogus sadhus who were cheating innocent people, he thought that this might be another one. He didn’t want to go. But his friend insisted, and ultimately Srila Prabhupada relented and went and met his eternal spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

When Srila Prabhupada arrived, Srila Sarasvati Thakura was sitting on a raised platform (maybe on a cot that was set up as an asana), and everyone else was sitting down. There were some other seats, and Srila Prabhupada sat on one. And from the very first meeting, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura ordered him to preach the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the English language throughout the world. As a nationalist and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi, Srila Prabhupada argued, “Who will listen to India’s message, to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s message, when India is still under foreign subjugation? Even uncivilized countries like Japan have political independence. First India should gain political independence, and then people will be ready to hear the message.” But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura did not accept his argument. He said, “The message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is transcendental. It will act independent of factors such as political independence or dependence, and the world needs the knowledge now. We cannot wait for India’s independence; we must present the message now.” And Srila Prabhupada said that he was defeated in argument by his guru maharaja. He said that he had never before been defeated in any argument but that he had been defeated by his guru maharaja and was happy about it.

Srila Prabhupada was newly married and had a small child, and so he could not take up the order of his spiritual master immediately. But he kept the instruction in his heart and was always thinking about when he would be able to take it up. This is an important lesson for us—that if due to circumstances we are unable to take up an instruction from the spiritual master, we should always keep it in our heart and think of how we can execute it, pray to be able to execute it, and wait for the opportune moment when we will be able to do so.

I had an interaction with Srila Prabhupada in 1971 in which he enunciated the same principle. We were in Gorakhpur, staying as guests of Sri Hanuman Prasad Poddar and the Gita Press in what had been Mr. Poddar’s estate, Sri Krishna Niketan. A new issue of Back to Godhead magazine had arrived, with an article that I had written. Srila Prabhupada read the article and called for me. “I’ve read your article,” he told me. “It is very nice. You should write.” And he added, “You can travel with me, and I will personally instruct you how to write.”

Some days later, one of the senior devotees, Hamsaduta, wanted to begin his world sankirtana party, and he asked Srila Prabhupada if he could bring me along. Srila Prabhupada agreed. I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t going to travel with him and get personal instructions on how to write, but I had faith that whatever he did was ultimately the best for all concerned. So I accepted his decision that I go with Hamsaduta.

So, I went out and bought pens and lined paper. This was before computers; in India even typewriters were rare. If you needed a document typed, you had to go to the court and find someone outside the courtroom to type your document. Traveling with Hamsaduta, however, I did not have much time; we had a busy schedule, going to Agra and Aligarh. And then Hamsaduta Prabhu got a telegram from Srila Prabhupada: “We are planning a big pandal program in Bombay. Come with party immediately.”

So, we all packed up and came to Bombay. Shyamasundar Prabhu was the temple president. He had a meeting with everyone to divide up the duties, and he asked me to collect advertisements for the souvenir magazine to raise funds for the pandal program. I told him that Srila Prabhupada had instructed me to write as my main business. Shyamasundar said, “You can write anytime, but this is a special occasion, a time when we can go into any man’s office in Bombay and ask him to give an advertisement for the souvenir. We need to get advertisements to raise funds for the pandal. So do this now, and you can take up your writing later.” I thought that what he had said made sense, and I also knew that Srila Prabhupada wanted us to cooperate with our authorities, so I agreed.

Then, some days later, Srila Prabhupada arrived, and, as usual, all the disciples entered his sitting room with him and he glanced around the room, at each disciple, maybe exchanging a few words. When he came to me, he said, “So, Giriraj, how is your writing going?” I was completely flustered; I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to speak, but nothing clear was coming out. Srila Prabhupada said, “Okay, we’ll discuss later.” After a while, he called for me. I was alone in the room with him, and he asked me, “So, what about your writing?” I was in anxiety because I wasn’t sure if I had done the right thing. But I explained what Shyamasundar had said and how it made sense to me and also how I knew that Srila Prabhupada wanted us to cooperate with our authorities, so I thought I should cooperate. “Did I do the right thing?” I asked. He replied, “One can temporarily suspend the order of the spiritual master, but one can never neglect it.” And then he gave his own example: “Like me—my guru maharaja also instructed me to write, but I’m so busy travelling in India, I hardly have time to write. You can suspend the order of the spiritual master, but you can never neglect it.”

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

I could not, however, immediately take up his instructions to preach, but I took his words very seriously and was always thinking of how to execute his order, although I was quite unfit to do so.

In this way I passed my life as a householder until 1950, when I retired from family life as a vanaprastha. With no companion, I loitered here and there until 1958, when I took sannyasa. Then I was completely ready to discharge the order of my spiritual master.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada describes how he would have dreams in which his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, would come to him and call him to follow him. Srila Prabhupada would wake up in anxiety because he would think, “Oh, Guru Maharaja is calling me to follow him. He wants me to preach. He wants me to leave my family.” And he was in a panic because he was thinking, “How can I leave my family? How can I live alone?” Then one of Srila Prabhupada’s godbrothers, a fellow disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, His Holiness Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, encouraged him, “You should take sannyasa. You cannot really take up the order of Guru Maharaja to preach unless you take sannyasa.” When that godbrother passed away in 1968, Srila Prabhupada gave a nice talk about him, saying how that godbrother had forced him to take sannyasa. “Actually, he did not force me to take sannyasa,” Prabhupada said. “My guru maharaja forced me to take sannyasa through my godbrother.” So, this is another instruction—that a sincere disciple can receive instructions from his spiritual master through others.

I had one exchange here in Juhu that suggested the same idea. Srila Prabhupada was staying upstairs in his new quarters, and he was very ill. He was not meeting anyone, he was hardly speaking or eating, and no one was allowed to see him. Tamal Krishna Goswami was Prabhupada’s personal secretary, and he would sit in the front room.

One day, I went up to Prabhupada’s quarters to see Tamal Krishna. Mindful not to disturb Prabhupada, we met in the furthest outside room, where Tamal Krishna had his desk, and spoke in whispers—with two sets of closed doors between us and Prabhupada. Tamal greeted me with a warm embrace and then asked me to go to the bank to make a deposit.

“I am the temple president,” I thought. “I have so much important work to do that nobody else can do. Why me? Why do I have to go to the bank? Anyone can go to the bank and make a deposit.” So, I told Tamal, “There are so many devotees who can make a bank deposit, but there are many things that only I can do, so better I do those things and let someone else make the deposit.” Perhaps on some deeper level, based on envy and false ego, I may have been considering, “Who are you to tell me to go to the bank?” Anyway, we were discussing back and forth, in hushed tones, so as not to disturb Prabhupada.

Suddenly Srila Prabhupada rang his bell, and Tamal Krishna and I raced around the outside hallway and entered Prabhupada’s room. Especially then, it was a rare treat to be summoned into his presence.

“Now you have to do so many things,” Prabhupada said to me straight away, chuckling. “Again, another burden. You have to do all these things. So, how is your preaching?”

I wasn’t sure exactly what Prabhupada meant, but he knew that I sometimes felt burdened by management and preferred to preach.

I gave him a report about our recent preaching successes, and he spoke about the mood of a Vaishnava and the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. “If one does not present Bhagavad-gita as it is,” he asked, “then where is its authority?” And then, apparently to illustrate his point, he said, “If I say, ‘Giriraj, you go there, to the bank,’ and ‘No, no, I cannot do this; I can do only this,’ then where is my authority?” Then he laughed. “Just see.”

I didn’t think Prabhupada could possibly have heard my exchange with Tamal Krishna; we had been separated by a room and two closed doors. Krishna, I thought, must have inspired him from within. And further, he had pointed out a defect in my mentality: that I was seeing Tamal Krishna independent of him, thinking he was just my godbrother, and that I should have seen him as Prabhupada’s representative, that it was Prabhupada’s order coming to me through him.

I thought of Prabhupada’s opening words: “Now you have to do so many things. Again, another burden. You have to do all these things.” He had spoken with emphasis: “You have to do all these things.” And I understood that if I saw the service as coming from Prabhupada, I wouldn’t feel it a burden.

Later, when I described the incident to our godbrother Tejyas Prabhu, Tejyas opined that Srila Prabhupada had highly acute senses and could hear things that no one else could hear. We could be whispering, and no one else could hear it, but because of his highly attuned senses, he could have heard the discussion.

In any case, the point is not that Prabhupada knew that I was arguing with Tamal Krishna; his real instruction came in the statement “If I say, ‘Giriraj, you go there, to the bank,’ and ‘No, no, I cannot do this; I can do only this,’ then where is my authority?” Srila Prabhupada was asking me to go to the bank through Tamal Krishna Goswami. I was thinking, “We’re godbrothers. Yes, he is a little more senior, but we’re both godbrothers, and he can’t really tell me what to do. I am the temple president, and as temple president, I am my own authority.” But Srila Prabhupada was saying, “If the spiritual master asks you to go to the bank and you refuse, where is the surrender?” He wanted me to understand that he could be giving me orders or instructions through others, that the orders or instructions didn’t have to come through him directly, and he manifested that mood in relation to his godbrother Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja—“My guru maharaja forced me to take sannyasa through my godbrother.”

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

After he passed away, I started the fortnightly magazine Back to Godhead sometime in 1944 and tried to spread the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu through this magazine. After I took sannyasa, a well-wishing friend suggested that I write books instead of magazines. Magazines, he said, might be thrown away, but books remain perpetually.

COMMENT

Here’s another example: he took the advice of his friend very seriously because his friend’s advice was in support of his spiritual master’s instruction.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

Then I attempted to write Srimad-Bhagavatam. Before that, when I was a householder, I had written on Srimad Bhagavad-gita and had completed about eleven hundred pages, but somehow or other the manuscript was stolen. In any case, when I had published Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, in three volumes in India, I thought of going to the USA. By the mercy of His Divine Grace, I was able to come to New York on September 17, 1965. Since then, I have translated many books, including Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Teachings of Lord Caitanya (a summary), and many others.

In the meantime, I was induced to translate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and publish it in an elaborate version. In his leisure time in later life, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura would simply read Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. It was his favorite book. He used to say that there would be a time when foreigners would learn the Bengali language to read the Caitanya-caritamrta. The work on this translation began about eighteen months ago. Now, by the grace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, it is finished. In this connection I have to thank my American disciples, especially Sriman Pradyumna dasa Adhikari, Sriman Nitai dasa Adhikari, Sriman Jayadvaita dasa Brahmacari and many other boys and girls who are sincerely helping me in writing, editing, and publishing all these literatures.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada translated seventeen volumes in eighteen months. That’s one volume a month. No one can do that. No ordinary human being can do that, and while it was happening, he was chiding us like anything for not bringing out the books. He had the manuscripts ready, but the books were not being published. So he told Ramesvara Prabhu, who was head of the BBT in Los Angeles, that he wanted all the volumes published in four months. Only maybe two or three had been published, so there were fourteen volumes left. Using material calculation, Ramesvara said, “It is impossible.” Srila Prabhupada replied, “Impossible is a word in a fool’s dictionary.” Then Ramesvara said, “Well, what if we can’t do it?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Disqualified.” In other words, “If you can’t do it, you are not qualified to be in charge of the BBT and we’ll have to find someone else.”

So, they surrendered to the order. It is said that when the spiritual master gives an instruction, he gives the potency to execute it. And the devotees totally surrendered to the instruction. They reorganized the BBT and were working day and night, hardly eating or sleeping, and they did it.

Here in Juhu, too, Srila Prabhupada had the design for the temple, and he kept complaining that the work was going too slowly. I was bringing people from the construction line to meet him, and finally I brought Mr. G. L. Raheja, who was a big builder in the suburbs. Srila Prabhupada showed him the plans, the blueprints, and said, “I want this temple complex finished in six months. Do you think it can be done?” Mr. Raheja said, “Yes.” So Prabhupada said, “Okay.” Now, it is a long story, but ultimately it was built in two years and eight months, and during that time we felt that we were doing nothing. Prabhupada was constantly asking us, “Why is it going so slow? Why is it going so slow?” Now, when people hear that this huge temple was built in two years and eight months, they think, “That’s really fast. How could you build it so quickly?” But in Srila Prabhupada’s presence it was not fast—it was way too slow.

What I am saying is that Srila Prabhupada could do things that no human being could do, and he gave us instructions that were beyond our capacity. But if we surrendered to his instructions and tried our best, sincerely and with intelligence, we could do things that had seemed impossible.

Now we come to the penultimate paragraph, and this is revolutionary, so please listen with rapt attention.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

I think that His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is always seeing my activities and guiding me within my heart by his words. As it is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam, tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye [SB 1.1.1]. Spiritual inspiration comes from within the heart, wherein the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His Paramatma feature, is always sitting with all His devotees and associates.

COMMENT

We all accept that Krishna is in the heart. It is a basic instruction in the Bhagavad-gita: sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto. But here Srila Prabhupada says that his translation of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta was guided by his spiritual master within the heart. Now, of course, Srila Prabhupada received the instruction to write in English from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and kept that instruction in his heart, but here Prabhupada seems to be saying more that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was actually sitting in his heart as one of the associates of the Supersoul and from within the heart could give active, dynamic guidance.

This subject is discussed in the Fourth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam in relation to the disappearance of the spiritual master. It is actually a metaphor—that a king and his wife entered the vanaprastha-ashrama and went into the forest, and the king died, leaving his widow alone. Figuratively, the king is the spiritual master and the widow is the disciple. After the king died, an old friend came to the widow—and this old friend, who came in the form of a brahman, is considered to be the Supersoul, or a representative of the Supersoul.

So, there’s a lot of discussion how one can get guidance from the spiritual master after the disappearance of the spiritual master. The widow was ready to enter into the cremation fire—sati—and Srila Prabhupada explains that this means that the disciple should be ready to lay down his life for the mission of the spiritual master. When the disciple is ready to take up the order of the spiritual master or the mission of the spiritual master without any consideration of personal gain or loss, he is ready to lay down his life to execute the order of the spiritual master; he would rather die than fail to execute the order of the spiritual master. At that time the spiritual master appears to the disciple to give him instruction.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

It is to be admitted that whatever translation work I have done is through the inspiration of my spiritual master, because personally I am most insignificant and incompetent to do this materially impossible work.

COMMENT

Once, when Srila Prabhupada was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter in America after having published so many books in such a short time, he said that actually he hadn’t written the books; Krishna had. The newspaper reporter was a little confused about what that meant, and one of Prabhupada’s disciples explained that Prabhupada had meant that Krishna had given him the intelligence to write the books. But Srila Prabhupada said, “No. Krishna wrote directly.” And he would read his own books. Any ordinary author, when he writes a book, that’s the end of it; he doesn’t read the book he just wrote. And he’ll go on to the next book. But Srila Prabhupada would read his own books. What author reads his own books? Only if the subject is transcendental will an author read his own books.

Srutakirti Prabhu went into Srila Prabhupada’s room one day when Prabhupada was reading Krsna book. “These books are so wonderful,” Prabhupada said. “If you just read this book Krsna, you can become completely Krishna conscious.” Then he said, “Not even the whole book—if you read just one chapter, you can become completely Krishna conscious.” And then he said, “Not even one chapter—if you read one page, you can become completely Krishna conscious. Not even a page—if you read just one paragraph, you can become completely Krishna conscious. Not even a paragraph—if you read just one sentence, you can become completely Krishna conscious. Not even a full sentence—if you read just one word, you can become completely Krishna conscious.” Because these books are Krishna. They are written by Krishna or Krishna’s pure devotees, and they are Krishna. You are associating with Krishna. By associating with Krishna, you can become fully Krishna conscious, which is what we are meant to do.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

It is to be admitted that whatever translation work I have done is through the inspiration of my spiritual master, because personally I am most insignificant and incompetent to do this materially impossible work. I do not think myself a very learned scholar, but I have full faith in the service of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. If there is any credit to my activities of translating, it is all due to His Divine Grace.

COMMENT

Prabhupada is not taking any credit for himself. He is giving all credit to his spiritual master.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

Certainly if His Divine Grace were physically present at this time, it would have been a great occasion for jubilation, but even though he is not physically present, I am confident that he is very much pleased by this work of translation. He was very fond of seeing many books published to spread the Krsna consciousness movement. Therefore our society, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, has been formed to execute the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

COMMENT

So, we come back to the theme of the order of the spiritual master. Srila Prabhupada began by saying that he translated Sri Caitanya-caritamrta under the authorized instruction of his spiritual master. Now he is saying that he formed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to execute the order of the spiritual master and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. What order? The order to print and distribute books. There are other orders, of course, but specifically Prabhupada is focusing on the order to print and distribute books.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

It is my wish that devotees of Lord Caitanya all over the world enjoy this translation . . .

COMMENT

 

The same thing: we shouldn’t just distribute the books; we should read them. We should relish them, we should enjoy them, we should make ourselves one with them.

CONCLUDING WORDS (continued)

. . . and I am glad to express my gratitude to the learned men in the Western countries who are so pleased with my work that they are ordering in advance all my books that will be published in the future. On this occasion, therefore, I request my disciples who are determined to help me in this work . . .

COMMENT

We are all disciples—some siksa disciples, some diksa disciples.

CONCLUDING WORDS (concluded)

On this occasion, therefore, I request my disciples who are determined to help me in this work to continue their cooperation fully, so that philosophers, scholars, religionists, and people in general all over the world will benefit by reading our transcendental literatures, such as Srimad-Bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta dated November 10^th, 1974, at the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Hare Krishna Land, Juhu, Bombay.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta ki jaya!
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust ki jaya!
Hare Krishna Land ki jaya!
Gaura-bhakta-vrnda ki jaya!

So, it is very good that today is Ekadasi, because we don’t have to worry about prasada. We can follow Srila Prabhupada’s instruction, or Rupa Gosvami’s instruction, that on Ekadasi one should spend the day and night chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord. Still, I do not want to cause any disturbance, so I will limit the questions and answers according to my discretion.

Premanjana dasa: My question is that I—most of us—have never seen Srila Prabhupada, so how can we have a strong attachment to him? How can we love him? How can we serve him more and more, and how can we know more about him? We have his books, of course. But personal association makes a difference. There is a difference between my speaking with you and my reading your books.

Giriraj Swami: That’s true. So, your question is how to increase your attachment for Srila Prabhupada?

Premanjana dasa: Right now, Srila Prabhupada’s disciples are present, but maybe after twenty or thirty years, there will be no one. So, who will guide us who have never seen Srila Prabhupada?

Giriraj Swami: As you said, there are the books, and there are recorded talks and conversations, but there are also books about Srila Prabhupada, such as Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta. Everyone should read Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta. And Yadubara Prabhu has compiled a wonderful video series called Following Srila Prabhupada with all the live footage of Srila Prabhupada, with, where possible, live recorded sound, or, otherwise, memories from devotees who were there. Another disciple of Srila Prabhupada, Siddhanta dasa, has brought out the series Remembering Srila Prabhupada, in which disciples share memories of Prabhupada. And, as you hinted, the direct disciples of Srila Prabhupada who have imbibed his mood and are following his instructions—by their association you can get a sense of Srila Prabhupada.

Still, there is a difference between books and physical presence. Srimad-Bhagavatam states, nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya: by serving the book Bhagavata or the person bhagavata, one gets the same result. A disciple once asked Srila Prabhupada if one was better than the other, and Prabhupada replied that the person bhagavata was better, because the person bhagavata can catch you by the ear. The theme of the Concluding Words is that the book Bhagavata is better, because the books continue perpetually. So, in that sense the book Bhagavata is better, but in another sense the person bhagavata is better.

Devotee (2): Maharaja, first of all it was a very nice krsna-katha. My question is: We know that we have to give importance to the instructions of the spiritual master or the orders of our authorities, which sometimes seem to be different, even contrary to each other. And we are always fearful if we try to follow the orders of our spiritual master that in fulfilling the orders of the authority we somehow fail to follow the orders of our spiritual master. Then what?

Giriraj Swami: This is a very intelligent question. Such a situation took place in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Svayambhuva Manu, the first manu in this period of time, had a son named Priyavrata. Narada Muni instructed Priyavrata that he should not marry but should dedicate himself fully to spiritual life. But Svayambhuva Manu wanted Priyavrata to marry and take charge of the kingdom, because Svayambhuva Manu himself wanted to retire to enter vanaprastha-ashrama, and he needed Priyavrata to manage the kingdom.

Now, both were authorities. Not only was Svayambhuva Manu Priyavrata’s father, but he is also one of the mahajanas, one of the twelve mahajanas—Svayambhu, Narada, Sambhu. Manu is one of the twelve. So, Priyavrata was in a dilemma because he received one instruction from one bona fide authority and a different instruction from another bona fide authority. What to do?

It was a tense situation. Then Lord Brahma came personally. Lord Brahma is also a mahajana. And he was superior to both Manu and Narada because he is their father. He told Priyavrata that he should marry because his father wanted to renounce his material responsibilities and dedicate himself to God. Priyavrata was in a dilemma.

Srila Prabhupada explains that the disciple must be intelligent enough to reconcile different instructions from bona fide authorities—from the spiritual master and the grand spiritual master—because Narada was Priyavrata’s spiritual master and Brahma was his grand spiritual master. So, what did Priyavrata do? Externally he got married and took charge of the kingdom, but internally he remained detached, like what we read and discussed earlier. Although he could not immediately execute the order to renounce material responsibilities, he always kept it in his heart and abided the time when he could take up the order. Then, when he was sufficiently old and there were others to take charge of the kingdom, he and his wife, who had faithfully assisted him, renounced their material responsibilities—though, in a way, it is all spiritual—and fully absorbed themselves in God. The Bhagavatam describes that at the end Priyavrata went back home, back to Godhead, and his wife also went back home, back to Godhead.

So, as Srila Prabhupada said, the disciple has to be intelligent enough to reconcile different bona fide instructions from different bona fide authorities and somehow fulfill the demands of all the instructions of all the authorities.

Devotee (3): Throughout your talk, you used the title Srila before “Prabhupada.” That honorific title is often omitted by speakers. This shows deeper love and reverence. Are others also supposed to use Srila before “Prabhupada”?

Giriraj Swami: I feel more comfortable using the honorific Srila. In the early days of the movement we used to call Prabhupada “Swamiji”, but then he commented that “Swamiji” was not a very good term. So we started to call him Prabhupada, and then the Srila got added. I’m used to that culture, and I feel it is more respectful, but I would hesitate to judge someone on the basis of whether or not he says “Srila.”

Devotee (4): Maharaja, you spoke about how Prabhupada emphasized surrender. In the Bhagavad-gita there is a verse that in surrendering one should not fear. So, can you explain that? Even Priyavrata was fearing, in his surrender. So, is there a role of fear in surrendering, or one should not fear at all?

Giriraj Swami: Krishna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: “Surrender unto Me.” Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo: “I will free you from all sinful reactions.” Ma sucah: “Do not fear.” So, we should not fear that Krishna will not protect us if we surrender to Him. We should not fear that if we are following the orders of Krishna and perhaps neglecting some mundane duties, we are doing the wrong thing or will suffer. But we should be afraid of deviating from Krishna’s instructions. In other words, we should be afraid of maya. That type of fear is healthy, but we should not be afraid that if we surrender to Krishna we will lose. We should not have that fear. But the surrender has to be genuine, with sincerity and intelligence. Surrender to Krishna doesn’t mean that we sit down and do nothing and wait for Krishna to put food in our mouth. Yes, we depend on Krishna for our necessities, but we do our duty—and depend on Krishna for the result. If we neglect our duty in the name of depending on Krishna, that is not actual surrender. We do our duty and depend on Krishna. Only when one is in the paramahamsa stage is he considered completely transcendental to one’s duties in varna and ashrama, and then he can just chant Hare Krishna and depend completely on Krishna. But preachers such as Srila Prabhupada, even if they are on the most advanced stage, when they take responsibility to preach, they act like madhyama-bhaktas to set the example for others.

Devotee (5): We want to follow the instructions of our spiritual master wholeheartedly, but seeing that in ISKCON there are many gurus who have many disciples and sometimes there is politics and partiality, how should we respond to such a situation?

Giriraj Swami: In The Nectar of Devotion Srila Prabhupada writes, Rupa Gosvami writes, that the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu will deal with principles but not details. Srila Prabhupada gave the example that to follow the orders of the spiritual master is a principle and that the fact that one spiritual master’s orders may differ from another spiritual master’s orders is a detail. In other words, one spiritual master may give an instruction and another spiritual master may give a different instruction, but that’s a detail; the principle is that we should follow the order of the spiritual master.

Coming back to the example of Priyavrata, Srila Prabhupada is the founder-acharya and either the spiritual master or grand spiritual master of all the devotees in ISKCON, so we should follow Srila Prabhupada. But Srila Prabhupada also told us that we should follow his representatives. That’s also following Srila Prabhupada. For example, he told me to write and Shyamasundar Prabhu told me to collect, but Prabhupada also said to follow his representative. Shyamasundar was his representative—he was the temple president—so by following him, I was following Srila Prabhupada’s other instruction to follow his appointed representatives. So, somehow we have to reconcile these things.

As far as partiality, in principle the authorities should be impartial. They shouldn’t favor their disciples. But my question to you is, Why does it bother you? Bhakti Tirtha Swami was born in a black body, and he told Srila Prabhupada, “Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON is supposed to be a spiritual movement, but there’s prejudice against black devotees.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “If you identify yourself as a black devotee and get disturbed by the prejudice against black devotees, you’re the same as they are.”

But to be given contradictory instructions by superior authorities is a difficult situation to be in. The best thing is for the superior authorities to discuss between themselves and together agree upon a conclusion for you. So, one approach, if practical, would be for you to say, “Guru Maharaja, you are telling me one thing and the other authority is telling me something else—I am in an awkward situation.” Or you tell the other authority, “You are telling me something and my guru maharaja is telling me something else—I am in an awkward position. If the two of you could please discuss what you want me to do and when the two of you agree, let me know, I will be happy to do it.” That would be the best thing. Otherwise you are caught in between.

Thank you very much.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta ki jaya!
Gaura-bhakta-vrnda ki jaya!
Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Sri Rama-ekadasi, October 23, 2011, Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari Temple, Juhu, Mumbai]

 

 

 

 

 

Old City Hall, Toronto

Statements Must Be Made

During the protest chanting session, which was well attended by over 500 people, I enacted what I told our organization group I would do. I committed to being a watchdog and an orchestrator of sorts. Through this last week many phone calls were made and internet promotional materials sent to inform our congregants and friends that this gathering was important. Our team was effective. CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) came and other India-based media networks.

A well-wisher in the crowd came and recommended, “Keep your mask on,” which was a challenge when you’re being interviewed. Another person came to me when I sat in the kirtan and whispered, “The fellow playing the drum behind you is bleeding on his hands.” I paid not too much attention. “It happens,” I replied and that how it is in passionate kirtans. Another concerned congregant came up and said, “Maharaja, the chanting is too happy. Shouldn’t we tone it down?” My reply was, after looking at the chanters, “They look fairly serious to me.”

The person leading the chanting was Ajamila, whose ancestors hail from Bangladesh. He has strong feelings about fundamentalism, which was the cause of his family fleeing to India, leaving behind all their belongings. And so that’s what the demonstration chanting was all about; challenging intolerance and fanaticism, which I’m afraid is a threat to Canada, the U.S. and the world over.

When our chant was completed, I promised the Bangladeshi representatives who had joined, that I would join them in some spot for an evening vigil. From there I walked back to home – the temple ashram – wondering about our beleaguered world. For now, the peaceful but loved and firm approach should send a message. Thanks to other communities who did so well, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Ottawa.

 

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

By Vijaya Dasa

The devotees in Bon Accueil, Mauritius, increased their book distribution in September by 999%, with 4,115 book points. I've been to Mauritius. There are a lot of devotees, and now they seem to be inspired to increase their number. The devotees have preached and distributed books there since Srila Prabhupada visited Mauritius in 1975. Only one-and-a-quarter million people live on the island, and one might think that the country has been covered and there are no more prospects. But where there's a will, there's a way. Continue reading "WSN September 2021 – World Sankirtan Newsletter
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ISKCON Mayapur Dham holds a rally for the murdered ISKCON devotees and minorities in Bangladesh

It’s that time of year again when we get a chance to be intentional about nurturing our relationship with Krishna by considering a vow (vrata in Sanskrit) for the month of Kartika. Many Bhakti practitioners give things up as a gesture of love (sweets for example) and others add more powerful spiritual activities (more reading […]

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